I’ve made, like, five new friends this month, just from flying on airplanes. I find it basically impossible not to meet cool people on airplanes, unless I actively choose not to (which I do, sometimes -- airplanes are also one place where I’m tremendously productive).

This has always been the case for me, and it's one of the best things about flying. Beyond learning interesting stuff about women's health, self-driving cars, forestry, and so much more... I've learned at least one important life lesson from which we can all benefit:

Too often, we don’t start a conversation… because we don’t know how. We all needlessly miss opportunities because we think we need some sort of “pickup line”... when, really, we don’t.

True fact: "bitchy" is a gender neutral term.

​And if you’re being passive aggressive, you’re being bitchy -- regardless of what’s in your pants.

And… it is my moral obligation -- to myself, to the speaker, and to society -- to ignore passive aggression.

Growing up, I could NOT complain about being bored. If I did, my mom would tell me, "Boring people lead boring lives." It never felt good to hear -- but guess what? I grew up into a person who never feels bored -- and who almost takes concerns like, "It might not be fun for you," or, "I'm afraid you'd be bored," as an insult.

Similarly, as an adult, I sometimes find myself telling people who claim that Valentine's Day is "dumb," "commercialized," or a "Hallmark holiday": "It's only dumb if you make it dumb." 

"If you find it uninspiring, it's only because you​ are uninspired.

(International Olympic Committee)

I know it's titillating to think about all the sex Olympians must be having. Just four days ago, journalists were abuzz with some very important news: the Olympic village will be stocked with 37 condoms per athlete.

I'm going to go ahead and state the obvious:

Just because Olympic athletes are taking a lot of free condoms, doesn't mean they're having a lot of sex. 

It was simple, really.

A short story in The New Yorker went viral this weekend! 

A short story! Fiction! Went viral! This is very new and exciting. 

But equally exciting is the number of conversations this story has sparked, and the lessons women (and men) can learn from it.

Sometimes, smart people say dumb things. 

For example, I surfed with a buddy recently. Super smart guy. Successful exits and all that. Yet he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea that my good friend (whom he'd never met, whom I've known for years -- apparently, men are really bad at gathering sufficient information before leaping to conclusions) likes me because I use my "feminine wiles."

I have a remote girl crush on Jadzia. A regular commenter on my blog, she offers insights and perspectives I often haven't thought of. She makes relevant points, even when she disagrees with me. 

And her recent comment on my post, Saying "Before Others Can Love You, You Have to Love Yourself" is COMPLETELY FALSE, inspired not just a reply -- but a whole new post.

Let's bust yet another popular psychology myth.

"Money doesn't buy happiness."

"Opposites attract."

​​"Before others can love you, you have to love yourself."

Popular psychology is full of myths and misperceptions. Money does buy happiness (if you know how to spend it). We like people who are like us (though, often, people who are complementary attract.) And saying, "Before others can love you, you have to love yourself," is ridiculous, and makes zero sense.

Last night was a rough night for basketball. Not only did Gordon Hayward suffer a horrific leg injury... but three (three!) of the guys I like playing with were unavailable for pickup, because it was "date night."

​What are the odds, right?

But it got me thinking, "How come I've never done date night before?"​