'Pops' psych, leggo my LEGOs and virgin territory
Dear Rachel,
The stereotype is old people can’t use technology, right? Well, I just found out my father is relying on TikTok videos (shared on Facebook, of course) for relationship advice. On the one hand, yay dad! On the other, he’s getting advice from 20-year-olds about dating other 20-year-olds, with pop psych thrown in for good measure. He has a really sweet relationship, and I worry he’s going to break it for trying too hard. Tips on steering him in the right direction?
– The Dating Game
Dear Monopoly,
A man is TRYING, and we want to shut him down? Nuh uh. If this relationship is as sweet as you make it sound, it’s either working just fine – or his partner is going to wise up and ask him where he’s getting his intel. Trust me, they know enough by now to suss this out. Now if one of them wants help with reconfiguring the junk folder on their Hotmail account, as I was accosted to do by a person of a certain age the other day, then I am not the person to ask.
– Clickbait incarnate, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I think you’re never too old for Legos. If these were really kids’ toys, they wouldn’t be so damn expensive. They also wouldn’t fit so easily down the vents. But my partner seems to really think less of me because I buy Legos for my own birthday. No one else does, so I have to! Please tell me if I’m way off base here.
– Missing Piece
Dear Full Set,
Here’s how I think of LEGOs for adults: If you can put together a pirate ship or a space ship or whatever kind of ship, from an instruction book? You can probably also assemble IKEA furniture. And that is a handy survival skill. What I can’t figure out is why all these European brands spell in all caps. Did all the lowercase letters come over on the Mayflower? Is this the influence of ABBA? Ask your partner THAT next time she gives you grief.
– Don’t step on me, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I was sent to get olive oil. They had virgin and extra virgin. I thought you are a virgin only once, so what’s with the two kinds of virgins? Explain, if you would.
– Oil Can
Dear Slick Customer,
Duh, there are two kinds of virgins: The kind where you’ve never had, ahem, Italian food before, and the kind where you’re dating in your elder years and taking advice from influencers on the internet. You’ve probably had Italian food in your youth but not like they’re about to teach you. I do recommend having olive oil on hand for these adventures; it shouldn’t much matter whether it’s virgin or extra virgin.
– On high heat, Rachel
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