talking on trains

On the train this morning, as the question was joyfully asked and expanded on (and she kept talking fervently) and I replied as simply as possible, this went through my head.

Thank you very much for asking when my husband and I will start having children. I know you are just being polite and curious. However, you are the [insert number] person to ask me that since I got married. As I have explained to all the others, I will have children when I am ready. It may not be for several more years. I do not feel that getting pregnant, giving birth, and raising a child is something I want to do right now.
Also, while I appreciate your curiosity and odd fascination concerning the future of my womb, I find it slightly unsettling. I am afraid I don't see how my sex life, the health of my reproductive organs, and the activity of my uterus have anything to do with anyone but me and my partner. I wish you all the best for you and your [current/potential] offspring, but you really do not need to concern yourself with me and mine. Also, please get that glazed gleam out of your eyes. It's a little frightening.
Thank you.

Really, the woman seemed a little... zealous. It made me want to cover my lower abdomen with my arms and tell her that no, she couldn't have my future children.

Sounds good

The Wizardly Editor Who Caught the Golden Snitch

"At some point I needed to pay a little bit less attention to the phenomenon," he says. "I'm not responsible for the phenomenon. I'm responsible for the books."

It's about the books.
When it comes to something like Harry Potter, I too don't really care about the wild phenomenon of it all. I want to read the books, live in the stories, love the characters, feel the creativity. No role-play, no video games, no merchandise, no toys, no theme parks, no fanfiction (yes, fanfiction, but good fanfiction). Just the books. Just the words. Same with any majorly beloved book or series.
Although: If a move adaption is unbelievably good, or better yet if the author helps with a movie adaption, I'm all for that. If it's done right, a visual/audio adaptation of a story can be breathtaking, as one artist's vision is translated into another's. Storytelling either way. Unfortunately, I have also seen too many great books and stories get ripped apart in bad screenplays and bad directing.
Seriously. I'm not that cynical. I'm just a purist about certain things. Don't hate me. It's just... have you seen what Hollywood does to some of those beloved books? I'm very happy that the HP movies are as good as they are, because Harry Potter deserves that sort of brilliant artistic translation into film.

(This is why I am really hoping that the TV series adaption of George RR Martin's series does well by the books. The cynical purist in me tends to get defensive and protective about these things, and yes, I know, it's silly to be that way, but I've been like this my whole life. I like books. I don't much like toys based on books.)

Shilajit

I've been taking one capsule a day (the Essential Health pills) for six weeks. I'm giving it the full three months before I decide anything, since it needs that much time time to really work into my system. I am at the halfway mark, and so far I like it. It does make me feel stronger; it's like like a slow steady current of energy that's subtle but there when I need it. I don't take it on weekends and I do notice a marked difference in energy and pain and fatigue levels without the shilajit. I have yet to see most of the claims made, but perhaps it needs more time. I plan on doing the same with any prescription drugs my doctors wind up giving me for the fibro, but this is one of the supplements I'm testing out to see if it might work for fibro.

http://www.essenhealth.com/shilajit-mineral-pitch-p-54.html
http://www.herbalremedies.com/shilajit60tabs1.html

( Various articles )

and his webcomic is awesome too

"Like most pampered primadonnas I was shocked to learn that not everyone in the world was there for my benefit and edification. Apparently, vast segments of the human population, possibly even a majority, don't give a flying bugfuck what I do or what happens to me. Highly alarming revelation, this, as I've always assumed I occupied the very center of the cosmos, and the very structure and integrity of the space-time continuum hinged on my well-being. Should anything untoward befall me, I was sure the universe would collapse and all God's Creation would cease to be. But as I grow older and less full of myself, I'm finding what an inconsequential gnatfart I am in the Great Scheme of Things. I could die tomorrow and humanity will go chugging along its merry way. It'll continue junking up the earth, attempt a wild and crazy escape to Mars or something, die out by its own poisonous effluvium or blow itself up, thus ending the Rule of Mammals and ushering in The Age of Insects, who will use all our plastic and styrofoam and non-biodegradable radioactive waste as fuel for their little bug cars and build fantastic little bug cities and little bug kids will read about the giant prehistoric humans with awe and delight. Secular Ants will dig up our bones, Fundamentalist Bees will deny we ever existed, and Dragonflies will just chill cuz they're cool like that. Maybe they'll enshrine my memory and make me an honorary insect. Tatsuya Ishida, the Inconsenquential GnatFart, He Who Predicted The Next Phase of Earth Evolution."
- Tatsuya Ishida, creator of http://www.sinfest.net/

Sexy Otter

The fabulous 'Hey Ya' exotic dancing otter

Automatically funny: Videotaping an animal in its natural habitat doing simple animal behavior, and anthropomorphizing the hell out of it.

Ooh, yeah, scratch that itch, baby, scratch it...