I really resent the "we need to talk". After my last experience with that, what I will now do is, once I see that person face-to-face I will begin the conversation with, "I am just going to listen to what you have to say. I am not going to tell you how I feel about anything or contribute to the conversation in any…

What makes me want to reach through the phone and strangle the sender is not so much the length of the message itself but, when it is long AND

For a raw beginner, it probably isn't expected to do much more than repetition, although a very good teacher can suggest specific practice habits and goals, and will show a beginner how to practice. Parents, if your kid's piano teacher is giving them assignments like, "play this exercise 5 times a day," I promise you…

I don't really "wash" my water bottle either. I tried it once but getting the detergent smell out took sooo many rinsings of hot water. I just rinse it and wipe it now.

Don't feel bad. I majored in music in college so I can hardly be called a music hater, but I cannot stand having music piped at me constantly. For example, I hate it that they play music at my gym. You can't hear anything you bring over it, and I'd prefer working out in silence to what they normally play. I also don't…

My mom's brother's wife is still pissed off, after 13 years, that I didn't call them "sooner" when my mom died, and she was rude to me when I did call her. There was like, no communication going on in our home. I was across the country and couldn't even get a flight in until the day after she died. I had no idea they…

13 years here and ditto.

I think I lost a friend because I dropped by with food and stuff more than she was comfortable with after her husband dropped dead of a heart attack. But, you know, my intentions were right, she always ate it, and we have several mutual friends so I know she's OK now (and remarried). I wouldn't change anything if I…

I went through this with a loved one, my mom's aunt who was like a grandma to me. She was very ill and miserable in her last couple of years. And I didn't really grieve her funeral. What I realized later was that, it's not that I didn't grieve. I grieved earlier, back when I learned that she was sick and in pain and…

My family was not religious, nor am I individually. Shortly before she died, my mom found Jesus or something, and had a cross necklace. It did not mean much to me. My best friend, who helped me out a lot is/was very religious, so I gave it to her. Every now and then, I find myself wanting to ask for it back. Like, I…

Oh man, not to diminish anyone's grief over a human, and I had a really bad situation when my mom died, but my beloved Pouncer cat died 2 years ago, and I was a WRECK for two weeks.

There are times when I think I could have better dealt with my father's break with sanity when my mother died. However, then I remember, I never married my father. I never made a pledge to him. When he brought me into this world, he took on a responsibility to me. See, because I was 30 and single, he expected that I…

When I was first seeking administrative work, my name was "Denise Williams". I submitted my resumes to many positions and temp firms, hearing nothing. I walked in to one temp office, finally, and handed my resume in. They took one look at me and the resume and said, "Great, we could really use you to go to Merrill…

I am getting a whole new perspective about this from working as a recruitment consultant, and auditioning as an actress, auditioning people for my projects, and looking for work as a writer (screen and comedy).

YES! 32C here. Most places don't carry it. I wore a 34B for years because it was the closest size I could find in the stores. I haven't worn one of those since I started shopping online, and never will unless my body changes.

I had some tough things go on in my childhood, and once people know me well and I fill in some details, they're surprised that I turned out more or less successful and tend towards kindness/generosity. However, I do know A LOT about my family history. I know stories about my great-grandparents, distant cousins, etc.…

I gave myself a "yes" for that, because even though I didn't hear that particular story, my parents did tell me that my grandmother was hunched over because she had a negative outlook, and it literally dragged her down. So I figured it was the same type of story.

I'm with you. There are a lot of people who may be very competent but who do things that are extremely off-putting, and as an interviewer, you can't tell them the problem due to legal reasons. I did a Skype interview with someone once who was actually brilliant, but for some reason she chose to be wearing a nightgown…

Crazy. I like it but I won't pay a second time.

The thing to keep in mind is, you don't get to start enjoying the benefits of being great at something until you're great, and it will take you more than 7 years to get great at something if you have to work at something else at the same time.