BB, I get what you're saying, but humanely ending an animal's suffering is a gift of love. I would have preferred for Artie's euthanasia to take place at home like the last two, but God sent me an angel that morning at LSU. The doctor, who I had just met, was full of empathy and compassion. She let me say goodbye to Artie in a private room ... just the two of us. And when it was time she let me hold him as his body was put to sleep. I can't imagine not being there for him in the end no matter how painful it was.

Haven't seen it yet, but I will see it asap, maybe from my local Blockbuster.

Vee, thanks for the link to the Gallup poll. Whew! It will take me a while to assimilate it. As for "the sad state of affairs": I understand now. I tied it to the wrong paragraph. :-) Woodnymph, yeah, I realize that I'm in the minority about the film of To Kill a Mockingbird. I figure my love of the whole book makes me too critical of the adaptation, which picks out and gives emphasis to a particular part. Which reminds me: June, if you watch the Olivier/Oberon Wuthering Heights, don't expect to see the whole story -- you will only get part of it. Otherwise, it's a quite fascinating interpretation: telling, I think, of what adaptors of the 1930s thought was important and what subsequent audiences have taken in. Woodnymph, I saw The English Patient film first, and then read the book. While the "essence" of the book might have been captured in the film, the two are so different! I like the film better. Another essence capturer, I think, is The French Lieutenant's Woman. Oh gosh, yes, the Polanski-directed Tess is superb, I think, and very faithful. Actually I like nearly all of the film versions of Hardy's books, particularly Tess and Far from the Madding Crowd -- Alan Bates will always be my Gabriel Oak. I also liked most of the Merchant-Ivory productions. I certainly like their adaptations of Forster, though I find Forster's writing insufferably Edwardian. I do like some Edwardian writing but Forster's was even more uptight than most. Knowing his bio and the times, I can understand why he wrote the way he did but the priggishness still exasperates me. Speaking of another Forster -- Margaret Forster, that is -- and Alan Bates: I adore the 1966 adaptation of Forster's Georgy Girl. I loved that book so much as a teenager that I determined I was to live in London. When this subject comes up, I always have to mention two of my favorite short story adaptations: John Huston's "The Dead" (from Joyce's Dubliners) and "Babette's Feast" (from Dinesen's Anecdotes of Destiny). June, you're right: there are so many good films that owe their genesis to a book.

In my experience, as a rule, pajama pants are all ready "short",( high waters), just as a matter of course. So here in lies the problem. They are already short for the average customer so no one would think to offer them in lengths like regular pants. Safety has to have been the reason all along??? Glad you have a seamstress and that a few easy options were suggested here for those w/o one. It's an issue that will become more and more prevalent as those of us with sewing machines are a dying bread. It's to the point where I do wonder why they still teach sewing in Middle school as a required course....I would be totally frustrated if I couldn't sew up a simple seam/hem/rip.