Mee-Lise is a friend from college; she was a bridesmaid in my wedding. As a big old Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan, I was of course delighted to receive this.

In the first drawing, Helen is wearing a T-shirt for the Vassar sci-fi club, the Nonhuman Student Organization (recently renamed "No Such Organization"). I was First Minister of the NSO in my senior year. The original T-shirt has Grateful Dead-style dancing aliens on the front and a concert tour of fictional locations on the back. Did I mention we were all really, really nerdy in the NSO?

Ed Wells made some very inappropriate comments about the drawing of Helen embracing an ur-gerbil, but I insist that the affection is purely innocent, perhaps even maternal.