Suzanne Somers' poetry is still a damn sight better than Franco's.

I totally listened to that yesterday!!! I missed the first one though. I am not a "believer," but I and everyone else I know has had some experience they can't explain. No matter how skeptical I try to be I always get scared and I kind of love it!

Also—in the beginning, just write and keep writing. Edit (use judgment) later—much later. For now, just run with your idea, keep moving forward. If you want, do the same with a different idea. But mainly try to get it all down. Sleep on it before you decide anything. Try to be gentle with yourself — these essays…

This behavior sounds a little like some kind of pack mentality. I think other commenters here are right that your friends are just being protective; what I hope they're not doing is having a little not-so-harmless fun at your expense. Either way, it does seem like they're being a bit unreasonable and judgmental. …

Happy Birthday, and congratulations to you! I'm so sorry about your old friends—not understanding you is one thing, but not having time for you sounds like they are being terribly cold, (just my opinion.) I am sober about 6mo. I hear you about AA, I've been on and off the wagon at various times (6 years is the…

I was also very upset by the Hobby Lobby decision—and the temporary injunction granted for Wheaton College. Kudos to you for having the tenacity to actually contact the publishers about their ad revenue.

Okay. For starters, I knew about periods through school sex-ed, Judy Blume and my friends, not my mom. Her version of "the talk" was: "so you know what happens to girls your age, right?" and I'm like, "right," and she's like "good." And that was it. So one summer my parents sent me to an intensive language program…

One sad thing (among many sad things) about all this is: how much truth is there to the notion that there is "no such thing as bad press" ? I mean, is he not "hot" because he's controversial? Not that many photographers become household names—does having his name attached to a magazine sell more copies? The…

So wait, um . . . what kind of museum does one butcher pigs at?

Hey, thanks for replying! And I hope your husband's eye is healing.

I just noticed how late I am to this conversation. Sigh. I am generally a fan of yours as a commenter (you have a fan!) and I do not usually leap to the defense of celebs, but she is really an exception. As obsessive and passionate and prone to display as she was about her early relationships, she has channeled…

I am always amazed at the attention-grabbing accusation with regards to actors. Well, DUH. If it weren't for people who want attention, there'd be no movies. (Or music. Or art.) And if you're not sure what she's done, maybe read a little about her? Her work is extensive, and goes way beyond "photo ops." I said…

Celebrity itself is a powerful tool in humanitarian work. She may call attention to herself, but she also calls attention to the issues she focuses on. She puts real time, real work, and real money into her efforts. It saddens me that many people think it's just for her "image," and ignore the benefits of her work.

That's a terrible, gossipy article that should not be in the NY Times. That said, Jolie has often controlled who gets the first pictures of her children so that they not be taken by paparazzi, and donated the proceeds from the sale of the rights to humanitarian aid organizations.

Maybe we (rape victims) should start wearing badges.

"I have a friend who swears every single man is a predator and they're ALL trying to assault, just given the right moment. Every single man is coming onto her. Every single man manages to do something inappropriate to make her feel threatened."

Right? I haven't seen this week's episode yet, so no spoilers, please! That said, I notice that pretty much every time we visit the Wall. No hats. WHY? Hats can be sexy, or tough or whatever. Maybe the hairstylist fought for no hats. I am from a cold place and it bugs me, too.

Oh, boy, I'll trade you for some of what I've got—pretty much every time I've imbibed/smoked/dropped/snorted, I've ended up Way Too High. I haven't posted yet to this week's contest because I thought of so many examples of being out of my gourd I don't know which one to share . . . (This quality is also the reason I…