Well, we may not have parted on the best of terms. I realize certain words were exchanged. Also, certain... bullets. But that's air through the engine. It's past. We're business people.

Mal ,'Serenity'


Natter 78: I might need to watch some Buffy for inspiration

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, butt kicking, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


-t - Oct 09, 2026 9:02:07 am PDT #14303 of 14508
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

Woo good habits!


Trudy Booth - Oct 09, 2026 9:19:13 am PDT #14304 of 14508
Greece's financial crisis threatens to take down all of Western civilization - a civilization they themselves founded. A rather tragic irony - which is something they also invented. - Jon Stewart

Go t's Mom!

My exciting news is my office had Humbodt Fog at our weekly happy hour. It was scrumptious. And I got to be super slick for knowing the name.


Steph L. - Oct 09, 2026 9:28:00 am PDT #14305 of 14508
It's actually been a really hard year, when you stop and do the math. Eliot would cry, too, if it didn't take him seventy minutes of therapy, two cocktails, and a Sondheim medley before he can experience a human emotion through the haze of his PTSD.

My exciting news is my office had Humbodt Fog at our weekly happy hour.

Not a lot of things make me wish I worked in an office, but a happy hour with excellent cheese is definitely one of them. Jealous!


DavidS - Oct 09, 2026 9:45:50 am PDT #14306 of 14508
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

(I feel really good about the progress I'm making everywhere else but I literally cannot do one single sit-up.)

That was me when I started Pilates. "Someday I'll be able to do a roll-up without the foot strap."

That day did come. The nice thing about exercise is that slow incremental change will accrue into new competence.


meara - Oct 09, 2026 9:55:39 am PDT #14307 of 14508

Ugh I dunno—I’ve been lifting weights for nearly two years now and I’m not sure I can lift any more than when I started. I mean, I also have lost 15-20 pounds during that time. But still. Beast mode it ain’t.


Jessica - Oct 09, 2026 10:21:54 am PDT #14308 of 14508
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

Mmmmmm, fog. One of my all-time fave cheeses.


Jessica - Oct 09, 2026 10:30:32 am PDT #14309 of 14508
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset

In Stupid Things are Stupid news:

I got a letter (in the Actual Mail) from my insurance company that One Medical billed the wrong BCBS for my last physical back in April. (Fortunately it was a letter of the "you don't have to fix this because it's not your fault" variety.) Now I get that BCBS is massive and there are a zillion regional plan variations and it's probably incredibly common for doctor's offices to click the wrong thing, BUT...

One Medical is owned by Amazon. I am an Amazon employee on an Amazon-provided insurance plan. My One Medical membership is an Amazon employee benefit. There should be ZERO confusion about who is paying for all of this.


erikaj - Oct 09, 2026 10:37:23 am PDT #14310 of 14508
"Somewhere in this building is our talent." Toby Ziegler, my spirit animal

Nice job making it simple, guys.


-t - Oct 09, 2026 10:46:28 am PDT #14311 of 14508
I am a woman of various inclinations and only some of the time are they to burn everything down in frustration

That's infuriating, Jess.

Trying to remember if I have actually had Humboldt Fog. Possibly not. I tend to be wary of goat cheese, - when it's good it's good but when it's too goaty it's not something I'd choose to eat. I did have Breakfast Cheese for breakfast today, which is always a treat.


Sheryl - Oct 09, 2026 1:12:58 pm PDT #14312 of 14508
Fandom means never having to say "But where would I wear that?"

Timelies all!

Got my flu shot this morning. Arm feels pretty good. Now I have to figure out when to get a covid shot.

We are now expected to write self-assessments for the close out part of our employee evaluations. Besides the fact that I have no idea how to describe my achievements, I'm supposed to tie these achievements to the three main areas of interest. These areas do not fit what I do at all. I process samples for products other people use in experiments. Oh, well, at least it's just my boss who reads it, and he thinks I'm doing an excellent job.(I'm not going to go into how the ratings system has been changed.)