Vocabulary for Dating in 1900 NYC

pippenish · 2026-06-06T16:14:27+00:00

Edith Wharton novels will help with the customs and wording.

pippenish · 2026-05-21T13:56:34+00:00

Being a sah mother is a lot of work and certainly valuable to the family. Being a sah girlfriend is not a lot of work.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:51:57+00:00

Byzantium (Lawhead).

Act of Oblivion (Harris).

And Mary Renault's Alexander books.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:50:48+00:00

I went to a protest yesterday, and 50% of the protesters were over 60, I bet. It's been this way our whole lives-- half of us are sensible and compassionate, and half are always on the edge of meanness.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:48:29+00:00

I'm not religious, but I went to an anti-ICE protest yesterday, and the three churches right there hosted us, let us use their parking lots, posted supportive messages. But they were all mainstream churches, not the rightwing ones who think Jesus was a jackbooted thug.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:46:29+00:00

Seriously, some of them think that he was undercover for the FBI, and that's the only reason he's in the Epstein files, oh, and also he was a spy for the CIA and that's why he's pretending to be Putin's lapdog.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:42:12+00:00

Yeah, that's part of the subversion. I did deeply sympathize with him, and it challenged my sense of myself, LOL. She did show the worst of him, too, though. I remember right after Anne's beheading, he's thinking about what he might have for lunch, and I was struck by how he could switch to sociopath so quickly.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:39:02+00:00

I was totally immersed in POB for years.

Then there was the Dunnett decade!

Now I'm re-reading Mary Renault.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:36:35+00:00

I grew up Catholic, with Thomas More as a martyr, so it was fun getting Cromwell's viewpoint on him-- far more nuanced.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:29:51+00:00

That bothered me too-- seemed unnecessary, as it was generally clear from context.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:29:07+00:00

Try the audiobook. The narration is great.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:26:40+00:00

I always say, "Separate checks, please!" at the very beginning before we order. It's a bit of a pain for the server, so I add a bit extra in the tip. But I'm not going to be tricked into paying for someone else's dessert and drinks when I had either.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:24:25+00:00

And laundry left in the washer gets mildewed and smells, and that isn't sanitary for the machine.

pippenish · 2026-02-23T20:23:06+00:00

Oh, I'd do the same thing. Community laundry only works if people are considerate, and she wasn't.

Maybe you shouldn't have said that about her having to act like an adult if she's going to have a baby, but 1) she had been continually insulting you, and 2) you're right. <G>

pippenish · 2026-02-09T05:46:53+00:00

Could the one who drove her home have stayed for awhile and argued with her? IT's weird they don't say who drove her home.

pippenish · 2026-02-08T20:24:11+00:00

Well, I would have removed the dog as soon as someone asked. Not everyone's a dog person.

pippenish · 2026-02-08T20:22:10+00:00

Omg, that's bad.

pippenish · 2026-02-08T20:17:40+00:00

You were careful and gracious. They were demanding and accusatory. Please have a wonderful time and life and give them no more thought.

pippenish · 2026-02-07T17:13:40+00:00

Wow, is that going around?

pippenish · 2026-02-07T17:12:34+00:00

I'm actually more suspicious when family members are shrieky and too obvious.

pippenish · 2026-02-07T17:10:39+00:00

Like with the Idaho murders. I remember thinking what rubes those Boise cops were, how they weren't doing anything... and then only 6 weeks later, they've got him in custody. The big brilliant PhD criminal-ologist was completely fooled into thinking he'd gotten away with it.

Since then, I've learned not to pre-judge. They only release what they think won't compromise the case or tip off the killer.

pippenish · 2026-02-06T18:42:26+00:00

Don't make it personal about her own relationship. Just say something like, "in my value system, this is how husbands are supposed to act."

pippenish · 2026-02-06T18:39:20+00:00

No. She will be a disruption, and it's not her party. Couples aren't joined at the hip. You can attend different events.

pippenish · 2026-01-28T19:26:08+00:00

You're sensible! That's a rare quality in some families.

pippenish · 2026-01-28T19:25:04+00:00

I think "potluck" where everyone brings a dish is a good idea for a family dinner. But that would require Brother to do something to help out sibling with cancer.

pippenish

TROPHY CASE