Ask Rachel

Rubber meets the road, Trader Joe's FOMO & seed gender bias
Rubber meets the road, Trader Joe's FOMO & seed gender bias
07/01/2021
Interesting fact: The International Olympic Committee is supplying 150,000 condoms to the Olympic village. 11,000 athletes are expected to participate in this year’s games. Is that a ridiculous amount of condoms or not nearly enough condoms?
Read More
Safety third, space schmucks and heavy hugs
Safety third, space schmucks and heavy hugs
06/24/2021

Interesting fact: The pressure of a weighted blanket is suspected to release oxytocin, that ol’ feel-good hormone. No word yet on how much oxytocin a weighted blanket stimulates in the zero gravity of space. 

Read More
Gleek mythology, tongue baths & goth gardening
Gleek mythology, tongue baths & goth gardening
06/17/2021
Interesting fact: The AKC says that dog saliva (and human saliva too!) is slightly antibacterial and antimicrobial. Key word: slightly. 
 
Read More
International incident, growing turmoil and belly aches
International incident, growing turmoil and belly aches
06/10/2021
Interesting fact: That whole “humans use only 10% of their brains” thing is apparently a myth, and most of our brains are active most of the time. Not saying they’re usefully active. Just active.
Read More
Baffled by breakfast, 'no' to nostalgia & Aunt Flo's undies
Baffled by breakfast, 'no' to nostalgia & Aunt Flo's undies
06/03/2021

Interesting fact: “Shorts” is reportedly slang for cigarette butts. Thus, “eat my shorts” takes on a range of meanings both literal and euphemistic.

 

Read More
Super specific, burrito blunders and air heads
Super specific, burrito blunders and air heads
05/27/2021

Interesting fact: Canned air is not actually air at all, but a highly flammable mixture. I’m more and more invested in this potential canned-air superhero by the moment.

 

Read More
Saved by the boss, styrofoam stash and ride bribes
Saved by the boss, styrofoam stash and ride bribes
05/20/2021

Interesting fact: Styrofoam is about 95 percent air. So basically… it’s the breathable version of bottled water.

Read More
Deathly Disney, bad dads and missed connections
Deathly Disney, bad dads and missed connections
05/13/2021
Interesting fact: Anyone who thinks all Disney movies don’t share a universe has never been to Disneyland, where you can dine with Robin Hood and Cinderella at the SAME TIME.
 
Read More
Unnatural flavors, puzzling punctuation and bat bikes
Unnatural flavors, puzzling punctuation and bat bikes
05/06/2021

Interesting fact: According to the FDA Code of Regulations, natural flavors are created from substances extracted from certain plant or animal sources. I don’t know about you, but just reading the word “extracted” makes me hungry.

Read More
Doggy style, in-box anxiety and rind etiquette
Doggy style, in-box anxiety and rind etiquette
04/29/2021

Interesting fact: “Jury-rigged” is a makeshift solution from materials at hand. “Jerry-built” is something constructed with shoddy materials. “Jerry-rigged” is an 18-wheeler driven by Jerome.

 

Read More
Parental timeshares, glue lies and bursting bubbles
Parental timeshares, glue lies and bursting bubbles
04/22/2021

Interesting fact: The short answer? Soaps are made of natural products, and detergents are synthetic. Also, detergents work better in cold water. Good for ice bucket bubble baths.

 

Read More
Dishing it out, hug withdrawal and getting boned
Dishing it out, hug withdrawal and getting boned
04/15/2021
Interesting fact: In humid climates, bones can decompose in a decade or two. But in more dry areas, they can take hundreds of years. This is why we generally hide bodies in lakes.
 
Read More
Not OK boomer, short people & no vaccine for crazy
Not OK boomer, short people & no vaccine for crazy
04/08/2021
Interesting fact: Among the most misquoted internet celebrities, we find Winston Churchill, Ben Franklin, George Carlin and Yogi Berra. These, my friends, are our appeals to authority. #notallwhitemen
 
Read More
Unmasking Rachel, punctuation anarchy & unskilled labor
Unmasking Rachel, punctuation anarchy & unskilled labor
04/01/2021

Interesting fact: This is the day you learn who Rachel really is. (Hint: she’s Rachel.)

Read More
Crimes against humani-tea, what about Bobcat & Hobbit holiday
Crimes against humani-tea, what about Bobcat & Hobbit holiday
03/25/2021

Interesting fact: March 25 is indeed the date of Frodo’s jewelry return gone awry, but that equates to March 18 on the Gregorian calendar. You nerds are all a week late.

Read More
Baby got back, being neighborly and watered-down advice
Baby got back, being neighborly and watered-down advice
03/18/2021

Interesting fact: I always thought being in traction meant you had a full body cast. Turns out, it refers to the slings pulling on your arms and legs – and I can’t figure out how that works when it’s really just pulling on your full body cast.

 

Read More
Letters of retaliation, cult culture and anal homies
Letters of retaliation, cult culture and anal homies
03/11/2021

Interesting fact: Cult members often don’t realize they are in a cult. You could be in a cult right now. Can you prove you are not?

Read More
Sweet revenge, sticks & stones, and the big blow off
Sweet revenge, sticks & stones, and the big blow off
03/04/2021

Interesting fact: I wanted an interesting fact about reality TV and learned that all such facts contain an irrefutable truth: there are no interesting facts about reality TV.

 

Read More
Too old to Tik Tok, suck-ulents and Mary mania
Too old to Tik Tok, suck-ulents and Mary mania
02/25/2021
Interesting fact: Despite a 50 percent drop in sales from 1998-99, JNCO jeans still exist, at about 50 percent of the cost (and 50 percent of the leg width). 
 
Read More
Pantry prejudice, genetic mutations & masked messages
Pantry prejudice, genetic mutations & masked messages
02/18/2021
Interesting fact: Quaker Oats invented the recipe-on-the-box and the prize-inside concepts. Maybe we should put them in charge of the masking initiative.
 
Read More