Miss Conduct's Blog

Chat Wednesday at noon!

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:38:20 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=c36d297772" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- June 19 at noon</a>...

Today's column

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:46:04 GMT

... is online here. The first question is about correcting other people's language mistakes: It's rude to correct a person's grammar when he or she is speaking, because in order to do that you have to interrupt your friend's hilarious...

Today's column

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 09:31:52 GMT

... is online here. What's the difference between sharing an interesting article and offering unwanted advice? It can be tricky ... Almost anything can be perceived as unsolicited advice, if the other person is determined to do so. Tell some...

Chat Wednesday at noon!

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:10:40 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=07643c5899" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- June 5 at noon</a>...

Today's column

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 16:05:04 GMT

... is online here. Advice for party hosts: The number one duty that hosts owe their guests is to protect them from one another. This means that when someone misbehaves at a party--by starting a nasty argument, drinking too much,...

Chat Wednesday at noon!

Tue, 28 May 2013 18:35:14 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=07643c5899" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- May 29 at noon</a>...

Today's column

Sun, 26 May 2013 16:30:17 GMT

is one Im particularly passionate about. The LW is losing weight due to a medical conditionand getting unwanted compliments due to a culture that thinks weight loss is ALWAYS to be celebrated. A sample: You dropped a significant amount...

Today's column

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:38:18 GMT

... is online here. A sample (from my advice to an LW with a small but very human problem): Because you've hit it, J.S. You've described perfectly what it's like. I think a lot of folks are on that exact...

Chat Wednesday at noon!

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:17:56 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=201c3b4392" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- May 15 at noon</a>...

Today's column

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:08:55 GMT

... is online here. It's a tribute to my mother, and the many things I've learned from her, including ... Keep 'em guessing: My mother is a sweet little widow who goes to church every Sunday. She's also one of...

Hell in a Handbasket? Ford Hall Forum Thursday

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:55:36 GMT

I'll be moderating a Ford Hall Forum on "The Decline of Taboos" tomorrow night at the C. Walsh Theatre in Beacon Hill. The event is free and open to the public. From the website: Not long ago, we lived in...

Today's column

Sun, 05 May 2013 16:08:36 GMT

... is online here. In Which Miss Conduct Suspect a Couple May Have an Incompatibility: Is he the logical, task-oriented sort while you tend to be more socially motivated? A lifetime of experience has taught me that such mismatched relationships...

Friday(ish) roundup: Performance, Anxiety Edition

Sat, 04 May 2013 21:37:24 GMT

In February, in dear-God-we-were-so-young-then February, I dared to write that 2013 was shaping up to be a mad, immoderate, lurchy year. Obviously, I wasn't to know the half of it. Can I blame the crazy end-times feeling of the year...

Chat today at noon!

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:32:56 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d5dbcf9362" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- May 1 at noon</a>...

Today's column

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:55:13 GMT

... is online here. It's about bullies (the grownup, "I was just kidding" variety). A sample: People seem to think that this is a social juncture where having a witty comeback would do them no end of good. Perhaps it...

Friday(ish) roundup: That Was the Week That Was Edition

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:51:39 GMT

I went through this week in something of a daze, still not sure that the events of the week before really happened. Did you? Something about the weird containment of the events within the week itself--from the bombing Monday afternoon...

Today's column

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:58:43 GMT

... is online here. It's a three-fer! Here's question (and answer) number two: How does one respond to colleagues who say "You shouldn't have" when you give them a small gift as a thank you, get well, or going away...

Friday Roundup: Sheltering in Place Edition

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:15:32 GMT

My synagogue cancelled service tonight. I support this decision, but I know it cannot have been made easily. The symbolism is painful. But if I am going to be a Jew hiding in my house, I am glad to be...

Chat Wednesday at noon!

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:51:56 GMT

<a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=d5dbcf9362" >Miss Conduct on etiquette -- April 17 at noon</a>...

Feeding foodies--another hostly paradox

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:51:34 GMT

Last week I blogged about suggestions from chatters for the problem of feeding foodies: what to do when you want to entertain people whose cooking skills and food savvy far exceed your own. Here's another dinner-guest-having problem that occurred to...

Today's column

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 15:59:27 GMT

... is online here. The first question deals with a friend who has given an ultimatum--either stop socializing with my ex-wife, or I'm outtie. My thoughts on ultimatum-givers: [W]hen a person pulls the "me-or-X" routine, then as healthy individuals with boundaries...

Friday(ish) roundup: Who Can Say What When Edition

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:23:22 GMT

It's been a gaffe-prone week. President Obama should stop complimenting anything--matzoh, attorneys general--until he learns how to do it right. Jezebel's Lindy West has a good (if someone profane) set of instructions for men here on how to properly compliment...

Feeding foodies: A mediocrevore's guide

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:48:33 GMT

This topic came up on last week's chat, and I wanted to pull it out for further discussion because everyone had such great ideas and insights. Chatter Not Julia wrote, Do you have any tips for dealing with foodies, or food...

Fumes of love are in the air

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 15:08:34 GMT

A reader sends in this amusing anecdote:I was riding the red- line from Quincy Adams to Park Street at 6:30 pm on 4/6/13. There were many announcements over the intercom regarding no smoking on the train.Sitting across from me was...

Today's column

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:26:20 GMT

... is online here. It's kind of a festival of people who can't express their emotions openly....