[Rudy tossed tigger's salad]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Pretty good day. I woke up, looked out the window at the snow, and then flew to Helsinki to run a marathon.

Seriously, are anyone else's parents like that? My parents get worked up every time something bad happens and then I get a call about it, or it gets pulled up from their mental database whenever I plan to do something.

"Son, we know you've done research in schools. We just wanted to make sure you weren't in Newtown, Connecticut, this week."

"Son, we read about the avalanche on Mount Annapurna that killed three Korean climbers. You went to Korea once and you live near mountains, so we just wanted to be sure it wasn't you."

"You're going to Disneyland? Do you realize that three tourists were murdered there [in 1986]? Why would you want to go there?"

"A cruise? You're going on a cruise? Did you not hear about that ship capsized in Italy last year?"

I guess it's good that they care about me, but they've never once asked about my cholesterol or my blood pressure. It's always about bizarre stuff that is 12 parsecs beyond far-fetched.

My uncle called me because one of my immediate family members is a runner. It's baffling.