...this is a picture of my Mom at age 5.  Adorable, isn't she?  My brother and I looked very similar to each other, but not like either our mother or father specifically.  We were both a mixture gene combination.  However, looking at pictures of my parents when they were young, I can definitely see many features similar to childhood pictures of Charlie and me.

The weirdness, though, ...women are born with all their eggs ready to go.  There is a set number that slowly diminishes by one, or sometimes a few at a time during her life time.

That being a fact, half of what I am today is right there in that picture.  The egg that joined my Dad's tadpole is already there.  Weirdness!

...and another related question.  The Pill offers birth control in that it stops ovulation; it stops the ovaries from releasing an egg.  Does this mean that the women is retaining her supply of eggs?  Instead of running out of eggs (menstruation) when a woman is in her 40s or 50s, does her supply last longer?

I am aware of Breakthrough Ovulation, but this is not the norm, from what I have read.

Well, many times I am not here because of operational demands.

For instance, I have just returned from a trip to Eqypt with my comrade Agent Davydoff!

...Yuri is a fellow level designer (better than me, so I stand in awe) and we needed to confirm that pyramids actually have only four sides and that the back side is not merely a no-draw texture.

Our mission was a complete success!

Last Saturday night I was invited to a friend's house to celebrate the Russian Christmas.  He and his wife cooked a feast of Russian foods and treats, ...and we finished 2 bottles of real Russian vodka, ...Stoli and Standard.  There is no doubt, other countries make great vodka, but the Russians make the best, especially if you drink it straight.

The Russian dinner is like an artful science, ...carefully planned combinations of fatty, salty fishes and deep, dark breads, rich meats and pickled delicacies.  It was incredible!  My favorite, since I first ate it at The Russian Tea Room in New York as a small child, is blini.  Thin, crepe-like pancakes stuffed with salmon or herring or caviar, with a dab of sour cream or creme fraiche, ...or stuffed with honey and tvorog cheese.   

For instance, ...AutoPlay in Windows XP, ...what a great piece of work that one is, thanks!  Trying to get rid of it (without knowing about XP Power Toys), is like trying to blow your nose with cottage cheese.

Then there's the new defrost feature in most cars now that absolutely insists the air conditioner is on when you select the windshield defrost.  Sure, I know, the cold dry air helps remove the humidity, but I don't want the AC on when I'm warming the car in the Winter morning!  ...and most times, actually, I really don't need that extra push of drier-but-profoundly-more-expensive AC air and prefer to simply keep a low regular current of air blowing on the windshield.  Can I turn the god damned AC off?  ...fuck no, it's been automated for me!

...and the new automation that insists that when I spray wiper fluid on my windshield, that the wipers automatically go on.  No way to stop them, no way to just get some fluid on the glass, ...FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!  You know, sometimes you get that dried bird turd on your glass, and really need to let it soak a bit before turning on the wipers, ...denied!

...FUCKING WIND CHIMES!

Wind chimes, ...just another word for random noise maker.

Whenever possible, I like to open my windows at home, especially at night.  Open the window to let in the cool, calm, quiet night air and... ...ting ta ting ting, ...ting, ...ting ting, ...ta ting, ...ting, ...TA FUCKING TING!

...and the worst part is the neighbor doesn't have their window open, nor sits outside, ...never really hears the damned thing themselves.

I usually fill the dishwasher once a week.  During the holidays? ...I did a full load of dishes every other day.  I believe I ate every species of animal, and most of the vegetables, fruits, and legumes.  The 30+ pounds (15 Kgs) of body weight I lost before the holidays?  ...I found 10 (5 Kgs) of them ;)

I bought myself a present just before the holidays, ...NCO Anna from the Red Army, the action figure that reclaimed the Motherland.  I love a woman in uniform, ...with a gun, and grenades.

Related to the holidays and being home alone, ...here's a question...

I often got the feeling they thought I was in some sort of denial or something, like nobody enjoys being alone.  Wrong!  For me, being alone has a liberating sense of freedom.  No role playing or people-pleasing, ...just me and all the creature comforts I love.  No "we" pronoun, no worrying about someone else's mood, just I, me, mine, ...and I know how to make me happy ;)

The best part of being alone, and having a week and a half off from work and most other responsibilities, is getting lost in time.  The complete relinquishment of any schedule.  Going to bed at 2pm today, maybe midnight tomorrow, ...waking up after 3 hours sleep, or 13 hours, ...by the time I hit the third day, I had no sense of a clock, a day, or a night.

I love being alone, and vacations!