Yowch. I am so, so sorry you have to deal with a TERF in your family. I can't imagine what that must be like.

Good luck, sheep. I can't offer advice— I am a dummy who has only lucked into an okay life —beyond telling you not to catastrophize. My fiancee and I both had times where we lived apart while we tried to figure out what we wanted our life together to look like, once for as long as eight months, and it didn't end in…

Oh yeah, it definitely wouldn't hurt to pick up on of the HP novels— I don't even dislike them, I just wish they weren't the beginning and end of so many people's recreational reading— and you're absolutely right about how many academics ignore popular literature. If nothing else, the students in her LIT120 courses…

As someone who narrowly decided not to follow up my BA in Literature with a doctoral program, I'm with you. ALONE may have fumbled, but someone who's going after their PhD in Lit is probably not going to have a great time on a date with someone whose favorite book and primary literary reference is Harry Potter.

Yeah, my tablet's auto correct didn't want to admit Trump was president either.

Trump's having a stroke whenever he thinks about his electoral map. A nice, leisurely stroke.

I'm not sure. What I actually meant was that Jacobs is an American— the Guardian is based in Britain, but he's only been with them for about a year, and works for their American office. So the issue's moot in this point.

The time I made my own wine in a milk jug says I do!

He only won by 7%. There were still thousands of people showing up on Election Day, knowing he'd choke slammed a reporter, and voting for him anyway.

He works for the Guardian's American branch.

Most healthcare is really more in the vein of Meatfucker.

So much for "so much for the tolerant left."

You should get back to it— Eco's not around, but they're clearly using ideas from The Prague Cemetary for the major arc right now.

"Belgians" in general aren't scary, but one of them is Jean-Claude Van Damme.

See above, re: just like Stalin!

At least the Cenobites have class and wit to match their indescribable sadism.

Veeeeery cool.

John Darnielle, but he's fortunately made a career out of being an aggressively decent and welcoming person with love for his fellow man.

He didn't use to talk about it so damn much.

I don't get sectarian about my smoked fatty meats. I've lived in all ends of NC and I'm as happy with pulled pork shoulder and a tomato base as I am with whole hog and vinegar sauce, and I will sing the praises of Kansas City ribs and a pile of mesquite-smoked brisket.