Yes! What person operating on an extremely meager food budget doesn’t make a ton of soup? She could have traded the limes, avocado, cilantro, and romaine lettuce for carrots, celery, more onions, green beans, and vegetable bouillon. The bouillon, veggies, and the rice and/or beans would have given her some kick ass…

Aldi is a godsend when poor. I have more wiggle room than I did in my early adulthood, but I still love going there. So many items there are so blissfully cheap.

Right? I spent a very poor summer subsisting almost entirely on white bread, peanut butter, and spaghetti with sauce made from canned tomato sauce and dried garlic and Italian seasoning blend. The bread, peanut butter, pasta, and tomato sauce were all no-frills generic brands and the spices were $.50/little container…

I have trouble telling Italian parsley and cilantro apart too if it isn’t labeled.

Your thesis topic sounds really fascinating. Out of curiosity, what would you choose on that budget?

Exactly! Shit, with the one tomato she can’t even make decent chili.

No, you’re definitely not the only one. Is that romaine lettuce? It’s nutritious and all, but...what is she going to do with it given the rest of her items? Use it in tacos? Lettuce wraps? That seems like an odd purchase in lieu of a greater variety of other veggies as well.

I think you’re right, but with the cuts to the program recently as well as the general economic sluggishness, it’s very possible that SNAP funds are the only source of money for food for plenty of people.

Well, then those children are considered gifts from God. But if the mother requires assistance to raise said gift? Pssht, she’s a lazy slut who needs to get a real job.

Laura Brown: Tell me about when you first met Karl.

I've always wanted to put together an in-flight playlist that passengers can plug into during the trip. The playlist would be made of songs by Otis Redding, John Denver, Jim Croce, Lynard Skynard, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Aaliyah, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. I wonder how many people would notice.

I dabble with clothes from a variety of stores, but I find I always come back to Old Navy. I don’t even buy from the plus section that much, as I’ve found that the clothes that fit me best are XL or XXL Tall stuff. I’m technically a little shy of being a “tall” as I’m around 5”8 1/2’ or so, but I with long arms, broad…

YES. Lane Bryant did well for awhile, but usually they offer clothes that appeal to two groups: 20 year olds who dig sparkle and glitter on everything, or 75 year old grandmothers of 6. No in between.

A contemporary of Queen Victoria - Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal - was a fan of roller skating. She was given what was believed to be the first pair of roller skates in Portugal by a French countess in 1873. Maria Pia and her children loved them, and would skate down the hallways of Ajuda Palace shouting at servants…

Jill Sobule wrote a song about the Mary Kay/Vili saga:

He must have demanded too much attention on him instead of accepting her love. Maybe he couldn't stay in the spotlight (you know, with all eyes on him) so his ex replaced him with the next best thing.

That was my takeaway from this interview as well.

I lived my first 37 years in Iowa. At around age 20, I knew I needed something different. I stayed for another 17 years for a variety of reasons (very long story that has to do with a combination of family, jobs, and money), but when I finally left, I felt as though I’d long since disconnected myself from the place.…

I have a hotel bucket list of places all over the world where I’d like to stay. The St. Francis is #1, mostly because I’m fascinated by the whole Fatty Arbuckle scandal that started there. That, and it’s a gorgeous hotel.

On the last day of a weeklong family trip to Disney World, I think I ate something dodgy from Japan at Epcot Center. I felt a little funny when I went to bed, and woke up that morning feeling even...funnier. As we were heading back to the airport on the Magical Express (re: the bus) that morning, I started to feel…