Wow. Is that the best you can do? I am so put in my place! The [gasp] really clinches it!

Honey, you go ahead and do whatever you want. Because if you're taking my opinion that seriously and getting all defensive, obviously I hit a nerve!

And your opinion matters to me why? It doesn't even make any sense. Might want to use that spell check and look at what you typed before you post!

:iagree::iagree::iagree: Well said! I was approaching this from an age perspective, not a body image perspective. 40 year old woman in a bikini - why? And this has nothing to do with Europe. In Europe, women age gracefully. They're secure in themselves. It's a different culture. In America, women are dragged kicking and screaming away from being 20. Being called old is the worst insult ever. Instead of embracing their wisdom and accepting a new phase in their life, they try to hang onto every remaining shred of youth. In our culture, bikini = sex. Wearing a bikini is asking to be looked at. So for all of the posters that are calling foul for *gossip* and *criticism* -hey, if women who wear bikinis don't like the attention they're getting, whether it be positive or negative, then they shouldn't hang the goods out for inspection. And if they want to parade around like that in public - yes, public - then they're fair game for those of us who would rather not have to look at them. It's not snark. It's opinion. Does anyone here honestly think that the majority of these women look good? Because the truth is, they don't. Sure, there are exceptions. And this is not a weight issue, either. After a certain age, when things go south and sag and wrinkle, it's just not a good look at all, even for a woman who's skinny.

Older women (I'm talking 40+) who wear those low-rise, tight jeans with a thong that shows over the waistline of the jeans. I can't help wondering what that's really like on a comfort scale of 1 to 10 - a negative five? I don't see how some of them manage to sit down.

IMO, a lot of the women I know are dressing/acting like they're on a reality show. Except that they're not. Maybe they figure that once they acknowledge being too old for a bikini, they actually are too old for one. In this society (where youth is king), that's the kiss of death.

I vote for keeping them in. There's too much they don't know about the guy.

I'm very big on hugs with dh and dd, but I was raised in a family that was not into displays of affection at all. It left me confused. When I was a teenager I had no problem hugging people - never thought twice about it, because I guess I had some catching up to do, lol! - but now, at 40, I prefer to only hug those in my immediate and extended family. Germs bother me to a certain degree, and my area of NJ is very big into the air kiss, and those annoy me to no end. Hugging actually became an issue with the girl one of my siblings married. She was from a huge Italian family and was used to kissing and hugging everyone, and my somewhat reserved German/French/Irish, anti-air kissing family was a bit of a shock to her. At one point she was very angry and hurt by it, and it came out in an argument that she found us to be very weird. Maybe we are.

Agreed. I don't find the East Coast to be *more* anything, except perhaps more rude and rushed! And I grew up here! Dh and I spend considerable time discussing our move to Montana. Wishful thinking!

No, I don't. I got spanked once as a child and there was also the everpresent threat of the dreaded wooden spoon, lol. Not long after that spanking I ended up needing kidney surgery. Totally unrelated to the spanking, but I was a vindictive kid, and I told my parents that it was their fault. So there was a lot of guilt on their part for years. I made them feel awful. Anyway, my position on spanking is this: if I'm teaching my kid not to strike out at others, then spanking is hypocritical, and sets a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do precedent. IMO, it results in confusion for the child and sets up a lack of trust. Again, that's just my opinion. I have friends who feel differently and do spank their children, and we agree to disagree.

Here's another one of mine - people who walk around or store, or wait on line, talking loudly on their cell phone. Especially if they're arguing with the person on the other end. Why is it ever a good idea to broadcast someone's business that way? The other day we were down in Hoboken (on our way to the Cake Boss bakery - yum!) and some guy was standing on the street corner screaming into his cell phone, including every four letter word you could imagine. We were stuck at a traffic light, so I told dd to cover her ears. It was a relief when he finally got angry enough to hang up on the person.

97? Wow, he had a long life. And a long career. I remember him most for his American Express commercials - don't leave home without it! And I also remember when he portrayed the hockey coach Herb Brooks in Miracle on Ice. Good movie!

:iagree: Well put! Unfortunately, I find it to be the same in the world of dog shows. Not so much the expense, but definitely the back biting and nastiness.

Or all in CAPS. They do that a lot on the hockey forums I visit. I guess they feel like they're making a point, but it's sort of like hitting a flea with a sledgehammer. Oh, and one I just thought of - for whatever reason, when people type h8ter. It doesn't even make sense! It's not shorter, because they're only replacing the "a" with an 8 - plus, 8 has a "t", so it ends up being heightter. I know it's more about what's intended, but I don't get it. H8er would be more correct, I guess, but it looks even weirder than h8ter.

We don't have an answering machine by choice, because we can see who called from the caller ID. I am continually amazed by the complete freak-out and indignation most people give us after they call and it just rings without going anywhere.