Y'all, I had a lovely smonster + amyth + Calli + non-buffista but buffista-adjacent and of-the-nerd-tribe friends! Yummy sushi and I can report that while NC misses our smonster TERRIBLY she is clearly made for nawlins and it for her and she's looking and sounding fabulous and happy there.

So beth, I am a bit worried about your point that you don't like using them for long reading stretches

I have small glasses -- the reading area is not very big -- which is something that can be adjusted . When you get them - you need to talk to you eyedoctor about what you do

and I have never worn my glasses for reading, but I think I could use them now esp for things like graphic novels.

Help the NYPL transcribe their collection of old menus here: [link]

I keep meaning to do that! Old menus are fascinating.

What we're trying to do is encourage, and formalize, in a way, a special relationship between T and our children.

I think that's a lovely thing to do, and I think a lot of people do it that way now. My Aunt Kay is sort of my unofficial godmother in the same way (she's my mom's best friend from college, not a relation, but I've always called her Aunt Kay).

Y'all, I had a lovely smonster + amyth + Calli + non-buffista but buffista-adjacent and of-the-nerd-tribe friends!

SO JEALOUS! But so glad to hear that a wonderful time was had by all!

I have god parents - I don't know them well and they havent been a big part of my life - but they have been a big part of my parents life - so they are important people in my parents life that aren't family. I've met them a few times as an adult, I like them

I keep meaning to do that! Old menus are fascinating.

It's nice because you can just do five minutes. Or an hour.

In terms of bifocals progressive. People vary in how they adjust. My mom has trifocals and they work fine for her. I tried bifocals and progressive both. I just could not adjust and ended up with separate distance and reading. Most people adjust fine, a few don't and you can't predict in advance which is which. Bifocals and progressive are cheaper than separate pairs (at least for prescriptions as strong as mine). I'd try the progressive or a bifocal but only with the understanding with the optomerist that you can return them for your money back and buy two pairs instead of they don't work out. Most optometrists will agree to that.

Oh, joy. During my oil change, they discovered my transmission fluid is black and smells burnt. That doesn't sound good. The Internet seems to think my transmission may be ruined, but it looks like I should take it in for transmission service soon at least.

Y'all, I had a lovely smonster + amyth + Calli + non-buffista but buffista-adjacent and of-the-nerd-tribe friends!

It was awesome! And I'm just thinking belatedly that we should have taken the opportunity to take a group heart picture. WITH SUSHI. Alas!

Kate, I think that's a lovely gesture as well. But I'm all about the created family.

Anyone for some schadenfreude, fresh out of the oven?

PR man to find out if what they say about "any publicity" is true

After weeks of promises, a game controller company failed to deliver a long-placed order in time for Christmas. The customer complained, carbon- copying his email to industry bloggers and luminaries. The company's representative not only threw abuse back at the customer, calling him a "bitch", but boasted abut his relationships with the CCd editors of Kotaku, IGN, Penny Arcade, and so on. Can you guess how that worked out for him?

Second link goes to Penny Arcade, where the emails are. This PR guy is almost in "My marketing efforts will dominate your face" territory....