Elder offspring: You're going to have to put up a post on your blog saying that there will be no Friday Sprog Blogging next week.
Dr. Free-Ride: Why do I have to do that?
Elder offspring: You'll be at your conference and we'll be on vacation, so we won't be able to talk about science with you.
Dr. Free-Ride: That's true, but I can talk to you on the phone.
Elder offspring: Yeah, but what if you ask us questions and we say, "Sorry, we haven't done anything that has to do with science"?
Dr. Free-Ride: You don't think I could find a way to connect what you're doing on your vacation with science somehow? Child, you underestimate me!
More like this
The elder Free-Ride offspring, always a fan of mustelids, has lately taken a particular interest in ferrets.
Frequent commenter, sibling, and bon vivant Uncle Fishy recently set up a backyard beehive, but lately he's been worried about the bees. This came up in a recent online chat:
My better half was clearing plates from the kitchen table as I was cooking something.
Dr. Free-Ride's better half: Hey, I thought our kids like zucchini bread.
Dr. Free-Ride: So, I found a little café table for the back yard.
Dr. Free-Ride's better half: A good one, or one that's going to fall apart?
Heh. Perceptive child.
Ah, so you do have a Diploma in Evil Scientism as well! But be warned - you can still be foiled by those pesky kids.
Bob