I'm watching a show on Discovery Health about morbidly obese teens. One of them has a mother who is constantly ASKING her son if he wants something to eat. I wish I could reach through the TV and strangle her.

Our PBS pledge drive is full of boomer music, self-help gurus, and Celtic Woman. The last few years, though, they've had to make public promises on Saturday night that despite all the "special" programming, Dr. Who will still air at its normal time. Apparently the switchboards got nasty the one year they pre-empted the Doctor.

Hivemind question about vacuum cleaners...

I have a Eureka Whirlwind that is roughly 11 years old. I take it apart to clean fairly regularly, but recently it has begun smelling pretty strongly. Not of burned rubber, like a belt, but huge dusty/ick. It has a reasonable amount of suck, but definitely not at its highest potential.

What could be causing the smell?

Would it be unreasonable to try and rehab it myself? While I'm not entirely sure how to replace it, apparently they sell new air duct gaskets. I wonder if a new one would improve the suction.

I love it when I make someone's day. Haven't seen my next door neighbor for a bit, but saw her taking out the recycling and definitely wanted to share some cookies with her and thank her for doing the leaves last weekend. Completely freaked her out calling out to her from the deck in the dark, but she was soon thrilled, as she was dying for a dessert, and all she had to fit the bill was a chocolate calcium chew. But now she has chocolate spicy dulce de leche cookies! YAY!

Watching this Sondheim special is making me realize that he hasn't really written that many interesting songs for sopranos.

FTR, she recommends against the Haiti/Sudan weight loss program (intestinal parasites and other waterborne icks that take multiple rounds of toxic meds that result in more weight loss.) Yikes.

I went with a large, Steph.

Shit, I really need to buy my sister a Christmas present. I had all these plans, and I have no idea how to make them happy, so probably Etsy.

Nora, Suzi, I'm so sorry to hear you're sickening yourselves with worry.

oof, catching up.

of panties?

yes, ms., of panties. I wish I had a good excuse, but no, just lots. And yes there are categories: nice, regular, last legs - and then divided into regular and thongs.

Add me to the list of wanting those posters. who is neo tokyo for?

Watching this Sondheim special is making me realize that he hasn't really written that many interesting songs for sopranos.

My first instinct is to say that's more a musical theater thing than a Sondheim thing. Hmm.

I guess there's Phantom. There's some stuff in Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Maybe, Phantom notwithstanding, it's more of a modern-day musical theater thing?

Neo Tokyo is Akira, I think.

Hmm. I think my panties need categories.