You are not the only one. That scene put me off the whole series. Historically accurate or not, I will not read books where a woman is abused and somehow it ends up being acceptable or even "romantic."

I'm so happy for you! Enjoy that vacation...you deserve it.

Because begrudging another person's situation seems to be the most convenient way of validating our own.

When I was in school we started just after Labor Day. Here we start next week on August 6. However we get out on May 29 where most schools go to mid-June, and we get a week off in October, 4 weeks off at Christmas, and a week off in March, not to mention at least one long weekend per month due to various Malaysian public holidays.

iTunes? That's where I get most of my series since none of it ever makes it to Malaysia. It's usually around $25-40 for an entire season depending on how popular it is and they post the episodes about 12 hours after they show on TV.

I once tried to make Mexican fried ice cream but I had never deep fried anything before. Mistakes were made and I set my kitchen on fire. Literally. I can laugh about it now because no one was hurt and the damage was covered by insurance, but it was really scary at the time. I now leave all the Mexican dessert dishes to the pros. :)

When we had foster kids who came to us with horrible lice it took several months until we finally used this: http://www.amazon.com/LiceGuard-Robi-Comb-Electronic-Lice/dp/B000P6TF8W It's the only thing that worked for us. Good luck. I hate lice, too.

I am so, so sorry.

Owned since I've been married? Not many. We've been married almost 18 years and we have owned maybe 5 or 6 cars between us. We always leased cars for the most part until we moved here. Now we have two old cars that have given me enough trouble that I miss the days of leasing.

95 with 90% humidity so it feels like, well, hot lava.

And this is why admissions meetings are what I dislike the most about my job. There is A LOT that goes into student selection when spots are limited, more than just test scores (at least at my school). But test scores are, nonetheless, a factor to consider. As a PP mentioned, it is often more about "fit" than ability. And splitting siblings (accepting one and not the other) usually means we lose both candidates. I can tell you that is not an easy decision to make. It feels a lot like "playing God" and even after 5 years of weekly admissions meetings, I never quite get used to having to disappoint a parent. It sucks.

That's so funny because I'm an introvert and one thing I hated about getting my hair done or getting pedicure was that the stylist/pedicures always want to chat the whole time. :) Here the language barrier often keeps that from happening. I now go to get my toes done and I happily and quietly read a book with no conversation required. It's my favorite thing to do!

I think we might be getting a little worked up over something small and attributing motivations to people that are not really there. Traditionally, kids' birthday parties included gifts (at least in my neck of the woods). No-gift parties are a fairly recent phenomena. Some people take longer to let go of a tradition than others. I know the first time I got a no-gift birthday party invite I panicked a little. What if I don't get a gift as requested but other people do because that's what they are used to? Then I will look stupid being the only one without a gift and so forth... I have actually bought a gift in the past for a no gift party and kept in the car "just in case" because I have been to several of these parties and people all still brought gifts. No one wants to look foolish. Changing traditions takes time for people to get used to. And for the record, I like Miss Manners. :)

I started working when I was 14yo and have had a job ever since. When I was in high school my mom still bought me clothes but I also bought additional clothes I wanted. When I went to college I bought my own clothes and have done so ever since. It was never a "Rule" of any sort... my parents just didn't have a lot of money so I helped out by buying my own clothes.

That's interesting. I wonder if it's geographical. I went to HS in Michigan in the 80s and we did not say it.

They do not say it in any of the 5 school districts where I have worked in southeast Michigan.

I would LOVE a daily afternoon nap. Seriously. I love sleep. Maybe when I retire in 20 years or so?

I am surprised how many people in my graduating class are now conservative Christians. When I went to school religion seemed to be the furthest thing from anyone's mind. Drinking, drugs, sex were the name of the game even for the jocks and student council reps. They don't call the 80's the decade of decadence for nothing! But all the ones who seemed destined for jail or an early death are now really religious. I come from a really boring small city outside of Detroit and it seems like nothing interesting ever comes out of my town. I do have one friend who wanted to be an actor and has had some small parts in movies and TV. So I guess that's something.

Controversy and smugness sells. I find that there are pieces of his writing that I agree with...definitely some more than others... I like the 50 Shades piece but did not like the immigration piece, for instance. But the smug, sarcastic packaging sometimes gets to me. I feel the same way about Bill Maher and Jon Stewart. There is usually something they say that I agree with but I have to dig through the arrogance to get to it. All of these outspoken "professional opinion-havers" are OK in small doses, but too much of it and I start to feel yucky.

My dd started playing tennis at age 3. She is now 4.5yo and is being coached by a former Davis Cup player. It is awesome to see her raw talent being formed and she loves it! Actually she is kind of obsessed with it. :) To be honest, it kind of scares me though. I know if she continues down this path it will cost a lot of money and a lot of time. We have not had a "serious" athlete yet so is new territory for us. We will support her in it but I know it will be a big change for our family.

I probably would not cross a picket line but mostly because I've seen them erupt in violence back in Detroit and I don't want to be a part of that.

Started reading: The Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness Still reading: The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur Finished reading: 1. The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan (AVERAGE) 2. The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene (GOOD) 3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (EXCELLENT) 4. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty (EXCELLENT) 5. The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith by Peter Hitchens (AMAZING) 6. Champion by Marie Lu (PRETTY GOOD) 7. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (INCREDIBLE) 8. Cultivating Christian Character by Michael Zigarelli (HO-HUM) 9. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff (um...WOW. So amazing and sad) 10. Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church by JD Payne (SO-SO) 11. The Happiness Project: Or Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. by Gretchen Rubin (GOOD) 12. Reading and Writing Across Content Areas by Roberta Sejnost (SO-SO) 13. Winter of the World by Ken Follet (PRETTY GOOD) 14. The School Revolution: A New Answer for our Broken Education System by Ron Paul (GREAT) 15. Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (LOVED IT) 16. Beyond the Hole in the Wall: Discover the Power of Self-Organized Learning by Sugata Mitra (GOOD) 17. Can Computers Keep Secrets? - How a Six-Year-Old's Curiosity Could Change the World by Tom Barrett (GOOD) 18. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself by David McRaney (GOOD) 19. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (OK) 20. Follow Me by David Platt (GOOD) 21. The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman (SO-SO) 22. Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman (OK) 23. A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home by Jason Helopoulos (GOOD) 24. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan (DEPRESSING) 25. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (SO-SO) 26. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff (DELIGHTFUL) 27. The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman (WORST ENDING EVER) 28. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor (SO-SO) 29. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (BRILLIANT) 30. The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (WONDERFUL) 31. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (CAN'T-PUT-IT-DOWN-READ-IT-ALL-IN-ONE-SITTING BOOK) 32. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (SUPER CREEPY BUT REALLY GOOD) 33. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout (WONDERFUL) 34. The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty (PRETTY GOOD) 35. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez (HEART-BREAKING) 36. One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper (REALLY, REALLY GOOD)

Ditto. I loathe games at baby or bridal showers and I would hate it them at a wedding reception, too.

It's beautiful!!

I was just doing some reading online and it seems that it is more common among Malays than the Chinese or Indian populations here but breastfeeding in public is still either not done or done very discreetly. One thing I read that rang very true to me is the idea that those who do breastfeed openly will need to be able to tolerate being stared at. That is very cultural. My unique family is subject to open gaping everywhere we go so I could see that a woman openly breastfeeding at, say, the mall would be stared at though I doubt anyone would actually say anything to her. It's a pretty non-confrontational culture. P.s. Somewhat related... The incidence of diabetes among the Indian population is very high here. The theory is that many of the poorest Indians do not breastfeed and cannot afford formula, or milk so they feed their infants sugar water.