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That is one hell of a spreadsheet. Props to you.

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Haha thanks Tom. My first job out of college was as an online producer for a finance magazine, and all I did was make DREADFUL city-ranking slideshows based on Census data ("the best cities to retire in," "the best cities for job-seekers," etc etc). It is fortunately not a skill I use often anymore. ๐Ÿ˜‚

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Ha ha, I always worked with financial analysts who made spreadsheets, but then I got into making them for trail running relays and now for this 600-day Quordle competition I broker among my friends. Spreadsheets are a hell of a lot more fun when theyโ€™re not for work, arenโ€™t they?

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Truer words were never spoken!!

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I passed The Guardian article to my BFF and I'm waiting to hear back their thoughts BUT, personally, the word "wom(a/e)n" seems outdated and stuffy. I can't tell you why I think this other than I always cringe when someone calls me a "wom(a/e)n" less than I do "girl."

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Oooh that's interesting. Does that vary based on *who* is saying it? (I will not tolerate a man calling me "girl." Unless he is very young. Or very old.)

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Spoke to BFF about this and we both HATE the user of the word "female" (especially by men) because it feels derogatory. Like you need to point out my gender for some reason or another to be a condescending dick. As for "girl(ies)(y)," this feels playful and lighthearted. Especially between friends and specifically female friends. (A good friend, who is in her 70s, refers to me as "girlfriend" and it's charming to me.) I agree that the use of "girl" (or oh god, "sweetie") by a man is also terrible. Ultimately, I just never thought of the word "woman" applying to me even though I'm a middle aged adult. (Though, it does make sense for Britney's bio, "The Woman in Me," as her title.) WORDS ARE CONFUSING.

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I recently had to send a strongly worded email to a male reader who pulled a "sweetie" on me. Abbbbsolutely not. Not in my house. I agree with this ranking -- thanks for sharing!!

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I know two other people who are about 20 years younger than me and listen to different artists, get the same sound town as me, Burlington. We are all college grads.

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