I only saw my father every other weekend, but he has always been an important part of my life and I’d be horrified if anyone implied he was any less my parent because he didn’t have custody of me.

I parented my younger siblings because our mother was too ill to take care of us. Anyone in my family will tell you I “raised” them, but no one would call me their mother.

I think what people are so up-in-arms about relates to the emotional connotation and value that patriarchal ideology places on motherhood: that…

I don’t believe people who can’t manage a passable southern accent should play characters from Alabama.

I can’t afford a dentist, and only recently got ACA coverage so I can see a doctor. I know you’re joking, but for a LOT of people orthodontia is most certainly a luxury.

This debate is so interesting in light of the Katrina anniversary, since people displaced by the storm were called “refugees” in a derogatory manner. It’s odd, coming from the perspective of that experience, to see “refugee” referred to as the more empathetic term.

Interestingly enough, they let plenty of actual Nazis into the US. That's how we won the space race.

I’ve noticed a similar emphasis on the performance of femininity in the South and in Los Angeles — probably for different reasons, but the effect is the same. An otherwise plain person is considered attractive as long as they hit certain marks, and manicure is a big one.

Laugh along with the Meatloaf People.

I’ll never do whatever meatloaf people do >:|

If you're rich, get a LELO. If you're broke like me, their Intimina line is more affordable but still beautifully designed and nontoxic.

Anything LELO, or if you don't wanna drop that kind of money, their Intimina line.

I was just reading about the evolution of vibrators from health devices to novelty toys to luxury tech items. The “rabbit” emerged when they were considered kitschy toys. For me they evoke the questionable materials and design of that era.

Speaking as a therapist, it makes me really sad that you’re right. “Do no harm” seems to go out the window way too often.

You know, I love Los Angeles but it seems like we have a higher than average proportion of dumbasses running businesses. Faking it til you make it seems to work like a dream.

Oh man, I’d forgotten about the multiple baptisms. My piece of shit stepdad used to get “saved” every time he got sober.

I think detailing an event that may or may not have happened shifts focus from the horrors that definitely happened, and contributes to the skewed perceptions outsiders seem to have about Katrina and the aftermath. And I think it’s in poor taste, without evidence, to demonize doctors who risked their lives to stay and…

You think alleged euthanasia is the horror here? Not the people left to die, not the bodies floating down the street, not the people getting shot trying to escape the city — but doctors ending the pain of dying patients?

Couldn’t agree more. You see the best and the worst of people. Like a fistfight waiting in line for gas but also folks sharing what they had and helping any way they could.

I wasn’t around for Ivan but my mom lost power for more than a month. Bad times.

Yeah, I’m a therapist working mostly with teens. I just take my dog with me whenever I can. She’s super calm and cuddly so it works out, but she’s not a trained therapy or service dog.