137 Comments

My husband's is "who is the most famous person from your high school"

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hilarious! I can't stop laughing. And I'm sad to admit that fear of how I might end a bad relationship has dictated far too much of my life too. thanks for this!

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What a delightful read. Such a fun start to my day.

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This was a funny read that took my mind off the rest if news.

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Okay, "Should I kill myself tomorrow?" was the point at which I laughed so hard I passed Coca Cola through my nose. How do you say "Ow" in Japanese? ;-)

Thank you, David Sedaris!

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I first heard David Sedaris when he performed the Santa Diaries on NPR. I always enjoyed his audio essays as well as those from a few others like Bob Garfield and Kevin Kling, and they were the thing I missed the most when NPR became too frustrating to try to listen to. What a treat to get to hear this guy on a regular basis again at the Free Press!

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I've been rereading Naked and another book of his ...so long since I've read them the stories are new to me.....so I don't have to meet the eye of anyone crazy, hostile or both on the subway....also in doctor waiting rooms.....being shown to the little room you often have plenty of time to finish a story.

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TFP, please give us things with substance instead of this drivel.

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The raccoon paws opening a pill bottle made me laugh out loud. “Me Talk Pretty One Day” is one of my favourite books of all time. Sedaris sees the humour in everyday things and shares it with absolutely killer turns of phrase. Thank you for this!

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I loved this. For many reasons. I’m legally blind. So I take a lot of Ubers and Lyfts. Drivers come from all over the world. I’ve learned to say hello, thank you, how are you and a few other phrases in more than a dozen languages. When I say Nan-gah-dev to a guy who says he’s from Senegal, it lights up his smile and face. Without fail. I speak Russian pretty well. We’ve got a lot of drivers from Uzbekistan and a few other former USSR republics. Saying hello in Russian to the folks instantly creates a chance for small talk. Thanks Dave, for giving my a few new icebreakers!

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It so happens that I am busy with Duolingo and Pimsleur Hebrew, both at the beginner level. Duolingo phrases are so funny - often about bears and pink spiders. On Pimsleur I already know how to decide between beer and wine…

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This was adorably refreshing

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Me first lingua to be sure is the English, but, also at times I can shout in espanol. Me like to speak also in Sanskrit. or Esperanto,

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‘When was the last time you had sex’ would be my elevator icebreaker line, but was persuaded not to use it too often. But the one time I did the elevator passed through the ground floor and ended up in the third basement parking level.

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His brain is so atilt ( atilt is a common word on Spelling Bee) that I laughed out loud. Thanks.

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founding

Mr Sidarius likes to make fun of the language example sentences used by Duolingo but I can tell you from experience that they are quite difficult to write. I worked in the Sentenceing Apprentice Program at Duolingo and it took me many years to learn how to write these sentences properly it has only gotten more difficult over the years. Here are some samples i have written recently with the Sentencing Review Instructor's comments in parentheses.

Does you grandmother have nests? (Ageists)

How many tents do you own? (Political)

Where are the raincoats now? (Now?)

My hands are cold can you bring the lawnmower? (Racist)

And so it goes. I just wish Mr Sidarius could deal these problems with the seriousness they deserve.

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