I really don't get why everyone is clutching their pearls in horror. It's a bathroom! It doesn't have a magical force field door! Some of the places I've hung out, I was used to seeing both trans women and clearly male cross-dressers in the women's bathroom. Why should I care? We were all there for the same reason —…

It might bear mentioning that many operas, written as they were by Europeans in previous centuries, were set in what were considered to be "fantastical" or "exotic" settings. There was no concern for authenticity at the time, and all the roles were filled by Italians, Germans, etc.

I don't understand the "bring your own food" - what then is the point? I have severe food allergies. As in, the list of what I can eat is much shorter than the list of what I can't. But I like eating out with friends, meaning that I not only want to hang out with them, I also want someone else to do the cooking. The…

I'm so very sorry for your loss. I'm sure the holidays were terribly hard for you. My mother passed away suddenly in October 2012. We spent xmas/new year's together every year and it's hard not to miss her more than ever. I see her in her beautiful garden, in her own "time," and it helps.

Lemon cake is fab - I like chocolate but I get tired of all sweets being choc/van related. Particularly lately I'm annoyed there is so little in the way of citrus flavors for ice cream in my local stores - I guess I will have to make some lime gelato myself.

Same. Anytime a guy on a first date starts in with "you have such beautiful hair...." Bleh! Big turnoff. However, I did some temp work for a company that makes wigs for cancer patients - their enthusiasm for my reddish-gold color was quite funny...

I've run into the "married but" a couple times dating, but I'm cautious by nature so always found out before I was too into it (and of course immediately ended it, I absolutely loathe married people who cheat). But I had an even stranger experience with a guy I met a few years ago, at a social club's monthly dance,…

I had to log in just to tell you how witty you are ;)

Happy New Year! Thank you for this post. I too am an atheist, a humanist, a believer in the wonders of the universe as it actually exists and the stunning incredible truth that we live, that we have consciousness — not even the stars have what we have.

I agree, it's a ridiculously great lens for the price. Just don't drop it - mine split into three pieces (and dropped it on a soft rug!). Fortunately, it's cheap enough to replace.

Agree - and if people feel intimidated, they can work up to it — experiment with using "shutter mode" or "aperture mode" until you are comfortable with how it works and what it does. Then go full manual, and learn to use the in-camera metering to set your exposure. Finally, set your viewfinder correctly for your…

Congrats - that is an awesome camera!

I got into photography seriously a few years ago. I wanted to shoot stock and do some art projects on the side. I spent about a year learning how to take technically perfect photos, based on reading everything I could on all the major stock websites (and looking at a lot of photos) - joining a local camera club also…

Look at the Canon 70D also - that's what I moved up to this year from the Rebel series - it's been a great workhorse camera and tons of good features. Pair with Lightroom for cataloging/non-destructive editing and auto correction of lens distortions.

Type in your camera name on Amazon and look under "books" - there are books dedicated specifically to most of the major DSLRs, I buy one with every new camera, and find them tremendously helpful for using all of the features, and it will also teach you the lingo.

I am so sorry for you. My mother died two years ago, and a few weeks ago an older woman friend of mine who treated me like one of her daughters also died.

"You've Got Mail" is my ritual Xmas movie. But joined often by Stargate, Scrooged, My Man Godfrey, and King Kong.

I'm not going near that place...I'm allergic to cats. Anyway, my ancestors are waiting for me in Valhalla!