I hear you. I myself am Bipolar II (among other diagnoses), and my ex-husband also had several mental health issues that led to the end of our marriage. I worked my ass off for years—therapy (individual and group); medication; several iterations of self-care; writing—you name it, I’ve tried it. As I got better, I…

The Blind Assassin is one of my all-time favorite books. There are so many layers; every time I read it, I catch something else.

I was assaulted when I was in college. He was a couple of years older, a local, and a hometown hero: Homecoming King; gave speeches about the dangers of alcohol to high school kids; served in the National Guard. I had just finished my freshman year and had a bit of a reputation for hooking up with upperclassmen. I had…

As a former server/bartender, I also consider 20% to be the baseline. It takes pretty over-the-top shittiness to make me even consider leaving a smaller tip—I know how easily one simple mistake could trigger an avalanche of stress that somehow always resulted in one table getting completely fucked over. I showed up to…

I had a special teddy bear that I got when I had surgery. I carried him everywhere with me for several years, and slept with him every night once I was too old to take him everywhere. Then I was cast in my church’s Easter play as a little girl and brought my teddy bear as a prop. I set him down in a pew and never saw…

Maybe she meant she didn’t know more than general info? Like, she wasn’t some specialist on the Royal Family; she just knew what everyone knows, which is just surface stuff.

Can’t decide if I prefer the original or Tori Amos’ cover. I love both.

I was called a “shameless hussy” at Bible camp when I was 15... I still consider it a badge of honor.

I know a serial cheater/monogamist. I will never understand it; he has been in a series of serious, long-term relationships over the last decade or so that I have known him, and he constantly cheats on his partners. Just.... why? If you want to have sex with whomever, whenever, stay single or find a partner who also…

As someone who told her ex she wanted a divorce when he was unemployed and dealing with multiple mental health issues... Sometimes there are other factors at play in relationships that force you to make choices with poor timing. Ideally, I would have waited until he was healthy and employed. Realistically, I had to…

Thank you. I’m trying to focus on how awesome it is that after 37 years together, they’re still going at it, which bodes well for my future.

My best boss ever was for a retail jewelry store. She ran an extremely tight ship (she had a reputation for turning “bad” stores around and won multiple awards for her management skills), but also treated her staff like human beings. She took a genuine interest in our lives and scheduled around them whenever possible.…

I graduated in 2005, so I am not quite an Old yet... Growing up in a rural community that only got the Internet to places that were not schools or businesses while I was in high school, Cosmo and romance novels were the bulk of my sex ed. I was able to pretty easily differentiate between which tips were legit (swirl…

My Mom has recently transitioned from “Inspirational” romance novels to the regular, written-porn kind. I know this because I mooch off my parent’s Amazon Prime account. I also know that her and Dad apparently need lessons in how to perform oral sex on one another and have a preference for peppermint lube... Seriously…

Passions crossed off pretty much every box.... damn, do I miss the days of putting the kid I was baby-sitting down for a nap and watching Timmy the Living Doll.

I currently live in a super-red state: only 1 abortion clinic in the state, which is constantly in danger of being shut down. I would love to move to a state that was more female-friendly, but that’s a big undertaking (and I actually do live in the city that has said clinic, so I’m pretty confident I could get in and…

When I worked in restaurants, I used to apologize to new servers in advance for the way I would behave/speak to them when the restaurant was full. During a slow shift, I had time to say “Hey, when you have a second, can you please hand me that water and by the way, table 5 is trying to get your attention.” When the…

It is sad to me how many women have done this. I have definitely fucked myself out of multiple situations because that seemed like the best/easiest option, and most of my female friends have, too. It’s infuriating that women are socialized to placate men, often to our own detriment.

My partner couldn’t understand how skeeved out I was when he pointed out that he is a combination of my dad and my brother (who I am very close with). Mainly, I was horrified because it is true. And it definitely did not make me want to have sex with him until I was able to block that observation from my mind.

I agree with the general principle. I do, however, think it could be a great thing for people long-term, monogamous relationships. Both of the women my brother has dated are basically unable to be on hormonal birth control. He would love nothing more than to be able to take a pill himself, instead of his partner…