Linda Z

Oh sure, Raf. Go off to Texas and leave us hanging here with an obscure (and it sounds like BAD) movie to jump off from. Someone help!

To add a little levity... Every time I see the title of this thread I picture a hand with its fingers compressing a breast to make it look smaller. Am I weird, or what??? :D-->

I was self-employed for about 7 years, Wacky, and I had to give it up, mainly because of the cost of health insurance and the high Social Security taxes. Not only did I pay a high premium for my insurance, but when I had my gallbladder removed, it didn't cover a large chunk of the hospital/doctors' bills. That combined with the taxes prompted me to go back to working for someone else. I don't like it, but I had to face facts. I don't intend to be a burden on my son, and although I have pretty simple needs, being a baglady and living in a cardboard box just don't appeal to me. Belle, you're young enough that you still have time to sock away a pretty good nest egg, but my advice is start doing it NOW. Most people I know in their 30s think that retirement age is soooooo far off that they don't discipline themselves to save for it. Even if you don't have a lot left over for savings, putting away a small amount is better than doing nothing. I hope you younger GSers out there can learn from what Wacky and I are going through. Wacky, I'm in a similar pickle about retirement. If I could stand my current job until 65, when Medicare kicks in so I'd have at least minimal health insurance (I hope!), that would be fine. But my job comes with an extremely high stress level, and I want to bail at 62 and have some lower-stress years to enjoy. If I do, I'll have to pay the (high) health insurance premiums myself that I only pay a small percentage of while employed. I can do that for 18 months (keep my same insurance), but that means I'll still have to work somewhere, because Social Security alone isn't going to cover the cost of the insurance plus my other living expenses, and even that will end before I'm 65. I have a small 401k, for which I'm thankful, but I'll need to leave that alone and, hopefully, let it keep growing for use when I'm too old to work at all. If I were you, Wacky, I'd bite the bullet and get a teaching job if you're qualified and can stand it. Even if you do it for only a few years, you can build up some sort of retirement savings, which will be better than nothing. And perhaps in a few years the demand for your services will pick up and you can go back into business for yourself, or maybe do it on the side just to keep a hand in it (pun intended). I do know one thing. Being in denial about facing retirement will not make it go away.

Congratulations, Susie! Enjoy your big day!!

Caption contest or not, I can't help myself: Gregory Despres is visibly shocked upon learning that Jennifer Willbanks is his long-lost twin sister.

I never thought of cooking with lavender, either. When I first read about it in this thread, it sounded to me like munching on a sachet from Granny's undies drawer. But then, lo and behold, last night I was channel surfing and there was a chef cooking with...what else? Lavender. I looked it up in Merriam-Webster's and learned it's a mint. You really can learn something new every day!

Jane Fonda On Golden Pond Katherine Hepburn

David, I'd say she's in her 60s, so I think she was more likely in her 30s than her 40s when Oeno met her.

Very nice, Chas! I like your color selections, and it seems easy to navigate--two musts for a well-designed Web site, IMO!

Another facelift gone wrong.

oeno: Would that be a bag to cover her head or a barf bag?

Oh God, oh God, oh God, I hope the judges can't tell I ate a Twinkie last week!

WayferNot, Quakers don't live in separate communities like the Amish or Mennonites. I used to work with a woman who was a Quaker. They're pacifists, and I believe they have no preachers who lead their church services. I believe Wacky said earlier in the thread that she used to go to a Quaker church. Maybe she'll pop in and tell you more about it. You might be confusing them with the Shakers, a sect that did stay separate from the rest of society. Since the Shakers didn't believe in sex (not even between husband and wife), they've sorta died out. :D-->

Happiest of birthdays ever, Ala!

The Other Sister Giovanni Ribisi Saving Private Ryan

George Jess was an incredible man. Humble, wise, loving, and so peaceful. Thanks for telling us about that conversation, Tom. Boy, what he said sure does make sense.

You're more than welcome. I hope your group will enjoy it!

Here ya go. :)--> http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/i/tissweet.htm

Brad Pitt Fight Club Edward Norton

RFR was a VP foot (and God knows what else) kisser to his face and in public.. Behind his back, she lied to him (e.g., "Tell him I'm not in" orders when he phoned her office). VP was a master at overlooking people's personality and character flaws if they could do something to promote twi. She was organized, authoritarian, and educated, so he put her in charge of Way Prod and Univ. of Life. So what if she treated people, at best, like children and, at worst, like slaves? Observing this pattern of VPW's was my first hint that his judgment was clouded by ambition. I find it interesting that as soon as VPW was on his way out as a real power player of twi, around the time LCM was named as VP's successor, RFR suddenly got very cozy with DM. Maybe she was privately cozy with her before, but around that time, they suddenly started being seen together constantly. RFR knew where the power base of twi was, starting with VP and then slithering her way into the LCM regime. I've said this before: It was my sense that RFR neither liked nor respected LCM. I base this on snide comments I heard her make about him in private, when she wasn't up on a stage with that insipid PR grin on her face saying how damn wonderful he was. RFR and DM's "special friendship" was obvious to everyone...maybe even LCM noticed it and as a result disliked her as much as she disliked him. Don W. was onto her two-faced approach to "leadership," as well. So how did RFR get to the top? I can only surmise, based on what I know. I think she knew too much about LCM's shenanigans, and VP's before him. For all I know, she played on LCM's weakness and set him up for the fall. I wouldn't put it past her. This is the only logical explanation I can come up with. It sure as heck wasn't for her teaching or public speaking ability. It wasn't because she was a hot babe. :P--> It wasn't because she was widely loved and respected by wayfers in general. As can be seen in this thread, most wayfers didn't know her, and many didn't even know who she was.

Johniam, I can only speak for me: Both MM and that preacher disgust me.

Don't feel bad, Sharon. Sometimes I think I should sign my posts "Chopped Liver" because I'm feeling ignored. Then I remember the times I only have time to pop in and scan, and even though I have something to say, I don't have time. I always intend to come back and post something, but I can't even always remember which threads I've posted in, much less those I thought about posting in!!

Johniam said: Yes, that's true. Likewise, we who find others' expression of that right to be offensive have an equal right to say so.

Dennis Hopper Easy Rider Peter Fonda

Jodie Foster Maverick Mel Gibson