*hugs* I've been there. It sucks. So much. I commend you on having the courage to decide to end the friendship. I could never do that, and I think it's partly why things still hurt years later. Hopefully, you making your own decision will allow you to move past this and find better friends in the future. Best of luck!

(No judgement on TC! I read it sometimes, too.)

I wouldn't think it's weird if you ask her via email what she wants to talk about! I, too, hate talking on the phone with people I don't know well. Have you asked your ex why she wants to talk? If nothing else, he might be able to reassure you that she's not about to go all crazy on you. Good luck!

Have you considered getting legally married and maybe possibly having a punch and cookies level of celebration? (Like, just a dozen people and backyard cookout or something.) If you guys know you want to do it, just the legal essentials are super cheap and will save you money on your taxes, which could lead to a…

Anyone asked out their barista before? Anyone worked as a Starbucks barista and was/wanted to be asked out by a customer? Does Starbucks have rules about barista-customer dating?

No lie, that sounds like a fantastic dream.

Oh! I had no idea they were male! Dresses would be weird in that case! lol So, then, simple tops and pants, I guess?

Maybe you could ask him why the person who suggested only black models suggested that? It seems like such an odd thing to request that I can't imagine that no one asked him about it. If it was because black people are "exotic" or some variant, you could explain that black people are people, not decoration, and it's…

Ugh, I feel you. My sister named her daughter Beckett. I cannot express my hatred of that name strongly enough. (Although I have never, and never will, say anything to her about it. Beck is not my daughter.) I *hate* how not only is it not an actual given name, it's masculine to boot! But I'm a judgemental stick in…

I've been thinking a lot about the jurors for this case. How do they feel seeing the reactions to the verdict they handed down? Are they frustrated, because we can't know all the things they were presented with and they believe they made the best decision? Do they feel guilty or remorseful? Are they fearful of…

It sounds very similar, actually.

Oh, my goodness. Thank you for such a lovely response. It's nice to know I'm not alone, which is one of the reasons I write the letters. I know that the person who receives them will find them just as meaningful as I do. If they don't, they're clearly not the one.

Thank you so much for posting that. I'm over here in tears. I don't think I've ever heard anything so beautiful or moving.

I've been feeling lonely and blah the last few months on the romantic front. I'm dealing, and making progress and what not. But one of the things I do when I'm really down is write love letters to my future soul mate, the person I hope to marry. It really makes me feel better and less alone. Does anyone else do this…

Seconded. Bonus if a temp agency ever did anything at all for you.

In some book or another I read as a tween, the protagonist was facing this same issue. Her mom wanted to throw a party since her daughter got her period, and she was mortified. They came up with what I thought was a pretty awesome compromise: the mother gave her a book/list of lots of positive rituals from different…

I was just coming to ask that, myself. I am dieing to get a look at the back and piece it together.

I just wanted to say thanks for introducing that awesome word into my vocabulary!

I'm convinced that nobody except LaComtesse is white and black by default. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is grey until they're approved by an author, mod or LC, bless her name.

It's hard, and you will fail sometimes. I think the best thing you can do is forgive yourself when you fail and then try to do better tomorrow. I've also had a lot of success building in planned splurges, like it's recommended for budgeting. If you allow yourself, say, one mall food court dinner per pay period, it's a…