Beverly, that is of course the best response. Thanks,everyone.

ltc is finally taking a nap and I'm going to pray it lasts longer than a couple minutes and try to take one too. Still wiped out from all the badness.

amyth! Glad to see you posting. I sympathize with the anesthesia nausea. Last time I had a colonoscopy, the first thing I did after I woke up was barf. I'm going to request a virtual colonoscopy for the next one.

I got coloring books today -- so pretty .

Yay! Isn't Thea's art amazing?

I want to hug all of you right now. More than I usually do, which is a lot.

My cough is progressin to symptoms that are probably just allergies but annoying and making mE contemplating going home tomorrow. I have to drive and it sucks but I'm also worried about getting sick away from the comforts of home.

First of all, had I had a kid, getting that much attention in public, she might be like "Mama, why's that old lady eyefucking us?" and no question where she'd get that! Secondly, I know I'd make it worse, because that would embarrass me and activate all my not inconsiderable Chandler-Bing-Humor-In-The-Face-Of-Discomfort impulses so that I would say "Don't know, you're not from the news, are you?" Then in the time it would take to say "Lack of irony, Batman!", sproglette would get to see Mommy wait for the accessible paddy wagon(yes, we have a full fleet, due to a rather infamous ADAPT thing in the '80s...so progress/)

sj, I believe the best response would be a faintly puzzled slight smile and, "Why do you ask?"

I agree with Bev; that's the perfect response.

Ditto.

A friend adopted a Russian girl 16 (gulp) years ago. S has very Asian features and my friend got...for years..."Is she yours?"

Well meaning people, of course, but seriously? Like she somehow stole her baby?

Anyway. She used "Why do you ask?" a lot. Very effective.

I will never forget what Ginger did for me. I was in the worst throes of my anxiety. I don't even know that I'd shared much of it here or on LJ, but I'd said enough that Miss Ginger understood.

To remedy it, she sent me VHS tapes of David Boreanaz on talk shows. Laugh all you want (I sure did); it totally worked.

What's funny (and very sad) to me, is that I probably chucked those tapes w/in the last few months, thinking, "I don't need these anymore."

Suddenly, I want them back.

I will never forget how darned intelligent Ginger is (can't say "was" yet). I will also never forget her proneness to accidents.

Ginger might have been the ur-Buffista. I'm so glad I got to know her. I'm not ready to let go.

Rest in peace, dear woman. Thank you for being everything and everyone I've always wanted to be.

It doesn't surprise me that Ginger helped so many because she was very kind and helpful to me. I just didn't consciously know how many others she helped because she did it so quietly. It just hurts that life wasn't kinder to someone so giving.

It just hurts that life wasn't kinder to someone so giving.

Yes.

It just hurts that life wasn't kinder to someone so giving.

This. A million times.