When you have small feet, you have to make do with what's available. Tried to buy stuff on sale today, but my size was gone. Seriously, why is it that the brand boutique doesn't carry my size, while department stores do?

Was it, by chance, run by the Maryknoll sisters? My mother went to the Sisters' school in Hong Kong (there were two schools Maryknoll Sisters School and Maryknoll Convent School back in the 60s). She said she could tell a "Maryknoll girl" by her writing...

That was around my time too - elementary school (Junior Kindergarten (age 4) to Grade 6) for me was 1983-1991. Cursive was MANDATORY for me in Grades 3 and 4, though we didn't have to us it in Grade 5 or later. By junior high and high school, teachers didn't care. We were required to type our papers by then, anyway.

Handwriting is interesting. I can usually tell where someone went to elementary school by how he/she writes. Canadian/American-educated women, for example, tend to print/write in bubble-like or boxy letters (and are usually larger - for those who read Baby Sitters' Club books in the 80s, think journal entries by…

They DO teach cursive in Canada, at least back in the 80s when I was in elementary school. I think I had my first formal lesson around the end of Grade 2. My writing is pretty messy unless I put in effort. I guess it's my ADHD :)

But would someone who is "male with a feminine essence" (or female with a masculine essence" gay or transgender?

Yeah, but what about middle and higher income people who live in the city? You know, the hipster types who either don't have a car or have one car and frequent farmer's markets or are within walking distance to Whole Foods?

I lived in a women-only building when I was an undergrad and it didn't stop the girls from sleeping with the boys since they were allowed in our rooms as guests. Even if they weren't there are other ways to hook up.

Exactly...and just because one is of Chinese descent doesn't mean that one CAN speak the language(s). I assume that the people are older...and older people can be really ignorant about the whole language thing.

I swear that my grandmother does this - thinks just about anyone who looks East Asian is Chinese (unless you "obviously" look Korean or Japanese). It's not just Chinese people who think other Asians are Chinese, because Filipinos think I'm Filipino (I'm thinking it's because I'm a bit darker than what's "typically…

One reason to read style blogs...

Not really. Baby showers are tame...

So can there be momelorette parties (booze-free, of course)?

Well, unlike their fanbase, you were actually THERE when the 90s happened...

I stopped reading fashion magazines on a regular basis years ago. It was getting too expensive for me. I now get a lot of my style tips from blogs, especially those run by women who are around my size (some smaller!) so I get to see real people in not-so-Photoshopped (though many bloggers seem to take better pics…

What about the solidly middle class people who are obese and eat unhealthy foods? Because that happens too. A lot.

What about weekends? A good friend of mine has crazy-busy parents and when she was growing up, they'd cook several meals on weekends and then freeze them. They'd then eat what they froze over the course of the week.

On the whole ethnic stores/cultural thing I brought up in a reply earlier: I'm wondering if people see (certain) healthier foods as being "un-American", so they're not going to buy it/make it? Perhaps it's not just a price/exposure thing, but political? Are there studies about Republican diets vs. Democrat diets?

On meat: I think people need to start eating meat like some East Asian cultures where it's used to flavour a dish rather than the central part (save for, say steamed fish or roast chicken. But even then, a whole chicken is often shared among say, 8 people. Sure, you might end up eating about the same amount of meat…

I agree with you. I think other than people who have recent immigrants in their family and/or live in cosmopolitan areas, exposure to a wide range of foods is quite rare, so they won't know how to cook things they're not familiar with (even if there are familiar ingredients). I know people from the suburbs, even…