It is the most awful way to lose someone; I am so sorry.

I am so, SO sorry. This has probably been said to you a million times and hopefully you know it's true, but

2014 was insanely awful. Something blew up in almost every area of my life (romance, health, family, school...my friends were great though). I think it takes second place for worst years in my life. 2013 was pretty great, on a personal level, so this trend better not continue cause 2014 was a BIG drop.

Yeah, I'd go back to see teacher-friends, and also friends from other years when I was a newer grad. I also went back there to say "I'm broke; hire me as a sub?"

Never saw it but, yay for her!!

Oh, totally. Read Halberstam's "Female Masculinity."

Oh, of course, just from a film-writing/storytelling point of view, I think that'd come off in a more natural, less preachy way in a movie where people ended up both happily married and happily unmarried. But I'd also love to see a movie where marriage/implied marriage isn't even a thing!

That too! But marriage isn't an invalid life choice, it's just one of many life choices. Which is why I'd like to see one of three get married and the other two not be jealous, bc they've found their own versions of happiness, and bc they love and support their friend.

I'm really hoping that like, only one of the three gets married, and the other two have non-marriage-related good things happen for them.

I just came from a Christmas dinner with two meat dishes (lamb and salmon); there was also rice, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, and squash. Easily accommodating the family omnivores, my vegetarian cousin, and me (I eat fish/poultry but no other meat).

I think one big thing is not *completely* cutting anything out. If sweets are your biggest weakness, have one small piece of chocolate every day and allow yourself something more indulgent than that once a week or every other week.

I am so baffled by people who don't know how to feed vegetarians. Is everything you (not you-you obviously) eat meat?? I get it being harder to feed vegans or people who can't eat gluten etc, but like...a normal human should not eat so much meat that there's nothing for a vegetarian to eat.

I concur with Winter Wonderland below, and also, Dar Williams' "The Christians and the Pagans."

I rode horses for years, and when I started, I was this shy, fragile kid (everyone thought I was sickly, but it turns out I just had chronic insomnia so was constantly exhausted). This horse I rode was always so, so gentle with me, and with other little kids like me. When I was seventeen or eighteen and had been away…

I think another reason adult trans women are treated worse than adult trans men is the homophobia some men feel in being attracted to a woman who is, in their perception, "actually" a man.

I mean there is nothing wrong with girls doing "boyish" things! I am super happy my mom didn't get me barbies and that I got to play with all of my older brother's cool things. But yes, it would be wonderful to raise boys to be more caring and sensitive, and great to give boys (non-barbie) dolls to nurture and/or make…

Must be it.

and that while as a society we "allow kids to be kids" that this same kind of tolerance isn't extended to adults.

I assume that means "people with a significant/meaningful ethnic background who probably weren't considered 'white' fifty or so years ago but are now generally read as white and therefore reap most, if not all, the benefits of white privilege."

That is amazing! Have you seen this? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/tra… Dogs are such incredible animals (cats are great too; I am a Dog Person, but I adore cats too).