alka-seltzer, extra spicy pho, ginger tea in that order. Followed by a marathon of Netflix or This American Life (if you can't open your eyes).

Don't forget the fountain pens. So many fountain pens.

I keep trying to remind myself that being able to run on my two legs and build sandcastles with my two hands is a lucky privilege. I've had body-issues all my life and I'm sick and tired of them. At 36, planning on having a baby one day soon, I need to get over this shit so badly. If I have a girl, I don't want to…

This makes me want to put my amazing vaudevillian god-daughter in a time/space bubble. She has inhaled Iggy Pop's soul (highest compliment I can think of). She is such a smart and funny little girl. She's only 4 1/2 and I want her to stay like this forever. She has more courage than most people I know. I don't even…

I used to be a concern troll, until someone asked me if I talk the same way about smokers, heavy drinkers, and other people who "seem unhealthy." I had to be honest: no. I support my friends with all their decisions to be better people. You want to learn a new language? Yeah! You want to quick smoking? Here's how I…

Wow. I've always found him to be a smart, well-articulated person, but this is just gross. I'm really sorry that had to happen to you. I can't even imagine how horrible that was. I don't know how I feel listening to his stuff now. There's always been a weird, unspoken awkwardness with him and women, especially in…

Male or female, I think we all want yogurt cannons. Actually, I want two: 1 coffee flavor yogurt and 1 lemon flavor.

yeah. My parents also were heavily involved in bringing people from the Eastern Block countries to the West, so there were always strange, chain-smoking weirdos in our apartment. A lot of my childhood memories involve Checkpoint Charlie and the Alps. It all sounds very fancy and exciting, but it was no different than…

I've always considered Switzerland the New Jersey of Europe: 1) It's in the middle (NJ is not really in the middle, but it's between a lot of stuff); 2) a lot of it's "culture" is borrowed from the neighboring countries; 3) it has a weird non-identity, mostly related to it's inferiority complex in relation to its…

okay:

Because I grew up in the New Jersey of Europe, I spent most of my childhood traveling in and around places that people in the US think of as "fancy." When people ask me where I'm from, I tend to say, "oh, I moved around a lot when I was a kid; I'm from everywhere." It's not that my family is particularly rich, it's…

It's true. I'm a bit of a concern troll with her, since I see so much potential and I think she's going to throw it all away (oh my god, I've officially turned into my mother!). She's gone through a lot of trauma, which is definitely affecting her. I hereby pledge to be more "there" for her.

Thank you for this. Maybe I can encourage her to join that with me. The concept sounds interesting all around.

So how do I get my super smart niece, who's doing really well in college (in Microbiology!), how do I get her to grow a spine? How do I encourage her to be brave and fearless and strike out and fail? She could have the world on a string, but she's afraid to leave the safety of her mother's house (she's 21). I want so…

"oh, you're real people!" I love this little shit-talker!

I've never used a diaphragm, but the cups are easy as hell to work. I got two so one is always clean and ready. Makes public bathrooms easier.

Thank you. That is a very nice thing to do. I hope your friend appreciate.

Yeah. I was searching, because I really don't want the world to be populated by horrible human beings. Back to my bubble.

Little kids running around gleefully in a somber place can put things into perspective for other visitors. I was at Omaha Beach several years ago and the sound of a laughing baby made the rest of the visit even more poignant. I imagine that the sound of happy children was not regular to Holocaust victims. Perhaps now…

That's gross. You should tell her to take them down, if only for her own protection. If I were a potential employer I would not hire this person. What a nitwit.