I have actually been to that ball. I am half black, and there was another black couple in our party. Based on the way we were treated, I am not surprised and I do not believe this was staged at all.

I took classes with a trainer who specialized in my dog's breed. The great majority of the time, reinforcement was positive... but he said there are some dogs with whom you need the occasional negative reinforcement, like a tap on the nose. That was the only way we could get that (rescue) dog's attention if there was…

Wow, great comments here. Check out the blog "A Practical Wedding." The editor has a kid, and she posts essays on Motherhood and how she is NOT a child-centered type of mom. It's great.

I also have a history of abuse, and I disagree. If my spouse and I have children, their needs will always be first priority, but I firmly believe our happiness is tantamount to giving children a firm foundation for a happy life. I say that based on how absolutely fucking miserable my parents were. They still are.

The resurgence started around the 70s (launch of Hokulea, a canoe that went from island to island to increase pride). The tattoos started becoming more complex and intricate, and now there is a sort of "pan-polynesian" key of symbols that a lot of islanders use, regardless of which island they're from.... So it's kind…

I grew up in a part of polynesia, and this bashing shows incredible Western imperialist bias. Tattoos are more significant and historical than these folks can imagine. For what it's worth, I have a large forearm piece that I display at work (healthcare). No one has ever given me flack for it, possibly because it's…

Sigh. I just had this argument over on NPR. 1) Successful healthcare practitioner with a doctorate here (many of us are inked, THE HORROR), and 2) in my culture, tattoos are of deep historical significance and a way of reclamation from systemic slaughter and oppression. Your broad brush is painting a lot of us…

I don't see it mentioned yet: the singular best thing I've ever done for my skin is take fish oil. I'm a WOC and look relatively young for my age, but good fish oil took a few more years off my face somehow.

One of their matte powders matches my skin tone to a T. NO OTHER FOUNDATION HAS EVER DONE THIS. I use a small dusting of it daily.

I use coconut oil (cheap! effective!) to cleanse and moisturize my face at night. I rub it in, then lightly wipe with a damp washcloth. It removes my makeup and keeps my skin looking plump. I didn't use anything but regular soap until I moved to Colorado, but now my skin needs all the moisture. I should try papaya oil…

My husband's mother died (cancer), and those close to me know how relieved I am about it. She was easily the most toxic person I have ever met, which is saying something considering I am estranged from both my parents (abuse).

THIS. A friend has a porn addiction. It severely affects his relationships, his work... you could replace it with any other addictive substance and it would look pretty much the same. I don't get a lot of these comments, or even this article.

It's great fun, IMO. You get to tramp around outside in places you couldn't ordinarily walk; not sinking into the snow is an interesting and fun phenomenon. I'm smaller and lighter than my husband, so he gets the "really working out" sensation he prefers (due to sinking a lot further), while I get the "yay, moderate…

You and I should hike together. (My husband prefers race pace. Hence the fights.)

Ugh. I'm athletic but I haaate hiking ("this is walking on rocks on a slope"). My husband loves it. We finally learned to stop hiking together and go run or snowshoe instead, or else we get into stupid big fights on the trail for everyone to hear.

Yeah, once a local kid got caught selling weed out of KFC. The code was to ask for an extra biscuit, and that's how he got caught (by an upstanding non-smoker who really just wanted an extra biscuit).

Yeah, I can't believe I'm about to defend the Springs, but I lived there during my first year in Colorado. The west side of town has pockets of liberalism (coffee shops, music places, etc) that are nice to hang out at. I wasn't exposed to much craziness, and I'm a WoC.

Nice! I should clarify: this was a crunchy/natural/yoga-type facialist. Somehow ethereal and snooty at the same time. I suspect if it had been a medical facialist, I would have gotten the same drug push the derm gave me. Hope that helps.

I had adult acne until last year. If you have the funds, get thee to a high-end facialist; she linked my skin issue to diet in just one visit (the derm just injected a zit with a needle and shrugged. Literally). Eventually, I was able to find the culprit: high fructose corn syrup. Not regular sugar (I can't live…

Agreed. I started off marathoning but found a specialty in 10k. Somehow, my benchmark is also 30 minutes.