I don't want to say this is "just a phase," but if you take some of the good advice here (especially Cary's) you may very well get opver your homesickness and thrive with this great opportunity.

On a smaller scale, when I was in college in New Hampshire I went to California on a student exchange program, and absolutely hated and detested it for the first month. We had to commit within that first month to either stay a second semester or come home, and I gladly gave up my spot for the next semester.

Naturally, within another month I was begging them to let me come back.

You could get over this.

On the other hand, OK - so it's Europe. It's old and crumbly and full of socialists. (I'm KIDDING, OK?!)

Plenty of people don't care for Europe. There's nothing wrong with you if it's not the life-altering experience you thought it would be.

Come home if you like. We'll still love you.

>There's a big appeal to saying, America express your wish between Obama and McCain and I'll live with the view from the sidelines.

Very hip of you. I hate to tell you this, though: You're already in this thing, whether you like it or not. Ain't no sidelines anymore - you just think there are.

What difference is there between these Hamptons whores and the hookers of that ABC doc that tomreedtoom described?

I Google I Google For You For You.

With this search engine, I tell you what you should ask I Google For You to Google for you. Give me a random thought and I will send I Google For You a Google For You request.

Whaddaya say, Farhad? Partners?

Look, that's a major occupational hazard. Talking to people is the only way to get real stories. The world does not need another writer sitting at a desk regurgitating information other people have already reported. Do we care what you think? Uh, no, actually.

But I understand. When I was a newspaper intern I was also afraid of interviews. But the thing is, people LOVE to talk about themselves. I learned that when I was assigned to go to a hotel where a bunch of construction workers were staying; they had all been hired by the town for some major demolition project, and I was told to "go talk to them and write a feature." (Yeah, that's about as detailed as most assignments get.)

I was a shy college girl and they were a bunch of rough-and-tumble construction workers. What, little old me talk to these scary strangers? I remember sitting in my car outside the hotel, dreaming up ways of getting out of the assignment. I could say they had all gone out when I got there! They were all in bed by 7 p.m.! Or hey -- they had all checked out, and each one had moved to a different hotel!

I finally put aside my fears -- because I was even more afraid of my editor -- marched in there and ended up having one of the greatest nights of my life. Also wrote one of the best stories of my life.

. . . for government cheese and Spam?

There really were a lot of moments this season when it looked like the show had jumped the shark, but I think it will rally next season. It was a great finale! I found myself begging Michael to see that Holly wanted him to go off with her instead of hoping the poor girl would get as far away from him as possible, which I usually do during one of Michael's horrendous dates.

Andy: Great proposal. ("Mr. Andy Bernard - it has a nice ring to it!") Angela: perfect acceptance.

Holly is a great addition to the workforce. Unfortunately for us, she might fix Michael.

I didn't see anything in Jim's first call to Ryan that would get him fired. And I hope Ryan gets sent to FuckYouInTheAssPrison, to quote "Office Space."

And don't worry - Pam could very well chicken out of Pratt and come crawling back.

"The worst thing that ever happened to me was when I left an email to the HR department's web administrators telling them they're a bunch of lazy shitheads and if there's a god He will make it possible to fuck themselves with power tools."

Wow. Where do you work, so I can never get a job there and end up anywhere near you?

Don't knock home ownership because you bought at the wrong time and place and because you seem unwilling to learn the simplest repairs.

I would love to buy a condo but I can't get into this market, thanks to over-inflated prices caused by speculators and by people who double- and triple-mortgaged themselves.

So I rent, and probably always will have to. In just the last 5 years I've flushed more than $50,000 in rent down the drain. I spend hurricane season praying to stay safe. My landlord doesn't think it's worth the money to get shutters, but if the building gets blown away he collects insurance for the flattened mess while I -- what?

And those of you renting houses instead of apartments: You'd better be tucking away lots of money for when your landlord sells the place out from under you. You save your landlord's ass by paying his mortgage because he can't sell in this market, but when he finally does get a buyer it's "we're closing in 2 weeks, better be outa here."

Home ownership IS the American Dream, not because it'll make you rich but because it gives you some control over your life.

Grow up.

...just to find out how a woman manages to get cut out of her husband's property after 30 years of marriage rather than getting at least half of everything as she's entitled.

The previous letter writer had it way wrong. This doesn't sound like "Men bad, women good" - more like "men bad, women fucking idiots."