Agreed. I very much feel this. My family is bad a birthdays, but insist on trying.

I have a reusable calendar with little drawers and I put high quality mini chocolates in each, for myself, as a holiday treat. I encourage everyone else to do the same.

I would like to point out, this means all those blue collar Regular Joe Americans are getting “frilly sissy Latte drinks.”

I have a basenji/terrier mutt. He is easily the smartest dog I know. (I once told him to get me the phone because I didn’t want to get up, and he brought me his dog bone. I have never trained him to bring me anything on command)

I think that’s probably exactly how it happened, and I imagine the anchor will make a wah-wah “I said no, and they used it anyway!” later if it is included fair use. My eyes, they are already rolling.

It’s a rebroadcasting-rights issues. Though, I wonder if she could call it fair use in context, and use it anyway. (not a lawyer, just work in media)

As someone currently querying a novel... FML. I totally needed something else to obsess over.

Joe. Joe Montana =( but unless you’re suggesting Troy Aikman is actually the father *dum-dum-dummmm* you probably mean Joe.

I spent forever reading it as Fable-tics.

I’m going to be that person (sorry!) — It’s Shelley.

Amen. Butch Walker is on my list of ANY good things.

One of them (think it's the Mad Men one, sorry!) talks about how the idea of the success of the family or community is absent in the Great American Novel, and how the idea of making commitments and bonds is part of being a grown up. That was more the bit of it that connected. (see, spoiler free!)

Absolutely. I don't mean at all that anyone should stay in a bad situation, and I think you made an awesome choice.

This came up in a discussion of Young Adult books - The American novel (by extension, the American narrative?) has to do with ditching it, leaving it behind and starting over.

I KNEW it! The first time I saw that ad come on, I thought "Is that Sam Bennett?" and then I felt shame... I'm so happy/sad to have that confirmed. Thank you.

Elizabeth FTW!

There's a game I can play mostly with my ears, while listening to Sean Bean? Well, this is the best news of the day. When you say horror... how horror-y? (I do not love "scary")

Oh thank you! I was so worried I had to go stockpile deep conditioner!

My feet grew much faster than the rest of me when I was growing up. As a teen, I ended up with quite bad pains down the outside of my feet (mostly my right) so my mother sent me to a podiatrist. He was a jerk, but I explained that my little toes would ache and most shoes were very uncomfortable.

To be fair, I believe milking snakes is how anti-venom is developed... so that bit actually saves lives. The rest of the list, yeah I'm with you.