Years ago I ran the music department (bandleader mostly) for an IBM convention show at a big resort. The main line producer for the evening was a scrappy Texan mom with a fantastic (yet tasteful) blonde bob. Call her Trish. She was only about ten years older than me but seemed to think I was a completely green…

I’m disabled, and there are those who think that makes me easy meat. My husband was bullied out of work about three years ago. Those bullies decided they were going to target me as well. Sample comment from bully: what’s it like being married to a loser? Me: I don’t know, remind me to ask your wife! Second bully going…

I briefly spent part of my teenage years in Montana in an institution for troubled children that I will blithely refer to as a reform school. I was ecstatic to go there as my home life was severely dysfunctional due to a parent with toxic malignant narcissism, and the school was literally in another country.

The best comeback I ever heard of was of this woman I knew from the film industry. She used to work as a PA to various powerful Hollywood producers and on one particular project she was assigned to a very old and very gross man. Shoots usually start super early and one morning, as she stepped into the man’s trailer he…

I just thought of another one, also involving a road trip.

I lived in Kentucky for a hot minute a lifetime ago and one year my sweet little Mexican mama came to visit. We road tripped to Memphis to go to Graceland - highly recommended - and stopped at a Shoney’s for lunch on the Kentucky/Tennessee border off the 69 or 65, waaay down deep in the thick of it. Mom was born and…

My most favourite burn: the morning after an awesome wedding with an open bar, my best friend says to me “you were so drunk last night I had to carry you home!” To which I said “no you didn’t. I remember walking home.” He replied “well, I carried your emotional baggage then.” Makes me smile every time I think of it.

I am so glad for this one. In high school (in Texas) I had a really really shitty long distance running coach. He was a total dick and often didn’t acknowledge when people had heat stroke or problems that were arising from the INSANE HEAT AN HUMIDITY found in TX. I had zero respect for him and pretty much only joined…

Back when I was teaching high school algebra, I had a really good rapport with my students. Lots of joking, etc. One time, one of my students asked, “Why do you only tell dad jokes?” There were a few “ooOOOooo”s coming from other students so I couldn’t let this pass without a quick response.

A high school French teacher I had would occasionally take on the whole class at once in an insult battle - and usually won. One day he says with perfect delivery “Hey Lex, I’d smack you around, but I don’t touch trash.”

I have absolutely no wit or timing whatsoever, but once, just once in my life, I delivered a zinger.

Seventh-grade boy: “You suck the big one!”

A woman asked my aunt in a judgmental tone: “Where are you from?”

I’ve given you guys a hard time about your coverage a couple of times before, but this article seems an odd place to do it.

“Bratty” is an interesting way to describe a pretty positive write up about Biden’s speech, but go off I guess.

You’re having a fit over one paragraph of critique and my acknowledging of that low bar—a fact that even the most diehard Biden supporter will admit to—in an overwhelmingly positive article about the man’s speech. I implore you to get a grip.

Eh, I’ll take it. I don’t care if they hold their noses while voting for him... as long as they vote for him. I don’t need everyone to love him.

M4a polls great. Even republicans are almost even on support for it. The only thing making it a pipe dream is the politicians we keep voting into office who won’t stop SAYING it’s a pipe dream. Shit, we’re the only industrialized nation that doesn’t offer some form of single-payer or universalized healthcare, and…

Thank you for a measured and thoughtful analysis of Biden’s acceptance speech.  There is going to be a lot of cringing and scolding over anything remotely critical of Biden, but I prefer to take him at his word that he will choose facts over fiction.

He did do what he needed to do: Give a clear, steadfast speech. PLUS, the Republicans can’t play the “he’s a senile dummy” card nearly as easily anymore, and even the president had a weak response. The bar was on the floor, he did a good job. What else do you want me to say?