No frustrated expectations here.  Worked my usual 10-hour day, and picked up takeout Chinese on the hourlong commute home so sweetie wouldn’t have to cook.  Drank a glass of sweet tea-flavored vodka (yum) and watched Castle and Downton Abbey, although I fell asleep near the end because it was a two-hour finale, which I wasn’t expecting.

A very nice evening.  Much like the one before it, and the one I anticipate tonight.  Should there have been something else?

Yeah, I also avoided a frustrating Valentine’s Day by not having any expectations at all. We did our usual thing, but also threw a “Happy Valentine’s Day” in there just for the hell of it. Okay, we also ate one item of heart-shaped food, but that was it. I was pleased that my SO also didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

Valentine’s Day was our traditional dinner at home eaten picnic-style on the living room floor, Chet Baker, and Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing, which is made truly awesome by Emma Thompson’s awesomeness.  (Her “If I were a man” speech gives me chills.)  All in all, a great day.

You’re going to be a couple of miles from my house tonight!  I wish I could go, but since I work nights I have to sleep.  Good luck!  I think you’ll meet a lot of nice Kansas progressives, and I hope you’ll enjoy yourself.  I hate to admit it, but you’ll probably find Lawrence more interesting than Mission.
My V-Day expectations were well-met.  I got a nice assortment of chocolate beers.  Yum!

No frustrated expectations here. Dinner was lovely.

Pfft, I am particularly amused by the number of “God loves us and vaccines are full of poison!” commenters who referred to you, when railing about the author of the article, as “him.” Careful, kids, your biases are showing.

Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing, which is made truly awesome by Emma Thompson’s awesomeness.

I’m glad to discover I’m not the only person who loves that adaptation. Branagh is apparently amazing with Emma Thompson, and useless without her. (Also, I hear a lot of “lol Keanu Reeves was such a terrible casting choice” comments. I’m like, are you kidding?! All Don John does in that movie is stare sullenly. It’s the single most perfect role for Keanu Reeves!)

Happy Obligation Day!  comic link rather NSFW:  http://oglaf.com/obligationday/

Um, full frontal male nudity is not “rather” NSFW, it’s NSFW outright.  More or less the definition.

Pardon my speech.  It is a comic though, hardly a photograph.

I can’t say I had frustrated expectations.  Over the weekend, I made a special dinner for my honey and me, which included bacon ice cream for dessert.  I will say that the bacon ice cream was somewhat disappointing compared to last year; it didn’t taste enough like bacon.  We watched Dr. Zhivago, and now my boyfriend pretends to tear up at least a couple of times a day to mimic Omar Sharif in the role.  I also got him an extremely romantic gift of Archer seasons 1 and 2 on DVD.

Last night, we had a five-course meal at one of our favorite restaurants.

It was interesting how quick several commenters on XX were to identify the parents’ reason for refusing to vaccinate their children as a lack of education.

It was interesting how quick several commenters on XX were to identify the parents’ reason for refusing to vaccinate their children as a lack of education.

There’s a particular sort of American for whom education is solution for every ill. My folks were kinda like that, even though intellectually they could recall meeting any number of morons who possessed a college degree. Both of my folks were people who took their education seriously and profited from it, so it seems understandable they’d feel that way. I was a crappy student, so I’m more objective, I think.

It’s probably related to the widespread at least rhetorical desire for the public school system to fix poverty, rather than talking about fixing the schools by addressing poverty.

It’s probably related to the widespread at least rhetorical desire for the public school system to fix poverty, rather than talking about fixing the schools by addressing poverty.

That makes sense.  I also think that some people have kind of patronizing assumption that, if everyone else just had a better education, then everyone else would make the same choices that they do.

TAP bio says ya live in Austin. Moved back or need to update bio?

There’s also a thing where we want to pretend that once we drive anyone without a college degree into poverty, we won’t immediately start on the folks with college degrees.  To a lot of people “get an education” is a substitute for any thinking whatsoever on social or economic policy.

I also think that some people have kind of patronizing assumption that, if everyone else just had a better education, then everyone else would make the same choices that they do.

At least as to vaccines, I think that assuming a lack of education is charitable.  If you are well-educated and you still refuse to vaccinate your kids, you’re just an asshole.  Much kinder to assume that you just don’t know better, rather than that you do and you just don’t give a shit about anyone else.

Yay, I get to meet a famous feminist!  And @gretchen, Lawrence is TOTALLY better than Mission.

To a lot of people “get an education” is a substitute for any thinking whatsoever on social or economic policy.

QFFT

Drat! I wish I had heard about this earlier- I would have loved to have been there tonight. It is always such a pleasure to have progressive voices come to the KC metro.

Also, I hear a lot of “lol Keanu Reeves was such a terrible casting choice” comments. I’m like, are you kidding?! All Don John does in that movie is stare sullenly. It’s the single most perfect role for Keanu Reeves!

True. But I did think it was odd that they had him receiving a massage when he did his first big evil soliloquy (at least, I don’t remember that being in the original text. It did make me wonder why his masseuse didn’t go off and snitch).

I cooked some pasta for my wife’s dinner, she’s currently having a bit of a health crisis with a vitamin D deficiency problem, and a mushroom spaghetti dinner is what the doctor ordered and in keeping with Chinese traditional medicine custom of prescribing food for certain illnesses.

@Neko Onna, come to Lawrence tomorrow night!  We’re included in the metro for government statistical purposes

It did make me wonder why his masseuse didn’t go off and snitch

Seems reasonable to assume that the masseuse was part of Don John’s personal retinue and thus loyal to him.

Yes, in those days, personal servants were personal, very often, deaf-mutes were employed because they couldn’t reveal secrets even unwittingly.

Spent the 14th at Epcot, and concluded with some yummy Japanese food (our meal plan didn’t cover sushi rolls, though, dammit). Just need to remember to wear more comfortable shoes the next time I’m spending the day walking around. Nothing like returning to your hotel via a standing-room-only bus when your feet hurt ><