Booze is not that expensive, and staycations are actually really fun. I love getting a raise, but I’ve never gotten one that didn’t also come with higher expectations and more responsibility, both of which make it harder for me to take and enjoy vacations. I recently changed jobs into a less demanding, lower paid job,…

I remember. So ridiculous.

I mourn TWOP all the time. It was such a great way to turn a mostly solitary activity into a community activity. When I was in college, I dreamed of writing for TWOP (a dream a lot of TWOP recappers would likely have laughed at!). So sad I’ll never get the chance now.

Ugh, yes. So much awful behavior is arrogantly written off as “just the way politics works.” Which, sadly, I think we can fairly read as a reflection of how Sorkin views Hollywood and writing. His incredulity (now! in 2017!) that women and POC get fewer chances and little room to fail compared to white men is fully…

I don’t listen to the podcast, but I totally agree with your assessment of the way Sorkin treats female characters, now and then. I hate watched both Studio 60 and Newsroom, but argh.

Yeah, I don’t think Whedon is on Sorkin’s level in terms of ignorance of this stuff (Sorkin lives in a bubble and shuns the internet, whereas Whedon embraces his fans and new media and is therefore much more likely to be in touch with these issues). But you are totally right that watching Firefly/Serenity in 2017 is a…

Sorkin’s absolute hatred of internet commentary about his shows reflects a greater inability to accept criticism of any kind. He’s thin skinned and arrogant (a combination I see is very en vogue right now!) which made it impossible for him to accept criticism from fans and non-mainstream media, or even to put that…

Rewatch the West Wing knowing what you know now. You’ll see it.

Of course! This is the first place I’ve owned so I was similarly clueless (I’ve rented places with hardwoods before but didn’t worry as much about the hardwoods because (1) they weren’t in great shape to begin with, and (2) not really my problem).

Exactly. Or participate in the conversation about how to plan to get things done, so everyone is on the same page. I get so tired of saying things like, “I’d like to organize the pantry so it’s easier to find things and we don’t spill spices all over the place,” and having my husband suddenly act like a sullen child…

This. My mom was pretty good at keeping the house running smoothly and I learned a lot from her, but the point is that I learned it from her. My dad did fuck all around the house and set that example for my brothers who have had to learn a lot of it from their wives (who don’t let them get away with that shit, god…

Oh my god, I shouldn’t engage, but I’m so tired of this argument.

Ugh, I’m so sorry you had that experience. The emotional labor involved in protecting male egos is so much more exhausting than the actual physical work we’re arguing over. The process always makes me feel so small. Like, if I do all the housework, at least I have this sense of accomplishment and something to point to…

I love that, I will definitely pass it on to him. He is pretty thoughtful and self-aware about this stuff, but I still worry about him feeling lost in the process because men are so often discouraged from admitting that they are struggling or seeking help. Anyway, thanks!

Such a great conversation to start. My husband will be taking paternity leave after my maternity leave next year. I’m grateful that it’s an option for him (and for me — we are so lucky in the family leave department in this fucked up country where it is rare) and he is nervous/excited about it. I wish there were more…

I curse how little my husband knows about keeping a house neat and clean on a regular basis. He really does work hard (he does the bulk of the cooking and grocery shopping, for instance) but there is SO MUCH that he either doesn’t know to do or doesn’t know how to do and it makes me angry that we live in a culture…

It’s more complex than that. For example, there are men who are under the impression that they are participating in a 50/50 split at home, but it’s more like 70/30. It’s just that they were raised by a generation where the split was 90/10, so it seems more equal. There are also a lot of things that happen right around…

This hits home.

I’m not sure anyone is arguing that Taylor Swift should have supported Hillary because that would have made the difference in the election. Rather, I think a lot of people are both (1) baffled that someone whose primary fan base is young women would be so apolitical at a time when young women are becoming much more…

Thanks. I read this but got bogged down by the Lena Dunham discussion and forgot how I felt and then you went and articulated it.