There's so much good stuff to be found in the blogosphere these days, all of it worth reading. Instead of sending you hither and thither, looking far and wide across the vast internets in search of this goldmine, I sacrificed part of my morning tracking down the creme de la creme of what's available. Do I do this with complaint or expectation of compensation? Nay, I do it for the sheer love of you, my readers. Enjoy:

• If you haven't checked out the serial romance at Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, you are SORELY missing out. The lovely Ree regularly posts new installments of "From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story," the tale of her early romance with her husband, Marlboro Man. You'll want to turn off the phone and get something ice-cold to drink before you dive in. (Find links to the entire story here.)
• In a similar vein, Alyssa over at 10019 Musings has recently begun posting the gut-wrenching saga of her ill-fated marriage. Each chapter is beautifully written, each word carefully chosen. It's clear that this is a story she's wanted to tell for a long time.
• Okay, okay: one more serial plug. Holly at Nothing But Bonfires has been blogging to the tune of Maggie's "make your own timeline" advice, with lovely results. Ages eleven, twelve, and thirteen-- her boarding school years-- are particularly poignant.
• Of course, you've got to check out Tiffany of the Would-Be Writers' Guild. Her blog posts are always wicked smart and terribly funny. Among my favorites are her Home Office Staff Meeting minutes. That's one funny lady!
• Pay attention when Schnozz posts. Her razor-sharp wit and deadpan humor put me in stitches without fail. Not only is she funny and smart, but reading her entries about roller derby give you the sense that she could totally kick your ass.
• Finally, if you're looking for a guilty pleasure, be sure to pay a visit to Whoorl. Her Hair Thursday installments, along with her Hair How-To's are not to be missed. Be sure to check out the video of her curling her hair, set to The Pixies.
Responses[2]
Posted on February 29, 2008 12:52:38 PM EST #

John [shopping online]: Maybe I should just get on the bandwagon and buy some convertible pants.

Me: There's a bandwagon for convertible pants?

John: Oh, sure.

Me: ... ...

John: No? [beat] Is it the band or the wagon you're opposed to?

Allow me to preface this post by saying that Luke is a wonderful dog and I've never, not for one moment, regretted our decision to adopt him. That said, I think we may have created a monster. Luke is a bit of a nervous dog by nature, so from the time he entered our house we did our best to make him feel comfortable and loved. He was a reluctant eater when we first brought him home. So, we encouraged him and praised him and finally, slowly, got him to eat on a regular basis. He seemed to get cold overnight very easily. So, we got him a blanket. He chews on himself when he's nervous. So, we filled the house with doggie chew toys to keep his attention. In short, we've pretty much made him our king. The unhappy result of all of this is:

• He only eats his breakfast if you utter just the right incantation: "Good boy, eat your breakfast." (Or maybe it's "Eat your breakfast, that's a good boy." I can't remember.) Clearly, "eat your damned breakfast" isn't the one. Which, frankly, is unfortunate because that's about all I can muster in the morning.
• He only goes outside to pee if he's instructed to. (In our defense, we didn't have a fenced yard when we first got him. So we had to put him on a leash and take him out, then explain that, no, he wasn't going for a walk. We shorthanded this to: "Go pee, Luke!" Who knew it would have such lasting effects?)
• He refuses to lay down on any of his three beds after, say, 7 at night unless you bring him a blanket. It doesn't seem to matter if it's 73 degrees inside the house and we're wearing shorts. He wants his blanket, by golly, because that's what you get when you want to go to sleep.

I think it's clear we shouldn't have children. We'd only screw them up.

Your overpriced coffee drink, that is. For all you Starbucks patrons out there (you know who you are), the chain is closing their stores for several hours this evening for employee training. I can't imagine how the American people will react. Riots? Looting? A series of desperate, panicked visits to rival coffee shops across the country?

Walking through the Mall at Millenia (yes, it's really called that) after shopping at IKEA:

Me: Oooh, look, Pottery Barn Home! Great, so everyone's house can look just like everyone else's house.

John: Isn't that what we just did?

Me: ... [scowl]

Okay, so I know most of the country is blanketed in snow at this point. And I know that most of you have been enduring the snow and the ice and the cold for many months now. You're tired of it. You're yearning for summer. You can't wait to throw open the windows and welcome warmer weather. If one more weatherman predicts a winter storm for the weekend, you're going to take a hit out on him. And because I understand all of that, I know that I'm not going to make any friends by saying this: I am sick of 80 degree weather in February. It's not natural. It's been humid and warm here for a month and a half. And that wouldn't be such a big deal if I knew that this was a fluke, a blip on the radar, and that cooler temperatures were just around the corner. But I know better. Because here in Florida, once the humidity sets in, it doesn't go away until December. And I'm SO SICK OF IT. There. I said it. Fire at will.

Years ago, before we moved to Florida, we used to have breakfast with John's brothers and his dad every once in awhile, usually at Perkins because that's the caliber of food that John's dad likes. He's a notoriously bad eater. As hard as John's stepmother tries, she can't get the man to eat well. On one particular occasion, she didn't join us for breakfast, and it's probably for the best. That morning, John's dad ordered something called a Grand Slam, which has enough hash browns, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy to feed a small army. It also comes with a fruit cup, more of an afterthought than anything. The fruit cup seems to exist only to prevent customers' arteries from hardening until after they've paid the bill. John's dad quickly recognized that the fruit cup was out of place and, true to form, he asked for it to be replaced. "Could I get the Grand Slam, but could I replace the fruit cup with another order of biscuits and gravy?"

As of today, John and I have been together for a decade. True, our five-year wedding anniversary isn't for another three months. But five years before we said "I do," on February 20th of 1998, we had our first date. It always stands out in my mind as our "real" anniversary. So, happy anniversary, John! It's been a great ten years.

Over a month ago, I came home to the most awesome answering machine message ever. It was from my oldest friend Janell and it made me laugh so hard, tears were streaming down my face at the end. I had to play it back a few times just to catch the parts that were drowned out by my laughter. I've finally gotten around to recording it and uploading it as an mp3 file and I present it to you now. I hope you can play it, and I hope you listen to all two and a half minutes of it. I especially like the very end, where she shouts "FOREVER!," only to have the machine hang up on her. It's genius.

So normally I don't blog about my students, but I couldn't resist this one. I was in my classroom on Thursday before class and one of my students, obviously upset, came up to me and whispered something furtively in my ear. The only thing I clearly heard was "contraceptive," so I asked her to step into the hallway with me. Once out of sight of the rest of the class, she whipped a condom out of her pocket and hissed, "some woman gave this to me on my way to class!!!" Relieved it wasn't something more than that, I explained to her that on Valentine's Day each year, a student group hands out condoms at UF to students on campus. She wasn't reassured. "She's makin' assumptions about me! I'm a freshman! What do I do?" I looked at her blankly and she continued, "What if my MOM comes to visit and she sees this?!?" I promised her I'd throw it away for her, but I couldn't help but laugh.

I met with a faculty member last week to talk about my research and while we were talking, she mentioned that a prominent institute in Berlin does a lot of work in my field and that they offer postdocs, from 1-3 years. My first thought was that we'd never do that. In a million years, I couldn't imagine uprooting us AGAIN, to move overseas. When I told John about it, that seemed to be his thought as well. But then the idea started worming its way around in our heads, and settled in for a stay. We talked about it some more the next day. Could we do it? Could we live in Berlin? John would be able to get a job there, relatively easily. There's the language barrier, of course, but that's not insurmountable. So maybe we could do it. Would we want to? We're pretty far away from our families and friends now-- Berlin, clearly, would be an even greater distance. Would we be able to live an ocean away from everything we know and love? The scaredy-cat side of me wants to hide under the covers, just thinking about it. But the other side of me-- the side that decided to go to graduate school so far away in the first place-- knows that it would be the chance of a lifetime. And it would open up doors to a really good job once we came back. And, hey, it would be a limited engagement-- only 1-3 years. Could we do it? Would we want to?

We've lived in Gainesville since August of 2003 and since then, I've tried several different hair salons. Each time, I've dropped about $80. And each time, I've gone home looking like I let a toddler go after my hair with pinking shears. So last fall, after I came home from yet another salon (though this time with a bouffant), I decided just to grow my hair out. I've got the most awesome stylist back home, who gives me kicky, cute haircuts that look great. But since I can't get back there every six weeks or so for a trim, it's time to throw in the towel. When we went home for Christmas, I explained to my stylist how impossible it is to get good haircuts down here, and how I wanted to grow my hair out. He sympathized, then fixed the cut I'd had done in October (the Bouffant Special). And it looked awesome. But now... now I need a trim. *sigh* So I'm trying yet another salon this Friday. I've got an appointment with a woman named Candy, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't come back looking like Donald Trump.

Many moons ago, we discovered that Luke has an affinity for Diana Krall. If we happen to put on some Diana Krall (but only When I Look in Your Eyes, please, he has standards), he instantly calms down. He goes from Super! Spastic! Luke! to Totally Mellow Luke. You almost expect him to go, "dude... wait, what?"

An open apology to all of you with January or February birthdays: I suck. It's funny because I'm so good at getting Christmas presents! They're carefully chosen, neatly wrapped, and-- most importantly-- on time. But after Christmas... game over, man. We've got eight birthdays to take care of between the beginning of January and the end of February and I can't honestly say that any of those birthday presents have ever been purchased and shipped in a timely manner. I've got three presents sitting in front of me right now, ranging from 1 day to three weeks late. None are even wrapped. So, many humble apologies to those of you with January and February birthdays. March birthdays, heads up. It's not looking good.

For the past three weeks, I've been helping to plan a walkathon fundraiser for Haile's Angels Pet Rescue, the organization where we got Luke. HAPR has some wonderful employees, dedicated to helping rescued animals find their "forever home." The walkathon took place this past Saturday, and it was a huge success! Here are a few photos:

As part of Neilochka's Great Interview Experiment, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie over at Feet Firmly Planted. Enjoy!

1. Confession: I'm totally envious of your traveling. You went to Switzerland last year and this year you're headed to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle/Vancouver/Tofino). If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Who would you want along for the trip? How do you choose your vacation destinations?

Technically, EMILY, this is four questions. Ha! I'm such a bitch. I guess the one that immediately springs to mind is Ireland - some folks might pick something a little more exotic, but not me. I'm dying to get there - I'm sure I will at some point, at least I hope so. I really want to see the lush green hills, the stonework and old homes, and I hear there's a lot of beer there. So that's also a huge plus. (smirk) I would be happy to travel with anyone, but I most enjoy traveling with Sean and my family. As for my criteria in choosing vacations, it's usually whatever gets in my brain and sticks there. I read about Tofino on another blog and couldn't get the idea out of my head, so we just went with it.

2. From reading your blog, you seem to do a great job balancing work, a social life, and personal hobbies. What's your secret?

Wow, that is a huge compliment, thanks. I don't really have a secret because, truth be told, I don't think I balance it all that well - but the most important thing is that I'm not married to my job, and I'm not married to my friends. I think moderation in all things (except eating, of course) is a good thing. I work hard when it's time to work, and I love to spend time with my friends as much as I love spending time alone.

3. I love your "Reading" posts, where you type an excerpt of, for example, a book you're reading and then link it all to Amazon. What gave you the idea?

BUSTED. That is a straight-up Dooce ripoff. She used to do it all the time, but either doesn't read as much as she used to, or has given up that particular formatting.

4. Whatever happened to the Tramp Stamp idea of your mother's? (I love your dad's response, by the way!)

So far, things are pending. The women (my sister, my mother, and myself) all seem up for the challenge, and the men have respectfully told us that we're crazy and they don't plan on participating. Hrmph. When we set a date, I'll be blogging all about it, don't you worry.

5. What do you love or hate about living in Chicago? Do you ever picture yourself living elsewhere?

I love how manageable the city is - nothing is ever too far away. People are nice here (it's the Midwest, after all), and I am close to family. I hate the really, REALLY cold weather when it hurts my skin to be outdoors, and the rats in the alley behind my condo building. I could picture myself living many places, and am open to moving around, but I'll always consider the Chicagoland area to be home.

6. When you have out-of-town visitors to Chicago, where do you take them?

Hmm, this is a tough one as I am kind of a shitty host in this sense. The first places that come to mind are the Museum of Science & Industry, Millenium Park/Michigan Avenue (but only if the weather is nice), the Field Museum, and to a deep-dish pizza joint.

7. I noticed that you don't blog about your workplace (at one point you referred to it as the "Place-That-Pays-My-Bills-and-Shall-Not-Be-Blogged-About"). How did you make that decision, and why?

First off, I absolutely do not want to EVER get fired for having a blog. I am an all-or-nothing person in many respects, and if I started blogging EVEN A LITTLE about my job, I would probably run my mouth off into the danger zone. So I have a strict policy that it's never discussed - nobody needs to know where I work, or what I do. Also, I have a deep respect for my employer and my colleagues, and would never want to jeopardize my employment.

8. If you could swap jobs with anybody for a week, what would it be and why?

I would trade jobs with anyone in the management staff at a professional dance company - no question about it. I would give anything to see what REALLY goes down behind closed doors, rehearsal doors, and at meetings. The dance industry, as a business, is hugely interesting to me.

9. Where did you get your unabashed love of NASCAR?

It's all Sean's fault. He's kind of a motorhead in many ways, and from what I understand, has always been into racing. He bought tickets to the Chicagoland race three years ago, and that was all it took. Hook, line, and sinker. I love almost everything about it - it's hilarious, it's interesting, it has the best people watching in the world, and I really like having something that we both enjoy together.

10. Since you've been blogging for several years now (since 2004, I believe), I'll ask this: Why do you blog? What got you into blogging?

Outright boredom. I was bored with my job at the time, bored with my life, and needed an outlet.

11. I notice that you have what you call an "actual website," at feetfirmlyplanted.com. What are your plans for the site?

Holy pajamas, busted again! I have been completely slack on this, haven't I? Sean did all the legwork on my other site as a Christmas gift two years ago, and for various reasons, I never got past the initial setup phase. For the past year or so, the site had been hacked by someone who blacked it out and covered the page in cyrillic text, but recently I've noticed that it's back to normal. This is one of the things I have on my "must bring to fruition" list for 2008. I swear.

12. Like you, I've gone back and forth on whether or not to get a second dog. Clearly, this is something you've been thinking about for a while. What are your thoughts on it now? Do they change day to day?

Yes, they do change on a daily basis. I'm constantly surfing animal rescue websites for another. 95% of me is sure that two dogs would be so much fun about 95% of the time. It's the collective remaining 5% that keeps me from pulling the trigger. I think I will wait until I'm in a living environment where there are no shared walls, and preferably, with a backyard before I get another dog. It will happen eventually, though.

13. I noticed that you and I share a dislike of Florida. What don't you like about it?

The heat. The humidity. Old people driving poorly. The sun. The heat. The humidity. The soil - seriously, it's way sandy. Oh, and did I mention the heat and humidity? I'm a cold weather girl.

14. Last year you turned 28. What have you learned in your late twenties that you wish you knew when you were younger?

I've learned that even if I'm never going to be a naturally flexible person, I need to at least TRY to roll with the punches. I've learned that I need to relax sometimes and not take it all so seriously. I've learned that I'm just as gullible now as ever.

15. You clearly have a very close relationship with your family. In what ways are you just like them? In what ways are you completely different?

I am more like my family than I sometimes like to admit. I am like them in how it takes me fifteen minutes to leave a party or gathering - I'm always still talking, putting on another scarf, petting the dog again, it's IMPOSSIBLE for me to just say goodbye and walk out the door. I am like them in my mannerisms, my way of speaking, and my freckles. I am not like them in my sometimes brash personality - all of my immediate family members have a softer way about them that is hard to explain.


Thanks, Jamie, it was fun getting to know you!

A few days ago I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Julie Scott of Pererro, as part of Neilochka's Great Interview Experiment (have you signed up yet? you should!). Enjoy!

1. Your blog features lots of beautiful pictures of your handsome dog, Luke. Who is the person behind the camera- you or your husband?

First, thank you so much! What a lovely compliment. Traditionally, I'm the one behind the camera. I've always enjoyed taking photos, but I'm trying to get more into it and learn more about how to take good photos. For my birthday last year, John bought me a Nikon D-80. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out all the bells and whistles on that baby!

2. I noticed that besides Luke you also have a cat in the house - cats and dogs under the same roof! What's your secret?

Heh. Yeah, we have three cats in addition to Luke. *sigh* The cats have pretty much accepted Luke into their lives (and personal spaces). They seem to tolerate him, but he absolutely adores them. It's very much a case of unrequited love. As for the cats getting along with one another, that part is a constant struggle. Our two male cats absolutely despise our young female cat. We've yet to solve that dilemma, and we've had her for nearly four years!

3. Since you teach history - if you could go up to any historical figure and say "What were you thinking!?", who would it be and why?

Hmm, good question. I'll answer this in two ways. In terms of "what were you thinking?!?," I'd pick Sylvester Graham. Graham (the inventor of Graham crackers) was a reformer who was active in the early nineteenth century. His Graham crackers were part of a regimen that he recommended to people so that they could control their sexual urges. I'd want to know why he was so up in arms that people were having sex.

I also see "what were you thinking" in a more positive light as well, and here I'd turn to the Grimke sisters, Angelina and Sarah. They were born into a slaveholding family in South Carolina and grew to become some of the most active abolitionists* of the time. I'd love to ask them where they found the strength to go against not only their family, but also against female mores of the time. They were actually banished from the state and forbidden to return, on penalty of death. Man, I can't even muster the courage to ask the mail carrier to pretty please stop shoving boxes in our mailbox!

4. Do you ever get the urge to grade other people's blog posts?

I find myself fighting that urge a lot more in conversation. I'm always correcting John's grammar, which I'm sure drives him crazy. But when it comes to blogs, I tend not to notice mistakes. I sort of depart from "teacher mode" when I'm reading blogs for fun.

5. As a person aspiring to teach - any advice from the fox holes?

Absolutely! Make sure you love it. Make sure you want to do it more than anything else. Teaching is an incredibly rewarding career, but it's also phenomenally challenging.

6. As a recent former student - do teachers really have favorites, or does it just seem that way?

I don't think that teachers tend to have favorites, but I can see why it's perceived that way. If I have a student who consistently does the reading, comes to class, and participates in discussion, I engage with them a lot more in class simply because we're talking on the same level. If I've got a student who doesn't attend very often, is clearly unprepared, and reads the newspaper during class, there's fundamentally not a lot of back and forth there.

7. Obligatory random question - what article of clothing do you wish would come back into fashion?

Good question! I grew up during the 80s and 90s-- real cringe-worthy decades in terms of fashion, in my opinion. I distinctly remember tight-rolled jeans, white Kends... oh, and those Hypercolor t-shirts. Remember those? They changed color with heat. Yikes. I'm not sure that I'd wish anything back into fashion, honestly!

8. Many of my professors have had phrases or words they never, ever want to see in a paper. (i.e. "just", "stuff", "Per Wikipedia") What phrase or slang term annoys you the most?

Hmm. It irritates me to no end when students refer to a non-fiction monograph as a novel. Oh, and as a history teacher, it drives me up the wall when students use the present tense when writing about the past. "Abraham Lincoln thinks slavery is bad." "Jane Addams is the founder of Hull House. She helps immigrants adapt to America." *shudder*

9. Do your students ever read your blog?

Not that I know of. I try to keep my academic life and my blogging life very separate. A few academic colleagues know about my blog, but not many. I do have Sitemeter on my site, though, so I know when someone in Gainesville finds my blog. I had a moment a few weeks ago when I was in all-out panic mode because I was convinced my advisor had found my blog. By and large, though, I try really hard not to blog about my students, my research, or my academic life.

10. I see you live in Florida, land of gators and haven of spring breakers. What misconception about Florida makes you laugh?

Oh dear. Where to begin? My blog is certainly a testament to the fact that I'm no fan of Florida. I guess the biggest misconception I've found is the notion that Florida is all sunshine and beaches. We live in North Central Florida, an hour from either coast, and it's about the furthest thing from "beach" that you can imagine. "Swamp" is more like it!

11. You've apparently done quite a bit of research in the area of parenthood, but don't seem to have any kids. What drew you to the topic?

You're right that I don't have children. And actually, I'm not the world's biggest fan of little ones, so it's a bit odd that parenthood is what I research. I wrote my MA paper on nineteenth-century children's literature as domestic advice literature for parents. That is, that such literature was not just written to teach children how to be good little boys and girls, but also to teach parents how to parent. That got me thinking about our modern notion of parenting, and where that idea originated. At the same time that this idea was worming its way around in my head, I'd noticed (through reading others' blogs, actually) how parenting conversations can get so heated so very quickly. It's really a hot topic, and that made me wonder if it's always been that way. (Answer: yes.) Once I started tugging at those threads, the idea for my dissertation really started to blossom.

12. I've noticed this research seems to focus on the 1800s. What misconception about the 1800s drives you crazy?

Tee hee! Broadly: the idea that Victorian Americans were prudish and proper. Narrowly: the idea that men were disengaged fathers. I think we still have this conception that colonial fathers were mean, nineteenth-century father were absent (working in the counting house all day and whatnot), and modern fathers are "normal." I think that kind of monolithic conception of parenthood is first, completely flawed, and second, not very realistic. In today's world we have doting fathers, abusive fathers, deadbeat fathers, loving fathers, and everything in between. Why should the past be so very different? (Answer: It wasn't.)

13. What is the best excuse a student ever gave you for not turning their paper in?

Best? Hmm, I'll have to think on that one. Certainly the most common is that they were sick and couldn't turn it in on time, followed by GRAPHIC descriptions of just how sick they were, how much vomit there was, how their roommates thought they were dying, etc. It's pretty comical.

14. Sometimes it seems like professors don't actually read final papers. Were you ever tempted to fill the entire center section of your final paper with nonsense just to see if the professor actually read it?

The final paper phenomenon is a funny one. I think most professors read them fairly quickly because students never come pick them up (so you don't have to write comments on them), and also because grades are pretty much set by then. Many students seem to have this idea that they can get D's for an entire semester and then ace the final and wind up with a B. Mathematically they're probably right, but I've never seen it happen. To answer your question, though, no. I was (and am) WAY too much of a rule-follower to pull a stunt like that! Both of my parents taught at the same university where I did my undergraduate work. I would have been too worried that it would get back to them, somehow!

15. Has a student ever tried to pull this trick on you?

No, thankfully! But I have had students write things like, "In 1968, Native Americans founded AIM, the American Indian Movement. They were instant messaging like crazy!" And I've wondered if things like that were written to make me laugh, or to see if I was still reading.

Thanks for the wonderful questions, Julie, I had a great time answering them!

*Full Disclosure: In the actual interview, I wrote "prohibitionists," which is completely incorrect.

We've had a Netflix subscription for about a two and a half years now. And in that time we've rented only 43 movies (not all of which we watched before returning them) and slowly downgraded our membership plan, finally arriving at their smallest possible plan (1-at-a-time, 2 a month). And honestly I wonder if it's worth it, even at the smallest plan. We've had "March of the Penguins" out since November. Srsly. It fell behind the tv when we were on Christmas vacation and we haven't even bothered to fish it out. At this point, we could have bought our own copy of "March of the Penguins." I'm actually sort of thankful that it fell behind the tv because every time I looked at it I felt it staring back at me, pouting scornfully. Hell, it may have thrown itself behind the tv for all I know, unable to cope with our rejection. Hopefully Luke's tennis balls are keeping it company.

A few days ago, in the context of a different topic, I asked my students how many of them were registered to vote. 35 students, all of them over the age of 18. Not a single hand went up. These same students complain about politics, on both sides of the aisle. And while I didn't lecture them then, I'll say this: It doesn't matter if you're a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or anything in between. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. It doesn't matter what color skin you have. Voting is one of the great privileges of our democracy, giving us the ability to voice our opinions about (among other things) how our country is run. Register to vote. It's one of the freedoms we enjoy.

Okay, I thought this year's Super Bowl commercials were pretty lackluster. But this one? I laughed out loud. A lot.

Since we got back from Christmas, I've noticed that the "k" key on my laptop has been acting up. Specifically, when I rest my hands on my keyboard I often notice that the word kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk has appeared on the screen. Does my "k" key have issues? Is it lonely? Does it worry that I don't use it often enough? These days when I send an email, write a blog post, or do any kind of writing, for that matter, I have to pay particular attention to the screen so that I don't inadvertently insert a million "k"s. (You try to pluralize k, then. I opted for the quotation mark approach, lest people think I was trying to abbreviate Kansas.) I try, in other words, not to appear as if I had Written Tourette Syndrome (WTS), one symptom of which is inserting a random K! into one's typing. kk. *sigh* Clearly the only prescription is to somehow replace the old "k" key with a new one, but I just can't be bothered. Instead, I'll just say: ignore any randomly inserted letters. Act as if they don't exist, because any sort of attention will only egg them on. Right now I'm hoping the damage is contained to the "k" key and that it hasn't spread, say, to "l".