For one, she was an athlete- the article says her favorite sport was basketball and she was the strongest woman at the university. So Elsie was probably getting regular exercise in a form you'd find familiar.

I'm an inch shorter than her, and at my heaviest, I had almost identical measurements and weight. I have no idea why- I was active, but no strength training or visible muscles, so it's not like I had unusual amounts of muscle mass. I was just dense.

Dating advice isn't inherently bad. I don't know much about dating coaching, so I don't really have an opinion there. Certainly some guys I know could use advice on dressing and grooming (haircuts should cost more than 7$!), and I can see some advice there being very useful. But if it's about confidence and dealing…

I think a better phrasing might be "Don't commit to someone because...". If you and your partner are already committed to one another, then getting married because you want the party or because someone needs health insurance or whatever is fine.

"Make decisions you'll remember". As in, don't always choose the easiest path or stay in your comfort zone.

This has been very true for me as well. For everything from public speaking to homesickness to being lost in a bad neighborhood- if I act confident and happy, I'll feel more confident and happy. Or at least not get mugged.

It's absolutely okay to say that, though earlier is better so that other people can plan accordingly. Most people will understand. Honestly, I'm of the opinion that people who don't understand don't deserve gifts in the first place, but that's not as easy to say when it's someone you love.

That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, this woman should probably have done more research, but what kind of TV studio doesn't have a lawyer specifically to write CYA contracts?

Worried about panty lines, maybe? I've had to return dresses (ordered from online) because my underwear showed through them. Going commando is easier than getting a whole new dress on short notice.

I once had a very similar argument with an ex about the phrase 'cock sucker'. Along the lines of "If that's such an awful thing to call someone, then I assume you wouldn't want your girlfriend to be one".

Very few genes are all-or-nothing Mendelian traits, where you either have the gene or you don't. My use of a singular, hypothetical 'gay gene' was not meant literally. Almost all inheritable traits come from a combination of many different genes. So the straight siblings of a gay person might have some of the genes…

In a perfectly equal world, I don't think people would engage in that kind of gendered politeness.

One possible advantage: A tribal/extended family group in which some percentage of adults do not reproduce might be more successful than a group in which all adults reproduce, because the first group's children get more resources and adult attention.

I agree in principle, but that's a pretty delicate lesson for a 6 year old. It's not easy for a young child to learn both "X is true (according to Mom/Dad/my priest)" and "Other people believe X is false, but that's also okay and I shouldn't tell them otherwise".

The fifth point is one I had not considered, though my boyfriend and I have discussed all the others. My default assumption is that engagement means it's time to plan the wedding, but I have no idea whether my partner agrees. Thank you for pointing that out.

Call your credit card company and report the fraudulent tips- there may even be an option on the website to dispute a charge. Credit card companies HATE fraud, especially when it comes from the merchant, and they take those complaints very seriously.

For someone with a bad back, even shaving ten seconds off the time they spend bent over the dryer can help a lot. And if they have a low dryer or taller laundry basket (so they have to do several rounds of bending down to get laundry and straightening up to put it in the basket), then this would be very helpful.

Can I ask what you think about very casual clothing? What would you think of a person (of either gender) wearing, say, flannel pajama pants and a stained t-shirt to the grocery store? Or someone wearing jeans and an athletic jersey to a fancy restaurant?

Even if he didn't break any laws, this is really skeezy. Sounds like he was befriending underage guys so he could convince them to have sex when they reached 18, if not before.

That could happen, in the same way that someone could post fake wanted flyers around town or spread rumors by word of mouth. It sucks, but you can't really stop it. People have been spreading evil rumors about their exes since the invention of language. At least with the internet it's possible to trace something back…