I should have listened...

Someone once said it's not polite to talk about religion, sex, and politics. What do you think? Here's two situations to consider:

Situation one- I made a comment in the presence of my boss that could be interpreted as negative towards baptists. Fifteen minutes later I find out he's a baptist.

Situation two- I recently ran into an old friend of mine while out with my husband. The conversation turned to Barak. Whoa did sparks fly. Within five minutes I was really offended by how my friend stereotyped my husband as some kind of rich jerk that watches babies starve to death for fun since he votes republican. Then of course I was offended when my husband later stereotyped my friend (in private) as being an ignorant granola-crunching idiot that had no understanding of how the economy works. I don't mind a spirited political debate, but they both just took it too personally.

Further evidence - Discussing sex is part of the job teaching biology, and 18-yr-olds can't even discuss fungi reproduction without snickering. I guess it does get their attention, though!

Vasoline-coated toddler

Nelumbo Jr. must have decided that she needed a hair product. While she was supposed to be napping today, she smeared petroleum jelly all over her hair and shirt. I saw pictures taken before her emergency mid-day bath, and I was horrified and amused at the same time. Luckily, it is not majorly toxic so if she tried tasting it, it'll be OK.