Yeah, nothing’s at stake in romance novels, but some white dude’s novel about what makes his penis hard has tons at stake (looking at you The Art of Fielding. And everything by John Updike).

Agreed, but in fairness, paddle shifters are for weenies.

I ended up with fish scales in my hair, which my niece thought was hilarious (me, less so).

I did the Beluga encounter at Shedd and it was fucking incredible. You do get to touch the whales, but it is in the context of training activities, not selfies or whatever. I learned that the bulge on the top of a Beluga’s head (called a melon) is actually soft and squishy and they use it for echolocation (so cool!).…

The tray thingies and purse hooks make my ideal bar.

There’s plenty of shit to object to in Stephen King’s books, but his treatment of rape is usually pretty nuanced and respectful of the victim’s agency and lack of blame. (Note, I have not read the latest book, the trope of which is problematic at best.)

Yeah, fuck right off with this whole “humanities are for the rich” idea. The humanities are useful in a lot of fields because in an information culture the ability to read and write and understand shit is useful.

This is actually why I quit my PhD program in English. I wanted to teach undergrads, not publish, and fortunately my advisor was a kind man who sat me down and made me face reality before my debt got out of control. So now I’m a lawyer. I miss teaching sometimes, but man was quitting the right decision.

Wedge booties are an abomination. But I prefer them to kitten heels, which make everyone wobble along.

Yeah, I can’t walk in these fuckers. It’s all the ankle work of a regular heel (which I wear on the regular) but in a package that misleads me into thinking I’m wearing a flat. That way lies injury.

No one cared about it the first time. I mean, TONS of people saw it, but what impact has it had on popular culture compared to Terminator or Titanic or Aliens? Virtually none. It’s not like it holds up on repeat viewing, it has no quotable lines or really memorable characters. No one even really HATES it like Jar Jar…

I liked that her character was a normal person in the first movie and became badass in the second movie. That doesn’t change the fact that James Cameron is a dick who happened to get lucky casting Linda Hamilton, though.

Right back atcha, recalcitrant. :)

Interesting! Mine was shared with BMW, but the sales manager I dealt with was brought in last year to make the dealership profitable and was working for every sale, so I didn’t have to deal with the BMW attitude. I think it helped that I came in with a very specific list of wants, and had done my homework on price.…

Yeah, I just bought a Mini and the customer service was all over the map. The dealership that actually got my business was good — good communication, fair and clear pricing (although I did have to follow up with them to get them to fulfill certain promises like free stripes) — and one was adequate, but several could…

My sister, who is two years younger, made the mistake of thinking that, since I tried to be adult in my conversations with her and avoid fighting for my mother’s sake, she could throw down on me with impunity.

Ugh. I’d love to have a normal sister. Everyone else seems to have one!

Yeah, other African American baseball players have said similar things: because they are so significantly underrepresented at the professional level, they’re concerned about retaliation in a way that players in other sports are somewhat insulated from (Kap notwithstanding). I mean, I would love it if they did protest,…

Nah, we don’t. I mean, I support the players and their efforts, but I don’t GAF about football, and I’m not going to start watching it now.

I don’t stand, and you should hear some of the comments I get. I’m sorry, but I don’t stand for songs that ARE NOT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. That’s disrespectful.