I certainly didn't know my mother was supposed to be celebrating my sexual conquests. She found a condom in my room when I was 18 once and freaked out. Seriously freaked out. At one point she actually sniffed the thing before going ballastic. My pointing out that it was better than the alternative led to a bigger freak out. Since then not only have I not attempted to make my mother celebrate my sexual conquests but I haven't mentioned them to her. Didn't know she was supposed to be doing a victory dance.

As for the shave thing, I'm with other guys I'm for it (although I'm well aware it's not really my decision.) It's simply no fun going down on someone who isn't shaving. Also women tend to overestimate what "just a little hair" is. No offense but this is one instance where someone who is putting their head in a certain proximity to your body has a much better idea of what's more than just a little. Anyway it's probably a pain in the ass and if the bush is making a comeback whatever.

(P.S. If any women care the return of the 70s porn stache on dudes is just one male response to the return of the "bush." We sort of feel like if you can do it so can we.)

Other than that I wish Charlotte Roche and her attempt to find euphamisms for female masterbation good luck.

Ignoring, temporarily, the fact that this person is now sober, healthier and going to live, there's the fact that you, LW, are just a pretentious, soul-sucking, hanger-on, poser a**hole.

So you spent high school hanging out with this person, based on your letter, almost entirely because you thought she possessed unique, artistic talent. During that time you, apparently, knew or at least suspected she had serious problems and did nothing to help.

You then went off to college, gained an even more inflated view of yourself, apparently gained little to no artistic ability, let alone creative thought, of your own and are now judging this person as intrinsically more boring.

Sigh.

Kitchengirl hit it on the head, again, as usual. It doesn't sound to me like she's boring (or the one with the problem), it sounds like you are.

Would it not be a rank invasion of privacy (to this poor person), who's done nothing wrong, I would actually ask for her name since, given your horrible judgement, I have absolutely no doubt she's probably just entering into her artistic prime and someone who's work will soon take the art world by storm. At least if your past judgement is anything to go by.

What's really going to be a hoot is about five years from now when Cary and others meet an innovative young artist who's having an effect, express their admiration for her and she tells them about the progress she was able to make after breaking away from loser so-called friends like you. Artists, especially artists with addictions, are often ill-served by their friends. I have no doubt you are one such friend.

And I have even less doubt, given your own admitted record of being a front-running, d-bag with no artistic ability or judgement of your own you will doubtless lie to everyone you meet a decade from now about how befriended this brilliant artist when she was a poor, lonely girl with a substance abuse problem in high school and always knew she had the talent to make it.

With friends like you, who needs enemies. Others may think you've matured. I think, from your own letter, you lack any notion of what friendship, loyalty, empathy or helping another person is all about and are manipulative parasite.

Everyone here's got it right.

Which is why this whole "sacred contract law" pisses me off. Insurance companies and any number of other financial institutions routinely litigate the hell out of, circumvent, lie about and take every other step to delay living up to their contracts with US.

But a bunch of executives have a contract (signed before their company took bailout money) for "retention bonuses" and, despite the fact half of them don't work anymore and the attorney general of New York is arguing we (i.e. the majority shareholders in AIG) don't even OWE them the bonuses, and all of a sudden we're threatening capitalism by even having the nerve to ASK if we have to pay it or, goodness forbid, actually requesting that we allow the courts to legally decide if we owe the money to pay it.

And heaven forbid those real firebrands who want to use the same U.S. government that's been taxing the tar out of taxpayers to impose hefty taxes on these cretin's bonuses. They're real nuts.

But don't worry. Obama wants more regulation, the Republicans want to scream and Congress, which let this thing slide by, wants to get on their hypocritical soapbox.

Yeah. That's what the government needs. Is more power to stop this. As opposed to just, you know, using the laws that are already ON the books to get this money back. Right.