One of my least favorite things about living in Portland is the fancy ketchup. Please stop with the fancy ketchup. Heinz is perfect you don’t have to do this.

It’s easy to forget because of how ubiquitous it is, but Heinz is really the gold standard of ketchups. It’s got the perfect balance of salt, sweet and umami.

Server: “So, can I get you anything else?”
Dad: “No, thank you. Absolutely nothing else.”
Server: “OK then, here’s the check. I can take it whenever you’re ready.”
Dad: “Oh, no. I said we don’t need anything else, including the check.”
Server: “No, you said ‘no thank you’ to ‘can I get you anything else,’ a courtesy…

I’m a copy editor, was graduated in 1980 so almost four full decades in the business, and every stupid little doofus who learned a rule in grade school and thinks it still applies or everyone who has a pet peeve yet is oblivious to all the other mistakes they’re making. The English language is hard, even for native…

One of the ways that’s helped calm me down when speaking in a large group is to picture myself naked. 

“I probably would have gone to jail and I knew I didn’t have the money for bail. But I still remember those real allies to this day, for another reason:

My dentist says I should do both.  The water pik isn’t so great for the contact points between teeth.  Since I don’t like dumping truck loads of money up to his office a couple three times a year, I do that instead...

I leave it on, only because the two minutes is almost exactly how long it takes for the hot water to get from the tank to my bathroom. By the time i’m done brushing, the hot water is there ready to shower.

She was “intoxicated” but immediately climbed behind the wheel of a car. Seems to me that if we want to take her story at face value, then the police should be hauling her in for a DUI.

When Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ came out years ago, it entered into my decision not to have kids, an awful childhood being the rest of the reason. I’m really glad I didn’t have kids. I’d have grandkids by now and the future doesn’t look good. Not having descendants to worry about has been some comfort.

Things were rocky between my husband and me until he took ownership of the house and kids, rather than treating them like my responsibility with which he would help if I specifically delegated tasks. Marriage is a partnership. You are not “helping” by doing your fair share. Take an honest inventory of who does what at…

May or may not apply to your wife at all:

For me, it's hard to ask for help because I grew up in a household where people were expected to do their chores without prompting. If a parent had to remind me to start a load of laundry or do the dishes, it meant I'd made a mistake by forgetting to do so. No one would be mad at me, but I'd be embarrassed about…

I think the fact that women have to deal with potentially dangerous situations from a very young age on (harassment, cat calling, walking home alone in the evening while having a vagina etc) plays a part in this as well. They learn very early how to tell when other people, particularly men, are angry or tense or…

Look, if my husband said "hey, whenever you want help with the housework, let me know..." I would lose my shit. Because it assumes I'm responsible for the housework. These days I come home and say to him, "listen, if you want help, let me know..."

I am endlessly surprised at what I have to say out loud. This causes a lot of hurt feelings for me. I feel like men excuse themselves from everything. Stack of dirty dishes? Eats cereal in super sized mixing bowl. Dirty clothes piling up? I'll just put on the same socks for a week straight. Lawn needs mowed? …

I think that's part of it, and I think it's also that women are taught to anticipate the needs of others. We're taught that we should clean things before they are brought to our attention, to be prepared with a beverage or a snack if someone might want one, etc. It's apparently part of being a good…

Yep. I'm a girl, and apparently I have a "male" communication style because I respond by suggesting solutions.

Are you sure? I'm pretty sure that's always what everyone is asking.

If you're the type of person who likes to fix things and solve problems, don't assume every complaint your SO makes is a troubleshooting request. Sometimes it's just about venting.