Yes, to be fair, that was a clarifying moment. "Oh, maybe I actually do have low-level depression and it's brain chemistry." That allowed me to redefine my approach to life (more yoga, walking, focusing on gratitude rather than problems), which has helped a bit (as has springtime).

BINGO. Absolute bingo. Also, looks-wise, you can always find a problem. These days, I'm less satisfied with my hair (frizz); when I weighed more, it was my best feature (frizz or no frizz).

I recently lost 30 pounds and got (and am still getting) quite toned (for me) through yoga and walking. I can tell you that while I don't worry so much about my looks anymore (though I still have days where I "feel fat", objectively I know I'm not), my happiness level overall has not gone up. The same things that ate…

ABSOLUTELY. This kiddo is a master manipulator, which is what, to me, tips off her level of intelligence. She's the Queen of the Fakeout, sending us on wild goose chases after things she's hidden so she can take the opportunity to run downstairs, find the peanut butter, and eat it out of the jar by the spoonful…

Protesting behaviors, yeah. Some of my stepdaughter's behaviors that start out as tics or stress relief or stim become protesting crutches. We know she's not happy with what we're asking her to do if she starts coughing really loudly.

Oh, God, I agree. Some of the prevailing theory behind this can probably be attributed to the trend of general overscheduling of our children no matter what their developmental ability - soccer and tutoring and gymnastics and chess and basically something for every day of the week. But I also think there's an…

Yes. Although I've found with my stepdaughter, even if she doesn't learn exactly what we want her to, she does learn a TON of other things that are interesting and oblique. Recently she's begun using more brand names and store names when she's typing out things she wants on her iPad. Her whole evolving relationship…

Not even half. Not even a quarter. It's almost literally inch by inch. Or banging your head on a rock for months on end, and then being "promoted" to banging your head against a wall.

Well, that raises a great question. What about Samantha Bee? What about Jessica Williams?

Oh, yes. She has a day program, and res-hab workers who come from 3-6 every day to work with her. He serves on the board of directors for her program, as well as on the board of directors for another program for DD folks. He's got the trust set up, and we're gradually transitioning to eventual residency at a house for…

Yeah. It is. And the whole argument is insulting to families of autistic folks as well - no matter where those folks fall on the spectrum.

My stepdaughter is autistic - nonverbal, with OCD and anxiety disorder on top of that. She's smart as hell, but doesn't present that way. She's 22 - and her dad is a fucking saint. He's dedicated his whole existence to her well-being (and she has no idea - she has no context in which to appreciate this). His life is…

I was working at his publishing house when these came through. His editor is actually really great, but Cosby would bully him (and his assistant, who became my husband, who became my ex-husband), and the editor was told by HIS bosses that he had to suck it up. It was Cosby. Nobody was going to cross him. He was…

What harm is it to allow a torturer to feel tormented over what he is doing?

A very diluted, weird version of this happened to me today. I was upset last night when the Ferguson grand jury verdict came out - it spilled over and sort of affected my partner and my stepchild (she didn't really notice; she's severely autistic, and had been pestering me all afternoon and night, which is why I was…

Faster than any cab could possibly manage.

I'm from DE too! But from Seaford, which has like 3 of those 25 people in it. I met Joe when I was in high school. We met Roth at the same time. Both were really great.

What's wrong with doing yourself a favor?

+1 I streamed Sherlock this way.

My partner is from Pittsburgh. When I pile up too many empty seltzer bottles and pumpkin seed wrappers in my "room of my own", he begins to refer to it as West Virginia.