Commenting on someone’s appearance like that, whether or not you’re a mom, is still rather rude. You’re not his mother, after all, and getting unsolicited “suggestions” on how you can look or feel better are generally quite unwelcome and only serve to make people feel bad about themselves.

I feel you. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is actually one of my major break-up antidotes. I’ve played that game so many times, and as I advance through the stupid castle and get all the stupid items, I start to feel better. Then I kill Dracula and I’m not perfect, but somehow, Alucard’s poorly-narrated hero’s…

I strongly get the feeling that the woman who wrote that article does not know how research is done. While she is quite knowledgeable, is probably a fantastic resource for a writer or a re-enactor, and likely knows a shitton of stuff that many other people don’t, this isn’t research, at least, not on the academic…

I’m always sort of amazed with people who don’t shower daily and manage to not smell terrible. I don’t know how they do it, because I most certainly cannot.

Same for me. I prefer to just pay for what I have, the other person pays for what they have, and that’s that. Maybe for a special occasion or something, someone can pay for the other. That’s a nice thing to do in a relationship, especially if one person makes a lot more money than the other, but early on, I really…

I move a lot, so I often meet new people through things like OkCupid. Drinks are a common invitation, of course, but if you meet for dinner, I usually ask if the person drinks, and if they mind if I do (I like wine with dinner, but it’s zero hardship to not have it). I don’t ask why, because only once has it ever…

I agree completely :) The kind of rejection you talk about is something that I try to use - to explain why it can’t happen right now, but to try again later, and reassurance about still wanting my partner. It still isn’t fun to hear, of course, but much better than just, “No,”. Knowing not only what you feel, but why…

Same here, man. I’m amazed I liked school at all.

I’ve never not been on a tight budget (oh, student life!), so if I don’t plan for it, I’d never go out! I usually do let people know that I’ll be on my own check at the beginning of the meal, or somehow try to politely be clear about my limits :) I’m pretty careful with my money, and I generally decline events if it…

Sometimes, though, even as an adult, you don’t have that extra $20 to spend, or it’s really a big imposition on you. You might not want your friends to know the details of your finances, you know? You might have only budgeted for what you did spend, not what everyone else spent, and so the idea that it’s a wash or…

I debated whether or not I should answer this, because I don’t think you’re actually asking those questions to get answers, but I decided I would anyway, because I hear this kind of thing all the time.

For me, I’m fairly comfortable with how I am (most of the time). I’m not shy about asking for what I want or need. The problem comes in that people either don’t believe me or overestimate their own ability to deal with my particular fun brand of problems (which is not their fault - who among us hasn’t bitten off more…

My aunt lived in Alaska for about 35 years, and in visiting her and talking with her friends, I never knew Denali was actually called McKinley by anyone. Whoops.

Wow, thank you for saying that! That’s a really nice thing to say in return, and I really appreciate that you took the time to apologize :) I have my better days and my not-so-better days, and I just have to keep trying for more of the former and less of the latter, I suppose!

I love how low-budget the whole video is. This is like the “music videos” my friends and I would pretend to be in while at the lake in the summer. The camera work is A+.

One of the last times I was home, my 14-year-old brother noticed that many of my stories involve alcohol. They aren’t wild, crazy stories about parties or puking, just like, “I met up with some friends for drinks and this is what we talked about,” or “There’s a cool new wine bar by my place I really like, and I tried…

I am really, really sorry you feel that way. I know what you mean. I have this thing I do that we jokingly call the “terms and conditions act”, where I lay out all my boundaries clearly for a new partner, so they know exactly what they’re getting into, and it is named that way because so few people actually listen.…

I know you mean well, but this isn’t something that’s going to be fixed by self-love. You might have missed it, because I think I mentioned it in replies, but I have seen therapists and doctors, and for over 15 years now. This just isn’t an issue that’s going to be solved that way. I don’t love who I am. I don’t…

Thank you for saying that :) I’m a little sensitive, because I’m so nervous about hearing the criticism, and it really makes me happy to know someone appreciated it.

I hear you, there! I hope you’re happier now :) I’m getting used to it, still. I think I had pretty high hopes that I could be “fixed” with enough effort, and I haven’t quite gotten it through my thick head that sometimes, you can’t fix it. I think I need to take a page from your book and try to just be appreciative…