gogo

The best thing about my cottage cheese story is that it's probably several months since I even bought any down there. She's just got a great memory, and she's all about customer service. My sister usually starts her day at a coffee shop like yours. It's packed in the morning, but the guy who takes the orders knows all the regulars by sight, and has their drinks lined up before those folks even approach the cash register. It's a beautiful thing to see!

I loved Archie comics as a kid, and my nieces and nephew still read them. In the few recent issues I've seen, Jughead is a lot more interested in girls than he used to be (which was, not at all). I'm wondering if there was some kind of backlash to that, that Jughead was always potentially gay, but since he's not anymore...? I think it's less interesting when they make the whole issue about the kid being gay. Although, Archies have always been about sex, anyway, so I guess that's kind of the only way to go with this.

I know these aren't as much fun as the pet peeves... And I'm not talking about the big things, your kids and all those good things. Just the little things that brighten your day. Like for me, today: Seeing a teen offer his seat to a old lady on the bus. or When the lady at the coffee shop in the lobby sees me approaching the cottage cheese case, remembers that I like the ones with the pineapple, and produces some from the fridge in the back before I even have a chance to ask.

Ha! Exactly. We have this conversation with the kids a lot, about how just because you're allowed to do something, doesn't mean you should do it. We tell them you can call it the social contract, the golden rule, whatever, just try to be considerate and thoughtful. (The kids have decided that the "golden rule" needs to be re-written, to just: "don't be a dick".)

One of my happiest moments ever on an escalator: I always say to people "stand to the right, please". Not snarky (well, a little bit snarky), just a request. Once, a woman who was blocking the entire escaltor full of people turned around and yelled at me "I'm sick of people telling me that... since when is that the rule?!?" Right at that moment, an announcement came over the loudspeakers: "On the escalators, please stand to the right..." Ahhh... that almost never really happens in real life, but there it was.

People who don't take a step back after pressing their button in the elevator. Thus forcing everyone else gettting on the elevator either to try to snake a hand in to press their own button, or to ask the first person to get the button for their floor. The panel-hugger invariably sighs and looks put-upon at these requests. This ties in with: pretty much anyone who chooses to stand in a place where there is already a naturally-occuring bottleneck. At the top of the escalator, while you look around and try to figure out where the restroom is on this floor; just on the other side of the se

You Must Be at Least This Gay to Play Softball

Good one! My friend Meghan does the March of Dimes in Burlington with her young daughters, too. And I know I've said this before, but Greg:

Ha! OK, yeah, that kind of sponsor: also good.

Kiss kiss!

My page for the Cystic Fibrosis walk: http://www.cff.org/Great_Strides/MaudieMcCormick5376

I will pay serious money to anyone who creates an app that can round up all the links that my friends post on Facebook for sponsored walks, etc., and put them all front and center. I can't possibly keep up with everything that everyone posts over there, so I'll often miss a link that I'd really like to see, specifically those sponsorship requests. So: it's Spring, and that means that there will be a batch of these coming up over the next few months. I've got a few of my own I'm going to add, but I'm also a pretty soft touch. If you'd like to post your links in this thread, maybe a few o

My plans for the year included Ulysses, Anna Karenina, and Infinite Jest. Unfortunately, I've come to a dead stop on Ulysses. So, I'll move on (will return to Ulysses another time) and bring Anna Karenina on the plane for some upcoming long flights.

Smile when you call me Nancy, mister.

Wouldn't the premise be that everyone on the path should be accomodating to each other? So, "on the left" is just kind of short-hand for "please take one step to the right so I can pass you?" Is it really that hard to leave a space for folks to pass you? I don't ride a bike, so it's not my issue. I just don't understand what you think the system should be. Is it that the phrase sounds too demanding, too insistent? Or is it just the idea that they want to pass at all? Ha!

People who can't/won't deal with the recycling/compost/landfill system. Yes, there are four bins, and OK, maybe that's a bit overwhelming the first time you approach them. But no, it's really not all that hard to figure out what goes in which bin. Especially when there are illustrated signs posted directly over the bins, explaining exactly how it works. If you've got something questionable, whatever. But when there's a picture of a paper coffee cup being placed in the compost bin directly at eye level as you approach the bins, why would a person throw that exact item into the recycling?

MSHA can shut down mines based on a two-year pattern of violations. However, only violations which are "final" count towards the two-year pattern. If a mine appeals the violations (as I believe this company has), the appeal process can go on for years, and the violations won't be finalized until the end of that process. It's a catch-22 for the regulatory agency, unfortunately. As enforcement is stepped up and higher penalties are assessed, more companies are going to appeal. The employers get their due process, but it's almost impossible for MSHA to close down the bad-actors in a timely

I've heard people get really pissed off by the question "are you still working on that?" These people feel that the question should be "are you still enjoying your time with your dining companions, and savoring your meal?" Because the "working on that" kind of implies that the whole dining-out process was just a chore. But I'm really not so bothered by that. I love it when my boss does this. If he doesn't, sometimes I'll send him an e-mail, confirming what we talked about. I want everything in writing, because my pet peeve is when I'm asked/told to do something at work, then when th

According to the picture: Wilco Tango Foxtrot (or, WTF)

Still fighting my way through Ulysses. Also just read (and yes, this kind of crap is exactly why I haven't finished Ulysses yet!): And just picked these up from the library yesterday:

I like the sound of both of these. Will add them to the list. This one, I may recommend to my dad.

Unfortunately, there's not much more to be said. It's a terrible tragedy. Obviously, mining is an inherently dangerous business, but this is crazy (from this morning's LA Times):

I haven't been downloading much lately, but with the way people are talking about these recent shows, I might just dive right back in with this one. Thanks!

I'm not doubting your assessment of Dublin crowds, but I got at least three solid laughs out of this paragraph. Having spent a small bit of time in Dublin, the words "considerate" and "exceptionally well-behaved" would not be the words I would use to describe the people of that city (and I'm speaking mostly about my own relatives, in case anyone's going to take offense to that ).

There has to be more emphasis on writing in schools. I'm stunned at the writing skills (mostly, lack of skills) among my co-workers. People seem to be incapable of organizing their thoughts, writing coherent sentences, addressing the topic at hand... And no, that's a not a technology/"kids and their damn texting!" issue. This applies to people in my office from 20 up to 70 years old. A lot of these people speak perfectly well. I don't understand the disconnect when it comes to putting their thoughts on paper (or in an e-mail, or whatever).