There was a news story - from Sweden a couple of years ago - that someone called the police because of yelling, swearing, things going bump in the night - and when they checked it turned out to be. yes, IKEA assembly. So it sounds like it's as bad for Swedes as for Americans.

Republican weirdness level raised: Seemingly, RFKjr found a dead whale on the beach, but its head off with a chainsaw, strapped it to the roof of his car and drove down the highway. He went zipping down dripping blood, whale oil and whale offal as he went (this is from his daughter). Disgusting, sharing it with other drivers, the passengers cut air holes in plastic bags in an attempt to make it less disgusting. Environmental groups are now calling for an investigation. (And, somewhere, Mitt Romney is laughing)

Man... I wonder where that brain worm came from...

RFKjr has this and the bear story but the GOP is freaking out because Tim Walz posted about his dog and him and his dog at a dog park and the dogs in the two pictures WEREN'T the same DOG! Walz Was LYING about his DOG!

or you know he took a picture of a dog at the dog park.

My shoulder is feeling better not as much as I would like. What I would like is to be able to take more than a day to rest it. Tomorrow starts my 5 days in a row and I have to go back on Thursday for re evaluation.

I've heard of Republicans getting dogs for their campaign ads and bringing them back to the shelter afterward.

Got through my first two days of teaching for this semester. I'm teaching three classes in-person, which is the most I've done in a while -- the past few years, I've had one or two in-person and the rest online. It's three sections of the same class, though, so at least that's just one prep. Already had to make one complaint to the classrooms people -- I generally teach while sitting on a tall chair at the front of the classroom and using the overhead projector, and the chair in one of the classrooms is totally broken. Like, the height won't adjust, and if you lean back even slightly the whole thing tips over. So, working on getting that replaced. Other than that, classes going well, just tiring.

Wow, Hil, if they ever just had you set up right at the beginning of the semester it'd be rather a miracle!

Hil, I actually wanted to ask you a question. I'm trying to figure out what exactly my relationship is to my cousin's granddaughter (2nd cousin? once removed?) I'm sure I could figure it out if I really sat down and tried to figure out the math, but I thought with all the genealogy study you've done you could probably help me without all the agita. So, can you tell me what my (female) cousin's granddaughter (on the maternal side, our mothers were sisters if it makes a difference) is to me? (If this is something you'd usually charge for or is any other way an overreach, feel free to shut me down. I promise not to get cross).

Your cousin's granddaughter is your first cousin twice removed. Your daughter and your cousin's granddaughter would be second cousins once removed. Your granddaughter and your cousin's granddaughter would be third cousins.

Anyhoo, I once worked with JFKJr's first wife, and . . . IMO he's not a good human being.

Thanks for the info, Sparky. We've been working on what to have her call me (auntie-cousin is a semi-jokey go-to in our family, but she's a little bit delayed, so I'm trying to simplify rather than complicate - so first cousin twice removed is, unfortunately, a lot). We might just go with "Tia" (the other side of the family is Mexican), I like it and she should have plenty of Tias so she shouldn't be confused. My cousin suggested we just use my name, but with 50 years between us, I feel like there should be some sort of "honorific".