Don't suggest she dial it down a notch, that'll embarass her for nothing more than being enthusiastic and different from you. Mentor her, show by example that a little chatting is OK before a meeting, but that people get serious and focus on the work once the meeting starts. Give her a chance to get over the nervousness and learn the ropes. You'll show by example that people keep quiet and focus on work.

OMG!!! Did Cary spend most of his letter assuming the awkward assistant is sadistically trying to get LW's job? Ridiculous! She's an awkward young person in a new job for christ's sake, not a conieving weasel! Nothing in LW's letter would suggest there is any reason to adopt Cary's untrusting and parnoid view.

I know he likes to assume the most ridicuous position as a way of showing that it's the wrong route, but there's no hint of witty sarcasm to indicate that. So either it's bad writing or bad advice.

Every employee's job is to make their boss look good and it is every bosse's job to help thier employees grow and move up, so having an employee who wants to move up is good, it's called drive and is respected by most.

Bingo. She could never take LW's job, secretaries don't take over boss's jobs in real life, that's only the movies. Unless she (1) goes back for an MBA, AND (2) changes companies. But at the same company, she'll always be in the assistant world and corporate culture doesn't let people move from secretary world to boss world. Only in "9 to 5," and that other movie with Melanie Griffith.

There may have been 1 letter like that. I think most were saying: "you can't expect a little MiniMe who's just like you." You can't fire someone just cuz she's a little different from you as long as she's doing her job.

You can't be Best Friends Forever with everyone who works under you, particularly since many of them will always think of you as their boss and never think of you as a friend. Accept that. Accept that a lot of the people you work with are not the type of person you'd be freinds with outside work, you can't fire someone just cuz they aren't your type personally. Base your firing decisions on work effectiveness only.

or just ignoring it.

Working Girl. It doesn't work like that. A Pink Collar secretary doesn't get her mean MBA bosses's job just cuz she breaks her leg and is mean.

all this scares me that we (democrats) will lose again. An online vote? For Celine Dion, I dont know if I'm more scared of Hillary who made this decision or her supporters who voted. Gak, we're going to lose again. Thanks HIllary for further dumbing down our democracy and thanks for losing the Whtie HOsue for us.

animals were destroying each other for coming into their territory for thousands of years before humans evolved.

Plus I'm lazy.

I thought Texas WAS in the Southwestern US. That's just like TExans to have a totally different geography in their mind than the rest of the world!

I hate hearing mature, strong intelligent working women talk like baby dolls!

It's why men go so crazy for Bjork...

Her music is scary, but she talks like a babydoll

and you want to continue that bigotry by doing it yourself? How about being strong and confidant rather than acting like a babydoll just cuz they want it?

but it's the fact that Hillary decided to have an internet vote for her campaign song that's scary.

Stop PUSHING that kid! IF she has natural abilities AND a driven interest, than you can use lessons to hone that skill. But if she's NOT intersted, she's NOT interested and you're just torturing her. You can't FORCE your child to be what YOU want, for god's sake. Stop. You're killing her, you're killing her soul.

tell her you'll give her $1,000 if you can raise the boys. Nurture them and help them get scholarships to college.

why on earth would you send the kids to Outward Bound? THEY aren't the ones with the drugs problems, it's their mom. Send HER, LOL.

No, straight men don't say things like that to other men, gay or straight. However, MANIPULATIVE SADISTIC men do. This guy likes toying with you. You're focusing on deciding if he's gay or not, but the real question is if he is worthy of your time and the answer is NO.

It's not that. It's that he likes to play games about making people guess about his orientation. And that he likes dodging questions about his orientation instead of just standing up for who he is.

are you kidding me? That's one of the oldest lines in the book, used by generations of manipulative men who want to get something! Being able to say the right things is easy, in fact often it's easier for insincere people to say them than for sincere people since they aren't concerned about the meaning behind the words, only if they'll get them into your pants.

Then make some painter freinds! One mate can not be everything to you, you're just confused to think you have to sleep with everyone who has a meaningful part in your life!

You think all those people who DO have lives filled with painting sleep with all those people who understand it? If you do, you really misunderstand painting. It's not about being cool and hanging out with cool people. It's about NEEDING to get that paint on canvas, regardless of if anyone, cool or not, is ever going to see it.

Most of us have to work with mean jerks, manipulators, passive-aggressives, people who take credit for our work, people who ridicule us.

So your cross to bear is working with a dork who's too nice. Boo hoo.