You sound like you're in the same space my dad was when he finally decided to quit drinking. The 12 step thing doesn't require you to believe in god. It just means that you believe there is a higher purpose out there than yourself, something outside of yourself to strive for. My dad is an atheist, but 12 steps helped…

Is their mom a big fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood vampire erotica series?

Feel no shame! Matilda is an amazing name!

Amelia was my fantasy daughter's name for years after I watched Amelie. I don't even want kids, but it's such an awesome name. Now Beatrix or Beatrice is my favourite. It just sounds so romantic.

That's how I feel about the horde of Ashleys and Jennifers. They sound like perpetual 6th graders, but no one questions the validity of those.

What's wrong with Gabriel?

I guess you would never hire anyone with a non-Anglo Saxon name either? Because it's "weird" and not familiar to you?

My boyfriend's housemates once had a party where someone stole their thermostat. In November. The shitty landlord didn't replace it until January. This was in Ontario, Canada, so it got fucking cold.

I really want a kid named Dante. Is that hipster?

That's tough. The only thing I can suggest is that you two talk it out in a non-sex situation and try to come up with a plan of action for the nest time it happens. But if he refuses to try to remedy the situation or change the way he sees it and reacts to it, there's not much you can do.

I've had bronchitis and this definitely feels different, like it's coming from my voice box, not my chest. I do think I'm headed in the direction of antibiotics, which I'm definitely not happy about. Blah.

No, this is my first teaching experience. I was okay all summer, but I lost my voice when I first got here in the spring. I have a heavy teaching load on the weekend, so I think that's what really did me in. I might be okay to teach over the week, because I usually only have 1.5 hours/day, but I have to also do promo…

Dan Savage's advice is that when he goes soft, you need to roll with it and do other things for a while, like have him eat you out or finger you, so neither of you is focusing on his dick. If it's mostly psychological, getting all bent out of shape about it (both you and him) just puts more pressure on him, which…

Maybe, but I live on the seaside, so the air is supposedly cleaner here than in-land.

I'm losing my voice, and i'm pissed. I've never lost my voice before coming to teach in China and now this is the second time in 8 months. Last time it came on really fast and I couldn't teach for nearly a week. The way they treat these things here is a three-day course of intraveinous antibiotics. I really would…

I'm getting a cold too! :(

Thanks for the advice. I wish I could just drop by, but I'm in China and he's in Canada. :( I did have an in-person meeting with him in the spring and he was very encouraging about me going to grad school. He's pretty flaky/forgetful (as most profs are), so he probably forgot.

Last Friday (Oct 18), I finally got around to emailing the profs who agreed to write me reference letters for grad school applications to confirm that they are still on board. One of them responded, it's all good. The other one hasn't even answered my email and I really want to move along with my applications. How…

Do they not have brains wherever you're from, dipshit?

This is a very intelligent comment. Not at all idiotic and reductive. Carry on.