Thank you for the advice. I have already spoken to the theatre and told them that I would need to quit if things didn't change, and Nigel has said that he is committed to doing what I need to keep my regular job happy, even if he has to find money to hire extra workers.

I think, as an assistant, I'm leaning toward Trudy-- I could have been fired right that second if my boss wanted to, and she did end the conversation saying she wanted a fresh start and for us to work together as a "salt and pepper" team. Part of my boss's issue is that I am acting like an equal, not an assistant, so I don't want to rock the boat by being even more assertive.

We get Jen! WOOHOO! And not far from me, either! I'll have to introduce you to the joys of my little hood.

I would like a bagel.

I would like more bourbon and ginger.

I'm up for another martini but aside from that I am, for the first time since Monday evening, actually pretty good.

Vibing hard for you, Sophia, and everyone's given lots of good thoughtful advice, so I'm just going to nod and point and say, "What they said." And I'm so glad that the theatre people recognize the strain they're putting on you and your regular job, and that they're trying to find ways to lessen it. And I already didn't like your work nemesis, but now I really don't like her.

Hey, on Flash Forward, do you think we are supposed to like Mark Benford? Not just root for him, but like him as a person ?

Because I kind of don't. He's interesting, but not very likeable.

I'll have to introduce you to the joys of my little hood.

That would be awesome, and I can't wait.

It's actually happening. Finally. I will be only fifteen minutes away from work again, which will be nice. The commute's been fine, really, but I won't miss it much. So looking forward to getting to know the city, too.

I'm not sure, Perkins. I used to, but I don't anymore.

The female wasp paralyzes a cockroach and disables its escape response, leads it into a burrow, and traps it inside with an egg. When the larva hatches, it feeds on the roach for days and then chews its way inside and feeds on its internal organs for days.

The parasitism is quite common among wasps; roaches, tarantulas, caterpillars, beetle grubs, all manner of creatures get slowly eaten alive by wasp larvae. This one is pretty awesome in that it steers rather than drags the roach back to its lair, though.

There's a pretty cool link from that page to another wasp that parasitises caterpillars. [link] The wasp lays eggs in the caterpillar, where the young feed on said caterpillar and then emerge to pupate (up to 80 of them). The caterpillar is still alive, and now its behaviour modifies. It will stand guard over the pupating wasps. If a predator turns up it'll thrash its head around to knock the predator off. It thus reduces significantly the predation rate on the pupae, compared to ones which are unguarded. It's been found that one or two of the wasp larvae remain in the caterpillar; the current hypothesis is that they're responsible for the behaviour modification, thus forgoing their chance to pupate in order to protect their siblings.

Is this cockroach-rodeoing wasp one of the ones that harms people or houses? Because I'm seriously tempted by turning them loose on the local roach population.

I'm not sure, Perkins. I used to, but I don't anymore.

Exactly. I might be enjoying the show more because of it, but not so much with the liking him.

It will stand guard over the pupating wasps. If a predator turns up it'll thrash its head around to knock the predator off. It thus reduces significantly the predation rate on the pupae, compared to ones which are unguarded.

That is SO COOL.

Is this cockroach-rodeoing wasp one of the ones that harms people or houses? Because I'm seriously tempted by turning them loose on the local roach population.

Yeah, but then you'll have a wasp infestation, and you'll have to get the hawks to kill the wasps, and the monkeys to kill the hawks, and the sharks with frickin' laser beams on their heads to kill the monkeys...