So I guess we can't trade off with each other, because I don't like those, either. My designated dishwasher emptier leaves for college tomorrow, so I suppose I'll have to do it myself from now on.

Didn't I just dust you?

Happy update! Fireplace Kitty emerged sometime last night (you guys were absolutely right about just leaving her alone). At 5:30 this morning she was sitting on the couch, looking sheepish. The fireplace is now blocked with pillows and math books. Thanks, all. Your advice and hidden cat stories helped enormously. :)

Don't think we haven't considered it! :)

That's what we're hoping. We're all walking around nonchalantly, practically singing, "Doo de doo...nothing unusual here..perfectly ordinary evening...". Unfortunately, while she's not the brightest animal, she does have a powerful sense of About to Be Picked Up. The other cat is loving this, having been sprung from her carrier (as the sitter was a no-go today) and getting extra snacks, as we were hoping the sound of her eating them would incite jealousy in Fireplace Cat.

So she's still in there. I've completely scuttled tomorrow's plans so that IF she comes out I can get her to the sitter tomorrow. And if she still hasn't come out by then? No clue. I've got nothing past Plan C. *whimper* Thanks for the advice and good vibes, everybody.

Oh, gracious. I'm pretty sure she isn't stuck, at least. Just stubborn. She's lucky she's cute.

Tuna is worth a shot. She usually eschews all but kibble and these weird little treats (Greenies), but it couldn't hurt to try a classic. And good idea, Jean. I will see if we can do a later dropoff. Tell me I'll laugh about this someday. :)

So I was all set to take my cat to the sitter, which does intake only for the next hour and a half. Cat, not wanting to go, wedged herself through a fireplace vent and is now deep inside the fireplace (not accessible except through tiny, though evidently not too tiny for a determined cat, vents). I really need to get her out. I've tried ignoring. She's onto me. I've tried snacks, I've tried annoying her with noise and a spray bottle of water. I'm not even sure where, exactly, she is in the catacombs of my fireplace. I'm kind of desperate. Does anybody have any cat retrieval ideas I haven't thought of?

I hate being wishy-washy about it, but I think it really does depend on the particular circumstance. I don't imagine it's likely to make things worse, though (just possibly not significantly better). And here I thought you wanted to put a hit on somebody...

Oh, good suggestion. Nikita is a very girl-power kind of show, which is also a plus. And another vote for Orphan Black. Felix is on my Top Five Favorite Fictional Characters list.

If you like (almost) raw fish, salmon and tuna make a lovely ceviche. Otherwise, just grilled with really simple seasoning. Normally, I'm all over fancy sauces and complicated flavors. But I like my fish mostly unadorned. I'm not a fan of planking salmon. It just gives the fish a weird, to me, taste. Lots of people love it, though.

Marmite. I was a good sport and tried it once, despite my misgivings. Really, really should have trusted my misgivings. And Twiglets, which seem to be perfectly good pretzels ruined by Marmite.

Doesn't this thread make you wonder which of the foods we like (and consider perfectly normal and nutritious) will appall our grandchildren someday?

Gabrielle Zevin's trilogy that starts with All These Things I've Done is pretty interesting. It's mildly dystopian, but it's mostly about a young woman who has to deal with being part of an organized crime family dealing in contraband chocolate. Sounds kind of bonkers, but I liked it.

Seconded. I've had several Dysons that promised the world and disappointed me, but the Shark has been steadfast and loyal (and apparently, I am far too emotionally involved with my vacuum cleaners). The hose-and-crud-canister part of the Shark can detach from the wheels and handle, which makes it easy to cart around to clean baseboards and corners. When fully assembled it is a bit tippy, though. Traumatized the cat the other day. Sorry, cat.

I dig Portland (was just there yesterday, in fact). If you like food trucks or bookstores the size of small towns, that would be something to look forward to. But I certainly understand your trepidation. There are places I'd be nervous about if I had to move. So just let us know what kind of vibes you want us to send out regarding the interview. I truly hope it all works out for the best for you and your husband.

I'll join the No Cool Whip contingent. My grandmother just adored Cool Whip, and I made the mistake of eating some to be polite. She was delighted that I shared her undying enthusiasm for Cool Whip, and from then on she slathered it on anything remotely sweet. Cool Whip on cake. Cool Whip on fruit. On toast. Tragically, on the beautiful cream scones one of her students gave her. Frozen Cool Whip in coffee. Frozen Cool Whip with chocolate sauce ("You can't even tell it's not ice cream!"). The first laugh I had after she died was when we were cleaning out her house and found approximately seven thousand empty Cool Whip containers, carefully washed and stacked in her cupboard.

Wouldn't that be a great scene in a novel? Somebody wants to put her house on the market and has the real estate agent visit to assess what needs to be done. "So, about the semen tank in the corner of the bedroom..."

Maybe a small package of baby wipes or something similar.

And now when I spend my entire Sunday watching Jack Russell races on YouTube, I can blame all of you. :)

I have no personal experience with this, so I can offer only sympathy for your poor hair. :) Although...since you mentioned the Olympics...the only kid I've ever known who was like that grew up to be an international-level athlete (and a charming, thoughtful guy). And his mom did survive his childhood, if barely. So who knows!

For what it's worth, I like plain yogurt on baked potatoes (maybe mixed with some lemon and cumin or somesuch). But I'll eat pretty much anything, so maybe you'd better trust your instincts. What definitely is not good on baked potatoes? Jam. As a kid I tried it, thinking I was discovering the next culinary sensation. I was not.

That happened to my MIL, too. She lived in a series of developing nations as a young woman, so she kind of missed the advent of convenience foods in the US. When she returned to New England, she was quite taken aback by boil-in-bag, TV dinners, and plastic wrapped cheese. She said the change in musical styles took some getting used to, as well. :)

There's a chapter in Jen Lancaster's book The Tao of Martha in which she tries several times to make toffee. Her descriptions of melting her spoon, burning the candy, and winding up with something that "tasted like war" had me giggling like a loon and scaring the cat. As for my own disasters: I've had several over the years, but the most recent was making sweet and sour chicken and forgetting the sugar. It actually wasn't inedible, surprisingly, but it certainly wasn't very good. Didn't help that shortly after some company ran a commercial mentioning the idea of "sweet or sour chicken," prompting my family to remind me gleefully of my folly.