...I will also note that the apostrophe and quotes are not working on my keyboard; I am not intentionally avoiding contractions!

I think I joined and started posting in late 2001, though I may have been poking around earlier. Eighth grade, 12-ish years old?

Probably that I do not have kids. Granted, I am not exactly Sarai yet, but I always thought I would get married around 22/23 and have children within a couple of years. The first part came true, but not the second.

Other surprises - going back to school for a STEM degree, my health issues, and what I do for money these days.

Oh so many! I really think we need some more of the ladies to come back. (No offense, gents.) Camilla would be near the top for political discussions.

There are a few I wonder about... Kit, Dori, urza. But by far the most intriguing is Kris/The Choedan Kal. I really hope he is happy and doing well.

All my immediate responses are either very boring and pastoral (snuggling baby goats, etc.) or, um, pharmacological in nature.

I did as a teenager. Not for many years now. Facebook fills that role to some extent though.

Hobbit meets 19th century gentleman scientist: antique library tables, framed botanical prints and curiosities from around the world. Fireplace or wood stove in an inglenook. Comfy leather seating. The actual books would be organized in a borderline OCD way as in the library belonging to Tom. I might have one area for the sciences, another for history, a third for youth lit, and a fourth for adult fiction.

I was going to say Finnish, but PIE is a pretty awesome answer, Roland!

There is one at the local bar called Oak & Spice which I really like. I really like most scotch and gin drinks as long as they are not too sweet. But it is a special occasion thing - at home I like my whisky neat, like most of us here, it seems! Next time I will ask about favorite brand.

Honestly, this is a bit dark, but I would go back to 17 year old me and tell her to get away from my parents MUCH sooner. Go to CSU on the full ride, climb the mountains, forget UIUC, forget the Midwest. It would have been good for my mental health and might have saved my (literal/physical) spine, too. But on the flip side, I might not have wound up with my husband or modern-day family that way, and I would not trade them for anything.