Sadly, I don't get around here much anymore -- but I'm glad I picked today to drop by so that I can send my best. When you toast your success, be sure to spill a bit in memory of my (almost) departed comment thread alter-ego. Good luck!

My wife isn't here, but this is one homework assignment I didn't want to procrastinate on so I just took matters into my own hands. Before you accept my dare, let me just say that I hope the customers in your coffee shop aren't as uptight as the ones here appear to be. p.s. Miss ya, my friend -- hope you're well

I also enjoyed a good six minutes this morning. OK, it only took about two -- but it's literally been several months since the last time. Reading your blog, I mean. It's nice to be back. Hope you're good (and being bad!)

So, I drop by for the first time in months and find that you're running a clip show? Glad I dropped in though, so I could give you my Bloggie vote. Hard to believe it's coming up on a year since I stumbled upon your tender sapling of a blog. I may not have time to drop by as often as I used to, but you're still my favorite. Congrats on all your success and good luck with the awards.

In the spirit of playing by my own rules, I've opted for independent study instead of the homework as assigned. Things are very good right now, and as superstitious Sox legend and traitor Wade Boggs taught me: Do not change your routine during a hot streak!

autumn approaches the days are disappearing shadows grow longer

Happy birthday, friendo. Hope you've had an enjoyable (and stress-free) day. I miss (dis)gracing your comments section -- looking forward to being able to drop by more often again.

When our son was 5 he heard the "If it's yellow..." ditty (PERHAPS from me) and really took it to heart. He would not flush, or let anyone else flush, the toilet after a yellow -- now matter how many other yellows may have already been mellowing. He's so literal, we had to rewrite the poem as: If it's yellow, you MAY let it mellow if there is not already another yellow. If it's brown, ALWAYS flush it down. Seemed to do the trick.

I'm so happy that you decided to go through with it. But come on, a value of $1200? I'd put it much closer to priceless since the package includes getting to meet you in person. Would love to go, but a cross-country trip just isn't in the (credit) cards.

Awake all night, still no answers.

I'm sorry that I haven't provided much inspiration lately. But you should know that it's mostly because of the inspiration that you provide. How much inspiration? Well, we have a new rule: if either person has to get up early, then no tongue in the good night kiss. No joke, that's all it takes lately to start the engines (for both of us). And I mean rocket engines, because once they're lit, blast off is a fait accompli.

Her reverie was shattered by the beeps of the ATM ricocheting around the vestibule -- whoever was in line in front of her had left their card in the machine.

OK, as a married man, I guess I should chime in. I bet that guy #1 still reads every single post even if he can't read or comment in as timely a manner as he would like. I also bet that "morning, noon and night" was artistic license on Kit's part. Noon is probably logistically impossible anyway, at least until school starts again. And EVERY day was never even in the post and, if it did happen, was probably just for a week and a half or so. Seriously, though, I imagine that guy #1 wasn't trying to impress anybody -- he was probably just letting Kit know that there is a lot more to her blog than pure entertainment. He would probably say in closing that whatever the issue is, wishing and hoping and grumbling won't change anything -- only talking will. The first word is the hardest, but also the most important; it just needs to be spoken.

If you don't mind, I'll just assume that it was my comment that put you over the top. That way I can pretend like I've paid you back in some small way for all of the... inspiration you've provided me and my unwitting wife over the past few months. I know that I'll never be able to truly settle the score but it sure is fun trying.

Thanks to my dad having been an auto mechanic, I'll never forget how to jump a car. And thanks to that Phineas and Ferb soundtrack I'll never forget that there are 101 days of summer vacation.

Here's ours from last night: Me: Night-night snack time. S: What is it? Me: Ice cream. S: Can I finish watching my show first? Me: No. S: Can I have a choice, ice cream OR finish my show? Me: OK. S: Finish show. Me: Just remember, it's bed time time as soon as the show is over -- so don't tell me you're hungry afterward. S: OK. 15 minutes later S: I'm starving Me: I'm sorry, but you decided to watch TV instead of having a snack. S: YOU SAID NO ICE CREAM YOU DIDN'T SAY NO FOOD AT ALL!!! Yes, I'm already looking for an attorney to keep on retainer to represent me in all kid dealings during the teen years.

Entranced, our sweat soaked bodies slide frictionlessly. Convulsive climax, hanging disoriented off bedside, staring into shadows where headboard was expected.

This could very well be my favorite post of yours. Our kids are 6 (boy) and 4 (girl) and you've done such a wonderful job of verbalizing the pleasures, challenges, hopes and fears involved with parenting kids of this age. Besides being healthy, of course, I only hoped for our kids to have three qualities: curiosity, compassion and love of laughter. I figured that, with those, everything else would take care of itself. Got all of them in spades! Since the personality fairy was obviously being so generous, I kind of wished I had pushed it and asked for compliance also. But not really, because as much as it would have made my life easier, their constant questioning will serve THEM better in life. As frustrating as it can be, I'm really enjoying this age.

Your 7yo obviously makes people laugh and has a solid grasp of euphemisms. When is getting a Twitter account?

No joking around today, so another very special episode of comments by A Dope... First off, I'm so relieved that you were able to (sort of) conclusively determine what was wrong and that the worst of the pain seems to be over. My wife, mom & sister have all had ruptured ovarian cysts so I know how painful it is. Well, like child birth, I don't KNOW know, but I have a pretty good idea. Besides ignorance of women-specific health issues, be aware that even gender-neutral health problems are often misdiagnosed because they present differently in men & women. This potentially deadly condition http://bit.ly/cZzCzc is still undiagnosed in women, though hopefully not as often as when the article was written. Sometimes an actual heart attack is misdiagnosed in women because the symptoms can be different than in men. This ignorance is even more shameful when heart disease actually kills more women than men every year. D H-Arza is dead-on: we all need to advocate for our health and not be afraid to engage with our doctors when we think they might be wrong. End of sermon. If you miss my fart and dick jokes, feel free to check my Twitter feed -- there are always plenty to be found there.

Anybody voting against an extra new Kit post per week deserves to have a stray tarantula crawl up their pant leg. Here's hoping everybody experiences plenty of sparks, flames and explosions this weekend. Oh, yeah, the Fourth is this Sunday. Enjoy that too.

Speaking for the men, I have to agree with SLY -- do embrace it. But, for the love of God, don't punch it! In fact, don't even talk about punching it. I'm experiencing sympathetic pain similar to what a lot of you feel when Kit gets all geo-political and talks about the Brazilian deforestation of the Amazon basin. To paraphrase: "One man's junk is that man's treasure." So please, no closed fist punching. Closed fist stroking always welcome, though.

O Summer Sextice warm days, hot nights, fevered lust must you ever end?

I need to salute the power of Summer Sexstice! The last few days have been mind blowing -- life-altering, even -- including today's not-apocryphal-after-all morning workout. Mrs. D doesn't read your blog, so I don't know if it's coincidence, old Druid magic, or me channeling the power of your blog, but holy mother of Christ! I LITERALLY can not thank you enough. And if you find that I'm not commenting as often as usual, then please understand that I have a very good reason.

No goofing around today: it's time for a very special episode of Comments by Alexander... This is a rare topic where I think I can lend some actual insight, instead of just a cheap laugh. You are anything but a man-hater! I've never picked up that vibe at all from either you are your readers. You all have made this a fun place for me to hang out. In fact, I was very reluctant to even comment initially because I didn't want to make things uncomfortable for your core audience. So if there was even a hint of anti-male sentiment or even just a meant-only-for-women atmosphere then I would have found another venue for my nonsense. So I thank you and your readers for making me feel welcome and playing nicely with me. P.S. I've met some of my favorite tweeps through you and your blog (including you, of course!)