My sister and her husband keep their house oppressively cold so she’s always wrapped up in a million layers topped with a fleece housecoat/bathrobe. So I now associate them with miserly or poor people who won’t, or can’t afford to, heat their house.

Rich people can afford to have like ten pairs of eyeglasses to better accessorize their outfits. Sort of like normal people can’t afford $12,000 purses, they also can’t afford to buy a $500-1000 pair of eyeglasses simply because they’re “cute” and “would go with my purple suit.”

Didn’t your daughter’s school have re-takes for that purpose? We always had a do-over a month later for the people with closed eyes and open wounds.

I have experienced it. I always assume it’s one of a couple things. Either:

Dan Harris’ book, though mostly about his experiences with meditation, describes his experiences as a correspondent with ABC News in quite a lot of detail. According to him, the more experienced correspondents can lobby for certain stories or beats, but it’s ultimately a very hierarchical world where the producers…

That’s an interesting take. Given I’m not a doctor or psychologist/ psychiatrist, I’ve been both curious and skeptical of the whole notion of sex addiction. On the one hand, I know we’re always learning more about the human body, brain, and behaviour, and the DSM changes with each publication to include new disorders,…

There is that. My partner and I are forever convinced all middle schoolers are the scum of the earth.

Human trafficking, stage parents, bad parents, lured there under false pretenses... lots of ways.

One of my bullies tried to pick me up in a bar five years after high school graduation. I laughed in his face and walked away.

Sounds like a mensa candidate for sure.

Only if you want to get sober. Otherwise - liquor at wholesale!

My impression is that she’s simultaneously doing that thing where you subconsciously pick up accents from those around you and that thing where you are too drunk/high and can’t remember words, or what it is you were saying, leading her to sound like a lower-level ESL student. Not the best combo.

Haha - I’m from New Brunswick and my accent evens out a lot when I’m away from home, but whenever I’m home for awhile, despite being Anglo, my voice gets the slightest hint of a French lilt.

Thanks. I don’t keep in touch with them. I did with one, who seemed apologetic, but turned out to be more or less the same person. I really just know second-hand or people who have pretty low privacy options on their Facebook account. But I’m also a much more assertive adult than I was a kid. And the bullying slowed…

I mean you’re right, but it was and it wasn’t.

I love a good citation - thanks for that - interesting stuff.

The bully with 6 kids was definitely religious and I definitely experienced some bullying because I didn’t understand the religious references, or even weird euphemisms that my classmates used. Like I genuinely did not understand what they were talking about when they talked about taking purity pledges, and remaining…

That is very true. I have ad blockers on, so I tend to forget how many ads there are online.

That’s possible. I’m more inclined to believe what another commenter suggested - that the bullied kids tend to be smarter, and different, and probably a bit more critical and less likely to jump into having kids because it’s what’s expected.

Yikes! Not that I’ve paid much attention, but I don’t think any of my bullies ever ended up in jail, let alone murdering anyone.