Short takes tonight, on some fundamentals---

---if you're angry at someone, it really isn't necessary to make an ass of yourself to express it.

---if you don't understand something, there is no shame in asking for an explanation.

---if someone asks you for an explanation of something you understand and he/she doesn't, it is rude to be condescending in your reply.

---there's a huge difference between being polite and sucking up. Please ask someone for an explanation if you don't see what that difference is.

---if you prefer to use a packaged product, while someone else prefers doing the same thing from scratch, it does not necessarily mean the other person is being arrogant; merely that the preference is different.

---of course, the flip side of the comment above is that the person doing from scratch needs to understand that the person using a package has a different set of priorities.

---belittling someone's interests or concerns is never a good thing to do. If you know someone has an interest in widgets, but they aren't important in your life, find something else to talk about!