How scary. So glad she's ok and Doogie took care of her. Thanks for letting us know about this. I was entirely ignorant of such a thing.

And what about hork? Or hoik?

I'm with you. I can out-eat my husband and teen son at breakfast. By dinner, I usually don't want all that much.

You're good enough, you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you!

I've always thought that the word meaning toss quickly and without regret was "chuck." Chuck those broken toys into the bin. Chuck that in the trash. Nobody's going to eat it. But lately I'm seeing "chunk." The tidiness threads often talk of chunking stained clothes or junky plastic toys. Even the Halloween tradition (introduced to me by the kid's Latin teacher) of Punkin Chunkin' makes me question my assumption. So which is it? Or both? Is this regional? Or is "chuck" not a thing and I've been misspeaking my entire life?

Woo hoo! Cell phone plans rival the tax code for byzantine incomprehensibility. I'm glad your mom has things straightened out.

Sounds like you have yourself a new indoor kitty. :) Our tuxedo stray is here on what my husband insists is a trial basis. It's been over ten years, though, so I suspect her spot is pretty secure.

I see a bunch of boxes and something that looks like tiny Fallopian tubes. So now I don't know what I'm supposed to be striving for. But I trust Panda, so I know it must be something good.

I agree, too. It's divisive and too prone to accidental rating. Can we ask for its removal? I propose the Sylvester McMonkey McBean Petition to get rid of thread/post star ratings.

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to handle the whole empty nest thing, but not buying school supplies is brutal. I may have to start a business just so I can buy pencils and file folders.

I suppose our homeschooler souls can appreciate the guy's innovative spirit, but we will have to deduct several million points for common sense. Everybody on the news is wondering: did the spider survive?

I don't think you have to claim jello as a dislike because it isn't food. I don't know what, exactly, it is, but food doesn't even make the long list. :)

The spiders called. They said, "Listen to Jean!"

We've gone old school lately and have been really into Yahtzee. We play the regular game, but we also throw in all manner of dorky variations (you get one roll instead of three; you get three rolls but have to declare what you're going for after the first; three rolls, but you declare before the first...that sort of thing).

Not really a fan of cooked spinach, but that's about all I really dislike. Like Mrs. Mungo, I don't love mushrooms' texture, but I think the flavor is fine. I guess I'd have to say I hate shellfish, but only because it wants to harm me. Otherwise, I'd be all over it.

Local Hero

But did you routinely cross the border to go to Happy Jack's for marginal Chinese food?

Though I am tempted to send him a sternly worded note about his wishy-washy stance on the Oxford comma...

My grandmother did that! She'd also underline seemingly random words and add extraneous punctuation. "Merry" Christmas and Happy "New," Year!!!!!

I've not gone far for a restaurant, but I did travel 8 hours round trip for an ingredient. This was pre-internet days. I kind of miss having a quest like that; ordering my spices from Amazon and having them show up two days later is undeniably convenient, but it does take some of the hunt-and-gather sense of satisfaction out of the whole thing.

Well, I did have a fish named Learned Hand, but he really didn't exhibit much intellectual potential. His biggest accomplishment was eating his tankmate, Judge Posner.

A woman I know who favors more old-fashioned names said one drawback is that people invariably know pets with those names. "My dog is named Silas!" "There's a cat at my vet's office named Patience!" She said it doesn't especially bother her when people do this, but some people might be a little miffed. She's tempted to name her next baby Muffin just to see what happens.

Same here. I just like names from a hobbyist perspective. Freaked out my poor mother when I was high school aged and she noticed the baby name book on my shelf.

I was watching television last night and noticed somebody in the credits named Zeus. Not a name I expected to make a comeback (I realize one guy does not a comeback make, but still...). I do know a Hera, though; ironically, she's one of the sweetest, slowest-to-anger people I've ever known.

Another vote for ELF. It's almost alarmingly inexpensive, but I've found it to be quite good.