Yeah, but when I take a personal day because my car has died, or I need to replace an appliance, or whatever, that isn’t something I’d rather be doing than work, either. Or if I stay home because I have food poisoning (twice), I’d much rather be at work than barfing my guts out. But paid days off are still a benefit,…

I’ve certainly heard a lot of women express frustration at not being appreciated enough. Some of that is probably a feeling of being unfairly put upon due to imbalanced roles, but some of it is just people wanting to be acknowledged. Yes, it is what you’re “supposed to do.” But part of being a team is acknowledging…

I keep seeing this response to men having dating difficulties: “women are just people! Just talk to them like people!” But I guarantee that he doesn’t flirt with his male friends or female friends he isn’t attracted to. I don’t think it is helpful to pretend that romantic or sexual relationships are always just a…

That’s fine and good, but there are always “good” reasons to delay or have problems. When a company continually has problems (8 months of problems), I think it is a good idea not to take their word for shipping dates.

Perhaps I’m not remembering the exact words correctly, but they definitely kept moving shipping dates, and they missed their May shipping date without sending an update until well after it was missed.

I ordered this back in October when it was supposed to be ready by Christmas. It was a gift. The recipient is now getting it 8 months late, assuming that they are being truthful about the new shipping schedule. They have announced that it was “ready” and “about to ship” a couple of times since Christmas, stringing…

Part of the problem, I think, is that some of us never learned any way to relate to other people or show our value in ways other than demonstrating how brilliant we are. When the only thing you are praised for is intelligence, how else do you impress people (including those of the opposite sex)? And that phenomenon…

To add to praysolace’s answers, in school teachers/professors often have an incentive against late work, because they (or their TAs) won’t be able to regulate the amount of work being graded throughout the semester.

Just so you know, that Socrates quote is spurious.

I wish you would explain the differences between race and gender more. As you point out, a black woman can live in an environment completely unaware of her blackness. I don’t know anyone who would say she was not black, despite being alienated from any kind of traditionally black culture. A man can spend fifty years…

I had the same situation; their rule was no more than 25% over. I was very underpaid at my previous position, which was part of the reason I left: they could not afford to give me the raise they’d promised six months earlier.

I like much about Strunk & White, and I recommend it to students. I dislike some of their rules, such as their preference for anglo-saxon words over latinate. A grisly murder scene does often call for harder, earthier, more guttural words. But writing does not always need such immediacy and directness. There is also a…

Every time you see an article about “how to write” on the internet, this is what they talk about: short, punchy sentences. No commas, as few adjectives as possible, using the simplest vocabulary possible. Since there is no variation, the entire thing feels clipped and staccato.

I’ve known some skeptics who have changed their minds or softened their stances.

I always thought that winning friends and influencing people went together.

I’m turning 35 soon. The thought makes me want to curl up into the fetal position. I have now run out of time for pretty much anything I ever wanted to do with my life. I don’t see 40 being any better. I think the difference for you, Melanie, is that you built the foundation for a successful life in your 20s and 30s;…

That’s sad. I have friends who have very different political views from me, and I accept that we all want what we think is best. We just disagree as to the way to get there. But then, I’m had people ‘unfriend’ me because they disliked my political views, so I’m sore about the subject.

How do you kill that which has no life?

I had a strange situation at my first job. It was a very small company. I found out that my college was having a job fair. The fair was in the afternoon, so I asked for time off for a dentist’s appointment. Coincidentally, it was also the same day that Someone Important decided to grace the office with his presence,…

In reality, sticking with those same goals will more typically result in the same outcome, not a better on.