Being abroad and not having to deal with my family and getting to hang with my inlaws (who are much more chill than my family) is the best. You're not a hostage to your mom's bad choice of husband and father. Enjoy!

Wow, that is horrifically heartless of them. I'm sure you've checked, but if not, you should check the municipal and county bylaws, sometimes they're stricter than the state laws.

The author's stance is pretty typical for Tablet, and has the usual level of "Poor us!" and insinuations that their brand of American Zionist Judaism is the only right Judaism.

It's partially because schooling is free, so a lot of people work for a bit after gymnasium. Some also do a special kind of program before uni at a folkhögskola that runs for a year (also free!) and tends to be a little more interest-oriented. A lot of people also start a program, find out they hate it, then switch to…

American here, but a European permanent resident (and I just applied for my passport!). I'd love for one of the SNS to start an hour or 2 earlier one of the days, or maybe have a euro openthread on groupthink or something? IDK.

I'm pretty sure they can't do that, because it's illegal to do so with so little notice. You should have until the end of January — they're required to give you a notice of one payment period in most jurisdictions. Check your local tenant laws. They also need to learn that they have to follow the rules.

Sounds like my mom! No advice here (I left the country), but lots of sympathy. Maybe bring a craft with you or a good book? Or a board game? My mom loves Scrabble.

I'm going back into a program right now where half of my fellow students will be high school graduates and I'm 27, being 22/23 is absolutely not too old. In Sweden where I live now, it's super common for there to be a range of ages in the classroom.

I'm also a clueless Jew, but I can vouch for the awesomeness of Martha Stewart's Snowflake instructions.

Nice, scented lip balm set. Because everyone can use lip balm.

I live in Sweden, which has has a massive influx of Eastern European beggars over the last two years, to the point it's become a major social issue.

It's frustrating having family that you can't talk to. I'm a Jewish leftist, the kind that protests for Palestinian rights, and my family... well, my uncle's is an unabashed Ron Paul enthusiast, and my mom just regurgitates Fox News talking points.

My mom did this TWICE, both for her mom and her aunt. I do not envy you or your family. My main tip is someone needs to have Power of Attorney so that they can pay out of your relative's money for any "surprises" you might find that may render the place uninhabitable.

My main worry is that you're going to find some…

Are you willing to cut off your family? Because my first thought would be to contact the police myself and ask for advice. "My sister is acting irregularly, and recently claimed to have illegally accessed my medical files. She told me that if I reported her or talked about this to my own doctor, she would file a…

Was your mom also the "No one can do anything as well as I can so I'll do everything myself" type? Because my mom totally was and I am also a terrible cook/cleaner/etc. And my bf and I survive mostly on takeout and frozen food.

I know it's gone up 3USD in the time I've used it... but it's worth it for me.

For me, the secret ended up being ditching shampoo, using organic conditioners (because silicone and my hair don't mix), and doing a protein treatment every few weeks. And coconut oil.

About the twins thing, ugh yes.

I haven't tried the foam — I might have to add that to my next order in a few months! (Shipping is murder in the EU)

Where I live right now, it's the only option for salicylic acid that also isn't full of denatured alcohol, which my skin hates (I'm on differin). If you know exactly what you need, her stuff's a little on the pricey side, but it's no nonsense no frills and usually works exactly as advertised. Plus if you're in the US…