Go, LW, go! Everything Cary said to you is right on the money. If posting his entire answer again in the letters would get across how much I agree with him, I would. Alas, reposting would be redundant and silly, so I'll write all this instead. :)

But seriously, LW, you need to memorize Cary's answer. Tattoo it on your forehead, keep a copy of it next to the car stereo controls, post a copy on the side of your computer monitor so you see it all day...whatever it takes till you fill out the application form for your dream college.

Go! Why are you still sitting there, reading Salon? Go fill out some application forms, girlfriend!

While you still can. Break the engagement as nicely as possible, hire a real estate agent to sell your house, and rent an apartment in that larger town an hour distant to put your books into. Line up some interviews ahead of time (there's nothing wrong with making some plans before you break the engagement, IMO), and get a job doing what you're doing now. Rent a moving truck, pack up your stuff and your cats, and strap your car onto a trailer, and get thee to a life of your own!

So says the woman who 'settled' for 14 long years when she should have left at 25, instead of hanging on till 32. Go, LW. Go now while you are still young (and childless) and go live the life you know you can have.

Gordon, Salon's schedule has always been to have movie reviews on Thursdays, since Fridays are a big movie-going day. It's not like Salon has been slacking lately in their political coverage, so you might want to cut them a little slack this time.

The giddiness Traister describes feeling after the Great Snape Debate is something I'm very much familiar with, having experienced it many times during the week long World Science Fiction Convention, commonly known as Worldcon. It's fan-run, and so the programming is always amazing. For those of us of the bookish persuasion, it's a little slice of heaven...and the parties are pretty damn good too. Rebecca Traister might want to check out Worldcon 2008 in Denver, CO; according to my Potterphile friends who go to Worldcon, there's usually a lot of Potter-related programming these days.

Joan, I'm sorry you weren't allowed the last word on Dan Abrams' show tonight, but I am very glad you said, "Tucker always gets the last word." I realize MSNBC wants to get the most out of their talking heads, but when the head is Tucker the Fucker it means I have to listen to him spew his idiocy and not get called on it and I don't like that. It's great to hear someone speaking up and mentioning it.

Thank you for speaking up and calling Tucker on his hypocrisy about Vitter and the media, and mentioning the crap he used to sling during the Clinton sex scandal. We (meaning the reality-based community) have got to start calling them out every single time the nutjobs try to tell us black is white and up is down. It's nice to see someone in addition to Keith Olbermann standing up for reality on national TV.

Flyover52 is about the only person who's posted useful advice, LW. Depending on the laws of your state, you may have voided your lease (and lost the protections you have as a renter) with your landlord by allowing them to live there if they're not on the lease. And by letting the friend and then the preggo girlfriend live there you may have put yourself into a possible landlord/tenant situation with them. You really really really need to talk to a good lawyer who's specialty is this type of law. Borrow money from family or friends if you have to in order to pay for it, but you're most likely going to need the legal representation to get you out of this situation. Of course, the usual I Am Not A Lawyer disclaimer applies to everything I'm saying here.

As for Cary's advice...well, he's verbose as always but he did suggest that the LW at least talk to a lawyer, and he also advised LW to take a look at why he/she has allowed these people to behave this way towards the LW. Taking steps (most likely through counseling) to change that about LW's personality will go a long way towards never winding up in a situation like this again.

Walter, you seem to be the only Salon reporter who realizes that John Edwards is still running for President. I think this is the only story on Salon about the Iowa caucuses which even mentioned Edwards' 2nd place showing, which as you mentioned is very good considering the record-setting turnout. Can you explain this resistance to mentioning Edwards' campaign? I noticed it on MSNBC's coverage of the caucuses last night as well. I'm far from the only person who's noticed this, and it's yet one more example of the MSM not doing its job correctly. I mean, it's almost like some sort of memo went out to all journalists: Ignore Edwards, and he'll go away. Is even Salon going to go along with the corporate oligarchy's talking points on this? If so, shame on you all.

What a beautifully written article. Joan Walsh needs to give you a raise, Mr Smith.

Presidential offspring who are minors should be left alone, yes. However, if 24 yr old Meghan McCain wants to write a public blog about her dad's Presidential campaign, then she opens herself up to commentary. It may be good, it may be bad, but them's the breaks when you put yourself out into public. She doesn't have to be involved in her dad's campaign, but she's chosen to do so. Ergo, she's fair game for the pundits. Same goes for Chelsea Clinton, or any other adult child of a Presidential candidate.