I’ve got the CVS version of the Neutrogena (in 45 instead of 70, because I’m Italian with greasy skin and I don’t really tan or burn in typical amounts of exposure but I still need SOMEthing) and I don’t know if it being a store brand makes that much of a difference when the ingredients were identical, but I was not a…

I’ve got the CVS version of the Neutrogena (in 45 instead of 70, because I’m Italian with greasy skin and I don’t…

I grew up in a Sicilian neighborhood of western NY and pasta fagioli was pretty common there. I love using ditalini in soups and stews that require a starch, because I certainly can’t be arsed to make dumplings (I make bastardized goulash with ditalini), and cannellini was already a common protein source for the…

I wish I could wear cute heels, but at 10.5 WW with a bunion and a high instep, the selection of shoes that fit are very very small. I have a pair of 4" mary janes with a rounded toe, which I bought from a place that caters to drag queens and MTF, and those sorta fit - I can totter around for a little while, but they…

Thick, coarse, and wavy here. My hair is glorious when it behaves, but hooboy is it poofy and frizzy for six or seven months out of the year.

Thick, coarse, and wavy here. My hair is glorious when it behaves, but hooboy is it poofy and frizzy for six or…

“I have long believed that it is only right and appropriate that before one sleeps with someone, one should be able—if called upon to do so—to make them a proper omelet in the morning. Surely that kind of civility and selflessness would be both good manners and good for the world. Perhaps omelet skills should be…

European duvets are suffocatingly hot for me and I don’t know why. It’s the weirdest thing. On three different trips to three different places, I’ve woken up so hot under one of those things I had to throw it off until I cooled down, or put on a hoodie and slept on top of it.

Have you ever tried those little Spanish grater dishes they hawk at town festivals? They are the BEST THING for rubbing garlic (and ginger, turmeric, etc) down to goop without losing any of the tasty bits or having to expend a lot of energy with a knife or an expensive/heavy pestle and mortar.

I’m still mad they never explained why Lupin knew about the Map.

I lived in Baltimore for almost 10 years and saw some -wicked- downpours on several occasions. I don’t know what it is about that area, but storms seem to hold the worst of their wad for a thousand miles and then dump half the Gulf of Mexico right on top of the Patapsco.

I am a little cavalier about sunscreen because something about my particular genetics means that I am somewhat resistant to the sun even though I’m white. I don’t get much of a tan even with a lot of exposure, and I DO burn, but it takes a lot longer than most people - I usually have to be out in summer heat for 1-2…

ALL of the lax players I knew were always the most aggressive knuckle-draggers of all the sports teams - overprivileged rich white boys, although not necessarily clean and preppy. Mean alcoholics, all of them.

This is pretty much how I make it, including hulling the chickpeas, except I use cayenne instead of Aleppo pepper, and I’ve discovered the wonder of drizzling harissa olive oil on top.

When you look as well as when you want to fly can make a significant amount of difference. The last couple of years, I have been seeing obscenely cheap airfare from the East Coast to Europe ($350-$500) around Nov-Dec-Jan and again in September. Granted, I have not put in a great deal of time looking in other months,…

I edge it where coffee is concerned - I often get anxiety-related palpitations, and too much caffeine for too long will push me over into a week or two of unpleasant kerthumping. But quit altogether? Not unless medically ordered to do so. I try to make the bulk of my purchases cold brew (or otherwise straight coffee…

I have been going to a male gyno for close to ten years. He is very polite, patient, listens to what I say, is enthusiastic about my choices, never uses a cold speculum, and he ALWAYS has a woman in the room.

You are a good human being.

Intertrigo? I get that with sports bras in particular, to the point that I’ve almost given up wearing them, at least if it has to be on all day. Fortunately, a schmear of cortisone cream takes care of that right quick.

The hood is so shallow, though. I have a large head and a LOT of hair, and I have a really hard time finding hooded jackets that come far enough past my forehead that they don’t get dragged back within ten feet by motion or breeze. I used to have a Land’s End jacket that had a little widow’s peak built into a nice…

The hood is so shallow, though. I have a large head and a LOT of hair, and I have a really hard time finding hooded…

I came home from Budapest with a 3oz bag of Hungarian paprika that I was dying to use. My first recipe was the NY-Polish-immigrant-style goulash I grew up with (which uses ground beef and ditalini - the dish is more like more like chili than the beef shin/dumpling stew I had there), which came out fantastic and I…

I’m gonna +1 the IUD crowd. I don’t have fibroids in my *uterus* (my boobs are another story), but I don’t want kids, I’m terrible about taking pills on time, my insurance has made the pills part of my deductible for several years (meaning I had to pay full price), and after a couple years of cramps and heavy bleeding…