[John (J.D.) Smith]

I wrote a total of two poems on my outbound and returning flights from New Orleans, where I ate amazingly well. And I haven't been punched in the face for a really long time.

[Julie Steiner]

Apparently the muscle cells in fruit fly wings are astoundingly similar to human cardiac muscle cells. Who knew?

Well, a professor at my daughter's university did, and he's using a strain of fruit flies with defective wings to study the super-rare genetic problem that caused her to need a heart transplant three years ago. What amazing luck!

She somehow managed to sweet-talk herself into an internship in his lab, even though she's only a sophomore and doesn't know how to do much yet. But she's eager to learn, and thrilled to be potentially finding a way to spare other kids from going through what she did.

[Mark McDonnell]

Teaching Romeo and Juliet to 14 year olds this week. On reaching the exchange in Act 2 sc2

Romeo - O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
Juliet - What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?

a voice charmingly rang out from the disaffected throng.

"Handjob?"

Yes. I'm afraid this counts as good news. Shows they were listening.

[Matt Q]

Julie, that is not only good news but also uplifting news, fantastic!

Mark, I'm afraid you only score one out of two, but I think you knew that already.

[Julie Steiner]

LOL, Mark! Silly requirement for more characters

[Mark McDonnell]

It was lol-worthy, Julie. At least afterwards. Never at the time.

Your news is genuinely heartening. Well done her!

[Jayne Osborn]

That's truly fantastic news, Julie, making this thread worthwhile.

Mark,
I taught Romeo and Juliet for years, though I never had a wag like that!
Heck, is it going to be on the curriculum for all eternity? I'm so glad I'm retired.

Jayne

PS. It's not that I don't like Romeo and Juliet, but the lessons and the homework get a bit ad nauseam . . .

[Terese Coe]

Saw a magnificent sunset over the Hudson River one evening, all incandescent deep pinks and whites in striated patterns, spread out for miles and miles. And several more a few days later, over the low roofs of Greenwich Village.

[Ann Drysdale]

Yes, bless you, Julie, and bless Jenn and her inspirational professor. May they make science sing and may thousands join the chorus.

Oh, Mark, I laughed too - but I understood your "never at the time". My sister rang me last night to share this. She works as a classroom assistant and has been undertaking assessments of very small children about to be admitted to the reception class. One of the "tests" is to see whether they can "listen and repeat" words to which they are unlikely to have been exposed hitherto. One of the words is "heliotrope".

One of the children listened to my sister and stared at her with a frown, obviously desperate to make sense of what he was hearing. She repeated the word slowly and clearly. He thought a little longer, then said, tentatively, "HillaryTrump?"

When we had finished drumming our heels on the floor and I had expressed my admiration for the child, we fell to speculating. After all, this was a four-year-old. In England.

[Mark McDonnell]

Oh my good God. Maybe she can see the future, Ann, and was predicting the culmination of what would be the most disturbing political romance since John Major and Edwina Currie.

Jayne - Yep, it's still there. As is Of Mice and Men. I do an excellent range of voices, I'm told. My Lennie and Curley's wife are scarily accurate. Or maybe just scary.