Seriously! I want pants that are pants, not frigging churched up jeggings!

I agree with you there.

Yes, I’m aware of that as I’m sure most people are. However, taken in context with the rest of this particular story, the author was using the description of the man’s face as a signal that she believed that he was one of the meth addicts she had been warned about. Since she didn’t speak with the man, we can’t really…

I’m starting to think that I should be offended that none of my male (or female for that matter) friends and family have done this “for” me.

YES. All of the stars for you!

Indeed he does!

I’ve found that doing thorough research about the small towns and businesses in them that you want to visit helps to control the fear. It’s better than going in blind because you have an idea of what to expect. I’m the type that has to have a “mission” when I travel though, so ymmv.

That sounds about right.

Scalfin, the facial marks were supposed to be indicative of Methamphetamine addiction. Meth addicts frequently develop facial sores and lose teeth as they become more addicted. (NOTE: do NOT Google “Meth Mouth” if you’ve eaten recently...)

Thanks for articulating why I felt off-put by her reaction to the man. I couldn’t put my finger on why I felt uneasy until I read your response.

If the meth man were a zombie, this would be the beginning of a great short story. She’s a good writer.

I believe it was a concert for the premier for one of the Guitar Hero games. So, corporate as hell but Maynard still worked that shit. He’s not Freddie Mercury, but he’s great on his own merits. I thought this was fun.

I totally agree with you there.

I was Economics minor in undergrad, and I’ve totally done that too.

I agree with most of your points here. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I did enjoy Maynard James Keenan’s version of Bohemian Rhapsody. He’s no Freddie, but he’s still pretty good. He is the only exception though...

Kids?!? As in more than one? Are they twins? Or did you not learn your lesson after the first time?

I’m poor. For a couple of years in my teens, my family made it to lower middle class but I was contributing my income to my household by the time I was 17. We were so poor that I knew that I couldn’t afford to go away to university, even if I had earned a free ride scholarship. I stayed at home and worked while I took…

I found it to be condescending as well. It was a little too “Eat, Pray, Love” for me.

When I was a teenager, my mom (while drunk on wine) told me that she was glad that I was chubby because she didn’t want me to get pregnant. She then told me that she didn’t realize that I would “get that fat”. Yeah.

That’s exactly what I thought when I saw that picture. To her, it’s “Natural Style” as opposed to ones’ natural hair texture/color.