Yeah, I understand! I don't know if we can send private messages, but it's moot at this point. Delaware is too far for me to go see a doctor, no matter how awesome she may be. Thanks, though!

I am very afraid of the gyno, partly because of the pain of an exam for me, and partly because I feel like they never listen. Would you mind sharing your general location? If your doc is nearby, I'd like to see her!

Those are some really irritated cats. Looks at their tails lashing all over the place.

I have a very high-pitched voice. In situations where I want to be taken seriously, like work, I pitch it quite a bit lower intentionally. It's really hurt my singing voice in the last couple of years, much to my chagrin. It's not like I ever thought I'd be able to make it as a singer, but it does hurt a bit to loose…

BRB, packing for the UAE.

Can I be that member who just shows up and doesn't really do anything despite talking big all the time? Because that's a vice I'm super good at. Laziness. I'm all over it.

On a related note, how do you guys get the idea of "men are people and women are women" across to people as a bad thing? It's like everyone understands in a conceptual sense that sexism is bad, and will agree that we shouldn't limit women from doing things because they're women, but they refuse to see shit like this…

Maybe I Spy?

No, you are not being unfair, and no, you should not give him another chance. Who the hell kisses someone when they've made it clear they don't want it? Sounds like a creep. I'm sure you can do better!

I would kill for that ratio. It sounds like it's super affordable! I've seen things online for spending one-quarter to one-third of your monthly income on rent. In practice, most people spend far more than that on rent; I do. If you don't have any debt, I don't see why you shouldn't do it if it's so great and will…

Oh my god, that's awful! I'm so sorry! Have you tried calling the assistant manager back and asking why they hell they didn't tell the manager or owner? Jesus, I hate service industry jobs. You're not supposed to come into work if you're sick, but you can't call out! Best of luck to you, darling. <3

For Facebook, I have put most of my family on limited profile views, which hides most of what they post from your newsfeed, I believe. If that doesn't work, you can hover over the post, and a tiny arrow will appear in the upper right of their post's "box." Clicking that should give you the option to hide or reduce how…

You know, I read that book and really liked it—and I never even picked up on that! Thanks for pointing it out; I'll have to skim it again. :)

I wouldn't say it's dorky at all! And I don't feel like I'm imposing a race on them at all. Race isn't integral to who these characters are at all; that's the point. I'm just taking each character as they come and thinking, "does this person *have* to be white? Does it change anything if I make them not white?" I do…

Thanks for commiserating! It's nice to know I'm not alone.

Not gonna lie, that is seriously weird. The only thing I can think of is maybe revisit it in a few days, tell him his reaction kind of weirded you out and why, and then ask him why he acted like that. I admit I am curious about his line of reasoning myself, and I'd be curious to hear what he says.

I second fetlife! I've found some great people, and if it's not exactly what you're looking for, they can easily point you in the right direction.

Inspired by another comment on this post, you could talk about one of the aspects of chivalry that's still hanging around, like holding doors or who pays for dates or something. On the other hand, there's always street harassment.

Making a real person, check!

Thank you for a thoughtful reply! I definitely agree about not making her race overshadow her character. I've been planning on describing her and the other characters of color in brief, understated terms and then just moving on. Seems like most people have been suggesting that, so I'm feeling reassured. :)