Ugh, my brother is always on some kind of special strict diet. First he determined that he was gluten intolerant. This wasn't medically diagnosed, of course. Everybody has to bend over backwards so that there isn't so much as a sprinkle of gluten-containing seasoning near his food. Now he is on the Paleo diet. My…

PETA, the world's most hypocritical organization. Eat vegan, kill puppies and kittens and discard them in trash bags dumped behind stores.

I went vegan for a year when I was much younger and I hated every minute of it. Adhering to such a strict diet made me crazy. This site can add me to its shaming list cause I don't care. Now I eat mostly vegetarian and occasionally go "carnist" as ethically as I can. I feel healthier this way, and no militant vegan is…

I graduated in 1997 and just paid off my loans this year, with help from my parents along the way. Yes, pathetic, I know, but my rather useless college degree (English, minor in Italian) never led to a high-paying job (I'm an experienced but underpaid journalist), so making more than the minimum payment was damn near…

Gotta admit, I am patting myself on the back right now. My husband and I got married last summer. Our wedding was small and the budget was smaller, but we didn't skimp on anything guest-related (food, booze, etc.). Our friends and family flew in from all over the country to celebrate with us, after all. A couple of…

They may despise Latinos (though "by and large" seems rather broad), but they love their Marines, especially the wounded warriors. This wedding took place in Temecula, which is not far from Camp Pendleton. When I lived in San Diego, I wrote a story about a nonprofit that helped gravely injured Marines, and I was…

And I was all woe is me about not being able to dance as well after merely busting my knee. Damn, Adrianne Haslet-Davis. You are truly inspiring and amazing.

My husband proposed with a candy ring. We'd already agreed that I'd use a family heirloom that my mom had given me years earlier — an antique platinum-and-diamond stunner — as my engagement ring (I knew the proposal was coming). We had a tiny budget for our wedding, so it seemed pretty silly to spend thousands on a…

Seriously!

Or maybe we could all spend a little more time talking about women who do something other than act and preen for photographers. Like, I dunno, writers (other than Lena Dunham) or athletes or cancer researchers or adventurers. I'll never understand the obsession with Hollywood celebrities. I dig movies and red-carpet…

Yup, I had a similar experience. I had a married man pursuing me for quite some time. He was very attractive and I was very lonely. However, when I mentioned it to a couple of friends, their feelings on the matter set me straight. They didn't even focus on the fact that I was a would-be homewrecker; they focused on…

I used to work a 6am shift in a newsroom and no matter what time I'd go to bed the night before, I would be miserable all morning. I'd nod off at my desk and sleep in my car during my break. I finally had to tell my bosses that I couldn't handle the shift, physically or mentally. By then I'd proven myself, so they…

I got fitted by the Bra Whisperer herself — the gal who launched the Intimacy stores — and it made such a huge difference. It did involve a bit of groping — she doesn't use a tape measure — but it was not an uncomfortable experience. At the time, I'd been wearing (so uncomfortably) a 36C and she told me I actually…

Good luck if you don't achieve "milestones" by the appropriate age. I got married last year at 37, and the prevailing sentiment was "about time." (Meanwhile, about 75% of my friends who got married in their 20s are now divorced or on a second marriage.) My once-thriving career has been on a downturn because of this…

Found this article while icing both of my badly aching knees. Regular exercise is general is a totally achievable goal, and I believe that any physical activity is a great way to combat depression and anxiety, but to say anybody can run is a total crock. My orthopedist told me that unless I *really* enjoyed running,…

Thanks for the tip. The flat-abbed models in crop tops scared me off at first.

Ha! Maude was the epitome of awesome aging. Except for the part where she offs herself far too early.

You live in LA now, right? It's sooooo much harder to get old in LA. Seriously, I moved to Seattle — one of the most live and let live places on the planet — from Southern California, where I wrote for magazines that were filled cover to cover with ads about anti-aging treatments. I interviewed a lot of rich older…

No, I totally got that Lindy was kidding. I'm sure I probably whined about turning 30, though no, not at 27. (Actually, I welcomed 30 with the most kickass party ever, so I guess I wasn't that depressed about it!) To me, the 20s were rough and tumble and I was glad to get past that phase. However, younger folks should…