@Archetype: Those classes sound amazing! I have an old Vogue Sewing Book from the 70's that I use as my personal guide to understanding how clothes are made—I am of the belief that the more you know how clothes are made, the better consumer you are.

@GoodMorningAngels (makes me Charlie): I'm not in academia, but I get to see it from the perspective of the fiance and a number of close friends in it, and there is definitely the "cult of prodigy" especially when they try to recruit prospective professors. But I have heard of those young "prodigies" totally shooting…

@funnyface: Well, you know, "Chili's is the new golf course."—Small Businessman Magazine.

@tscheese: Dammit! Now you have me craving the nachos from my neighborhood bar in addition to their wings (best in the state, or so I'm told). Maybe I'll just get an order of both and say phooey to the gardenburger (with swiss) I was planning to get for takeout...

@Rooo sez BISH PLZ: Weep! That's terrible!!! :-( My black Lab died of intestinal cancer when he was 4, but we didn't know it was that until after the fact—we thought it was due to our neighbors letting their chickens wander into our property and our dog eating their...leftovers. But it was doubly heartbreaking to know…

@wigglepuppy: @ccchild: My mom made many of my Halloween costumes too! And I have this kick-ass wool skirt she made for herself in the 70's that I really need to just bust out and wear.

@Archetype: I tend (and honestly try to) only get judgemental when a friend tells me that they proudly had unprotected sex. I freak the fuck out about that, mostly because I'm of the "use multiple BC methods, i.e. using condoms even on the Pill" school of thought, and I have the notion that any sex you have should be…

@LaComtesse: My fiance loves the fact that sapphires are infinitely more useful to him in the lab than diamonds, which somehow made the shopping process a lot of fun for him. Which is only one of the many reasons I love him.

I have a sapphire instead of a diamond, and while sometimes I get looks, everyone is usually too distracted by the gorgeous stone (it seriously sparkles in natural light) to make any condescending comments about it not being a diamond.

@tscheese: I did as well, and it was fucking sweet. Although when I visited my grandmom, I was all-too-happy to ride the dark blue one, and there was the likely genesis of my love of the color dark blue. My hatred of pink I blame on the pink walls I had from age 5 to age...15. But by that time I had covered up so much…

@Philthyist again.: My brother and SIL got one for their wedding (they wanted something a little smaller but the Hummer was brought to the church anyway) and while it was fun to mock the excess in front of us, nothing was scarier than the driver making a 3-point-turn using the wrong direction of an off-ramp because he…

You guys have to read "My Favorite Tipples" by Douglas Adams (from the short essay collection Salmon of Doubt). The only thing funnier than getting those delightful mystery packages at your doorstep (or at your office, like I do) is reading about an older British gentleman's drunken ordering tendencies.

@BeckySharper: Was thinking the exact same thing—no parent should have to bury their child, no matter the age. My thoughts and prayers are with his whole family.

@Archetype: That sounds like an awesome and terrifying challenge to do during an interview. And now I'm fascinated by what you do—please PM me!

@Macloserboy: Because she's making a big deal about not submitting herself for an award that she "may" have been considered for this season, and it comes off as her stirring the pot because it's been rumored for months that she wants out of the show. And it also reeks of a little bitterness on her part that she didn't…

@Macloserboy: Yes, but she's kind of turning into Joey from Friends in the episode where he tells the Soap Opera Digest reporter that he writes most of his own lines—if she wasn't shitting all over the people who helped her get where she is today, I'd respect her for being this ballsy. It's about as classy as trashing…

@ineffable.me: I also take issue with this—it seems like she's just bitter that the George/Izzie fiasco didn't pan out as well as they were hoping, and the strike forced her character to go into the backseat (much like Sandra Oh, which is more unfortunate in my opinion). And honestly, I liked most of the post-strike…

Worst day in retail—a woman comes in with a picture of her recently-murdered sister (as in, only days prior) and asks me to make a color copy. Poor thing starts breaking down in front of me—I gave her some tissues, and guided her to the restroom so she could have a little privacy. Seriously, I didn't know what to do…

Also—the Dresden Dolls are fucking awesome.

FEIST! I love me some Leslie Feist—her cover of "Inside and Out" is worth getting Let it Die alone, and The Reminder is a FANTASTIC record.