Good God. I hope you got to marry a Victorian hottie out of this arrangement, at least!

I assume you have attended academic conferences? Because ugh lord, they’re the absolute worst for “My question is really more of a comment”. 

In my imaginary fantasy Q&A, I repeatedly tell non-question askers, two-part question askers, and stupid question askers to sit the fuck down, then pull a Graham Norton style lever that sends them hurtling out of the aisle.

I was once at an author talk and a woman did this and she went on for a solid five minutes. It was pure “look at me, I am so erudite.” People were outwardly huffing and rolling their eyes (the woman on one side of me rolled her entire head). And after she was finished the author was like “ ... That’s fine. Next…

I know, right? The moment I hear anything less than “Yeah, I’d totally love to go on a date”, I mentally move on to other things.  Like, what I’m going to have for lunch.

If you step up to the mic and start by saying “This is more of a comment than a question,” the moderator should be able to drop one of those 16-ton ACME weights on you from the ceiling. 

I’ve never understood how people don’t get that.

I’ve stopped going to any panels at cons and such because of this. I hate audience Q&A and seriously run the risk of being the asshole in the crowd yelling to ask your damn question or sit your ass down because no one cares about what a big fan you are. We’re all big fans, that’s why we’re here.

I saw Rebecca Traister speak once, and during the Q&A a man told her he was sick of feeling like he couldn’t hit on women on the bus anymore. I saw Ta-nehisi Coates speak once, and a dumb white college kid told him he thought Kendrick Lamar was “the first political rapper.” (Okay, that one was funny.) They both…

Yes! And you don’t even need an app if that’s not something the event host/venue want to pursue — there are tons of other options to avoid this exact scenario. Just have people write their questions on cards they drop in a box to be sorted through by an off-stage staff member who will hand the best ones to the…

I was today years old when I learned that Naomi Klein and Naomi Wolf are two different people and I’m just so so relieved of the fact because Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything was phenomenal. 

Holy shit!

Well, between cash and bonds and silver certificates, $96,000. There were also quite a few drawstring bags of loose change, so more like $96,007.52.

never, you dummy, just like you won’t see an article about talking an unwilling friend into an abortion.

I mean, the appropriate mature/adult thing to do here would be to realize, “Wow, I really misconstrued things back then, didn’t I?” not start yelling that she’s lying to make him look bad because reasons.

Poor Natalie had some similar shit happen with Jonathan Safran Foer too, she worked with him on the Eating Animals movie and apparently he went and told his wife he and Natalie were in love and he was leaving her. Apparently that was news to Natalie who is happily married.

...I know you are trying to be cute, but something deep within me needs you to know that knitters and quilters are very different people and not equate them. 

This has turned into a Moby’s strip* of embarrassment shame, and neediness.

So it can be helpful to share your experience, but not to assume your experiences are going to be the same or that your friend will feel what you felt.

I have hilariously sensitive skin and the Lush ones have been fine, but obviously ymmv. I also tend to shower after I’ve had a good soak so it doesn’t linger past the initial exposure.