Is he 52? Seriously. I was involved with a really terrific guy in college. He was smart and cute and loving. Unfortunately, he was tooth-grindingly insecure. He'd go to his dorm room and then call me and want to be on the phone all night. He'd come by at 1AM and knock on my door. He'd ask me if I loved him, over and over and over again. He thought I was messing around on him or ignoring him. He'd repeatedly ask me to marry him, even though we'd been going out for less than four months. I visited his family at Christmas time. No one was an alcoholic or got slapped around or did anything off-kilter or dysfunctional, except ignore the dog. (I felt badly for the dog. I think when he got old, the kids were bored with him.)

I don't think this is an issue of the man cheating or having a history or anything like that. Above is an example of a really nice 19 year old male who was severely anxious. If Buspirone or Prozac had been invented in the 1970s, I suspect he'd be taking it and I'd have been married to him for 30+ years. Its anxiety and the man needs help for it. He needs help for it before you emotionally detach completely for him. Divorcing him won't help. He will be calling you and showing up at your door. Sit him down and tell him that this anxiety (because that is what it is) is ruining both your lives.

Al Gore on SNL giving his presidential state of the union speech. Sigh. It was such a nice fantasy.

Why, after 35 years, does LW suddenly feel compelled to talk to her niece about this? If LW feels it is so damned important, why not talk to the niece's parents? Otherwise, LW might want to examine his or her motives for doing this. I don't think they are entirely altruistic, not after 35 years.

the more I know about how the world works, and I am utterly convinced that no one is smart enough to run things that are this big. It might be better if all the countries fragmented into little duchies and kingdoms...

I saw it. I thought, "Wow, I wish my ass looked that good in a swimsuit."

Its just something girls do. Certainly 20+ years ago, it was no big deal. It still isn't.

If you really want to gasp or laugh, go on the internet and look for Heather Mills' beaver shots. Now, *that* is a ticket on the Schadenfreude Express.

There's a network of crazy middle aged ladies who go to shelters and do ad hoc rescues of animals in the pound. They broker them out among informal and formal networks of other crazy middle aged ladies to take the pressure off the shelters and bring the animals to the public in a way that shelters do not.

So, I can see Opus in the hands of some bosomy matron clad in a floral pink dress being mistaken for a tuxedo cat. Maybe he will have a wild gay affair with Socks at Bettie Currie's house!

I'm a Dem and love Obama, but I feel like that site is really biased. I just don't see numbers skewed so far blue on the others. Anyone have any insights on the people who run it?

Take your computer up into the hills away from wireless hotspots and bang away alfresco, away from the Internet. Better yet, get an old Royal typewriter. Wear a fedora and have a cup of black coffee sitting next to it. My own favorite is to get a Clairefontaine notepad and a really juicy pen. Its as close to sex as you can get without sex. That paper is so fine and so smooth...sigh. Ahem. Seriously, though. Pull the plug.

if its with an inanimate object. Its masturbation. FYI

He wakes up with Susan Pleshette and realizes he's actually a midwestern psychologist.

You're in the marriage and you're being a doormat. Start doing the stuff you like one by one. If he gives you blowback, tell him that if he can do stuff he likes, you can too. Make him do stuff around the house and also recalibrate what you expect to be done around the house. Sometimes, the "do-er" overdoes it. How clean does the place need to be? Slack back a bit and see what he picks up. You might be surprised when you lay down the law.

If not, tell him that if he continues ragging on you for doing things that interest you or for asking/telling him to pull his weight that you are going to leave.

If he's only verbal and not physical, he might shape up. Don't overuse the ultimatus, though. After a while, it becomes like Aesop's boy who cried wolf.

However, if after you have started doing your stuff and letting him pull his weight, you see that he is still putting you down, then pack up whatever housepets, kids, and heirlooms you have and split.