I see your point but I disagree that her use of the terms are manipulative.

Are you specifically referring to Illinois? Because it depends on where you are and the terminology used. Where I am, there are county jails are just for pre-conviction detention. After conviction, you either go to prison or to "state jail," which is prison but for lesser offenses/shorter sentences. You wouldn't go…

My cat once brought me one that wasn't quite dead yet. He put it on my bed while I was in it. He did not understand the screaming and flailing that followed. But at least he hasn't done that since.

If you ask someone what she wants as a gift, and she says money, that's not tacky or ill-mannered. But unsolicited asking of people to give you a specific gift, that's rude, especially considering that wedding guests aren't required to get you a gift at all. It's usually done, but it's not required, because you…

So, if you put a lot of thought into the gift to get something personal that you think the couple would like to have, that's tacky because it's not on the registry? I agree it's not considerate to get something not on the registry without considering whether the recipient would like it, but if you think they'd like…

I've known several people from Asian countries who don't like this type of tradition, so maybe not everyone.

That may be it—it might be very much an American thing. I don't think I've ever discussed that subject with any of my friends who weren't raised in the States. Interesting!

Maybe it's an age thing? When I was growing up in the 80s, people still said it. I distinctly remember an episode of Family Ties where Steven said to Elyse while they were fighting, "If the bra fits, burn it" instead of the usual "if the shoe fits" expression. I was young but knew what he was talking about, so even…

I certainly don't think they prioritize this stuff, that's for sure.

I know, I wish that I could get paid as much as they do for doing so very little.

You're welcome.

If you click on the link to the Washingtonian article, that article has a link to an earlier article discussing the shortage. It talks about why there's a shortage.

I'm not sure she meant it would make it harder for her to get into college, just that everywhere she goes, this is the first thing some people will know about her, even people she may not want to know. I could be reading it wrong, but that's what I took away from it.

Me, too! I had to call about a hotel reservation today, and I'm 100% sure the woman on the phone is expecting a teenager to show up. I don't do it on purpose, but I can't seem to stop it. People give me such a hard time about it, as if I'm not self-conscious about it as it is. I think it's my attempt at sounding…

If you'll read what I said, you'll see that I was agreeing with you on this point. I was only adding the comment that a white woman would still have talking heads and columnists talking about the reasons why she's staying like it's any of their business. There would be people debating whether she was brave or stupid…

Yes and no. A white woman would not be getting this particular kind of shit and for this long. But whenever a male politician gets caught cheating on his wife, there are tons of "why is she still with him" articles and theories. Much was said about Hillary Clinton during the Lewinski stuff. But you're right that…

Cruz is a whack job. The fact that he buys into the Agenda 21 conspiracy is a big flashing sign that this man should not be in charge of anything. And he's not exactly a centrist Republican, so I'd hesitate to say he's not extremist. He's pretty close. I can't think of any issue he's not way to the right on. There…

If you are referring to The Ramones song, yes because The Ramones. But if that's some slang that the cool kids use these days, I don't know what it means.

I had to tell you that I love your name—my family has always referred to Waffle House as "der LuftWaffle Haus" and nobody gets it.

Oooo, I had no idea. I will have to put that on my schedule. Thanks!