LW, please don't listen to the negative responses posted here. What you're feeling is common among smart, unconventional people -- ones who don't WANT to fit in boxes, ones who challenge the status quo. I've been there, thinking I'm the only one who was out of sync. The key is to find others who share things in common with you, and they are out there. One previous poster was correct in that a good first step is to find other people who are "intellectual."

Sure it is good to develop some patience and find some common social bonds with other parents, dads, etc. But I discovered a whole new world of people and friends when I moved to a town where intellectualism and thoughtful discussion is valued more than say, the latest celebrity gossip. You might even try looking for such a community online.

People who are "outside the box" are critical to the future of humanity and the progress of our society, and lend richness to the development of their children into broad-thinking, innovative adults. It's true that many people who are perfectly happy in the roles they have chosen might feel threatened by those of us that aren't.

let's see, US airlines should fly to every large city in the world, even if there's little market there, it costs them a fortune, and the safety record of the area is terrible, because it is romantic and makes us good world citizens.

It's not elitism or imperialism or anything else you want to call it. It's called capitalism.

dear, dear Garrison. I weep for you and the majestic beauty of our dear Lone Star State that you have somehow missed. Rolling fields of bluebonnets in bloom. Countless small towns with soaring stone courthouses on storybook town squares. Perhaps you were here in a drought in the middle of August. Perhaps you needed to float down a clear, cool river through the hill country. I might become an atheist too if I visited Minnesota in January!

The mentality of entitlement based on money just galls me. Raise the price of street parking so only those who can pay the price can park there? Too bad if less-flush drivers have to walk a mile with 30 lbs of groceries in 95 degrees.

I'd rather drive around for a few minutes where everyone's got the same finders-keepers shot at comfort and convenience.

sometimes, it is kindest to everyone involved to simply say, "thank you so much! I have plans with some friends and we're going to have a great time."

this has quieted my concerned family and friends on those years I've also wanted nothing more than to have some time alone.

they don't have to know your "friends" are the cats and the DVD player!

Let me get this straight: you feel you missed out because you didn't sleep with Thai hookers or beg your elderly parents for money?

I picked up at age 44, left my cute house, network of friends and family, and moved from my 20-year home in amazing Austin, Texas to take a job in Washington DC. That was two years ago and I have no regrets!

I looked at it as a 2-year adventure. I too did not want to be a landlord, but I bit the bullet, hired a manager for the house and didn't look back. I plan to go back, but I'm still enjoying my time in DC for now.

The key factors I see here, though are:

• I liked Washington
• the job and the salary were unique opportunities I knew I'd never have again
• I was a little bored with my old life.

So, are you longing for new experiences? Is the job something you will love? Will two years at this promotion provide you with enough professional clout to get another job back home in a couple of years? If so, I say GO, enjoy the adventure, keep your house and come back refreshed and excited in a couple of years.

Peggy's sister was pregnant at the same time. The child she is raising is probably her own (the sister's). It sounds like Peggy really did give the child up for adoption - again, more poetry/irony from these great writers, since Pete rejected the idea of adoption yet his own son was adopted.

I must be the only one who feels that Betty and Don reached a watershed and truly do want to find their way back together - they just haven't figured out how. Betty had her epiphany (sex with a total stranger, which gave her permission to come back from the brink - notice how she chowed down on food from the fridge that night after weeks of little appetite...)

Betty had grown increasingly despicable this season but I hope this was a turnaround point.

This article was the last straw. A HEADLINE article about the future first lady's booty???? I've tried. god knows I've tried. I watched as Salon drifted from a truly independent, intellectually stimulating web site to something so far left and so catering to the superficial, to the whiny concerns of vapid writers... first I let my premium membership go. Now I am letting the whole site go. ah Salon, I will miss you.