I'm very critical of these things. That said, I tend to shrug my shoulders and go, "Eh. It's for dramatic effect," and just roll with it when I see it. But here is my list, off the top of my head, of what I see wrong with Two-Face's injuries and their deptiction (in my totally non-professional opinion, anyway):

- With enough heat to have burned away that much flesh, the eye would probably have boiled/been eradicated as well.
- The muscles for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 11:29 AM on July 20, 2008 marked best answer

Also, of course I find it after posting, but this article is really cool and says a lot of what I was trying to say above. [Also NSFW]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:10 PM on July 20, 2008

Gah, borked. This article, I meant!
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:11 PM on July 20, 2008

I can't search youtube, as I'm on a dialup connection at the moment...

But Anjelah Johnson (the last name may be without h, I'm not sure) has a bit on YT about going to the nail salon that is absofrigginglutely hilarious. There may be more, but that's all I remember seeing from the last time I was around a high-speed connection (*sighs wistfully*).
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 5:22 AM on July 16, 2008

Please don't lawyer up unless this is a horse with a value of over $100,000, or you have inordinate amounts of cash lying about, and time to deal with the hassle. It's just silly, and not worth it in most situations.

Having that many trainers involved is absolutely the norm. The trainer representing the owner is the owner's trainer. Trainers make a good deal of their money on the commission they get from finding buyers for their clients' horses, or horses for their... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:28 AM on July 12, 2008

(I forgot to note that I would be comforted by the fact that you're dealing with multiple trainers, rather than just the owner. Trainers have something to lose if the deal goes bad; an owner doesn't, and can simply disappear into thin air when the deal is done. I always prefer dealing with trainers who have established businesses to owners.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:32 AM on July 12, 2008

Would you rather, or drag along?

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 9:11 PM on July 11, 2008

All good suggestions above. (I'm nearly at the end of a 2-year LDR spanning 7600 miles, so huzzah!)

I'll definitely second that you need to, as soon as you are able, make plans (even if they change! My Aussie was supposed to be here in March, originally. Now I won't see him 'till August. But the point is, we had the goal) to end the distance, at some point. It's only daunting if there's no end in sight. As long as you have a goal, no... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 4:04 AM on July 8, 2008 marked best answer

I'd think a stress fracture would involve significantly more, and more consistent, pain. I had what was assumed to be a stress fracture in my hip or the top of the femur (because of the pain, but of course x-rays didn't show anything) when I was in high school, running many miles a day on concrete and asphalt. I had near-constant pain any time I had weight on that leg, and frequently even if I didn't. It didn't have any surface reactivity or sensations, but I assume that's because the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 4:09 AM on June 4, 2008

Seconding Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things.

Also, Orson Scott Card's Maps In A Mirror is a nice collection. Not all of the stories are mind-blowingly great, but certainly many are.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 6:56 PM on May 28, 2008

Marco polo? Capture the flag?

Sardines! The opposite of tag - where the one "it" person hides, and -everyone- else tries to find them. When one person finds the "it," they then stay and hide with them, until everybody but one person is squeezed into one hiding place. Last person to stumble upon the mass of hidden people is the next "it."
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:22 AM on May 19, 2008

My younger sister used to tell incomprehensible jokes as a child. One of my favorites:

Two penguins are taking a bath. One says to the other, "Can you pass me the soap?" And the other says, "I can't, I'm a radio!"
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 4:27 AM on May 14, 2008

Contour drawing, most definitely. It's fun and easy, and can be done blind or non-blind.

You're looking to find the prominent lines in the subject - the outline, the large wrinkles and sharp contrasts and overlappings and corners that define the volume best. You're not paying attention to much texture or shading, unless it's so prominent that it defines the subject in some way. (That said, as with all styles, contour drawing can go from extremely simple to very... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:46 PM on May 7, 2008 marked best answer

"What do you do?"
"Well, I work at night and I make a lot of money . . . "

Always gets me a good laugh, that description. If I don't want to offend, the response is more like:
"I'm an equine stylist."

Which usually results in a blank stare, meaning I have to elaborate with:
"I braid horses' manes and tails at hunter-jumper shows on the A circuit.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:06 AM on April 29, 2008

Holy crap! You guys are amazing! I'm working 16 hours a night this weekend, so don't have time to go through all this awesomeness in-depth until Sunday evening/Monday morning, but WOW. Thank you to everyone!
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:14 PM on April 11, 2008

Khet? A Leatherman? (I love the micras - small enough for keychains, where they're carried about everywhere and are infinitely useful)

Also, X-treme Geek is sort of like ThinkGeek, only less t-shirts and more gadgets. Something might be found there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 11:12 PM on April 9, 2008

Joshua Tree is way too far out of range to be feasible.

Yosemite is lovely for driving - through the valley, up to Glacier Point, and then drive Tioga Pass. Unfortunately, though, it takes a while to get there, and once there, you can't really "do" anything but Yosemite. It takes up an entire day on its own, basically, since there's nothing else nearby (don't forget to buy gas in Mariposa or another further-out town; I'm sure the stations nearer the valley... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 1:26 AM on March 29, 2008

Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman. London Below still captivates my imagination, 8 or 10 years after I first read the book in a desperate all-night (school night!) session. It kick-starts my own creativity into a fantastic overdrive of the power of story and magic and myth, as though Gaiman is a direct conduit of the essence of story through which I can be connected to the wellspring of it, tapping into something far greater and more wonderful than I could ever fully understand. (Parts of the Sandman... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:45 AM on March 26, 2008

As an animator, I study motion. I notice the way people walk. Can identify people I know from a very long way off, even without my glasses sometimes, simply by the way they move. The variation is amazing - slight limps no one else would notice, a swagger, a double-bounce to the step, the sway (or not) of the hips, swing of the shoulders, how they carry their hands while they walk. The body and head, hunched over and scuttling, tall and straight, rounded or arched or puffed-up, young male... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 2:21 AM on February 15, 2008

Could there -be- a more perfect place to pose this question than AskMe?

C'mon. All arguments for cats aside, why on earth would you even joke about a not-even-yet-acquired cat being more important to you than your marriage? And if it really is, why are you asking this question, rather than filing for divorce?
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:35 PM on November 8, 2007

Another thing to add is that children that age almost universally love to "help" with cool adult projects, whether it's baking cookies or sculpting or cleaning the bathroom or braiding a horse's mane. If there's something you do/like to do with your hands, preferably something that delivers an interesting result, let the kid in on it! The kid doesn't need to be in on everything - obviously, you're not letting a four year old take the hot pan of cookies out of the oven. But they can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:31 AM on October 30, 2007

Eringatang - I know it seems like a contradiction to say one is not in school whilst taking community college courses, but I'm in a similar situation, only without the money. I have to work full-time to support myself, so I can only take two courses at a time, and at 24, it's getting depressing. It feels like I won't have a degree 'till I'm 32 at least. (Went to university at 18, stayed 3 semesters, was severely bipolar, got put on academic suspension for low grades, went back at 20, one... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:52 PM on October 19, 2007

Faithless - Don't Leave
VAST - You
VAST - Flames
Radiohead - Exit Music for a Film (piano version)
O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack - Allison Krauss - As I Went Down to the River to Pray
Shiny Toy Guns - I Promise You Walls
Azure Ray - Safe and Sound
-Displaced
-November
-Raining in Athens
-actually, there are a lot of Azure Ray songs that I find lullaby-ish. Take your pick.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 2:09 AM on October 17, 2007

Never had the experience. But I am sometimes rather turned off and disgusted at finding two-inch hairs at the back of my throat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:03 PM on October 16, 2007

I seem to be going in 5-6 year cycles. In 7th grade, I went from long hair to a bob. That then grew out over the course of high school 'till it was past my lower back. I got my senior portraits taken with the long hair, and then the next day got it cut to chin-length. (I then proceeded to bleach it and dye it blood red, which resulted in a moment of panic when we went back to review the pictures - the girl came back saying, "Well, we found a set of pictures with your name, but this girl... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 6:42 PM on October 16, 2007

I used to work for these guys, and hate one particular manager but think the stores are pretty cool - Good Earth Natural Foods. They've got locations in Orem, Provo, American Fork, Riverdale, and Sandy, and quite the selection of real, organic, vegan, whateverthehellyounutballswant products - including Knudsen's Just Cranberry Juice, 32 oz., $8.59, Mountain Sun Pure Cranberry Juice, 32 oz., $8.75, and Lakewood Organic Pink Grapefruit Juice, 32 oz., $4.99. There's a whole crapload more, but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 5:33 PM on October 16, 2007 marked best answer

Be careful with saddle soap and oiling/conditioning the leather, especially using substances not intended for leather like hand lotion - they may darken or otherwise discolor the leather if you're not careful. Mink oil and neatsfoot oil are especially prone to darkening light-colored leather. If it's black, you probably don't need to worry, but if it's caramel-colored or mahogany/red/dyed, always test first and wait 24 hours, like the labels on cleaners always say. It can take a while for the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:07 PM on October 8, 2007 marked best answer

Pay for the first year or two, but why does everyone assume the parents are responsible for bearing the whole cost of their children's education?

Working, a year before college or part-time throughout, will give one a much greater understanding of the true value of an education that simply being handed $80k (in effect), and contrary to popular belief, unless your child has a major disability, will not cause lower academic performance.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:15 PM on October 8, 2007

Keeping a tidy house, and perhaps even more importantly, a clean bathroom and kitchen. Yes, especially when you know you're going to have guests, but not only. Few things make me as uncomfortable as needing to use the bathroom while visiting a friend and not wanting to for fear that I'll need to pick pubic hairs off the toilet seat or wipe toothpaste spit off the spigot handles to wash my hands.

I resent deeply the idea that people see the term "classy" as... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:22 AM on October 7, 2007

In all my experiences, the third prong is, in fact, redundant. When I have a three-pronged plug that needs to fit into a two-pronged socket, I use pliers to just get rid of the third. Haven't had any problems up to about 1500 watts on one extension cord with the third prong removed.

As for grounding, I'm no electrician either, but I've experienced surges and outages (not caused by my plugs, just bad source electricity) and no problems. I probably wouldn't trust it for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 1:37 PM on September 24, 2007

Screw up. Go ahead, do it. Freak out. Let her deal with it, and notice the way she doesn't leave you over some silly mistake, doesn't hate you forever, and doesn't try and hurt you. Kiss, make up, relax, and be happy.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:39 PM on September 19, 2007

For hunter-jumper riders:
Hunter Seat Equitation, by George Morris, is the Bible of hunters written by the God of hunters, and starts from the ground up - literally. The first chapter is on mounting the horse. It goes from there to the highest levels of control and refinement in riding and training the hunter.

For artists in general:
The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression, by Gary Faigin. Absolutely amazing book that you don't even... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 9:11 AM on September 19, 2007

limeonaire - okay, you may be getting credit for tragesty, but I've got tragitastic!
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:48 AM on July 18, 2007

Well, what the heck else are you supposed to take pictures of? Tourism is an inherently amateur practice. There are thousands of professional and non-professional but extremely talented photographers who've taken thousands upon thousands of beautiful pictures of wherever you're visiting or whatever you're seeing, and have done it a hundred times better than you ever will. Likewise, taking pictures of -just- oneself is silly, because again, there are portrait photographers who can do it much... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:11 AM on July 12, 2007

Host a foreign exchange student at least once.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 9:38 PM on July 10, 2007

Watercolor painting. Horseback riding. Reading interesting non-fiction books. Cleaning the house with loud dancy music playing. Sculpting and painting finished sculptures. Teaching a hamster to dance. Going for nightwalks through the city or a cemetery or just back streets I've never been on before, getting to know my city, my home. Climbing trees. Making to-do lists for the next day. Making grocery or sundries shopping lists and going shopping. Learning to animate, and animating all... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 8:39 PM on May 25, 2007

If you don't get the cats, you and the other Old Roomie are going to be resentful of New Roomie I until he loses the girlfriend or moves out.

If you do get the cats, New Roomie I will be resentful of you until he loses the girlfriend or moves out. His girlfriend will be, too, but she doesn't live there.

For harmonious living, I'd suggest the path that ends up with the fewest unhappy people. This would ideally be letting him out of the lease and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 1:52 PM on May 22, 2007

Listen: You just made it through an incredibly trying time, and managed to get Bs. That's bloody amazing! How many lesser people would have thrown up their hands, taken a withdrawal or even a "withdrawal F" when things went wrong around midsemester? How many people would have just given up, either because it was too hard or because there was no chance of getting "perfect" grades, therefore no reason to get any grade at all?

You persevered... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:24 PM on May 21, 2007

Anyone who told you they never noticed you had clear braces was lying.

Just sayin'.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:21 AM on May 17, 2007

Start a herd of miniature horses. Fix the leaky roof and store both horses and hay in the barn in the winter. Oodles of fun!
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 12:01 AM on May 17, 2007

1. DTMFA.
2. No, you're not going to get the best friend, so don't try.
3. Cry and curse AskMe for our horrible, horrible advice.
4. Get over it, find someone who you like and who will actually reciprocate.
5. Rejoice, have fun, etc.
6. Post "How do I plan a wedding" (or equivalent) to AskMe in a couple years.

see you at #2 in a couple weeks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 11:18 AM on May 16, 2007

#3, dangit, #3... bah.</small.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 11:20 AM on May 16, 2007

Seconding the ears. It can seem to come from all over the dog, but once you get cleaning the ears out regularly, it can go away amazingly well. We got a puppy with absolutely disgusting all-over stink, and once we went to work on his ears nightly (gently!) with a soft cotton q-tip and maybe some water, it eventually disappeared, and hasn't come back. Just be sure, as with human ears, not to prod too deeply, and to be gentle about it. And if using water, don't soak the q-tip - drips into... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 7:50 PM on May 14, 2007

Erm, to clarify, I did not mean to suggest poking about inside the ears with the q-tip, but swabbing the surfaces within sight, as the gunk that builds up there is for some reason very stinky, and can be gotten rid of this way. And a slight bit of water on the q-tip itself, just to moisten it, not dumping water in the dog's ears.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:40 PM on May 14, 2007

Seconding the immediacy of someone else reading and waiting on you being a HUGE motivation. I can whip off essays for tests in-class like nothing, but stumble horribly over writing large research papers at home. This past weekend, I was struggling with 7 (!) essays to write by Monday, and no idea how I was going to get them done.

A wonderful friend offered to call me up every few hours during times when I was working, and brainstorm with me briefly and plan what to do... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:37 PM on May 14, 2007 marked best answer

I could try and analyze individual things I did, but it'd be empty, blathering text. What happened to turn my life around?

I found the love of my life, and went from being depressed and crazy and flat broke, living in a barn, to being in school with a 4.0, working a great job, and having my own apartment and even savings.

I couldn't love myself enough to be motivated to fix my own life, but found the motivation in my love for someone else. You... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 6:38 AM on May 14, 2007

Thank you, everyone! Your advice is -much- appreciated... I'll definitely be checking out the Nordstrom Rack, local menswear stores, and the thrift/Army surplus options over the next two weeks. Comrade_robot, bluefly.com is rather amazing, and makes me wish I had a couple grand to spend rather than a measly few hundred - perhaps I'll have to start stashing money away for something really nice in the future. (As the gift recipient happens to be my beloved, it's something I'm definitely willing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 6:47 PM on May 12, 2007

Disclaimer: I have never owned a cat. My only experience in answering comes from my extensive work with horses, which are admittedly a vastly different can of worms.

Many of the above suggestions have to do with consistency - keep the cat indoors at all times, so that you're not giving mixed messages. But in my experience, that's not the only way to establish consistency. If you make going outside a routinized, dependable, never-changing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 3:52 PM on May 7, 2007 marked best answer

LobsterMitten, you have immeasurably brightened my day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:54 AM on May 3, 2007

(And, how silly of me - darkpony, thank you as well for asking the question. :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by po at 10:57 AM on May 3, 2007