I think I read Tigerheart at some point, but apparently it wasn't one of his more memorable books, or else I was really distracted. I really enjoyed his Star Trek series, although the cliffhanger endings were sort of frustrating.

I was raised mostly Catholic, but having parents from two different religions really drives that point home. A lot of the religious satire that I enjoy (Dogma, Small Gods) is all about the ways that people get bogged down in weird details that they just *need* to be correct about, and miss the more important, more…

That part was (very briefly) mentioned in an Ilona Andrews book - her Kate Daniels series is a lot of fun, and throws in a lot of weirder mythological creatures from a whole bunch of cultures.

That movie where Big Bird got kidnapped by a circus after running away from his foster family really scared me when I was little. The China one somehow wasn't part of our VHS collection, though (the rare gap in our almost-encyclopedic Jim Henson collection).

Most of what I know about the Egyptian afterlife I learned from that Sesame Street movie, Don't Eat the Pictures. It was less about Ammut and more about the "your soul must be lighter than a feather" business.

I hear that in a really fake-sweet Southern accent. (Although I was also mentally adding "Well, " to the beginning)

It's not that much of a secret, though. It's frequently literally written on their shirt or sign.

Oh, definitely. Just for the record, though, there are Christians who actually mean it when they say it. My mom, for example really means "I'm thinking about you and I hope you're ok." But, she doesn't say it for things like a person being gay - it's what she says when something shitty happens and there isn't…

There was a born-again guy who lived in the same building as me in college, and he had decided pretty early on that I was a lost cause (not totally sure why - don't think I was a worse/more obvious sinner than most other people there), so he didn't think I was worth trying to convert. This meant that he never talked…

Your argument is simultaneously ignorant and extremely scornful of the ignorance of others. Rich people enjoy the arts, yes. They probably get some entertainment out of things that the NEA funds. They also go to galleries and broadway plays, etc. But for people who can't afford to pay for their whole family to go…

I have a soft spot for Green Bay because I like the cheese hats.

He's talking about supporting the arts, which are about to lose a lot of federal support.

No, that isn't the point. The point is that when federal funding to the arts gets cut (which they say they'll do), those places will need our support, so if we want them to continue to exist we've got to make that happen ourselves, where feasible.

It's shocking how much room a child's car seat takes up, especially now that they're supposed to stay rear-facing for as long as they'll tolerate it. When we first had our baby I thought our station wagon would be fine to fit an infant car seat into. By the time they'd showed me how it should be installed and how…

:) I suppose the cousins who subjected me to it when I babysat are at the younger end of the group, but at most HSM fans should now be in their mid-20s, right? I sort of thought its peak viewing age was 12 or 13.

That's a weird assumption that IV was making. Personally, I don't avoid horror movies because of go. I avoid them because I don't like being scared, which is sort of the goal of the genre. I'm avoiding the suspense and jump scares, mostly. It's sort of why my husband doesn't like watching Sense8, in fact - their…

Oh, I didn't really consciously notice that before (I guess because that's not one of the names common in my family), but now that you point it out it's obvious.

Ummm…I don't know that movies about "real stuff" were ever very popular. Sure, which escapist genre is most popular has changed, but the need for escapism is pretty constant. I mean, couldn't you say the same thing about spaghetti westerns, for example? Providing people entertainment isn't a "sin", it's one of the…

It was very popular with kids who are probably now in their late teens.

I know that's just a typo, but I really wish there were an escapist fair this Friday. Like the one in the Night Circus, maybe.