I think that's a real difference between a day-to-day workplace and a job where you're living with people. Not that everyone I work with doesn't know that I'm straight, but I do try to be professional in the 9 to 5!

On a related note, I was sending an email to some old high school friends about getting together, and since one is married, and I'm pretty sure the other has a girlfriend, but I couldn't remember her name, I said something about their "partners" being invited. Of course the (married, female) one had to double-check that the other (male) one hadn't come out since she had last seen him.

IMO the problem with the conservative viewpoint is that I want to go back to the pre-Reagan years. I think the Reagan administration sent the conservative movement off the rails. Governance gave way to a fantasy narrative built on anecdotes or unfounded assumptions with ideas like cutting taxes to raise revenue, building a military that could solve any problem, eliminate social problems by promoting Christianity, and self-regulating businesses.

This narrative then found it's way into the the media of the right where I think you have hucksters who make their living off being outrageous, your Coulters, Becks, Limbaughs, etc. These voices have smothered the principled and intellectual voices.

The core principles of personal responsibility and opposition to excessive government intrusion are not scary in themselves. Obama himself said he changed his mind on welfare reform, a conservative idea despite being enacted under Clinton. Deregulation has been good in many cases such as the airlines, and telecommunications. Personally, I think deregulation of energy markets would probably be good if handled properly.

But, but, why they gotta name World's Cutest Football Baby "Baylen." That's not a name, people! That's what you do to hay, or a leaky boat!

If I controlled the universe, we'd have a 10-year moratorium on naming babies "Syllable ending in -ay + syllable ending in -en."

Since I'm single, it's really easy to be a closeted whatever at work. There's no one that I'm not talking about.

One of my co-workers did use the term "partner" recently, and it made me wonder, but I'd honestly never given it any thought before that. "Partner" will always make me wonder.

But, but, why they gotta name World's Cutest Football Baby "Baylen." That's not a name, people! That's what you do to hay, or a leaky boat!

I am fully in denial on that point.

Speaking of names, my coworker named her daughter Maayan. Her husband is Israeli, but I feel like that's going to be a little difficult in the U.S.

Honestly, the situation where I feel like I know what this is like is not so much about me and dating, as almost anything I would say to imply that I ever have is considered quite shocking to able-bodied people. But my mom works for this teacher who is not only a conservative, but a birther. We are latte-sipping, Olbermann-loving, blog-haunting liberals. In theory, right, keeping politics out of the workplace is easy. In practice, it's harder as, well, she's always advising Mom about sales at Wal-Mart and television shows for the 8 ET viewing hour and whatnot. You don't realize how much you talk about something till you feel like you've got to hide it.

I'm getting stir-crazy enough that I decided that the fact that I have half a jar of salsa but no tortilla chips constituted reason for me to venture out in snowmageddon. Even in my neighborhood, right in the middle of a bunch of government buildings, a lot of roads aren't plowed yet, or roads that normally have three lanes in each direction just have one lane plowed, total. Most sidewalks are shoveled. Exceptions: The American Foreign Service Association and the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovenia.

Also, Foggy Bottom is suffering from a woeful lack of tortilla chips that are not coated in cheesy powder. I got potato chips instead, plus frozen burritos and the last few yellow bananas.

I recently discovered I have a new cousin named "Saga." My sister's reply to my "Seriously????" was "Want to know what it means in Swedish? Long story."

Hmmph.

She's cute, but why do that to her?