Ha! We have that picture up in the workroom of the library I work in.

Yeah, that's sort of what I'm thinking. But on the other hand, I don't know if I'm overthinking the situation because the people around me are teetotalers who generally abhor alcohol and therefore I feel like I can't even admit that I really enjoy drinking wine. So I don't even know how to gauge "how much is too much"…

Well, I live in a pretty conservative town and most of my friends are teetotalers. So it can be hard to gauge the "hiding" part, mostly because the people around me either never drink and are totally against it, or they are raging alcoholics shunned by society. I only drink red wine - I really don't like anything else…

No, it really isn't, but I think mainly that's because I don't have kids that I have to worry about, and once I get home from work, besides some housework and other normal adult things, I don't have too many obligations that would interfere. Does that make sense?

Serious question: At what point are you drinking too often?

Romney strikes me as the sort of dude who has never really had to justify himself before. He's always been wealthy and well-connected. He's white. He's a dude. His Daddy was a politician. He's probably never really been in a situation where something didn't work out for him in the way he wanted. More than anything,…

And this atheist really, really wishes that more Christians would follow some of their own tenets.

It is a terrifying prospect for sure, and scarier still to realize that even if Romney/Ryan won and all this Terrible Shit were to come to fruition, there would still be a sizable chunk of the American populace who blamed the ensuing chaos on convenient scapegoats (immigrants, Muslims, Democrats, women, essential…

I will admit there was one "lesson" that I took away from her books that I still try to adhere to - never use the phrase, "If you don't understand it, then I can't explain it to you." It's a cop out. Doesn't mean that you'll always convince someone to see it your way, but having the intellectual capacity to state your…

Eh, I don't think it's reading it that's dangerous. I've read most of Rand's stuff, and I sure as hell don't buy into any of it. It's only when people read it and then believe it has some practical application that's the problem. Granted, there are a lot of people who do this.

Yes! I don't usually cop to it, but I've actually read most of Ayn Rand's literature, and it never occurred to me to take it seriously. This was many years ago before Rand's philosophy was even whispered about in the political arena. I think by the end of her life, even Rand must have privately realized that her…

I shudder a little each time I hand over a copy of Atlas Shrugged to fifteen year old, middle class white males, because I know exactly what it'll do to them. All I can hope for is that someday, they'll look back on their little Objectivist-phase with a chuckle and hearty, "Man, I was such a moron back then." Also,…

In the past decade or so, it seems we've got this entirely new breed of politicians who get into government not to better it, but specifically to systematically dismantle it; and most of these are Rand acolytes. Ironic, given how Rand's later life and healthcare were financed.

They won't. Don't lose any sleep over this.

Seriously! It's like, no, I don't actually enjoy living with the knowledge that I'm one medical disaster away from bankruptcy, but right now, I don't have a viable alternative. I feel like there's a huge disconnect between my generation and my parents' generation over this and many other issues.

Mom's in town, so I was having dinner with my parents tonight. I was telling them about a job I interviewed for on Thursday which, if I get it, offers medical and dental insurance, and how great it would be to have insurance again. The room seemed to get dark and silent for a moment before my mother ventured, "Wait,…

Yeah, eating roadkill isn't as uncommon as people think. I don't do it, but I know some families that do, and as long as you get to the animal shortly after its been killed, apparently the meat is fine.

Don't forget the Midwestern rednecks. In certain parts of this region, they're all over.

Do you feel better now?

I'm not a mother, but I really don't see what the big damn deal is about just throwing a blanket or something over yourself & the kiddo when you're breastfeeding in public. I mean, how hard is that? I can't believe there are people who get so worked up over this shit.