:) :) :) !

The loss must be dreadful. Am hoping they either outlive me or are able to spend their lives together (E gets to be a mom whenever she likes, & Spike can be a kitten forever; how cool is that?).

Respect to your own writing as well! You’ve even prompted me to Share....

Adopting Elsa & Spike might be the wisest decision of my life. They’re like the Gilmore Girls, but with wrestling... & well, a Girl & Boy ;)

Wish I could get such easy terms. The Cub decided that I’m the servant in charge of Tummy Rubs & neck-scratches, & it’s no 9-5. He’s like, “getting ready to leave, now? But... grrrrrrrrrrrr” [flops on back, stretching out paws]

Yes; it can be a communication tool (There’s probably some sub-field in semiotics that covers this stuff ;).

So much depends on the context in which “I feel...” is used. But the message it conveys in almost any situation is “this is not a fact, but an emotion, & I have a special emotional investment in x. Tread carefully, & don’t parse my logic.”

If his nature is a little over-heated, & burns off too much phlegm (that’s conservative-speak, yes?), then a snack-chip masque might only worsen his case. A periodic application of leeches might be more useful.

Meh.

Ft Lauderdale airport? If that’s the small one between Sarasota & Tampa, it’s moved way up in the world. About 12 years ago, am sure that’s where I was stranded for 9 hours, & there was no Chili’s. In fact, the one cafe shut down at 6pm. By 8pm, starving passengers were looting it for dry cereal. But if Ice had been…

The Vulture post made a lot of sense to me, but (a) had been wondering about Lupita’s post-Oscar casting, & (b) last week I read James Baldwin’s scathing essay on black roles in old Hollywood (eg Carmen Jones, etc). It’s probably an unconscious behavior pattern today; we’re all culturally conditioned to “other” anyone…

Her mom came pretty close a few times.

It’s deeply disturbing in so many ways. And so universal. Let’s try to think about something else (& no, not foot-binding!).

Oh... well, in the western world—certainly in the medieval thru at least early 18C—women’s mouths & lips were indicative of the size & appearance of their ‘privvy parts.’

Hee! Many years ago, I had a room-mate (she was pretty large) who sometimes allowed her dog (who was a VERY big dog) to nap on her belly. It was a wonderful thing to behold.

This makes me wonder what would happen if the older stereotypes about ladies’ lips ever make a comeback. The cosmetic surgery field would go apeshit.

Empress definitely > Queen, ‘cause, territory. This is why my mamacat is an Empress; she’s always aiming to conquer a little more ground (well, sofa/ counter-space, etc. We still have disputes over coffee-table lebensraum :(

* for mentioning Liquid Sky (& making an old memory awaken).

Wow—I might do that, thanks! Jez comments have some really cool off-label uses :)

My gut-reaction was “do they really want to reference the original cover of Sybil ?” (a fave pass-around read when I was in 5th or 6th grade... & no, that didn’t seem at all disturbing, ‘til I tried to read it again much later, as an adult :(