I once missed a student's deadline because I was very ill. I wrote the graduate school, explaining my mistake and offering apologies. It was accepted. So all is not lost.

my favorite Robyn song is Indestructible.

bring it!

thanks for your advice! I've had the cough for a week, but the ear thing happened really fast tonight. I keep trying to blow my nose or whatever to get it to pop, but to no avail. It's fairly painful, so if it's still like this tomorrow, I'll call the doctor again. This whole thing is just dragging on forever..

Guaifenesin is in the Tylenol I'm taking. I will check out the Mucinex tomorrow, but I would love for my damn ear to pop.

I'm taking Tylenol Cold and Sinus and then Advil Cold and Sinus every six hours. I also have serious cough medicine with codeine. It's not helping.

I am so miserable. I've had this cough forever. Now my ear is all clogged and hurting. I can't seem to get it to pop. I can't sleep because of the damn cough. The doctor won't give me antibiotics. Did I mention that I'm miserable?

I ditto speedingbullet. But people are WAY more likely to ignore group emails. I would send individual emails, which will take more time, but are far more effective.

I actually got a light-bulb changer from Home Depot. It's a giant high rod with a thing that sticks to the bulbs. I'd be nervous about using it with CFLs tho, because if one broke, that's mercury all over the place.

I would not get an animal unless you already had plans to get one. There are enough unwanted animals. But isn't this the entire reason Facebook/Linked In was invented?

It will go away, but it will take time. You are not hideous. Everyone will just think you got into a fight and I would work it. I highly recommend coming up with some sort of story to tell annoying people to ask about it. For example, fencing with Jude Law.

Nope, Jew. No pork.

I think I might have all this stuff - is it smooth or crunchy peanut butter?

COOKIE HELP! I'm invited to a cookie swap on Sunday. I'm not allowed to make chocolate chip cookies. Anyone have any simple recipes that involve basic ingredients? I have flour, sugar, eggs, butter. I have Trader Joe's cocoa pearls but I have no idea how to use them. The only thing I could find online was to add…

You must chill. It's this kind of entitled nastiness that gets people angry. There's nothing I said that suggest she walk around tearing her garments. Nothing. In fact, I said I'm fine with people with kids. But thanks for giving a perfect example of bad parental behavior.

The thing is - people would be way kinder to you and your kid if you didn't have this kind of attitude. I'm usually fine with people with kids, and I think most people are willing to help out in bad situations, etc. But when you come off like a jerk, no one is going to move to help, and they are way more likely to…

I was actually trying to make a joke.

Dear girl -

Girl, go to a ComicCon! Go to a SciFi MeetUp! Seriously, you're at a great age to meet people, and the MeetUps are a good way because you're usually actually doing something that promotes conversation.

Can you just go for a couple hours and then have fabulous plans so you have to go? I'm a spinster who is 16 years older than you are. I try to focus on how I can bop up to New York on a whim, spend the day watching cheezy movies if I want and all the fun social things that are part of my life.