she has a damned privileged life (as do her privileged friends) and yet still there are stigmas, internalized and externalized, despite the very visible traditional indicators of success.

I like sara's take on it, although the excerpt Strega posted did make me want to choke the writer: "vacated town" for a "meditation retreat" and "bequeathed her charming Brooklyn aerie"?

It sounds like Beatrix Potter fanfic crossed with Early-Adopting Hipster.

I wanted to nose-to-nose him and demand his papers.

Heh.

bad driving habits

Heh, heh.

no Southwest flights showed up

I think Southwest doesn't show up travel sites, btw. I think you have to go to the SW site directly. Think, as in heard someone say it once or something.

Oh, that's what I meant to add: SW does not do the airline aggregation sites at all.

When the car turned, DH noticed it was a nun in full habit.

When I was a kid, my dad use to say our minister's continued existence was proof of a loving God, considering the minister's appallingly bad driving.

Cat missing for 2 months turns up at the airport.

"bequeathed her charming Brooklyn aerie"

I will say, that reads to me as tiny and old, at least a 5th floor walk-up, but I have been reading a lot of real estate ads lately.....

It probably is, Jesse, but the language is so frigging *precious* it made me gag.

There's a reason for everybody to dislike this article!

Meanwhile, my eye started twitching again about three hours ago and has. not. stopped. It's a slow, steady torture.

bequeathed her charming Brooklyn aerie

"aerie?"

That is too fucking funny.

It probably is, Jesse, but the language is so frigging *precious* it made me gag.

Oh sure.

You guys, I have been such a stressball for the past two days, and after therapy, I feel so much better! Nothing has changed, but just putting stuff out there is so helpful.

The language on details like that was a bit annoying, but I think, as strega mentions, it's all a set-up.

I dunno, they didn't read as qualifiers or rationalizations to me. They read like she expects readers to nod and think, "I can relate!"

And I dunno, maybe they do. I don't know who the Atlantic's typical subscriber is. Maybe it's Elizabeth Gilbert.

Well. I read it on my Kindle now, but had a print sub for years. I've traveled a lot. I have awesome friends in awesome places, but you know that because many of you are those friends. I'm fairly accomplished in my career and own my own home.

And still, when I get together with extended family over the holidays, the very sweet and concerned relatives never hesitate to ask me when I am going to "finally settle down".

ETA: what the article did for me, personally, like I said, was to help de-myth the whole "marriage is the only way to be a fully evolved person". I related to a lot of what she wrote, even if her words were precious.

ETAA: And the great thing about the Kindle (or print version) - no yucky comments to be annoyed by!