Ha! I love this. I'm no pro, but I grew up in Connecticut, my family is from NYC (Brooklyn), I went to high school in the south, college in Manhattan, and spent some years living in England and New Orleans. I totally learned to switch dialects on and off depending on the audience so that I rarely have that flashing…

I have always known that I did not want to be a parent. When all the other girls were playing with the baby dolls, I was the one with the stuffed animals. When I was in my early 20's, I started asking doctors about tubal ligation.

Garage mats all the way. I ride/wrench on vintage motorbikes. I think every single one of them has leaked oil all over the garage floor at one point or another. After who knows how many pounds of kitty litter, I bought a new bathtub and found that huge cardboard panel from the box to be irresistible to use as a mat.…

So I worked in a high-end restaurant that specialized in seafood. Lots of fresh fish.

That is exactly the kind of thing that I needed to hear, thanks.

I have felt like I needed one for years. I'm 40-ish, single with no kids, employed and a homeowner...and although I'm "good with money" (I don't overspend, my only debt is mortgage and grad school, and I have a few small investments), I really want someone who knows what they are doing to tell me how to handle things.…

That's for damned sure.

From one of those light sleepers: thank you. I hope she knows how fortunate she is that you see it this way.

It was on right after PTI, I think (which aired an hour earlier than normal). I watched it when it aired yesterday afternoon.

Cool Guy Alert made my day. Tom in Atlanta: no idea why you can't get a date. You seem positively irresistible.

Thank you. A scooter, by definition, has a step-through chassis. End of description. They can be manual shift or automatic, they can shift on the clutch-side grip or on the floorboards - if it has a step-through chassis, it's a scooter.

I do this as well. If I know that I'm going to be functioning on 3-4 hours' sleep, I just get to it. Sometimes I'll head for the office at 5 (don't need to be in until 8), because I know that by about noon I'm going to be useless.

I think that the equation probably involves the cost of DIY vs. hiring a pro, but also considering how many other significant projects there are remaining in the house and what of those I can DIY.

So now you've got me thinking that the basement workshop could use some shelving and perhaps I should try my hand at making something really simple before dropping cash on materials for the office. I feel like when I'm done with that, I'll have a decent idea whether I can take this on with any level of confidence. And…

I dealt with this when moving from Washington DC to NYC. This was a while ago, pre-starbucks. I ordered a decaf at a deli or some such place. "Regular?" "No, decaf please". (cue eyeroll and sigh from them) "Regular decaf"? "No, just decaf-decaf". He asked me "Do you want regular decaf or what" one more time before I…

Okay, THAT was extraordinarily helpful. Thank you.

How to build built-in bookshelves.

Am I missing something? Is getting your workout clothes mixed up with your non-workout clothes a problem for many people? I don't find myself confused as to whether my, say, sports bras or running shorts are appropriate office attire.

Hey - I know that the chat is long-over, but for some reason this reply didn't post yesterday so here it is (damn, I didn't realize when I wrote it on my phone that it was so long):

Hi Dick - I am becoming increasingly discouraged with fitness lately, and I wonder if you have any helpful hints? I'm 42, and have become that dumpy middle-aged woman who looks like she's never exercised in her life. I have been pretty decently fit before - most recently was about four years ago. But some life…