Yes, that is the comparison I’m making. And yes, most people are never going to buy high-end chocolate for baking. But the Lifehacker article is advising you to just go for the low-end chocolate. And I’m saying that’s not necessarily the best advice, because using high-end chocolate can result in some spectacular…

I’ve found just the opposite to be true. My current favorite cookie recipe calls for 18 to 20 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, recommending Scharffen Berger or Callebaut: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/0…. That’s a lot of high-quality chocolate, making it a pretty expensive recipe for chocolate chip cookies.…

As with so many things, there is a happy medium to strive for. The YOLO philosophy is obviously foolish and short-sighted, but if you take it with a massive grain of salt, there’s a point to be made there, and particularly to a generation that has entered the labor market at a time of scarcity.

Thank you. I needed to hear this today. (And probably every day.)

You may as well be saying, “I hate my normal life so today I’m going to treat myself by living how I wish I could live everyday.” Sad, don’t you think?

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

I don’t know. My dad told me and my brother when we were younger that he hadn’t wanted to have kids, and that he continued to feel ambivalent about us after we were born (but of course now he loves us, and he’s glad our mom talked him into it). Maybe I just wasn’t old enough to handle it when he told me the truth, but…

Also annoying is how, when I'm with a group of friends and I make a joke, I get ignored. Boyfriend hears me and says the same thing 5 seconds later and gets a big laugh. I don't know if it's because people think women aren't worth listening to, or because they think women can't be funny. Probably both.

It's such a pet peeve of mine. I think I've read this exact same comment on every single article about Benedict Cumberbatch. And so, so many of them start by saying, "Is it just me, or ... ?" No, it's not just you. Do you really think you're so unique, you might be the only person in the entire world who holds that…

This is a very original comment. No one has ever said this before.

Whatever. I mean, good for him, but I'm not taking him off my imaginary celebrity boyfriend list. Nope.

#notallcats. My family's cat follows my mom all around the house and judges just about everything she does to be worthy of adoration and snuggles. Except when she brings the vacuum out—that shit is terrifying.

If I go, I'm going to come back to Jez and reread your comment before I do. Thanks for the confidence boost! It's very easy to forget that anyone might consider my job to be intellectual, since I'm surrounded by PhDs at work, and I only have a BA.

That's lovely. Congrats!

That's nice to hear. My high school class was also around 70 people. It was pretty cliquish, so I mainly just stuck with my small group of friends, most of whom are also waffling about the reunion. If I can get one of them to commit to going, it'll be a lot less awkward. And yeah, talking up my job will probably…

Cheers. I'm hoping I grew out of the loser bit as well. Still bookish and nerdy, though.

My 10-year high school reunion is coming up, and I'm debating whether or not to go. I was that girl everyone used to make fun of for being bookish and overachieving, and I'm afraid I'll be judged for not being sufficiently impressive. In the past 10 years, I graduated college, left my suburban NJ hometown, and moved…

It's almost like intelligent, highly educated women expect their ideas to be treated with as much respect as men's. Silly female academics.

"Be quiet, Arthur. No one wants to play yellow car anymore."

I am normally squicked out by raw meat, too, and I'm not much of a cook. But oddly, I have no problem getting all up in a chicken to prep it for roasting. It's worth a shot!