Susan Senator

Well, since they're not rhetorical, I'll have a go at some of them...
I can't help on the five pounds. I have the same problem. No matter how many miles I put onto my trusty running shoes or how few calories I consume, those last five pounds cling to me like a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood.
I am a prolific reader with broad tastes. Some of my personal favourites are The Time Traveler's Wife, The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Skallagrigg.
You'll have time to go to the eye doctor. Eventually.
Beats me about The Sopranos. I never saw the appeal myself.
I Googled the question about mules and plane crashes and the answer is inconclusive. I'm not even sure I know what a mule is. I mean, what's the difference between a donkey, a mule and an ass?
My neighbours are bloody miserable. Want to switch?
If your gut says the camp will be good for Nat, then it will. I'm a big believer in parental instinct, and I regret the times I haven't listened to mine.
I don't believe that blood is necessarily thicker than water. As an adoptee who has met her birth parents, I could go on for days about that question.
I think we - and by "we" I mean society - will like Evan Almighty precisely because it is as stupid as it looks.

1. Presidential fitness challenge killed that for us back in the seventies. Richard Nixon thought that the sun rose and set in gym class.
2. Try reading Making The Connection, he talks about our "set point". It was eye opening for me, even though he was talking about Oprah. I didn't believe at first, but now I do.
3. Drink first. It helps your dutch courage.
4. Making the Connection, it's a quick read, but don't read the newer version. He was better before Oprah made him famous.
5. Hopefully before your eyes fall out. You should ALWAYS take time for the eye doctor and the dentist.
6. Never saw the show myself. I have also never seen Beevis and Butthead or any of the Pirates of the Carribean series by Disney.
7. Stay away from asses and you should be safe.
8. Drugs. No one is really that happy. Or they are psychotic killers who are hiding it well.
9.Of course. Did I mention that I am part Comanche? No, I really am. My grandfather's name was Hatchet Man. Is there a lot to see at the grasslands?
10. I hope so.
11. Showing that you showed up at least 120 days a year.
12. Actually plasma is thicker than water and you get paid much more for it, but then you pass out in the street afterward and end up in a homeless shelter.
13. Phylox. I like pink.
14. No comment. We don't have movie theaters round here, I am watching Man of the Year like it just came out yesterday.

Here's my two questions: Would you have been involved with advocacy if you didn't have a son who needed you to be his advocate?

What do you want to be doing in 30 years?

Well, since they are not rhetorical, I can answer one. A high school diploma is a prerequisite for training in the trades and for various certifications and security clearances. It unlocks as many doors as a university diploma. They are just different doors. You'd be amazed how tough it is for people without a high school diploma. That's why governments are always paying for adults to get their diplomas.

I can answer one!

It is as stupid as it looks.

1. Actually, I got grades in both... and did poorly in both.
2. Chocolate and bread. :) Too tempting. No, no matter how I skimp either they won't leave my body either.
3. I believe so, yes!
4. I read three good books recently... The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, Good in Bed (excellent although I was embarassed at times to read it in public) and The Girls. I read a lot on my lunch break and a lot in general, and so those are a few of many.
5. Eventually.
6. Don't know, never seen it... although I do like mob/mafia movies. Goodfellas and the like.
7. I doubt it... I mean, a mule death has gotta be max 1 person at a time... while a plane crash can be anywhere from 2-100 people or something like that.
8.They're faking it. Or high.
9. Ok, I lived in Colorado for a few months in my hippie years and I never went there... so I admit I had to look it up online. On their website, the first line hooked me: "Historic trails, dinosaur tracks, Indian rock art". Of course, I'm the history geek and that stuff thrills me, so I say go for it.
10. I like what Kirsten said - go with your gut. I think it sounds fun for him and a good opportunity for the family to relax and get to do things they normally would not get to enjoy. I hope no one takes offense at that, just this outsider's perspective.
11. Stepping stone to college for me, foot in the door for a job for others.
12. I don't feel that way. I've identified with complete strangers more than family members and although I love my family, that saying is true - you can't pick your family but you can pick your friends. I think it is a necessity for me to believe the exact opposite of that statement. I need to know that I can depend on others for their support while I may not be able to count on those related by blood.
13. Lady Slippers are pretty and so are Toad Lillies.
14. I'm hesistant to speak out in favor of Evan Almighty, especially since there are comments (Kirsten, Susan) who speak against it... but the boy and I watched it yesterday night and I thought it was pretty cute. I was dead set against it because I thought it looked stupid and I generally dislike religious morally inclined movies... but he made me go watch it, and I liked it. I think it had a pretty good supporting cast (Wanda Sykes = hilarious) and the god thing didn't turn me off as much as I thought it would. Partially probably because I <3 Morgan Freeman as god, he's so excellent that's why he's always typecasted into it. And also because I like how they described praying and god.... how if you pray for patience, does god give you more patience or opportunities for patience? That type of thing. And the ark was way cool. It was very good hearted and I thought pretty decent all the way around.

I can speak to the Sopranos. It is an escape and a wonderful one at that. The writing was superb and you became connected to the characters, while examining the person you were. Very thought provoking show.

I am a huge fan of any movie or show that has organized crime as the theme. I love examining this subculture of society.

So, like bellydancing is important to you - Sopranos was a wonderful hobby and escape for many of us for almost 10 years.

Oh, shouldn't this be a meme?

Why do people get grades in gym but not in art?
I teach art and art history. My students all get grades. So did I went I was in school.

Why can't I lose five pounds?
Drink more water.

Will I ever have the courage to bellydance in a club?
The Signs Point To Yes.

What should I read now?
I don't know what you've read before, but I always like Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Frank Herbert's Dune is fun. And I always like To Kill A Mockingbird. Its a good read even if you've read it before. In a few short weeks, we'll have Harry Potter! WOO-HOO!!!

When will I ever have time to go to the eye doctor?
Call and make the appointment. You'll never make the time if you don't make the call.

Why do so many people care about The Sopranos?
Sorry, no clue there. I have no time for TV.

Do more people get kicked to death by mules than die in plane crashes?
I doubt it. More people have seen an airplane. (Ain't that a commentary on society.)

Why are my neighbors always so blooming happy?
Um... because they have flowers? Perhaps they are incarnations of bodhisattvas?

Should we try to go to Comanche National Grasslands while in Colorado?
Yes. Never miss an opportunity to see something.

Will that camp be good for Nat and good to Nat?
You may need to make it so, but again, the Signs Point To Yes.

What is a high school diploma for?
To mark the fact that you completed elementary education. In Virginia, the purpose of education is to make each person an employable and socialy responsible adult. Therefore, ALL children in Virginia must be either "college prep" or be taught a trade (hence "vocational" high schools.) The diploma states you are either trained to continue your education, or perform a trade. Special ed kids are NOT excluded from this law.

Why is blood thicker than water?
It's not. As they say in Camelot, "The saying "blood is thicker than water" was coined by less deserving relatives..."

Why are there no pretty shade flowers?
There are. I love wood hyacinths, astilbe, and bleeding heart.

Will we like Evan Almighty or is it as stupid as it looks?
No idea. Never heard of it.

A few answers:

I got grades in gym AND art;
The Sopranos was one of those few shows that assumed its audience was intelligent, that filled every episode with nuance and symbolism. It was mesmorizing.
There are GORGEOUS shade flowers out there - fuschia, bleeding heart, jacob's ladder, astilbe, to name a few.
Evan Almighty is supposed to be stupid - sight gags and slapstick that only Jim Carrey can (sort of) carry off, but without any of the humor that suits Steve Carrell. Go see Ratatouille!

I got grades in both gym and art in junior high. I did better in art, even though I annoyed the teacher a number of times (mostly by egging on boys who were being really annoying, or would be perceived that way by anyone with a stick up her ---.)

I got back the 5 pounds the liposuction took off. :) So go figure. (I got some of it back in the form of muscle mass, though, which isn't so bad. I seem to be stuck at 135 now, all I can do is change the muscle/fat proportion. I was stuck at 130 like that before I had my first kid, so it's not so bad.)

Define "club".

Read Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, if you haven't already. If you have, and you enjoyed it, read To Say Nothing of the Dog.

You should make it a priority to schedule your eye doctor appointment. Make the rest of your schedule work around it, not try to fit it into your schedule.

Dunno.

Dunno.

Dunno.

Your call.

I hope so.

I think someone else gave a good answer on the diploma question.

It has iron in it. (And as for the plasma donation thing, I have a friend who is donating plasma now and again for a little extra money, trying to pay off debts quicker, and you don't pass out if your blood is healthy enough to begin with and you drink enough water before you go in.)

Um, there aren't?

I have no idea on Evan Almighty. Live Free or Die Hard was totally kick-ass, though, IMO. I'd recommend seeing that. Or Ratatouille, that one was good, as well (but not as kick-ass).