gentleman my ass...

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. Yet his shadow still looms. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?

—Nietzsche, The Gay Science, Section 125

i would narrow it down a little further - christianity killed god! and the Fishers, Donohoes, Benedicts, Fallwells, Robertsons, etc have done the most murdering of god.

where is this coming from?

Fischer: God Didn't Stop CT School Shooting Because He's a Gentleman Who Doesn't Go Where He is Not Wanted

from RightWingWatch.org

child abuse...

The Fight Against Child Abuse - today is the International Day for the Elimination of Child Abuse. it has really caught on at FaceBook; some people question what good is changing a profile picture;

if it effects only 1 person, it is good!

in my career in Education i have seen & dealt with too many, and too many is more than one, abused children and each one broke my heart...

weekender...

Stuttering Cat - as explained by a 1st grade student...

A teacher is explaining biology to her 1st grade students. "Human beings are the only animals that stutter," she said.

A little girl raises her hand. "I had a kitty-cat who stuttered."

The teacher, knowing how precious some of these stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.

"Well," she began, "I was in the back yard with my kitty and the Rottweiler that lives next door got a running start and before we knew it, he jumped over the fence into our yard!"

"That must've been scary," said the teacher.

"It sure was," said the little girl. "My kitty raised her back, went "Ffffff!, Ffffff!, FfffffF, but before she could say "Fuck!," the Rottweiler ate her!

The teacher had to leave the room.





Maxx brought home a new friend;
he says he's related to Alvin;
i doubt it...

monday morning mayhem...

for the return of monday morning mayhem what better than my favorite subject - kids! and these are some doozies...


Why we love children:


1) NUDITY

I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As I was reeling from the shock, I heard my 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'

2) OPINIONS

On the first day of school, a first-grader handed his teacher a note from his mother. The note read, 'The opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents.'

3) KETCHUP
A woman was trying hard to get the ketchup out of the jar. During her struggle the phone rang so she aske d her 4-year-old daughter to answer the phone. 'Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle.'

4) MORE NUDITY

A little boy got lost at the YMCA and found himself in the women's locker room. When he was spotted, the room burst into shrieks, with ladies grabbing towels and running for cover. The little boy watched in amazement and then asked, 'What's the matter, haven't you ever seen a little boy before?'

5) POLICE #1

While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, 'Are you a cop?' 'Yes,' I answered and continued writing the report. 'My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?' 'Yes, that's right,' I told her. 'Well, then,' she said as she extended her foot toward me, 'would you please tie my shoe?'

6) POLICE #2

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog you got back there?' he asked. 'It sure is,' I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'

7) ELDERLY

While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, 'The tooth fairy will never believe this!'

8) DRESS-UP

A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. When she saw her dad donning his tuxedo, she warned, 'Daddy, you shouldn't wear that suit.''And why not, darling?' 'You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.'

9) DEATH

While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased.

The minister's son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: 'Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goooes.' (I want this line used at my funeral!)

10) SCHOOL

A little girl had just finished her first week of school. 'I'm just wasting my time,' she said to her mother. 'I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!'

11) BIBLE

A little boy opened the big family Bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible. He picked up the object and looked at it . What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages.
'Mama, look what I found,' the boy called out.'What have you got there, dear?' With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, 'I think it's Adam's underwear!'


the entire gang loved all of these...
















me too...

weekender...

LITTLE JOHNNY STRIKES AGAIN

The teacher asked the class to use the word 'fascinate' in a sentence.

Molly put up her hand and said, 'My family went to my granddad's farm, and we all saw his pet sheep It was fascinating.'

The teacher said, 'That was good, but I wanted you to use the word 'fascinate, not fascinating'.

Sally raised her hand. She said, 'My family went to see Rock City and I was 'fascinated.' The teacher said, 'Well, that was good Sally, but I wanted you to use the word 'fascinate.'

Little Johnny raised his hand. The teacher hesitated because she had been burned by Little Johnny before.

She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word 'fascinate', so she called on him.

Johnny said, 'My aunt Gina has a sweater with ten buttons, but her tits are so big she can only fasten eight.'

The teacher sat down and cried.


i can't tell you the number of times this happened to me over the years. you really don't know whether to laugh or cry, actually.

weekender...

before you take the kids to church on Sunday, you may want to think about these angelic antics first...



A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on their way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping!"

____________________________________________________________

The Preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike, and as he preached he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cords as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before he jerked it again. After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered, "If he gets loose will he hurt us?"

____________________________________________________________

Six year old Angie and her four-year old brother Joel were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church!" "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers!"

_______________________________________________________________

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, No, how are we alike?" "You're both old, " he replied

_______________________________________________________________

A ten year old, under the tutelage of her grandmother, was becoming quite knowledgeable about the Bible. Then one day she floored her grandmother by asking, "Which Virgin was the mother of Jesus? The Virgin Mary or the King James Virgin?"

_____________________________________________________________

A Sunday school class was studying the Ten Commandments. They were ready to discuss the last one. The teacher asked if anyone could tell her what it was. Susie raised her hand, stood tall, and quoted, "Thou shall not take the covers off the neighbors wife!"

_______________________________________________________________

And one particular four-year old prayed, "And forgive us for our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets!"

______________________________________________________________

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am!!!"

____________________________________________________________

and the absolute best for last...

One Sunday in a Midwest city, a young child was "acting up" during the morning worship hour. The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the pew but were losing the battle. Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, "Pray for me! Pray for me!"
______________________________________________________________

no monday morning mayhem...

just couldn't get my act together and was doing a lot of writing and commenting on other stuff plus big birthday weekend for a friend, and the MacBook is dying. (boohoohoo...)

but... i just got this and it's priceless. so a wee bit of monday evening mayhem...

How to get to Heaven in Ireland

I was testing children in me Dublin Sunday school class to see if they could understand the concept of getting to heaven.

I asked them, 'If I sold my house and my car, had a big jumble sale and gave all me money to the church, would that get myself into heaven?'

'NO!' the children answered.

'If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the garden, and kept everything tidy, would that get myself into heaven?'

Again, the answer was 'No!'

By now I had a smile on me face.

' Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave sweeties to all the children, and loved me husband, would that get myself into heaven?'

Again, they all answered 'No!'

I was just bursting with pride for them.

I continued, 'Then how can I get into heaven?'


*

* A six year-old boy shouted out

'YU'V GOTTA BE FOOCKIN' DEAD..........'

Maxx says this one doesn't get a gin!
it deserves a
Perfect Black Bush!*
i'll drink to that...






*how to make a Perfect Black Bush - place ice in mixing glass; pour Black Bush over the ice; with the mixing spoon swirl three times to the left, three times to the right, and the pull the spoon three times up and down; strain into brandy snifter. i was taught this by the owner of Bushmill's himself in the early 1990's. it is the only way i will drink Black Bush...

"Thank you for your help."

this has been making the rounds over the last few days from Andrew Sullivan to Blogactive.



Grover is not confused any more. why do you think it's so difficult for so many others? especially adults?

just asking...

unbelievable...

my mouth was WIDE OPEN when i first saw this...





in Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers: The Story of Success, he shows that it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice to be the best at anything. this kid is on the road to showing pool sharks a thing or two...




and i can't recommend Gladwell's book enough. it is making me challenge everything i've believed about education in my 37+ years in the profession - especially in Gifted Education.

will we ever be able to say...

The War Is Over
by John Lennon

will we?

i won't give up hope
because...

when hope is gone, life is over....
Hopi Native-American belief

monday morning mayhem...

read the signs carefully. very, very carefully...

Toilet out of Order -

PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat -

AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES:
PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store -

BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office -

WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office -

AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT
AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop -

WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window -

CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Seen during a conference -

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field -

THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet -

IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door -

WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING.
(PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR -
THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

Northampton Hospital -

BIRTH CONTROL ADVICE - PLEASE USE REAR ENTRANCE

don't loose your head...





neat trick...


so..., you thought you ate a lot this past holiday?





it's just 24 days until Christmas...


i know. i know. one day at a time. just make it through the week... but think of all the fun.

wednesday waner...

A nursery school pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.

'How do you know that the cat was dead?' she asked her pupil.

'Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move,' answered the child innocently.

'You did WHAT?' the teacher exclaimed in surprise.

'You know,' explained the boy, 'I leaned over and went 'Pssst' and it didn't move.'

if they really want to "defend" marriage...

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

i've often thought about this myself. with the divorce rate in excess of 50% and the number of children in one-parent homes and in foster care, the people against same-sex marriage should put their money where their mouths are...

i worked with kids for my entire adult life in schools. one of the biggest problems we had was not the kids; it was the parents. i dealt with some very strange physical and mental abuse cases. i could never understand how anyone could do something harmful to kids.

once, after a particularly difficult case, i made the comment that i thought that "people should have to pass a test to become parents, just like you have to pass a test to get a driver's license."

one of my more conservative teachers return comment was, "I think they should have to pass a test to have the fun to have a child."

there was absolutely no arguing with that logic.

little kids logic...

we maybe should consider letting them vote for preznit. their logic is so clear and easy to understand...


A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one child.

"No," said another, "He's just for good luck."

A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."


maybe we could put this logic to use in the financial crisis?

nah... too easy!

My mother taught me an awful lot...

for Mother's Day...

My mother would be in hysterics if she could see this list.

I OWE MY MOTHER A LOT...

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION .
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT .
"Make sure you wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY!
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER .
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13.. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY .
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION .
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE .
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS .
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM .
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"


it's in lilac, because it was my Mother's favorite color...

monday morning mayhem...

It's been quite a while since I've picked on the little ones. I don't have as much contact with them anymore, so it makes a difference. Here are a few to make up for iy. They're probably ALL true too...

Children - Where Do They Get Their Ideas From?

A kindergarten pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat. She asked him if it was dead or alive.

"Dead." she was informed.

"How do you know?" she asked her pupil.

"Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move" answered the child innocently.

"You did WHAT?!?" the teacher exclaimed in surprise.

"You know", explained the boy, "I leaned over and went 'Pssst!' and it didn't move."

****************************

A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later.... "Da-d...."

"What?"

"I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?"

"No. You had your chance. Lights out."

Five minutes later: "Da-aaaad....."

"WHAT?"

"I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water?"

"I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!!"

Five minutes later......"Daaaa-aaaad....."

"WHAT!"

"When you come in to spank me, can you bring a drink of water?"

****************************

An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him, "How do you expect to get into Heaven?"

The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, "For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"

****************************

One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?"

The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear" she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room."

A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy".

****************************

It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon. All the children were invited to come forward. One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and, as she sat down, the pastor leaned over and said, "That is a very pretty dress. Is it your Easter Dress?"

The little girl leaned over and whispered, directly into the pastor's clip-on microphone, "Yes, and my Mom says it's a bitch to iron.".

****************************

When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room when I was just getting ready to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy, you are getting fat!."

I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy."

"I know," she replied, "but what's growing in your butt?"

****************************

A little boy was doing his math homework. He said to himself, "Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven. Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine."

His mother heard what he was saying and gasped "What are you doing?"

The little boy answered "I'm doing my math homework, Mom."

"And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?" the mother asked.

"Yes," he answered. Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day, "What are you teaching my son in math?"

The teacher replied, "Right now, we are learning addition."

The mother asked, "And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?"

After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered, "What I taught them was, two plus two, THE SUM OF WHICH, is four."

****************************

One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class. She came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer. She read, ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, 'The sky is falling, the sky is falling!' "
The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?"

One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: "Holy Shit! A talking chicken!"

The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes.

no comment...

some people would say "better late than never..."

i say, "'bout f****** time!"

The NYT's today, finally, put an article on the Lawrence King murder by a classmate for being gay at school in its paper. FIFTEEN days AFTER it happened! And I won't count the 89 word announcement: National Briefing|West on Feb. 13th or the 112 word one on Feb 16th when he was taken off life support. The two were merely announcements.

Boy’s Killing, Labeled a Hate Crime, Stuns a Town

OXNARD, Calif. — Hundreds of mourners gathered at a church here on Friday to remember an eighth-grade boy who was shot to death inside a junior high
school computer lab by a fellow student in what prosecutors are calling a hate crime....

In interviews, classmates of the two boys at E. O. Green Junior High School said Lawrence had started wearing mascara, lipstick and jewelry to school, prompting a group of male students to bully him.

“They teased him because he was different,” said Marissa Moreno, 13, also in the eighth grade. “But he wasn’t afraid to show himself....”

On the morning of Feb. 12, Lawrence was in the school’s computer lab with 24 other students, said Mr. Keith, the police spokesman. Brandon walked into the room with a gun and shot Lawrence in the head, the police said, then ran from the building. Police officers caught him a few blocks away....

The alleged shooter is being held on $77,000 bond and will enter a plea at a court hearing on March 21st. He could go to jail for 52 years to life.

[anyone wanna bet what the plea that some smarta** attorney is going to have him use? no takers? didn't think there would be...]

The assailant is a victim too - a victim of homophobic training; his parents should be charged with a hate crime also. Whether they encouraged it openly or by omission makes no difference. They are responsible for their son. Where do you suppose he got the gun?

As far as the gun, there had been talk among the kids for a couple of days before that the shooter had not just been agitated but had made threats. Some people might get angry for my saying this but, Why didn't any of those kids warn an adult in the building or at home? I have to blame them for this tragedy also.

Now, before anyone gets into a huff, I worked in schools for almost my entire adult life. The last 15 years were in a school that was the neutral boundary between two gangs. We made it very clear to the kids that they had a responsibility to report to an adult, and it would be anonymous if they asked, of anything that they believed could become a problem. If there was any talk of a weapon, they had to let someone know because we made it clear that in most cases the intended victim wasn't usually the one to get hurt or worse. It was always others in the wrong place at the right time.

They pulled through for us all the time. Once, though the weapon was inoperable, it worked. I was very proud of my kids. They knew how to handle it. Of course, the difference here may be that my kids lived with this fear as part of their natural surroundings; Oxnard may be merely coming from an ignorant position - they didn't know. One parent asked why there were no metal detectors. We had the hand-held type and would do unannounced random checks. In Chicago high schools the students go through metal detectors like at the airport every single day and bag searches also.

It's a sad statement about our society and our children.

The treatment of LGBTQ children is not all that uncommon and never has been. Since Matthew Shepard it's been brought to the fore. People are more aware. People are more apt to think twice. People are more willing to help - one way or the other. The outrage is finally starting to take hold - slowly.

There have been vigils and memorials not only in Oxnard, where the shooting occurred, but all across California and in other cities around the country. People remembering Lawrence for his courage to be who he was, for his laugh, for his smile, and for his cute boots. There is a memorial website for Lawrence here.

if you want to help make a difference, here are two sites you can visit and contribute and take action:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation

The Trevor Project

my sadness at the loss of one child for any reason is immense and has been unbearable at times, but for something that they are and proud enough to share, it's unforgivable.

stop, think. learn, make a statement...

another example of Bush's government of the people, by the people, for the people...

Bush Administration cuts $700 million in Medicaid funds for schools

According to the Washington Post, “the Bush administration eliminated about $700 million a year in Medicaid reimbursements to schools, sidestepping an attempt by Congress to block such a move.”

What exactly does this money go to?

A wide variety of medical services, like speech and physical therapy, are provided to students in schools.

So what's the big deal?

Federal law mandates that students in special needs categories must be serviced.

So, now, school districts, that are already stretched to the limit, are going to have to pick up the cost. That means it is going to cost you and I more money in higher local and property taxes or other services are going to have to be cut. Say, music, drama, art....

Oh, wait, schools have already had to eliminate those things because of the NCLB requirements. Guess it'll have to be the sports programs. [What will Texas do without high school football?]

The cost in savings to the Federal government?

$3.7 Billion over a five year period.

Let's see... each day Iraq costs the U.S. $275,000,000. That means that cutting the program moneys for children in need of special services will continue the war for an additional, hmmmmmmmmm.... 13.45 days!

sounds like an equal exchange to me... what do you think?

just asking...

Posh (AKA Victoria Beckham) Spice...

to start the day on a light note.

In a Barbara Walters' interview with Victoria and David Beckham, David says he's always wanted lots of kids. His wife gave him a leery look out of the corner of her eye when he said that.

When Barbara Walters asked her about having more kids she responded, "Having three very active boys, it's become more an issue of crowd control."

how true. i never really thought about being in front of a class of 30+ kids all those years in these terms, but it fits...