That, at least, makes a little bit of sense, because if you're making presents, you have to start early. So maybe non-Hobby Lobby craft stores get a limited pass for stuff related to home-made gifts? No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, though.

I agree in theory, but it's not always that easy. My dad's wife is terrible to servers, but if I speak up, I'll be antagonizing my dad, which I don't really want to do. It's just not worth an ongoing family argument, especially since I know it will do NOTHING to change this woman's behavior. So I do what I can—…

I LOVE that scene! "My grandma gave me $20 for my birthday with 'Happy Birthday, Addie' written on it!" That poor, befuddled cashier.

Dayenu! Sorry; there are so few non-Passover opportunities to use that truly fantastic word.

I have no opinion on this woman's looks one way or another btw, because that's not in any way relevant to this story about a young woman who was struck down tragically early by a truly terrible disease and then chose to end her own life. Is there no situation in which a woman's looks won't be scrutinized? Jesus H.…

Seriously. We're going to resent the dead woman who had brain cancer because she was pretty?

The fact that you keep referring to someone's wedding as their "pre-divorce" suggests your issues run deeper than the sartorial and that you might not be the ideal guest at any wedding.

I think I love you.

Ah, Marge. The ultimate uncool mom.

I like to yous textspeak with my daughter, just to torture her. I never, ever use it otherwise, but it's so fun to annoy her so much.

Oh, I know. My daughter is 13. Worse, she is a singer. I mean, she can SING. So not only is she embarrassed almost to tears whenever I open my mouth, but she's there to critique my (non-existent) skills, as well. Sigh.

Fair enough.

Well, McKenna's letter was specifically about the basketball catalog, so he is directly addressing her concern.

Oh, dude. My great-grandfather (who died when I was 14, and whom I knew pretty well) was named Hyman. Hyman. Hyman. For some reason, even though he was a fascinating guy, no one in the family is named after him.

She was part of that transitional generation. She grew up getting Robert E. Lee's birthday as a school holiday, and then marched in the civil rights marches in her early 20s. At the same time, she freaked out the time I brought home a non-white boyfriend in high school. So, she was kind of a hypocrite, but at least…

I just saw that she got married at Boone Hall. It is stunning, without a doubt (I toured the site many times as a kid), but what, exactly, about well-preserved slave cabins makes people think, "Hey! Great party site!" and not, I don't know, "My God! What a horrible, shameful chapter in American history."

I understand loving the elegance of the architecture (it is lovely, out of context), but "magic of times past"? Really??

Which makes this ode to Antebellum ladies all the more baffling.

The sentence you quoted doesn't even make sense. The copy on this site hurts my brain.

Agreed on the first part. As to the second part, I love Gone With the Wind, even as I'm appalled by its racism and sexism, because it's a tie to my late mother. I used to watch the movie with her when it came on TV every year when I was a kid (pre-VCRs, because I am so, so old), and I associate it with cozy times…