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Pandora just became one of Tedd's favorite people. She's a mother who's stayed by her son for centuries.

Sorry, I'm not N2 that kind of thing.

I did not see that coming. I thought Tedd would be needing hugs but it looks like Pandora is the one who does. Tedd reaching out to Pandora doesn't surprise me. As you said, he is a protector/healer who is at heart a tremendously sensitive soul. What has surprised me is how much strength Tedd has shown in hearing hard truths about his life. Really, his parents as well have underestimated him, even Edward who should know him best. I get it, the desire to protect can blind you, but Tedd, with the help of his friends, especially Elliott and Grace, isn't the bomb waiting to go off that Ellen fears.

The Moderator: I would like to take this small occasion to thank two of our regular forumgoers, HarJit and Illjwamh, for going above and beyond to make the forums a good place. HarJit for their unceasing work with the Greasemonkey scripts to improve the forums and Illjwamh for patient dedication with sharing statistics and character appearances. I have pinned the Greasemonkey thread for ease of access. Illjwamh's Crazy Counting Guy thread, of course, is already pinned. Once again, thank you both. ~tOH.

Your coffee maker is a self-aware AI. It passed the Keurig test...

Considering that magic is jerking him around, i'd say his reaction is justified.

Tedd's reaction doesn't bode well. However I love Pandora's response in the last panel.

A number of years ago, my dad agreed to be the designated driver for the owners of the Ready-Mix concrete company he worked for and drove them to Toronto to see the Molson Indy, they didn't give him a ticket to sit by the track so he was just milling about outside waiting. At one point he got chatting with one of the security guys and the subject of why my dad was there came up and next thing he knew, he was being given a tour of the pits, got to see where the racers trailers were and such, basically a complete behind the scenes look. He figured he had a much better time that his bosses were.

You know, someone mind-controlled arguing for mind-control is not exactly convincing. There might be conflict of interest.

It was probably your dishwasher. It's been too quiet lately. I'm sure it is up to something.

My sister's pills live in a small blue backpack. The anti-rejection drugs have to stay in their blister packs until she's about to take them, so that makes things a bit more bulky. She has two different week-long AM/PM pill organizers for everything else, plus a couple of different gummy vitamins (a format I've adopted too now). When she flies, the backpack is always her "personal item" instead of a purse. If she's going to be away from home for more than a week, she has to bring the various bottles so she can refill the pill organizers, making the backpack a lot fuller. Some meds are heat-sensitive, so if we're driving and stop for a meal, she has to remember to bring the backpack with her if it's at all warm or sunny. But, that backpack holds what keeps her alive and relatively healthy, keeps her with us, so I love her blue backpack. :-) *Gives Prof's shoebox a nice pat* Thank you, shoebox, for keeping our Prof with us.

I mentioned that I wrote a poem about the shoebox of pills I have to take one day after going through a rather depressing and frustrating series of medical appointments. I posted it to Scribophile and got good reviews, so I figure I'd share it here, concerning the medical frustration I've been going through lately. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you ... THE SHOEBOX by D. Lee Jackson I really ought to replace it. It's a bit lighter than usual today. Some of the medicines I used to keep in it are on the coffee table behind my laptop, ready for my midday dose. Others are still on the bookshelf, waiting until my doctor clears me to take them again. Mainly herbal supplements. When did I start using it, anyway? I wonder if a date's printed on it somewhere. There's also another bottle missing. A bottle of pills that were supposed to help me with my allergies, help me to breathe so I could go outside and enjoy nature at its fullest. Suggested Retail $75.00—Our Low Price $64.99. No date. Just bars and codes. One that would help me get out of the house so that I could take care of some “much-needed exercise,” as several doctors have told me, without having to worry about explosions of pollen from nearby trees. Exercise I needed before they would help me with my other problems. “Made in Indonesia.” Damn. Had to turn it upside down to read that. Jumbled the insides now. Exercise that would help me lose enough weight before they'd work on my knees, my back, my ankles. “Lose thirty pounds and call me in the morning.” Right. The lid fold is getting seriously warped. I wonder how long it'll stay connected. Self-serving bastards. They'll give out expensive medicines to help me “deal with the situation,” but won't do an operation to fix the cause. Of course, that means other meds for the resulting depression, the anxiety, the heart problems, sleep problems, illness-of-the-week problems, and so on. I've put too many stickers on it, I think. Who needs to know about a Houston radio station in Dallas? About which university I went to? At least they cover the goofy company logo. But there was a sinus problem which absolutely required an expensive operation by doctor number … hell, I've lost count. Couldn't fix the other problems without it. It could just barely hold all the pills I took before the sinus surgery. And then, post-op, the one allergy medication that was supposed to help me breathe so I could finally exercise. The one that almost made me suffocate instead. How the hell do you survive a dream where your lungs are collapsing? Another few minutes asleep and I would have stayed that way forever. All thanks to a bottle of pills that was supposed to help me “deal with the situation.” I know at least my feet would fit inside it. I mean, it's a shoebox, right? Shoot, it'll probably out-live me. What's my motivation? Well, doctor? How do I get out of this vicious cycle? I wonder if my ashes will fit inside it one day. ©2015, 2017 D. Lee Jackson. All Rights Reserved,

If you "swish and swallow" you're swallowing the active ingredients. If you swish and spit out, then you're at the least exposed to a whole lot less of them. We do occasionally see a little steroid get absorbed through the skin or mucous membranes, enough so that they don't recommend doing any steroid-related or altered-by-steroids tests while using, say, a steroid ear medicine on inflamed ear infections. We don't routinely see steroid side effects when using them topically (eg drinking and peeing a lot), so most pets don't absorb a clinically significant amount. YMMV with that one weird species, I can't say anything about those.... So, yeah, don't stress if you're not swallowing it, but keep it in mind if you do see any ill effects developing.

Bailiff, whack that reply with a large, floating brick.

Did you also discover their secret?

Unfortunately, I kind of agree. But it's still an awful situation. Tedd without a mother, thinking she left because he wasn't good enough (there is a conversation between he must have overheard as a child that led to him coming to that conclusion, at least I hope it was that and not Noriko saying something to him directly), or Tedd with a mother who either considers him not good enough or perhaps, crippled in some way, too vulnerable to keep in her life. She needed some serious counseling and I do confess to looking forward to seeing her reaction to discovering Tedd is a seer/wandmaker. Also, I wanted to address this bringing-Tedd-up-to-speed episode. I know that at times, I have grumbled (hopefully not too loudly) at the pace of important reveals to various people, especially Tedd, but honestly, without the build-up, these reveals wouldn't have had the dramatic impact. I mean, literally years in the making. And now, Pow, Tedd knows and we are shocked, surprised, elated that he knows the truth, want to give him hugs for the pain he's been through. Really, the drama in these scenes has been well earned. Kudos to Dan.

If Noriko just couldn't get past Tedd's "magical impairment", to the point that she was scanning him so many times he developed a complex about it....then leaving may have been the best thing she could do for him. Better to be raised by one parent who could accept and support him, than to have a second parent in his life who was constantly disappointed in him and unable to hide the fact. Adrian may even have been the one who eventually told her this, thus being the reason there was no chance of Noriko and Edward reconciling -- because it would have been at Tedd's expense if they had. It's easy enough to say "Noriko should have just gotten over it and accepted Tedd as (she thought) he was, but if she just couldn't do it, then better to go.

Wow. Uh, you're welcome? Dang. And thanks. Seriously. Statistics and stuff is really fun for me, and I'm glad so many others seem to be enjoying it as well. And of course it's always great to feel appreciated. Thanks, Old Hack. Made my day just now. Also, "Yea!" (for HarJit)

I had a similar experience with a group of friends from an online message board about the TV show The Invisible Man back in 2001. We talked about the show, but also about other things, much like this board, and decided it would be fun to get together in real life. The show was filmed in San Diego, and the entire cast was thus available for Comic-Con, so we decided to all go to the convention and try to get into their panel together. Well, after arriving a couple of days before the Con so we could hang out together, one of the group who actually lived in San Diego revealed that she'd found a whole bunch of locations from the show, and planned out a walking tour of them. We had a blast. Thanks to the help of a then-minor character's actor, who had occasionally visited us online, we soon learned we were going to get to visit the actual studio, and tour sets that weren't in use and see some of the props. The crew we met were amazing, very friendly, and did little things like get out the rubber stamp they used to create the monitor tattoo the main character had on his wrist, and stamp all of our wrists with it! We were so happy just to get that close to the show we loved. We even got to see a couple of sets that gave away big spoilers for upcoming episodes. As we were finishing the tour, ready to go home happy, we then found ourselves coinciding with a break in filming, and suddenly we were talking with the stars themselves, just outside the stage they'd been filming in (any fellow fans may be amused to know it was Stage Five). It was only for five or ten minutes, but just imagine a small group of Trekkies getting to hang around with the actors playing Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov! ....and then imagine them getting to hang out on the bridge of the Enterprise set while they set up the next bit, and then watch them film it! In our case, it was the Keeper's lab. We took each others' pictures in the equivalent of Kirk's command chair, and I personally got the bonus of discovering that the binders sitting on a shelf weren't just empty props, they contained scripts. For episodes we hadn't seen yet. And I quietly read through one of them, not daring to attract attention by showing anyone else. And to top it all off, when they broke for lunch, they invited us to join them at Craft Services too! This time we were hanging out with them, actually sitting down to a meal with them, for more like half an hour. I don't think the Nerdgasm Happiness Meter can go much higher. They did everything short of putting us in the show itself, and I get the feeling the only reason they didn't was that the episode they were working on didn't call for anyone outside main cast. When we went to the show's panel later that weekend, the star mentioned our group, and we all held up our wrists with the tattoo, most of them colored in with Sharpies, in thanks. When they did what was supposed to be an hour-long autograph session, it was still going strong at the four hour mark. And a personal favorite, I got to meet the writer of some of my favorite episodes, and he said when he signed a script for me that it was his very first autograph! As you might be able to tell, even after all these years, it still makes me very happy just remembering that weekend. :-D

Up next is 2006. There is no 2007, so I'll be taking a break. Susan: 16 Sarah: 13 Melonpool: 8 Troutman: 5 Sporkman: 3 Susan's Logic: 1 Susan's Curiosity: 1 NP TOTAL COUNT:

Another Loudmouth Picture. It's a bit blurry in the face, but the hand and tongue were the focus of the shot: Mrs. Prof was trying to get Loudmouth used to having his paws and nails handled. He started licking himself afterward. That's why the face is a bit out of focus.

The Trail Camera finally got some use on the 7th. Most of the pictures were of him lazing about on the bed in the cat room, but there were a couple worth sharing: Not too exciting, but they show off the room and the bed that he has for his home base. The green ball on the bed in the top picture is one of his toys. Note that I had to adjust the gamma on both of these to make them viewable. I also did my usual jpg shrinking with Google's guetzli compressor. That's an impressive piece of software, harkening back to the days of DOS (and a bit Linux-like) for now.

You win the "Made Mrs. Prof Laugh" title of the week.

All hail the mighty Cat Ruler of our habitat To Felines we pledge this AND that

Or aliens. Could go either way.

Well as Elliot told Tedd they "live in an era where even [Elliot] has a camera in his pocket. Sooner or later magic is going to have to compromise."

Ok, I am showing just how much of a casual computer user I am. The first time I read that line, I thought you said "Idiots work well in Texas."

Yes, the toxicity has been brought under check, thanks to a firm hand at moderating by folks like my good friend @The Old Hack. If you run into any problems, talk to him and he will see that they are dealt with in a swift and fair manner.

I don't like this theory. It would mean Susan(and maybe Diane) is related to Voltaire, and that would be terrible, because Voltaire is a terrible individual that deserves to be punched in the face repeatedly (and maybe lit on fire if I let my pyromania do the talking, but fire is the answer to everything in that case) I much prefer the theories and such that lead to Susan(and maybe Diane) are distantly related to Adrian and Pandora, because Adrian and Pandora are awesome people.

Nah, I think she did it on Stonehenge. Waaait, she needs to unlock her achievements after every reset, doesn't she? So, both may be true.

If you've kept up with one of the other threads on the Off Topic Forum, you'll have heard of a certain feral cat that sits outside our house and yowls for attention every night. Here's a picture of him: Due to the sheer volume his lungs can generate, as well as to his stamina (he can carry on for HOURS), Mrs. Prof and I long ago named him Loudmouth. We've doubted if he's really a true feral cat or an abandoned house cat, because he enjoys being petted and brushed and will even let you pick him up. Mrs. Prof tried once letting him indoors, but he acted too much like an alpha cat and didn't exactly get along with our indoor cat, Baker. However, he didn't freak out about being inside. Instead, he seemed comfortable being indoors. A few days ago, after Mrs. Prof went outside for the umpteenth time to pamper Loudmouth (who's even allowed her to treat him with Revolution), she broached the subject of bringing him inside. I didn't see any choice—it was either that, or live with the nightly yowling. She proceeded to spend this past weekend catifying one of the rooms of our house so that Loudmouth could be quarantined until properly introduced. Yesterday, she'd set up an appointment for both Loudmouth and Baker to be seen by the vet. Of course, when the time came to leave, Loudmouth was nowhere to be found. (She took Baker, though, who got a clean bill of health.) This morning, she went out back (see the above photo of our patio) to feed the ferals. Loudmouth was still a no-show. She checked the front door, which is where Loudmouth holds his nightly concerts. Bingo! Loudmouth was there, waiting for food and a brushing, She brushed him, and then went back inside and put food in the cat room, expecting to find Loudmouth still waiting out front. She then opened the front door. No Loudmouth. Just as a last chance, she checked the back again. Loudmouth had joined the ferals and was eating. She picked him up and brought him inside, saying to him, "Are you ready for your outdoor days to come to an end?" She then put Loudmouth in the cat room. Mrs. Prof has occasionally gone in to check on Loudmouth during the day. He's eaten, used the litter box, and, when she's been back there, he's been "very loving." He's shown no tendency to start up one of his opera performances. Yet. Outside the door, Baker has skulked around when Mrs. Prof has been in the room. He's a bit jealous and will need extra attention tonight, I think. Loudmouth will be taken to the vet on Thursday (the earliest day available for Mrs. Prof) to check for diseases. If he's got anything communicable, he goes back out. Otherwise, he gets treated and/or vaccinated. Then the process of acclimating him to our household will begin. Updates, possibly including Trail Cam photos from the cat room, will follow. This is going to be interesting.

I dunno, it might be easier to let go if you could see your descendants spreading out across the world, than it would be to say goodbye to your only child, knowing your love for him would be forgotten....and especially if there were hard feelings and misunderstandings between you!

Amy: Then why am I here? The Doctor: Because...Because I can't see it anymore... Amy: See what? The Doctor: I'm 907. After a while you just can't see it anymore. Amy: See what? The Doctor: Everything. I look at a star and it's just a big ball of burning gas, and I know how it began, I know how it ends... and I was probably there both times. You know, after a while, everything is just stuff. That's the problem, you make all of space and time your backyard and what do you have? A backyard. But you, you can see it. And when you see it, I see it.

Once again, Dan surprises us by having characters talk to each other and share important information. You'd think we'd be expecting this more by now!

I would love to have Loudmouth. If it comes to rescue in him let's keep that in mind.

The cat tree would also be another way of exchanging scents. You could try one of those cardboard box scratch pads, the sort you can hang from the doorknob. Let one cat scratch-mark it for a while, then move it to the other cat's turf, etc. Hey, what counts is what works! Just keep in mind that sometimes, the cat's preference is strong enough to make the difference. Don't sweat the details. I've made successful introductions with only one of me. She can put the food on one side, then the other, and alternate which side she ends up on and thus which cat she ends up petting, and can praise the other through the door if they don't get confused and jealous about their names. Fingers crossed! If he does turn out to be FIV or FeLV positive, you may be able to find a rescue that specifically works with that, finding homes that already have a positive cat and would like another. But it sounds like she's really got her heart set on him joining your family, and I get the impression Loudmouth is winning you over too. (Shh, don't worry, I won't tell her! ;-)

I don't recall that scene in the musical.

Oh freaking good god no. Of course with migraines you really don't get to "oversleep your pain drugs." Smaller kidney stones? Been there, done that, put the tee shirt away.

Heh... while I was making this slay, that very passage came to mind.

On the old boards, long before this magic reset stuff came up, I wrote a scene of Noriko being informed that she's being seconded to the United States for a while to do some high-energy work with a magical engineer... named Tedd Verres...

So a band where the lead vocal group is a half dozen guys with cliché stage personalities. Their ages are 21 - 25, but they look younger. They sing the songs that were popular with teenaged girls 20 - 40 years ago. I think you may be onto something.

Nah, it'd be perfectly legal for me to diagnose and treat them. Might do better to get an Avian Practitioner, though, they're the only ones who have significant experience treating dinosaurs, although they might find a T-rex more familiar.

That depends on what one's end goals are. If you want to avoid mass destruction and all consuming fire, then separating the mad scientists and the pure gases is a good idea. But if you want mass destruction and all consuming fire...

My impression from past experience is that the insurance company would have a hand in going after someone they felt was liable for an injury. I know that's not a hard and fast rule, but when my car was sideswiped by one with four teenagers trying to merge into an already-occupied left turn lane, the insurance companies sorted it out among themselves, and when my mom's leg was broken at the dog park she carefully didn't find out whose dogs it was that ran into her, but the impression the insurance company gave was that they would have been the ones to get payment if she had known.

Well, I may have said that already anyway. I had some of your Parmesan sausage for breakfast, this time on Club crackers (nom), and chased it with my morning pills and a cup of coffee with two SToK depth charges. All of this got followed by a dose of ibuprofen to stave off a developing headache. Once the headache clears, I'll reassess the situation.

Parmesan-ringed sausage, kindly provided by @The Old Hack, wrapped in a flour tortilla. (We're out of anything else to put it on. It's a parmesan salami burrito now. )

Well, let's see. First the Earth cooled. And then the dinosaurs came, but they got too big and fat, so they all died and they turned into oil. And then the Arabs came and they bought Mercedes Benzes. And Prince Charles started wearing all of Lady Di's clothes. I couldn't believe it- he took her best summer dress and he put it on and went to town...

The Egyptian god of magic who summons excellent scones for tea (Possibly a legacy of the long British occupation of Egypt.) It hasn't been officially debunked, quite. However, something Heka almost finished telling to Pandora strongly suggests that Fairies have lots of descendants. (Heka calls Pandora a "Fairy" because the former Fairies calling themselves "Immortals" now implies that they are the only Immortals, leaving out other immortal beings, such as Heka.) It certainly impiies that Tedd, a seer, and Edward and all other human wizards are descended from at least one Fairy/Immortal, which also means that they must have at least one elf ancestor. Adrian told Grace back during Death Sentence that "Half-Immortals cannot have children." But he didn't explain why Grace saw an image of Susan staring back at her from the mirror she'd just used in the previous panel. And Adrian's statement might not be true. He could have been lying (for a good reason, of course) or he might have believed he was telling the truth but was wrong. And since this comic is now over five years old, it is possible that Dan has decided on a different truth than was true when he made that comic. As I mentioned awhile ago, the next time we see Pandora is when she appears in Susan's bedroom where Jerry is puzzling over the relationship (or lack of it) between Susan and Diane. This kind of implies that whatever Heka said to Pandora suggested that Susan was suddenly important to her, even though Pandora had never been shown with or mentioned Susan in the ten-plus years since her introduction in Hidden Genesis. And on the next visit Pandora pays to EGS, she tells Sarah that she told a lie to her son something that wasn't true and ends the comic with the now-notorious statement "Of course they were his!" Now, none of this is absolute proof that half-immortals like Adrian can have children, but if Dan decides that they can't after all this, it proves that Dan is a big doofus.

Not a trail camera image, but a photo of our current backyard feral colony feeding: Took them a while to get along together, but they've finally calmed down.