Pretty much. She made her bed, and I have no intention of helping her out of it.

FACTS. I’m friends with a girl who used to work in the Obama mail room, and then at the foundation, and apparently he and Michelle are every bit as nice to work for in person as they seem to be in pictures—he’s slight and personable, and she is radiantly warm and charming. I try not to be swamped by jealousy when she…

It sounds to be like you’re already that person. You’ve done hard, scary shit that a lot of citizens don’t even think about doing! I think your best bet is to be gentle with yourself now. I get that you want to ask a lot from yourself right now—I’m the same way! But the best way to ask more from yourself is to give…

WAIT, WHAT?! Richard Harris was so good as Dumbledore, AND he was the priest in The Count of Monte Cristo which was SO GOOD.

I do get a break soon: I graduate in mid-May (!), and I’ll be spending June at my parents’ place to cover the gap between the end of my lease and the start of my new job. I can bring it up with my doctor when I have my appointment this week, though it’s mostly the other health problem that’s also weighing on my mind.…

Thank you so much. If I’m being honest with myself, I need to work on getting my sleep and exercise back in order; I feel a lot better when I’m doing those things. Even if I do end up needing a change to my meds, it’s a start.

Thanks! I hope it gets easier for you to access additional care soon.

Thank you so much! I haven’t spoken to my doctor yet; I haven’t got a regular doctor right now (I just use student health on campus) so I wasn’t sure how to figure it out. I mostly want to feel like I’m in less of a muddle, and maybe feel less afraid.

(Pours one out for all the Mandys left behind)

Oh, no! I had something similar happen once on a business trip—I was feeling a bit ill, and ended up horking in the middle of the glass-walled, Very Fancy teachers’ lounge of a Very Fancy UK Boarding School. The janitor gave me a trash bag and a roll of paper towels for the train, which...did no good, as I was looking…

That looks delicious! Well done!

Oh, I love aloo gobi! My mom got a recipe from the Special Features of the Bend It Like Beckham DVD when I was a teen, and it got added to the Thanksgiving dinner menu of our house. It is SO GOOD.

Haha! I just bought the season on Amazon because I don’t own a television (studio apartment, nowhere to put a tv), so I hadn’t seen any commercials, but it’s not surprising. I’m going to try to get my dad to watch it this week; he loves historical shows and weird supernatural shit, too, so it could be great.

Hello, Jezzies! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in. I’m not sure if my antidepressants are working as well as they used to, or if I’m simply having a really rough patch personally: I’m on the verge of finishing my degree, so I have a bunch of assignments due, I haven’t been sleeping well, and it looks like I may…

Best of luck! If they’re a dud, skip out after one drink and go back to your sweats. What movie do you want to watch?

No kids, but plenty of sympathy. It can be really hard, but this is not your fault. You’re a good parent who is doing the best for their kid. Hugs.

Ooh, Good Genes! It is AMAZING and I love it so much. It has made my skin feel so much smoother and softer.

I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve that, and it isn’t cool that your parents don’t treat you with the love and affection you do deserve. It doesn’t seem so much a youngest child problem as a selfish, shitty parent problem. Also, if you would like for any of us to ooh and aah over your adorable kiddo, we will gladly do…

Oh, no! You poor dear. I completely understand about never wanting to go back; I have IBS and once clogged the toilet in a Very Fancy Coffeeshop that I will never be able to patronize.

I am! I haven’t read the book, but I am a ridiculous fan of 19th-century British naval stories (Master and Commander, Horatio Hornblower, etc.)