I think this article is a really good assessment of the misinformation about anti-depressants and the research about their benefits. There is one important thing I’d like to add, from my own experience. That is that other conditions can have symptoms that are like depression and need to be ruled out as part of a…

No less of a relationship expert than Woody Allen once said, “Casual sex is a meaningless experience. But as meaningless experiences go, it’s one of the best.

Solo or partnered sex is an excellent way to get to sleep or get back to sleep in the middle of the night. If you need a little porn to make the endless loop of anxiety provoking thoughts go away, do it. Sex is not addictive, not harmful, and works very well against insomnia. Probably because we live with overwhelming…

My older grandson, now 20, was both precocious and obstreperous. When he was about four, he started saying %#@!!! *&% when he hurt himself or didn’t get what he wanted. Goddess only knows where he heard that, but my son sat him down and said “%#@!!! *&% are bad words and it will upset people if they hear you say…

I met my life partner in 1961. In 1964 we cut out of a microbiology lab, went down to the Multnomah County Courthouse, got hitched, and went back and finished the lab. The judge, out of pity for how young and naive we seemed, wouldn’t even take the customary $10 we offered him. At 79, we’re very much in love, and…

Yes, gay is natural. But the real test of which behaviors should be forbidden is if they cause significant harm. Proposition 8 in California was struck down because the opponents of gay marriage couldn’t point to any material harm allowing gays to marry would cause. One doesn’t have to look far to find horrific…

About three years ago, when I was but a lad of 75, tadalafil (Cialis) was not quite doing the job for me anymore. My doc suggested trying a metal cock ring. I did, and it works great! You can find them on line or in sex toy stores. I’d recommend gay leatherman’s store like Doghouse Leathers in Seattle.

I am a 78 year old man who lives with his life partner of 61 years. We have practiced polyamory since 1967, so we have had our share experience learning to love. And we are now dealing with the slings and arrows cast at us by our advancing years.

Maybe “No assholes.” means they’re looking for somebody with a colostomy?

You shouldn’t use a real estate agent. You should find a real estate attorney, preferably with a real estate brokers license, and sell your house yourself. There are plenty of books out there on how to do a sale by owner. We have sold three of our homes that way, and saved tens of thousands of dollars.

The worst thing I ever did was when my kids were 3 and 4. If they didn’t want to do something I wanted them to do, like go to bed, I’d say, well, why don’t we just flip a coin. Heads I win, tails you lose. That worked well for a few months, but when they finally caught on, they were really pissed.

About 50 years ago I started looking at this problem the other way around. That was to look at the things I liked to do and figure out how to do them in a way that created income. I went from a mediocre career in science which I didn’t like to a very satisfying career in the arts/music industry. As the folksinger Utah…

At first I thought it was reprehensible to coach people on how to get out of jury duty if they able to serve without threat to their health or income. Jury duty is an essential element of democracy, and one should feel proud to participate in it. Then I thought that anyone who would do the sleazier things you suggest…

YES!!! I am pretty much off sugar. I use whole milk in my coffee, but love half and half or cream on occasion. Worse, I’ve done that with chocolate, too. I never eat any chocolate under 85%, and mostly eat 100%. It is an acquired taste, like black coffee. You get to savor a much more nuanced flavor profile if you let…

Years ago we had a pigeon problem at a 100 year old Victorian home we were fixing up in Portland, OR. The pigeons were destroying the decorative wood features, “gingerbread”, and nesting inside the walls. A friend from California visited and suggested we hang kites with pictures of raptors on them in our attic…

Working at a job in the corporate world for me was a non-starter. I got a PhD in molecular genetics, but, frankly, couldn’t stand the competitive environment of academia. So when I was 28, I got a job as staff scientist at a Public Interest Research Group, think Nader, and used a year of unemployment to start an…

The canister is tempting, but I usually don’t add sugar, and if I do, not much. I often add a little brandy or rum. So the canister really doesn’t do it for me.

“Filled with bacteria.”? Oh, my! So is cheese, yogurt, not to mention kim chee, kosher dills, etc, etc. The real questions are:

1. Do people reusing unwashed straws have any increase in any medical condition? Do the straws eventually have an off taste or smell? If not, rinse them and forget it.

It was great to see your SW Louisiana gumbo recipe! As someone who produced a cookbook of the Creole side of that cuisine for one of my clients, Queen Ida, Cookin’ with Queen Ida”, I’d like to offer a couple of thoughts. One is that it is possible to buy roux on the Internet now. Even some of my hardest core Cajun…

When my older grandson was about four, he started saying “mf dammit” when he hurt himself or didn’t get what he wanted. Goddess only knows where he heard that, but my son sat him down and said “mf dammit is a bad word and it will upset people if they hear you say it, and they will think less of you. But that isn’t…