Q: After sending a few messages with someone, excuse yourself by saying something like “I’m about to go to the gym for a little, it was nice to talk!” This will hint to them that you probably won’t be responding to their messages for a little bit. Be sure to tailor your responses depending on who you’re talking to. If you’re messaging with a coworker, you can say something along the lines of “I’m about to make some dinner. I’ll see you in the office on Monday!” Sometimes, ending a conversation is as simple as saying “I’m at work right now, I’ll talk to you soon!” Most people will be understanding as long as you have a real reason for ending the conversation.  For example, if you’re at home, you can say “Someone’s at the door – we’ll chat more soon!” If you’re about to get in the car, you can send a quick message like “TTYL, I’m driving!” Avoid lying about what you’re doing or why you can’t talk. More often than not, the person talking to you will know that you’re being dishonest, and they might get upset. Most people are pretty understanding if you have to end the conversation to get to sleep. Once you feel yourself starting to get tired, let your texting friend know that you’ll be heading to sleep soon. Try to avoid falling asleep while talking, which can seem rude!  For example, you could say something like “I have to hit the sack – talk to you tomorrow!” if you know you’ll be able to talk then. If you don’t get to talk to them often, you could say something like “I’m so sleepy. Let’s catch up later this week!” and make plans to talk on the phone or even video call within the next few days. When you’re talking to someone who you see in person often, responding with an emoji is a great way to pause the conversation until you see each other. Remember to make sure that the emoji is an appropriate response to their statement before you press send!  For example, if your roommate texts you “I’m bringing home pizza for dinner!” you could respond with the heart eyes emoji or the thumbs up emoji to let them know that you saw the message and you’re excited. If a friend or family member texts you saying “Are you free?” or “Can you talk later?” you can respond with the thumbs up or thumbs down emojis depending on your answer. This is a great way to end a conversation before it starts. Because you aren’t responding with words, the other person will be less likely to feel like they need to reply to your message. If you’ve been texting for a while and don’t have anything to say, just wait to respond. Try to think of something within 15-30 minutes so it doesn’t seem like you’re ignoring the message.  If you can’t think of something to say, end the conversation by making plans to talk later or saying that you’re busy. Don’t feel like you have to reply immediately to messages that you receive. If you don’t have anything to say, sometimes it’s best to just wait until you think of something important or funny to contribute.
A: Excuse yourself by saying that you're about to start doing something. State why you aren’t available to talk right now. Tell them you’re going to bed if it’s late at night. Respond with an emoji or two when appropriate. Wait to respond to messages if you have nothing to say.

Q: "-chan" is an honorific used almost exclusively on females. This is a casual, friendly, even endearing honorific that you might use talking to a small child, or a schoolgirl might use for her good friends.  The respectful "o-" combined with the friendly "-chan" gives the formal a feeling of adoration. The pronunciation is the same as above for "o-", "-nee-", "n", and "a". The "ch" sounds just like it does in English.
A: Break it down. Pronounce the word. Put it together.

Q: No matter what method of joining you use, using clamps to keep the joint steady while it sets in important. There are lots of different styles of clamps depending on what project you're working on. See your local hardware store for help choosing what's right for you. The most basic way to join the pieces is to glue the angles, fit them together, and then nail them into place using a pneumatic brad nailer. This works best if the pieces can be nailed onto something else, like a door frame, because the ends will not hold together well. Set the nails if they do not go in far enough with a nail setter, then fill the holes with wood putty and stain or paint the putty to match the wood. You can drill dowel holes and place dowels in the joined ends of the wood if it is thick enough. This can add support and make the joint much stronger. Simply drill the hole, cover a dowel in wood glue, and join the pieces. Use a dowel size appropriate to the thickness of your wood. Once the ends are joined, you can also try a notch joint. Using a thick circular saw, cut a notch in the corner of the joint. Then, fill the notch with glue and fit in a triangular shim, cut to the correct size and shape. This is a more advanced method but can be beautiful if done correctly.
A: Use clamps. Use glue and nails. Use dowels. Use a notch joint.

Q: Follow the directions of your favorite sugar cookie recipe to make sugar cookie dough.
A:
Make the dough. Cut it into desired shapes and lay them on a cookie sheet.