Oh, that's another thing I found shocking. "You must be below this age and weight and above this income bracket or we will not even consider you!" WTF? So, better for a kid to grow up without love than for an older not-rich overweight person to give parenthood a go? Christ.

Yup, I should have mentioned that in my original comment. (See my apology to the commenter I upset.) I think adoption is often looked at as a last resort, an inferior choice only to be considered when all else has failed. My MIL and brother-in-law were asking (grilling) my husband and I about having kids, and we…

I think it's tragic that adopting is so difficult and expensive. We've been looking into it, and not only can we not afford it — the fees easily can climb into the tens of thousands — but the age cutoff for some international adoptions is on the low side (very early 40s). Good luck with your surrogate!

Well, of course babies and kids are interesting and adorable! But so is my latest published article. Maybe I just need to photograph it with a bow on its head? ;-) A beach day sounds so nice right now, too bad my deadlines are throwing a tantrum. Keep on posting your fun and fabulous life without a hint of guilt. I…

I feel like there's this idea that the childfree are taking the easy way out, which is not necessarily the case. I've wrestled with the decision for years. I understand some women "just know" they don't want kids, but I've given it so much thought. It's a decision we childfree have to discuss and defend. We're told…

No, no, I was not implying you are a monster. I'm sorry it came across like that. I know that adoption is a huge burden because my husband and I have looked into it. I also know that some women really want to experience pregnancy. I've also had people ask why I would adopt when I haven't tried to get pregnant. I just…

You are really lucky to have a best friend with whom you can share your childfree experience. I feel so alone in mine. All of my friends and family have kids already or plan on having them really soon. They just have no idea how to be supportive of me, even though I spend a lot of time being supportive of their…

George Takei was among my reasons for coming back to FB after a several-month, self-imposed hiatus (it was election time and I was so sick of all the crazy).

On dogs: "If you get a dog from a breeder instead of a shelter you are a monster, because those dogs deserve to be saved!"

There are also women who are physically able to have children, but opt not to because they do not want to pass on severe hereditary conditions, either physical or mental. That can be painful, as well, especially when prodded to explain their decision.

I dunno, as dumb as that woman's quote sounds, I kind of know what she means. My friends continuously post inane observations about their kids and been-there-seen-that photos, and for that they get a hundred likes and comments. When other friends (and, ok, me) post about major non-kid accomplishments, it's nothing but…

No, I occasionally wander over to Gawker but that's about it. I stick with Jez for my coffee breaks. OK, just looked, Kotaku is a gamer site and I'm not sure exactly "the future" concept is in io9 ... movies/tv/and such? I don't doubt that the commentary gets ugly there. I worked at a bunch of dot com startups way…

I've heard that from a lot of people about Dave Matthews, and I live in Seattle, where he lives part-time, so I believe 'em! And actually, I've met a lot of fairly famous musicians who are genuinely rad. (My best bud's husband is in a well-known indie band, and he's one of the sweetest, most modest guys I know.) But…

Awww, thanks. I'm a longtime reader (lurker?), but never really commented until recently. For one thing, it took me forever to figure out this whole star and grayed-out business. I also write for a different fairly well-known blog (nothing remotely related to Jez) and commenters go nuts over the most innocuous posts…

This, so much.

Back when I had a real job (not freelancing, where there's no such thing as paid time off), I used most of my sick days for my periods. I suffered through really agonizing cramps, migraines and heavy bleeding (like, a super tampon lasted less than an hour), so much that I couldn't sleep through the night and had to…

I see this attitude so often on here. "I made smart choices and did x/y/z right so clearly these other people are unmotivated moochers/morons/losers." I graduated a long time ago, but still remember the depressing sinking of the soul that followed college as I tried to find a decent McJob with the expensive degree…

I don't begrudge them at all! Not one little bit! I don't think of what we do as the high road, either. I just wish that more people who contribute positively to society received a better paycheck. (Which is not to say that you as lawyers do not contribute positively; my sis is an awesome lawyer!) What I dislike is…

Oh, I totally wear underwire. Every single day. But I hate them, even when they fit right. Maybe it's because I have super sensitive skin? Do you find them comfortable or merely tolerable? My best friend has these lovely small breasts and never wears a bra and I am so unbelievably envious. I've been wearing a goddamn…

Yeah, I met him backstage, he looked coked-up and acted very not seemingly nice. On the other hand, his Raconteurs bandmate Brendan Benson was lovely. I also chatted with White briefly at a tiny White Stripes show before they were a Big Deal and back then he seemed alright. Fame. It rarely makes people kinder. (I used…