Another Bel Canto lover here...

I thought Packing for Mars was fascinating when I read it a few years back.... It didn't make me feel claustrophobic, but then again, I always dreamed of being an astronaut when I was a kid. I loved learning that meals for early space missions were designed by Army veterinarians, lol. I guess that was appropriate in a way since astronauts are under as much scrutiny & monitoring as zoo animals.

Finished Andrew Miller's historical fiction novel "Pure" today. It can be enjoyed as a piece of historical fiction, as well as as for its depths & layers concerning the many winds of change in pre-revolutionary France. Quite excellent & recommended, especially for fans of historical fiction.

Happy Birthday!

I figured that is probably the case since she is salaried. But, I'm wondering if she's having to at least eat up some of her accrued vacation days (or personal days or...???) while she's not in the office.

Since Davis has not been at work for quite a few days (between court, jail, & rallies), is she using vacation time, unpaid days off, or what? I'm curious how that works...

I like it both ways, but without the e, I say it as a three-syllable name; with the e, I want to pronounce it as a four-syllable name.

Yeah, i've been wondering the same thing. And, I'm a little worried that since the plaintiffs have not alleged that the licenses are not legal (since they are missing Davis' signature), that somewhere, somehow other Davis-like cronies will make legal problems for some of these couples down the road. Or even non-Davis-like cronies. If it is KY law that Davis signs them, if that law itself hasn't changed, & if she doesn't sign them, it seems like, legally, those licenses could be challenged as invalid (to the heartache & inconvenience of the couples, not to Davis). It seems like the onus is on the couples to dispute the validity? It seems an unfair burden to put on the couples when it should be the responsibility of the licensing office to ensure that what they issue is legally valid.

The sad thing, to me, is that the students in that county won't be getting their lessons today. Cancelling school because of a media circus like this? I have a problem with the fact that the adults/leaders participating in this media circus see their show/platform as being more important than school there today.

Sending a virtual mug of coffe, a hug, and a wish for a quiet, peaceful, happy week.

That's hilarious. And awesome. Congrats!

Oh, your poor old guy! Hope he returns to normal quickly & that there's no lasting damage. :grouphug:

Propaganda. I sure hope the sheriff of Rowan County is not as uneducated & ill-advised as some of the 'agitators' seem to be.

I don't download a lot of apps or even really keep up with what is out there, but I just saw an article about this & it sounds like a pretty good idea: A new app that lets users' friends 'virtually walk them home at night' is exploding in popularity It may not be perfect but it might give a little more peace of mind. Figured I'd mention it in case it would be of interest.

Angel, happy belated birthday to your dd!

I toss clothespins in the suitcase. Then, it's easy to hang wet suits from the retractable line in the shower (if they have one), from hangars, or clipped to the back of balcony chairs (which often have plastic straps so it's easy to attach clothespins to them).

I've never been to the catacombs in Paris. I didn't know the catacombs really started as a burial place once the in-city cemeteries were overly full & condemned, especially Cimetière des Innocents which was considered one of the worst (or maybe *the* worst). This was just a few years preceding the French Revolution. Lost Paris: The Cimetière des Innocents Catacombs of Paris Looking for something to read, I picked up (yet another) Europa book on my library stack, Pure by Andrew Miller. (And it looks like the kindle version is currently $6.99 instead of the usual $17 right now.) It's compelling & in just this evening, I've already finished a third of this 300+ page book. If you enjoy historical fiction, you may want to check it out. The Guardian review of Pure Madeline Miller at NPR writes... ETA: Pure won the Costa Best Novel award in 2011.

Awww, NoseInABook. What a lovely way to snuggle!

Mumto2, I loved The Rook. (And it got me through a couple of long orthodontic appts. back when dd got braces.) I think the sequel is supposed to come out relatively soon.

My grandfather got RD. As a kid, I spent many summer hours when we were visiting reading those. Fond memories!

Still mostly in a reading rut here. Can't really seem to settle on much of anything these days. Gah. I hate this feeling. Jane, thanks for the mention of the book. One of my library systems does indeed have it, so I've put in a request to get it later this month. M-mv, thanks for the mention of Hamlet on the big screen. Will look up dates for my area & grab a few of my reading pals & will plan to go see it.

She doesn't have to like the SCOTUS ruling. But she's not just a citizen of KY; she is also a citizen of the USA. She can't just cherry-pick which rules she decides to follow, she has to follow the ones that are legally in effect.

I like milk icy cold & grew up adding ice to my milk all the time. (My sister does too.) These days, I don't often drink milk. I sometimes add ice. But, I want milk to drink only if it's really, really, really cold. So, I have to drink it straight out of a very cold fridge or add ice. (I drink whole milk, btw.) It's great with ice, I promise! I don't let it sit around long enough for the ice to really melt either, so it doesn't get especially watery.

Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!