If it makes you feel any better, New York has very few good Mexican restaurants (aside from taco trucks). As a former Californian, I thought nothing could be worse than the Mexican-food-desert that is Prague, but New York comes ridiculously close!

Very few defintions of art involve the phrase "societal function."

How, exactly, is the cookie business "shady"?

Those look great! Are you giving them as gifts? Very cool.

The Three Sisters in the house (or, um, garden)! When do you expect to see the tasty results?

#stirringthepot

He looks like he's saying, in a terribly dignified voice, "Neener neener neener. Can't make me come down!"

I feel like I shill a lot for the South Beach diet, but if you have a lot to lose, it's great because it's a) slightly flexible (I throw in a square of dark chocolate or a cracker to keep from bingeing, and it doesn't throw the whole thing off) and b) you see results very, very quickly—in a couple of weeks. Plus, it's…

Fat isn't an insult, it's a descriptor.

Maxwell Drew's going to get put in a lot of boy gym classes and such. Probably not, in the schools where she's likely to go.

Someone should tell the dude in the photo that turning on the flame works wonders.

Is English not his first language? I'm asking seriously, because (non-native-English-speaking) Mr. S. does this and uses "we" to mean a different group of people than the two of us. Usually, for him, "we" means "In my culture" or "Me and my advisor" or "Me and my group of buddies from university."

Thankee (and hearted back)!

Dear God, it's Disco Gatsby.

You might check if there's a CouchSurfing group in your area—I'm not suggesting they crash in your house, but you can put "Meet for coffee" as an option (instead of housing people). Nearly all the Euro CouchSurfers I met were great people, and the local groups can be a good source for all things progressive and fun. :)

Seltzer and juice. I may feel silly to start, but damn if I don't feel triumphant when the bill comes and my share is 1/3 of everyone else's. *smug cackle* (*smackle?*)

What else would I like if I like Gruner Veltliner?

Woo! Way to go!! Congrats!

You're more restrained than I would've been. But I think I'm still bitter because my local library essentially clearcut two floors of books to make room for DVDs and video games.

That's a great picture! Also, I need that scarf!