I love spring, too. But I really expected much more original thoughts and observations from GK. He seems to have phoned it in a bit on this one.

Oh, and I could do without the references to "black" persons in here (I'm not even black and the distinction gets on my nerves) and the long-schnozzed fellow. It makes Keillor sound like he was born under a rock.

Pick 3 or 4 that you truly do like and hang them prominently so you can feel that you've given Mom's art importance in your place.

Then invite everyone who was ever important to your mom to come over and pick out a painting of hers they'd like to have as a remembrance of her.

If there aren't enough folks left to do that, donate the pictures to places whose walls could use some cheering up: hospitals, shelters, halfway houses, orphanages. Those flowers and such that are not your taste could well bring some happiness to others. What a great way to honor your mom and the beauty she created!

Wow - amazing letter about your hospital. I was fascinated reading it. I hope you're a professional writer because you have some important things to say.

Oops - I meant the Anonymous who posted about the power bottom line in their hospital -- it's quite a look into how a dysfunctional place runs.

I read the blurb for this column, then looked down to see it was written by Paglia. Steeling myself, I read a paragraph or two, knew I couldn't stand one more sentence, and went straight to the letters for relief.

Thank you, global warming people who apparently have bothered to read up on the subject! Thank God FOR this letters section, or reactionary dismissal of this catastrophe would be allowed to be the only voice heard here.

(Paglia should stick to the really important stuff, like commentary on world leaders' fashion and teeth.)

Damn those stuck-up French for giving us such a snobby word! It gave hyper little American boys like Bush and Rove their perfect little playground taunt.

Most people thinks the benchmark of turning 21 means buying a drink (legally). This LW thinks it means deciding whether to own a gun or not. I'd say he's really asking whether owning a gun will make him an "adult" or not. Answer: Just like that drink,it won't.

LW, you are not Cho; you could never be Cho. The many millions of us throughout the world who walk around with various full-blown disorders or various permutations of obsession, hostility and instability also could never be Cho. He's made international headlines precisely because he is one in a billion.

If you are feeling particularly sensitive to others' reactions around this time, it is probably only because Cho is currently taking up so much mental bandwidth in all of us. For better or worse, give it two weeks and this terrible incident will have receded to the back of the collective conscious.

Call me a crazy dreamer, but I sense that all the delving into Cho's miserable mental life could actually culminate in something very positive: a sea change of compassion for those struggling to just get through a day in this life.

I've seen this kind of spineless stuff before: Being all too casual in a situation that required responsible alertness; then being all "It wasn't me" when things went wrong. My bet is that the friend's a chronic pothead.

The only freedom that counts is the freedom to say no. Say no to expectations that you at 35 should be pursuing this thing or that thing, that you at 35 should feel this way or that way.

If you have something to feel passionately care about(your nieces and nephews), you are light years ahead of most of the rest of us anyway.

In any case, I don't see the either/or question here. It's not like by moving you're abandoning some singular job position or some fascinating city or some irreplaceable man. You're just relocating to a new town, where you'll likely find some similar job and interesting things to do and maybe even surprise yourself with some great guy who's attracted to your happiness.

Just realize one thing: Those kids won't be into you once they hit 12 or so, so don't literally build your life around them.

I have no doubt that most of the girlfriend's big raise is being kicked right back to the boyfriend.

I'm kind of wondering at what point Salon writers, who are presumably among the hipper, more sophisticated people around, are going to figure out that all these big celebrity oh-so-shocking shockers are PUBLICITY STUNTS, timed to coincide with drumming up RATINGS. HELLO. The 30 Rock finale is this Thursday, so it's time to grind out some guaranteed media interest in Alec Baldwin -- or should I say, Alec Baldwin's CHARACTER, who is, COINCIDENTALLY, a thoughtless little pig!

Same dumb crap as Trump/Martha, Trump/Rosie, various actors getting in minor little "legal" troubles that just happen to coincide with their movies about to come out, etc., etc., etc. How did we all get so STOOOOOpid?

LW, you've been friends since 1968 and you haven't hashed this subject out with her yet? If it hasn't come up and/or been resolved in nearly 40 years, it isn't going to come up and/or be resolved in this meeting, either.

What makes you think she's going to "demand" you defend your eating habits? That's kind of dramatic, isn't it? I have to wonder if maybe deep down you aren't feeling a little guilty about eating animals, after all.

Personally, I think it's kind of nice to adjust to your friends when it's their turf. So eat vegan with her for a few days. It wouldn't kill you and she'd probably really appreciate it.

You're itching to perform. For an audience. Without risking starving to death. Proceed to Youtube.