I watched it. For a 16 minute, 34 second talk, I think there was an amazingly small amount of data presented to support his thesis. Example: HOW is one 14% more likely to get into a biking accident wearing a bike helmet than without one??

The thing I can't get my head around is WHY this is a story that had to be written (read: authorized by Robert's guardian, that would be Page). Robert is incapable of providing his consent to the disclosure of his various medical conditions and illnesses. From Wapo, "At 6-foot-5, Robert was an imposing presence, both supremely self-contained and reserved. He listened more than he talked, and he didn’t mind that he intimidated people." Does this sound like the kind of guy who would like the world to know he now gets giddy over toilet paper?? Also stuff like this: "Allan acknowledges that there’s some awkwardness in their unorthodox family. He wonders how much Robert truly comprehends, since he still sometimes refers to Page as his wife." I get all that's necessary for a divorce is that one party chooses not to be married anymore. I get that a human interest story is supposed to shine a light and that Page is a journalist. But something about this whole piece I found rather undignified -- Not their lives, but the memorialization (and now yahoo! syndication) of Robert's fall from a former graceful and intellectual life. Not sure if this makes any sense, or if I conveyed very well at all ...

Was it some kind of fancy artisan bread? I'm guessing the bread was the culprit. Were I you, I'd keep those epis handy this evening no matter what else you eat. I'd guess that yes you had an allergic reaction to food you ate. I too hope it's not the butter :) [You were prescribed epis for urticaria (hives)?]

I was in China recently and ubiquitously encountered lots of people having candied hawthorn fruit on a stick. One food stand I was pretty sure must've been giving away free money .... but no, it was selling candied fruit on stick. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_hu_lu

Many :grouphug: to you D4 ... May I ask, what happens in the worst of cases with RAD kids? Where the parents have lost all hope or live in constant fear? Do the adoptive parents seek to institutionalize them, turn the child over to one of the states with safe house laws regardless of age? You mentioned your RADish was adopted from China. Has she met many other Chinese people, or been in a setting where the preponderance of people around her are Chinese? (If yes to either, did it have a soothing effect, or quite the opposite?)

You'd be a smart cheater except alot of those frozen egg roll things have peanut/nut contamination. I would never trust anything from a Chinese restaurant for a nut-free classroom. But I saw Ling-Ling potstickers at Costco recently that DO NOT have peanut/tree nut allergens. Soy, wheat, egg -- yes though. http://www.ling-ling.com/

:grouphug: I would simply stop fueling this fire for a while. Don't view anything as livelong decisions ("cutting out of life", etc.) There is some strange dynamic between at least 2 of the 3 people you've mentioned, and it needs to be starved out. Ignore the texts and emails for a while. Ok, block if you must. Ask your mother to stop contacting her. If she won't (which sounds key), then ask your mother not to complain to you about her other daughter's non-actions. It obviously amounts to nothing tangible, and is a waste of time and energy for everyone who has to process and analyze it. Basically, until I saw some peach cobbler and new magazines at the front door, I'd have nothing to say.

Right, and all their scholastic lives, they've been told, "You're the best!" "You got an A+", "You're supersmart!" (<== ding! [lightbulb clicks] So that's where all those stickers come from! Oh, sorry back to my diatribe ..) So when students fail to learn, it must necessarily be the students' fault or their parents' fault or somebody else's fault. Because no way a teacher who's been addled to believe for years that she and everyone around her is Nobel laureate material could possibly be responsible for this mass anomaly.

But if you did, you most certainly should not homeschool (or carschool) them but send them to private school -- Mariannova has a fledgling business in this area. She is an educator, and it really does take a licensed and insured professional to deal with kcm. Not just anyone can do it! (Whether kcm really need to be socialized with other kcm remains debateable ... ask MN, or her car detailer.)

Steph offers one reason ... :iagree:This is one of those moments when you almost need to get over your shock and separate the parties immediately. Like moving a baby carriage off a railroad track. I come from a culture where this pet-baby paradigm is non-existent. Serious dark matter would've hit the fan.

Ok, if the party is today -- I'd be backing out. I don't care how much of a hissy fit my dd pitches. I'd try make up for it, sure.

This kind of party is so weird, that I would type the above (in a text message or email, or facebook) just to make sure. Even though you dd is not staying, I would also be curious who will be issued keys for the room.

Idea #1 is just not ok for us, which would give us only #2 as an alternative. So your son is already there, I gather. Please let us know how this weekend ends for you all.

Ahem ... your story is that your insur called with good news about the killer circus monkey business you run out of your car. No HOA laws apply. You park along the curb... If you are right about your dh's recollection, the money guy needs to schedule someone to wave a signed contract in front of her face. Really, her action is so weird, someone needs to wave it in front of her. Either she is acting as one of the seller's agents in her conferences with you, or she is not. If she is not, her comments are irrelevant and unimpressive. If she is, then the seller is up to no good. Seriously, there is way too much monkey business going on.

My guess is that she wants the balance of the deposit right away because she is leaving the company and if this deposit doesn't collect fully under her, or she may not get paid at all or some other nonsense that only matters to her. Or something in your contract says you don't need to pay the rest at all. Anyway, you have a court enforceable contract, right? If she has "qualms" about a signed contract, she should consult her lawyer. Anything else is just playing games, and they need to know that MariannNova don't play that. (Or if MN does play, you can tell her not to worry because your insurance company told you that the premium for business policy for training killer circus monkeys out of your car will be lowered by 5% this month because you are no longer legally blind ... so now there's PLENTY of money).

I neither mentioned nor implicated the parents, or any parents, by omission or design. "Duggars" = whole family, pets included. There are countless studies trying to figure out non-genetic disposition toward FA and other atopy. Introduction to potential allergen at an early age (e.g. LEAP study), neonate gut flora, vitamin deficiency, mode of delivery, pets in household to name just a few. I've never seen the Duggar show; I couldn't tell Jim Bob from Billy Bob. Quick googling reveals no FA in the family ... wanted to know is this right?

Do any of the Duggars have food allergies? At the current 8% FA statistic, they should have 1.44 kids with FA. So if they don't, they are either doing something right or have pretty good genes.

Wow, this a good way to get yourself shot. Someone (like police or a social worker) needs to have a talk with this boy or his parents before something bad happens.

Ok, I love tzatziki. What do you like to eat with it? (Do you have a fav recipe?

Okay ... :confused: Was the truck moving while she was screaming? <== scary thought

Okay ... Was the truck moving while she was screaming?

I gently suggest that you find a new doc. This doc must do more than serve as a vax dispenser. You would find more guidance at even one of those travel vax clinics.

I am an expert re-directer. Picking up on small opportunities to re-direct the flow of a conversation. Do not wait for a lull. It will never happen because they are anaerobic.

Not quite. Girls cannot aspire to be sent into field combat in the U.S.

I have sometimes wondered how isolated hs'ing SAHDs might feel. If it is lonely for any one of us, how much moreso for them? OP, I hope you find some muffin & coffee buddies!