Beautiful house, Miss C! Wraparound porches are sooooo nice, especially during the summer. Put a few glider benches out there, brew yourself a tall pitcher of iced tea, and line up a few months' worth of good novels. That's some REAL Southern Comfort! ;-)

--TwoDragons

This just goes to prove that it doesn't matter whether you have a $500 set of gear or a cane pole and a few nightcrawlers...fish will still bite.

--TwoDragons

Ummmm...NSFW warning, please? The hip-hop section has some very, er, explicit images. (Sixth circle from the top...)

--TwoDragons

Gee, the Striders look just like ants from up there...

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:HalfLife2_Citadel.jpg )

--TwoDragons

Maureen: I feel for you, my Mom is coping with Non-Hodgekins herself. As well as suffering the effects of two inoperable brain tumors that have robbed her of almost all of her sight.

She and I would both love to see a cure. It'd give my Mom a chance to see her grandson and soon-to-be granddaughter grow up to be young adults.

--TwoDragons

I had to stop shaking my head in disbelief. Otherwise I'd sprain something...

--TwoDragons

*makes mental notes to get this for the baby's crib this Christmas...* ;-)

--TwoDragons

My jaws hurt now...and I have a headache...and I'm feeling a little sick. And yet, I'm also absolutely fascinated!

--TwoDragons

My son absolutely LOVES these! Naturally, his favorite elements are sulphur, magnesium, sodium, hydrogen...and anything else that explodes or burns brightly.

What else WOULD you expect from a five year old...? *LOL*

And Mr. Poliakoff's mad-scientist hair is hysterical!

--TwoDragons

Yikes. Just...yikes.

So by the time my daughter is born, we'll be seeing rhinoplasty for infants. And by the time she enters kindergarten, she'll be teased for not getting a bewb job yet...

--TwoDragons

"I wuz wearin a sammich board...but I eated it."

(Reference: http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/01/15/i-made-you-a-cookie/ )

--TwoDragons

I am not kidding when I say this...but she looks JUST like my brother. In a dress.

--TwoDragons

"...and in other news today, the CDC reported that it is shutting its doors permanently within the month. Scientists have discovered that the Ultimate Cure For All Diseases has been found in a combination of shrimp fecal matter and whale flatulence. When interviewers called earlier today, the scientists were amiable but admitted they were simply too busy lighting their own farts to talk to reporters.

As well as claiming both the Nobel and IgNobel Prizes, a statue of a giant bowl of warm water and a pile of dirty napkins has been erected in Downtown in their honor..."

--TwoDragons

I've seen kids with milder forms of this because of neglectful parents. They have no ambition, no keen spark in their eye...it kills a part of me to see it. I couldn't even imagine doing something like that to my son. I'd rather die than let that happen to him.

A few years back, I met a woman in her 20's whose biological "parents"--too kind a word for the animals they were--severely psychologically abused her, molested her, and locked her in a filthy closet for months when she was a toddler. After adoption and extensive therapy, she was able to conduct herself in normal society for extended periods of time--but her friendships always ended in disaster. Her mind had become so conditioned at such a young age, that she just couldn't imagine friendship without a selfish angle. She had almost no compassion, and couldn't imagine it in anyone else. She would try to bond with a person...but within weeks, she would become paranoid that they had some ulterior motive for their kindness. She would eventually become aloof and cold. When the person reacted with understandable confusion, she would lash out and become hostile. Their anger and confusion "justified" her paranoia--why would they act this way if they didn't have something to hide?

Her world had been a dark crap-filled closet for so long, the only reality she ultimately knew was herself. And since she had been told so many times that she was useless and ugly, reality was a useless and ugly thing to her. She had a will to live that was made of iron, and that was the only thing that probably kept her from suicide. But everything else had become so dysfunctional inside her mind, it was a wonder she was able to hold down a job for more than a few months.

Last I heard, she'd moved to Indiana or somewhere. I doubt she's still there. I hope she found peace, somehow...I felt horrible for her even though she treated me like a complete tool. It was a very sobering experience.

--TwoDragons

Gives new meaning to "Oooooh, Smokin'!"

--TwoDragons