I'm right there with your rage, but rape marriage was part of an era when women were a commodity and rape was essentially a form of property damage: "You break it, you buy it." It was true across many cultures for many years, not sure what that has to do with anybody's god or gods.

It amazed me that I was married for 24 years of joint tax returns, shared insurance, houses and cars bought together, and even Social Security benefits after my husband's death, and the only time I was ever asked to show our marriage license was to a nutty landlord who wanted to make sure we weren't just shacking up.…

I can't get past "She pulled my pants off...".

Aw, this reminds me of my sweet old cat Jenny, long gone. Back in the days when people smoked, it was her favorite thing ever to play whole-house soccer with a balled-up cigarette pack. Same crazy hearing too.

The worst for me is that the news of the pregnancy spread ahead of the news of the miscarriage, so for several weeks afterward I'd run into someone who would say, "Congrats, I heard you're expecting!" and then feel terrible when I started to cry. Terrible time. Arms around all the others here who have been through it.

I agree - and I'm Christian too (but of the far liberal variety). I think a lot of us see WBC as so far outside the mainstream that it's unimaginable that people would consider them representative of Christianity, or even of conservative Christianity - but clearly that does happen, so we need to turn up the volume on…

Much of my family is about as right-wing fundamentalist as they come. They belong to independent Baptist churches because the Southern Baptists are too liberal. They protest not being able to post the Ten Commandments in school rooms by putting Ten Commandments signs in their yards so the kids will see them as the…

I have a friend whose blind date showed up wearing a t-shirt that said WILL WORK FOR HEAD. She was similarly grateful.

The best thing about being a fruitcake lover is that everybody you know will just straight-up give them to you if they happen to get any. Homemade, store-bought, expensive, cheap ones with candied citron, all good. They freeze well and I have snacks all the way to Easter.

Good distinction, you're right. And I hope you got to have major drinks or some kind of fun after sitting through that seminar.

And it's also true in most mainline Protestant denominations women have for decades had the same rights as men, including ordination into ministry. Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, UCC, Disciples of Christ, even some brands of Baptists.

I'm with you in spirit, but it's also true that almost every institution of higher education in this country has an entire staff devoted to the very purpose.

Wow, that's stupendous.

No, they can be recommended on the basis of maternal age & other factors (or at least that was the case when I was pregnant).

I had a very similar dress in the late 70s & early 80s. It was the only piece of dressy clothing I owned, so it saw a lot of duty: Easter with mom, my grandfather's funeral, friends' weddings, job interviews, you name it. I loved/hated it then & still feel much the same today.

Agreed. Graeter's is good, but Aglamesis Bros. is greatest.

Todd Rundgren, Back to the Bars. Side 3 if you've got it on vinyl.

Oh, yes. And I always ended up sitting right next to Beavis and Butt-Head.

Terrible about your dog. Deepest sympathies.

She is such a hero, musically, for her humanitarian work and her beautiful spirit, and as a great example of someone in my general age range who continues to kick all ass without having to pretend she's still in her 20s. I wish them countless blessings.