Realizing that very thing is, I suspect, part of what sends many of us off in the other direction. I know it did for me. I will never forget my first trip to NYC. In a darkened corner of a train station, I saw a homeless man lying flat out in the shadows and thought to myself, “My god, he could be dead and no one…

My first presidential vote was for George HW Bush. My second was for Bill Clinton, and every one since then has had a “D” on it. At 46, I’m here to tell you Churchill lived in a whole ‘nother world. I can totally relate to this narrative; experiences with (Southern) conservatives and religious types pushed me farther…

Yes, this was LONG before Joss Whedon made the name cool. And no, George Lucas could not have done it then.

Yeah, huh. And really, I totally agree with her taste. There was no contest. Hell I was 8 years old and in love with Han Solo from pretty much the moment he sat down in that booth at the bar on Tatooine. So much so, I had to create a lame knock-off character and write a book about him. Lucky for me, that guy took…

Yep, I think it means basically a really great guy, wise and kind, straight-up trustworthy, etc.

ADF is the greatest hack in the history of sci-fi. And I mean that as a most sincere compliment. I love that guy.

I wondered about formic acid. It's technically poisonous. In fact, it's what hornets and such inject into you when they sting. Having recently been on the receiving end of such, I will stay away at all costs. Unless i could eat hornets, maybe. Cuz turnabout is fair play... ;-) Anyway, it seems to me like eating…

Another way of putting it: Just because I don't like something doesn't mean it is bad.

Don't worry, the Boomers did the exact same thing to Generation X "back in our day." It's just a long tradition of "kids today" syndrome. The funniest part is when people are complaining about the very generation they themselves are raising. (Doctor, heal thyself...)

Actually the best thing about him is the disconnect between stoic and mysterious Draper and utterly goofy, silly, huge-grin Hamm...

Oh, cool, I didn't know... Will have to check it out...

Here's a fun question: How much do they actually edit?!? Bwahahahaha...

She's married to a rich guy and lives in a mansion on Long Island. I'd be pretty damned prolific too if I didn't have to work, pay bills, take care of house, or anything else but entertain myself all day...

Wasn't it Heinlein who said, "Specialization is for insects." I love that one.

Wow, some of those are totally undeserving of failure. Dr. Parnassus? Pandorum? The Fountain? Sigh...

Word.

It is somehow comforting to realize that I'm not the only one who hit this wall round about 35. The most important rule, ultimately, is know your limits (you better have figured them out by 35) and stick to 'em.

Pretty good stuff overall. I particularly like the "how do you relax" version of discriminating between the two. My husband and I are both introverts, pretty much, and I can't imagine anything otherwise. Have had housemates who are extroverted, and they tire me out just being in the same room!

"The alternative, of course, is to believe that we live in a post-heroic era."

But what about when adult mammals do the same thing? My 8-year-old Lab still kicks and twitches in his sleep — and sometimes even barks under his breath! There's just gotta be some real dreaming going on there, dangit.