Having just gotten home from an overseas trip, I'm all for us protecting the "system" and not obsessing over "objects".

This was my 4th trip overseas in a 16 year span and it was by FAR the worst, although probably the best-planned and lightest-packed-for. On the way over (DFW to Milan Italy) was no big problem. Worst was that we got lectured about the 48 hour pre-flight check in by the local airline folks as we were checking in. Nevermind that you can't check in online if one small bit of your trip that you scheduled on their website isn't actually operated by THEM. Gotta love partners.

On the way back, however, it was 28 hours of hell. Check in at Milan was delayed because while the passengers were there 2-3 hours beforehand, the correct airport staff were not. Heathrow, our next stop, was a madhouse, although a fairly efficient one. Would have been nice to know when we were waiting 20 minutes for the jetway to get to the plane that we should expect the lines from hell once inside. I'm sure that some connecting overseas flights were missed. We had 4 hours and needed every minute of it.

Next was O'Hare. At 7 pm, there were 2 windows to process upwards of 300 US citizens through customs, but 3 for the maybe 150 of visitors. No, they never opened any other windows, but some of us did get to go through the airline staff window 30 minutes after the screener processed the 20 or so airline folks. After repeated assurances by multiple people working for our carrier that we would make our flight, we missed it. It was the last one of the night. So glad they could get us a nice discount at an expensive hotel.

I guess I should be glad that we're home safely, that we had a bed to sleep in and that we can afford to travel at all. However, all in all, the flight experience was FAR more of a hassle than "safe". I felt absolutely no safer on my flights than I did in 1990, 1992 or 1993.

If this is the best the airline industry and our government can do, I'll be taking road trips from now on.

I loved the "Vagina: Not a clown car" and a picture of my not-so-favorite representatives of my state: the Duggar family. I think I'll start referring to Michelle as "clown car" from now on. (unfortunately, they're neighbors of my in-laws) Hysterical (no pun intended!).

The Hub loves the show, so I've seen far more of it than I'd like. I completely get that the doctor is obsessed with Cylon #6, but that obsession ruins the show for me. After seeing how totally bizarre he acts while under her spell, I want to scream "he's being controlled by a Cylon, you idiots" at the TV. Really...in most societies, he'd be put away, not elected president. I've tried. Really. I've watched sci-fi shows before, but I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to get through one more episode of this show.

Maybe if they kill off the doctor/president and focus on the FAR more interesting Adama's (son and dad), Starbuck and others, I could try again.

The women in question were simply getting refills because their previous "batch" of EC expired? No medicine is good forever. What if they'd never actually used what they had?

Pharmacists ever think of that? It really shouldn't matter if they took them, didn't take them, handed them out to friends, put them in a pile and burned them.

I don't get to turn down assignments that are part of my job just because I'd prefer NOT to do them....

Reading a biography of her now (Gellhorn: A Twentieth Century Life also by Caroline Moorehead) and I think she is fascinating....now I guess I'll have another book to read!

There are a LOT of things I've yelled out in a "passionate moment" that would never stand the (literal) light of day. Doesn't mean I'll be up at dawn to enslave myself to DH.

no pro-choice person I know (certainly including myself) thinks that abortion is "fun" or "something everyone ought to do". It's a hard decision that impacts your life forever.

However, we as a society DO have a choice about one thing: abortion can either be a safe medical procedure or a fatal do-it-yourself project. I was 2 when Roe v Wade was decided, but I've read about life before it. About women trying to help other women with a medical procedure that neither were trained to do. About women going it alone with knitting needles, coathangers, bleach, etc. Women dying from the attempt. Women living, but destroying their reproductive systems.

It scares me to think we're headed in that direction. So for all of you who think abortion is a bad thing--I agree. So should every woman who is determined to not carry a pregnancy to term have to DIE over it? Doesn't sound very "pro-life" a position to me.

What about married women? Is abstinence the answer for them too? How on earth can you be against abortion AND against birth control? Women--of any age--with good access to correct birth control are SO MUCH LESS LIKELY to need an abortion. Stopping unwanted pregnancies--that's the root cause for ending abortion.

I am not medically talented. I barely made it out of high school biology. But reading articles like this almost makes me want to go back to school to be a doctor. What will happen to the women of Mississippi when Dr. Booker retires? What will happen when the few doctors in my neighboring state retire? High malpractice rates plus the threat of crazies aren't making med school students flock to women's health.

Again, I just don't get it.