I appreciated seeing the pictures because we tried ultrasounding the thing every which way and couldn’t get a clear picture of how, exactly, it was positioned until they opened me up. There were a lot of doctors consulted at various points before the surgery and they’d say things like “I’ve heard a lot about this case!…

I don’t know, I didn’t find it odd at all! Snapping a photo with a phone is a lot quicker than firing up a digital camera, and I certainly wouldn’t want them to keep me open any longer than necessary. Many doctors at this hospital had their pagers connected to their phones, so the line between personal and…

I recently had surgery and the surgeon asked if I wanted to see what the inside situation looked like and showed me a photo on her phone. I assumed she was going to show other surgeons. This really doesn’t bother me at all, though I can see now why others would find it invasive and inappropriate. Where this situation…

I’m so sorry. I don’t have personal experience with this, but I was talking to a colleague about her sister-in-law who got Alzheimers early--I think also in her 60s. She described the decline as shockingly rapid, too. If it were me, though, I’d still insist on exhaustive tests just to be sure. 

This story may be apocryphal (my source is a former security guard in their building), but I once heard a rumor that professors in the Harvard English Department ruled out an undergraduate for a prestigious award because they didn’t want it to go to an Asian American student two years in a row. This was only about 10…

There’s nothing shocking about Sellers getting canned. She’s an adjunct. There’s video of her racism. It’s created negative press for the university. If anything, Georgetown is probably grateful and relieved that responding to this incident is so easy. Adjuncts are only valuable to college administration insofar as…

I have always been of the opinion that Philip was just that guy that Elizabeth couldn’t resist.... or quit.

re: Kate, the stress lines on her face and the TENSION in her body language are pretty notable 

It’s not about how far they are from the current queen, it’s about how far they are from the crown itself. When Charles is king, Archie will be in Eugenie and Beatrice’s position. Still, offering the girls that title when they were born was a courtesy, not a given. The queen offered the same to all her grandchildren,…

We did not wear costumes (this was in the Arizona desert and everyone in costumes looked like they were in hell) but we absolutely ate turkey legs and drank mead. God, that was a good day. (Terrible boyfriend, though!)

He took me to the Renaissance Fair.

Yes, I think the “Royal” was the problem with that branding since they’re not professional royals. They do get to remain the Sussexes.

I think that both Mossimo-Beckies didn’t particularly want to go to university, but my memory could be faulty. Although they went to a pretty good private high school, it’s also the same school that the Kardashians attended. I wonder if that influenced their aspirations.

We made a big deal out of chores in my house growing up and I still resent housework. My husband, a European, really doesn’t. As you say, they’re just tasks that need to get done. They’re not as irritating to him. I think it’s healthy not to make a big deal out of chores. However, if you have a difficult kid who…

Maybe you should shut the fuck up about a college kid who didn’t seek public office and is only famous right now because her dad married a politician.

Oh, I agree with you! But she’s the butt of jokes right now across the internet.

Maybe it’s because I teach at an art school but I have not enjoyed one of these Ella Emhoff jokes.

Thanks, I didn’t know about this! So much news slipped under my radar in the madness of the Trump presidency. 

Good point. It’s impossible to know! My cousin is a right wing shitposter and will admit he just wants to get a rise out of people with some of the stuff he posts. However, he absolutely believes some of the conspiracy theories about democrats (particularly the Clintons). So, even the people who are just trolling can…

“Psalm” is a word I struggle to pronounce distinctly so I think it’s the cruelest of their kid names but none of them are terrific except North.