K, so this is yeeeaaaarrrs old now, but thanks to the wine, I feel I need to clarify something. In your post, you say (sorry, blockquotes never work for me, and they really won’t now with my vinodigits):

Starred for truth.

THAT is the word I’ve been trying to remember for weeks now! Thank you!

Hope this doesn’t sound weird or stalkery, but your username marks you out as a fellow hoser. You’re not in Toronto, by chance, are you? Because you and I are on a similar trajectory right now, and I would love to be able to sit with someone in person and talk about all the shit that is raining down, possibly over…

Oh, I’ve also found straight Vitamin E capsules to be beneficial. They’re not the cheapest, but one broken capsule is often enough for both hands -- depending on the level of damage, of course.

Oooohhh, styes suuuuuck! I’m sorry you’re going through it. Keep up the compresses, and maybe even try green tea bags (possibly with some cheesecloth to ensure no tea-flake transfer in case of a ripped bag). I don’t have any proper research to back this, but my anecdata says that the green tea helps the stye to dry…

Seconding the Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream recommendation. Yes, it smells a bit hippie/patchouli-esque (I actually really like the scent now, and I find it combines well with other things that I use), but it is the only thing that gets my super-sensitive (and often overwashed) hands through Toronto winters somewhat…

Seconded! I love that stuff!

Your psychiatrist is awesome; is there an office in Toronto perchance? I know it seems like an odd question, but we cry about Trump up here too, mostly due to that whole ‘world’s longest undefended* border’ thing. It’s a bit stressful to have someone that unhinged be that close to potentially being in power, that…

I’m sorry? Perhaps I am a partisan, being Canadian and all, but for my money, there is no better dirty place name than Dildo, Newfoundland — where they celebrate ‘Dildo Days’ every summer, and where you can go to Dildo Dory and (according to their sign) “Stuff yourself” with some fine down east fish and chips!

Or for a different crowd of men...

Is...is that a euphemism for something, and if so: do I want to know what?

Damn near!

Regarding your side note: it’s not just teens. I am a sexual heath educator, and I have heard those same myths coming from adults. I’ve also heard other adults ‘correct’ a different pool myth by ‘clarifying’ that it’s not the pool that will give you HIV, it’s the shared towel. Sigh.

“Friends don’t make friends duck for cover!” is the sign I now need for my door. So, so glad it isn’t just me!

Not true! They will absolutely take that stuff, as they sell it on to be turned into rags. It’s one of their main moneymakers. Donate away!

Yeah, she was hospitalised for eating clay and seed pods and shit like that, and it was classed as an eating disorder, but when I read that, my mind immediately jumped to pellagra or some other nutritional deficiency-type thing. No surprise her fucked-up-sounding mum wouldn’t have picked up on it, what with her head…

Yep, the synthetics would melt right onto the wearer, though one could always put the dress on a judy before lighting — making sure, of course, that whatever surface lies beneath it is protected with something that isn’t flammable/scorchable! It wouldn’t give that awesome burned-parchment-look edge though (it would be…

Awww man, I’ve been waiting on the Turks and Caicos for yeeeaaarrrs! It has to happen someday, right?

Yes, I’m loving the Green Zebra! The garlic was an experiment based on watching our neighbour’s success with early planting. So far, there’s a few little chives (it’s in a shadier spot, so I think that might help? Like the ground isn’t too too hot, maybe?). We have more to plunk in the ground in a month or two,…