I just finished WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. Good—and strangely timely for a book written 15 yrs ago. Relevant topics (although fiction): school shootings and politics. I’m about to start Nick Offerman’s PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE. I need something light.

No one remembers that even today, while the trial is going on. You & your city are definitely in the clear. (That’s not a dig, simply an observation of...most people I know.)

Ditto. I’m from the South, and I’ve had women I grew up with use their maiden names in their children’s names (first and middle, depending on the family). One that comes to mind quickly is “Baker.”

If you like stickers, try online-shopping for computer “decals” to decorate your laptop. They’re basically adult stickers. Plus, they make me indescribably happy.

When I started teaching three years ago, my special-ed teacher would bribe our kids with stickers—boys AND girls—and they were in 8th grade! I wonder if that shit ever stops working?

OMG, yes! I fucking HATED Reagan. I turned 9 in 1980, so Reagan takes me through my preteen/teen years (I graduated in ‘89)—and his aftermath (hello, George Bush) through my college years. Even then, when so many were gaga over them, my budding liberal-feminist self was like “Uh uh, no. You suck.”

Seeing him on “The Daily Show” tonight, I pretty much said the same thing. So ruddy, so disheveled. He looked TERRIBLE, especially sitting next to Trevor Noah, who is a lovely human specimen.

Sad-rad, I don’t have any answers, but I’m sorry you feel this way. You don’t say your age, but I hope you can live on your own someday soon. Currently, it sounds like you’re in an unhealthy environment that’s not helping you to embrace your best self—whatever that might be. Wishing good thoughts for you...

I had a toxic friend at work. And although we had a friendship outside of work, she make things very difficult with her bitter attitude and misplaced hostility. On her last day at the office (our company was downsizing in shifts—mine came about 2 yrs later), she got huffy with me and stormed off. I’d seen her shun…

I bought a car (certified pre-owned), and I paid for it outright. For me, that’s huge. It gives me both a new independence and a sense of accomplishment.

I don’t know why she declined. She should’ve taken his fucking money. I mean, she wanted sex with him anyway (which she got). Why not take the money as well? That way you get sex AND money. Win, win.

Picked up nearly all of my early feminist leanings in Gainesville at UF, many of them through our wonderful English professor Anne Goodwyn Jones. We did a lot of reading of feminist criticism in her classes—something with which I was entirely unfamiliar before then. My bookcase at my parents’ house in FL still holds…

Don’t forget snakes. Florida has some mean-ass snakes.

OMG. Why are you responding to this, like, 50 times? We get it.

I just left NYC area after 21+ yrs and am back in FL, where I grew up. The change is AMAZING so far, but probably because it’s sunny and I’m wearing shorts, and my friends up North just got hit with two nasty Nor’easters back to back. The downside: so many more Republicans here. The political ads on TV give me rage…

It’s weird but as a fellow “single income household,” I’m finally old enough* where it’s becoming an advantage rather than a disadvantage. Kids (and families) are expensive. My friends are paying for their kids’ middle and high schools, and many of them are starting to reach college age, which is just more money…

In addition to HR, you can also talk to the company that administers the 401k itself. Mine is Vanguard. They know lots of things about what your specific plan can and can’t do—more so than HR sometimes, especially if your HR people aren’t great. I also have a 403b managed by Axxa (from when I was teaching). At the…

OMG, ventilation. I made the mistake of trying to use paint thinner indoors this winter without opening any windows (duh!). I started to feel very ill before I realized I was basically asphyxiating myself. It was not pretty. I’m surprised I didn’t kill my poor cat.

Or listen to podcasts. I find the podcasts that I love infinitely helpful in getting tasks done because the stories (or discussions or interviews or comedy) make the time go by so much faster and more enjoyably.

Marc Maron’s interviews are divine. They’re so interesting and confessional. As a recovered addict/alcoholic (with a touch of Jewish angst), he has a lot of empathy with his guests. The book is just excerpts from the interviews, but grouped around particular topics (like addiction, success, self-awareness, etc.), with…