Well. Um. Sucks for me, I guess.

No. That means you get to set some of your own boundaries about what you'll put up with. And you don't have to sever or even risk your family connections to do that.

You can negotiate with you Mom like this. "Mom, I'm not getting married this year. I'm probably - but who knows - not getting married next year. You're making me miserable asking about it all the time. When I'm ready, we can talk about it. I want and trust your input. But I'm 24 - there's time. I'm just starting my career. That's my focus. I know you're freaked out, but just trust me a little. Also? I'm not getting married this year, so shush."

With you Uncle...move out. It's no fun living with an arch-conservative who's whaling on your cousin.

is learning that too hot for others is just right for me.

skips MN in fanning cool air to buffistas.

What David said (typo that was tempting to keep in? Typed "Shat" instead of "What"). I wish I'd set boundaries earlier. I would have been happier. Learn from my middle-aged wisdom! You can love your family and yet admit that they're driving you crazy. Set boundaries. Protect yourself. Sometimes that even makes the relationship with the family better. But at the least it will make your experience in life better. Ah, sanity.

P-C, this latest round of "stay off the computer" sounds more like technophobia than any specific thing about you. I'm going to guess that they don't have a frame of reference to know what Internet-based interaction is like, so they assume it's bad because it's different.

(See also "Help! My child is a goth!")

I recently read a book called "A General Theory of Love" (it's about neurophysiology) which in some part explains why arranged marriages work (because they do have a better success rate than love marriages) and also explains why finding the right counselor is crucial. So I'm resisting the urge to quote this book constantly...but you should all read it! Plus it talks about echidnas.

Once again, my Amazon wish list, which I, somewhat confusingly, also use to track the books I want to borrow through the library, grows upon reading b.org.

Also, your commas, they are ALL MINE!

Also, I really should go to sleep before posting any more.

P-C, this latest round of "stay off the computer" sounds more like technophobia than any specific thing about you. I'm going to guess that they don't have a frame of reference to know what Internet-based interaction is like, so they assume it's bad because it's different.

Oh, they all assume everyone I could possibly talk to on the Internet is a serial killer. They saw it on Oprah.

I recently read a book called "A General Theory of Love" (it's about neurophysiology) which in some part explains why arranged marriages work (because they do have a better success rate than love marriages)

My theory on this "success rate" is that the stigma for divorce is even higher in cultures with arranged marriages.

Oh, they all assume everyone I could possibly talk to on the Internet is a serial killer. They saw it on Oprah.

hides axe behind handbag. whistles innocently

P-C, I have to say that if I was you, I'd just be lying to my family in whatever way keeps them quiet. Which I'm fairly sure makes me a bad person.

But anyway, I had a most wonderful day yesterday. I haven't seen much of le bloke recently, living next door to each other not withstanding, as as soon as I handed in all my semester work, his deadlines started looming. But he took the day off yesterday, because the weather was just glorious. So we walked to a local park for a picnic , some snoozing in the sun and frisbee, then walked to the botanical gardens, where it seems as though everything was coming into bloom. And I think I may have got a little sunburned. Yay summer!

P-C, I have to say that if I was you, I'd just be lying to my family in whatever way keeps them quiet. Which I'm fairly sure makes me a bad person.

Well, I do that so often it's like second nature these days. Which kind of disturbs me.