It really depends on the type of job but I find 40% to be very conservative. I find that if you make roughly around the median current income (which is something like 51k), holding 33% for taxes is more than fine. However, make sure that you pay your estimated quarterly taxes or your will be penalized quite a bit of money.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 10:11 AM on September 6, 2008

He is a lecturer not a professor. He just got his PhD in 2003 but "lecturer" suggests that he is not a postdoc, which suggests he isn't headed to be a professor. Also, lecturer isn't necessarily a good job, depends upon various factors.

Bad Religion also tours constantly and they try to put out a new album every 2 years or so. The current plan is for Bad Religion to step into the studio in early/spring 2009 to record a followup to New Maps of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 9:55 AM on September 6, 2008

just not licking processed cheese sauce off the plate

There is nothing utterely wrong with this. In fact, I encourage it because processed cheese sauce is utterely delicious.

Until you actively take care of yourself better, embrace healthy eating and health exercising, you can't really do anything to get her to change. You will appear hypocritical and her defensive behavior will get even worse. You have to take charge of your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 12:40 PM on September 5, 2008

I use to believe that creative titles for blog posts would make my celebrity blog stand out. And then I realized that, in RSS readers, a creative title that did not include any useful information was pretty darn worthless. When it comes to celebrity gossip, people care less about how clever the blog writer is than to see what an actual celebrity did. And,with many blogs stuck in RSS land, a simple and easy to read post title will draw readers in. Readers don't want to have to fight to figure... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 4:34 PM on September 4, 2008

wooo. looks like this will take place in the middle of tropical storm hannah. this shall be fun.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 12:30 PM on September 4, 2008

Yeah, pushing refresh on that one is a pain. Maybe someone can post about Jamie Lynn Spears sending Bristol Palin a baby gift and it can continue there. There will have to be another post eventually.

I can do this.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 6:48 AM on September 4, 2008

A friend has gotten some really amazing shots using a Canon EOS 30D with a fixed 28mm lens. (exposures were typically lasting .005-.01 seconds, f 1.8 or 2.) No blurring, beautiful colors. Really just gorgeous portraits of people having a good time, like a freeze-frame in the middle of their dance, and just enough blurring in the background to bring the viewer's focus to the subject.

You know, a lens is probably not what you need right now. You seem to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 11:20 AM on September 3, 2008

Like we needed further proof that republicans don't know how to dip, jive, and be incredibly fly.
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 12:06 PM on September 2, 2008

I could do a meal. I don't have time that week for a drink fest.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 7:47 PM on August 31, 2008

We have a world of differences between us and it works.

You've only been together for a year. You have no real clue yet if it works.

You, as a couple, are now entering the phase where your long term potential (i.e. marriage, kids, old folks homes) is coming into question. Like others have said, in the first stages of a relationship, religious differences don't matter much, especially for those who aren't "devout".... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:28 AM on August 27, 2008 marked best answer

500 dollars for a bottle of champagne at any lounge/bar or whatever that has "table service" isn't ludicrous - in fact, it is quite normal. The fact that you were dumb enough to accept that charge doesn't fault the establishment for charging that.

The club might be ripping you off or it might not be. If you were in a private room, that will cost you. If you had private dancers, that will cost you. Since you were drunk, you buying booze will cost you. Keep... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 8:58 AM on August 27, 2008

We've had a couple pretty direct conversations about him being with someone who's not a member of the church and he said it shouldn't complicate things for him.

I can't think of something more harrowing for a minister than introducing his girlfriends to members of his church. You know how uncomfortable it is to tell your friends, families, coworkers that a relationship ended? And do you remember how many times you had to tell people it ended who you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 2:14 PM on August 26, 2008

1) create several gmail accounts that look random but are really injokes between the two of you
2) find the most elaborate email spam that you have recently received
3) copy the layout/image/html/whatever but rework it full of text, images, or whatever of how much you care for her
4) use the subject line to be as spammy as possible but seem to resemble the insults you two send each other.
5) repeat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 10:36 AM on August 25, 2008

She has a daughter. A DAUGHTER. I really don't think you comprehend fully what you're really asking. It's not that you have a different set of beliefs that you're hoping you can work past (and if you really only recently became single, it's a good chance that you're interested in any woman who will pay attention to you) - this woman has a family that she is trying to raise with a certain set of beliefs, structure, morality, etc. When someone has a family, crossing paths romantically with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 8:32 PM on August 24, 2008

You know, when you elect a president, you also elect his wife. And if West Wing has taught me anything, it's that the First Lady spends a lot time handling the decorating of the White House.

Do you want a White House to look like that? I don't. I think the American people deserve a woman with TASTE in the White House.
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 1:11 PM on August 22, 2008

Also, in before the delete.
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 1:11 PM on August 22, 2008

randomstriker has it. it's the best generalization and the most useful as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 12:40 PM on August 22, 2008

Welcome to Movie Phone! Please say the name of the movie you would like to see!
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 8:55 AM on August 22, 2008

curbed; they typically take photos of gals/girls and allow people to vote on how they look. It's a good way to keep up with what's current in LA/NYC. The blog is heavily NYC focused (with an LA branch too) but since LA/NYC are the center of the universe, that is what you get.

Check out NY Magazine's fashion section. They do a good job when the fashion show hits showing pictures from various male runways.

From my earlier question about male... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 11:44 AM on August 21, 2008

You don't really want to marry her or be with her so why stick around? Your lives are tangled together but they can be untangled. You want to leave, you just don't seem to have the guts to do it. Stop masking your feelings in terms of love and comittment because you currently don't have those. Pack up, move home, and live your life. She's ready for you to really be her rock but you've never been ready to be hers. Time to finally act on it and take off.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:59 PM on August 20, 2008

It's been 25 years since the Violent Femmes released their self titled debut, and the thing still sounds as if it was written last week

This is a very subjective view point and has more to do with the music you tend to listen to than it does in to the trends of modern pop music. Are their still bands living off the post-punk era? Yes. Are there indie/alternative bands that still create music that tries to be bare bones and yet interesting at the same... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 7:15 AM on August 20, 2008

It is a fantastic post and I flagged it as such.

Fantastically bad but fantastic nonetheless.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 11:59 AM on August 19, 2008

pump out some child folk.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 10:55 AM on August 19, 2008

Your boyfriend feels powerless - he knows this relationship will end but he doesn't want it to. And because he knows this, and he feels powerless, he's making snide comments and showing that he's upset. He cares for you much more than you care for him. He wants you but you don't want him. You both are on two different pages when it comes to this relationship. He wants something that lasts while you want a fling that doesn't. He made the mistake in falling for you and it's probably something... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 8:39 AM on August 14, 2008 marked best answer

You can take the lulz from my cold dead hands.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 10:39 AM on August 13, 2008

If you don't like pineapple on your pizza, you don't deserve to live.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 1:38 PM on August 13, 2008

Pineapple as a rule is an abomination.

It is a perfect food. When combined with pizza, you get perfection^2. You can't beat perfection^2.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 1:56 PM on August 13, 2008

Oh man. I was just thinking about if this was still on or not.

I need to check these threads more often.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 1:27 PM on August 13, 2008

Your friend is not having a unique church experience; my lutheran church has 5% of the members but has the same problems. There is always going to be a small core group that is supper involved, there is always going to be people who don't want to get involved, and there's always going to be problems with retention. Is your friend making the mistake in thinking that, if she merely makes an announcement, the individuals will come? You can't wait for people to come to you because they won't come:... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:14 PM on August 13, 2008 marked best answer

I'm glad you're okay and were able to get out piratebowling!
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 8:04 AM on August 12, 2008

The strange thing is that God does seem to give me everything I ask for.

If that's true, based on your ask.me history, you are asking some ridiculous questions.

Your definition of "God" is not a revolutionary concept. And it's not very new too - rather it is merely a deification of self. You are, for the most part, rising your self to where you think a "God" would be. This amount of pride is, of course,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 2:43 PM on August 11, 2008

Maybe she thinks I'm being a poseur?

That's because you are a poseur. In fact, you are a huge poseur. And you know why? It's because you want to have your sexuality be a major part of your identity but you don't want to have to experience the social repercussions for your choice. You want to identify yourself but you don't want others to identify you which, I'm sorry, is ridiculous. Your identity has social consquences; until you accept that, no... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 11:41 AM on August 8, 2008

Oh hey, I did something like this on memorial day weekend .

If you went straight from NYC, google maps is telling you to go north, through Albany and the rest of NY State.Since I was visiting middle VT and picking up my rental car in Port Chester (yay to non-nyc rental rates + Metro North), I instead went through CT and western Mass.

In western mass is the town of Deerfield which is home to a giant Yankee Candle tourist attraction. They have a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:17 PM on August 7, 2008

on preview, TPS already said this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:18 PM on August 7, 2008

if you add a dollar sign, it looks like a curvaceous female who sued your ass for creating a dumb emoticon to represent her.

$O3=

(and, really, i don't see it. It looks like a capital shooting a laser beam out of its nose)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:31 AM on August 7, 2008

As she said, a question I once asked about my own relationship, one which I regret asking and one which I freely admit sounded misogynistic but which was asked when I really wasn’t in the clearest state of mind, turned into a blood bath with most people calling me a misogynist, a claim I still resent and refute to this day. And ironically, the more I recanted, the more I tried to defend myself, the bigger a misogynist I seemed to become. At least according to most of those who... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 11:15 AM on August 6, 2008

The thing that bothers me is that I know that he was very happy her and that the only reason they aren't together is that she moved across the country. However, he said they had "tried to work things out but it's not going to happen."

This guy is not over his ex and doesn't want to be over his ex. He's lying to you and himself. He jokes about marriage because he's playing a game where he enjoys that you want to be with him but he still is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:51 AM on August 1, 2008

I'm curious why thearpy is now an option when it wasn't before. What has changed in this last month that has changed your views on the relationships in your life?

There are plenty of people with preferences in life and, amazingly enough, the racial makeup of someone can also be a preference. However, since race is a social concept and we live in a supposed enlighted environment, your preference does have social consquences.

Asian girls are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:37 AM on August 1, 2008

Argh. I forgot to mention something.

Now, in the US, there is a culture of fetishizing Asian women to the point of absurdity. If you've ever spent 5 minutes on the internet, you will know what I mean. There is an attitude where Asian women stop being women and start being objects. This can happen to any ethnic or racial group but american men (and I'm assuming you're american) + asian girl is also a stereotype that is prepetuated throughout the mass media as something... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:47 AM on August 1, 2008

I really am having a hard time seeing MPDSEA's trolling in this thread. Can someone please point it out for me? He's got a slight point, his comments create and participate in the discussion, and the conversation moves forward. There's a level of participation in the discourse that, to me, is not trolling.
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 8:52 AM on August 1, 2008

Craigslist is how I went in the past. I don't have much advice to give you except that if the future roommate mentions how where they last lived, their roommates were jerks, their roommates weren't the jerks and you should avoid this person. Ask questions about their last living arrangements, how it ended, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:27 PM on July 31, 2008

Her ex-husband flat out refuses for no reason other than to inconvenience his ex-wife

I'm sorry but if I had a 3 year old child, I would not even let my best friends take her on a trip back to her mother. It is not unreasonable for the father to request that someone he trusts takes control over. Is it inconvienent? Yes. Is it unreasonable? No. At first, I thought a call to the C.O. might be the best bet but, re-reading your question, the father is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 12:27 PM on July 31, 2008

(I'm assuming you're male and that the engagement ring is for a female).

For a large segement of the population, if you are buying a diamond, you should aim for something around 1 carat. a 1 carat diamond will cost (depending on cut and quality of stone; aim for a vs1 and G or H color), around 4-5 thousand dollars. Another 500-1000 for the setting leaves you with a ring in the 5-6k range. If you are an average american and make 40k a year, this means that the ring... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 9:23 AM on July 30, 2008

Encourage her to embrace those things that every 20 year old needs: experiences outside their own culture, world, and head. Teach her to embrace new experiences, to interact daily with societies and people that look and act differently than her; encourage her to study abroad, learn a new language, move to a large city. Tell her to apply for the peace core, to do charity work in a developing country, etc. etc.

But don't expect her Christian faith to disapear; you'll be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 10:03 AM on July 28, 2008

i love you guys
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 1:37 PM on July 25, 2008

Is a ring now considered a contract?

In some regards, it already is considered a contract. In New York State, if a man gives a woman an engagement ring and the engagement later ends, the woman is legally required to return the ring if he requests in back. Now, this has been fought in the courts quite a few times, there have been times where the woman has been allowed to keep the ring, but the precendent that an engagement is a legal contract of sorts,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 9:54 AM on July 25, 2008

You never had a really good education on Sin while as a teenager, did you? Rather than focusing on the concept of sin, you were taught a legalistic form of christian morality where the individual acts of sin were given emphasis and the concept of Sin was pushed aside. You claim to be less religious now - I would say you were never religious in the first place. A moral legalistic view of theology leads to rituals and also leads to not being able to answer the question that you asked which is:... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 7:21 AM on July 25, 2008

I relate so much to that Carlos kid. Like him, I was a gifted Latino kid. So gifted that, yes, people often asked me whether I was really Latino.

I'm with you on that vacapinta. My brother and I grew up in an all white community, excelled, and everyone assumed we were from Iran. The idea of a mexican being on top academically just didn't fit with the prevailing culture, from both mexicans and especially whites. Even my americanized last name was too... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Stynxno at 7:30 AM on July 24, 2008

She kinda fulfills are your hipster dreams, doesn't she? She's young, pretty, a "dancer", you met her at a music festival, spent all your time together, etc. She kinda fulfills are your dreams right now, doesn't she.

The problem is that, no matter how long you talked to her, you don't know who she is yet. It doesn't matter that you sat around talking till 2 am drink PBR's at some bar, she is still some girl that you've only known for a few days. She isn't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Stynxno at 1:00 PM on July 22, 2008

I am famous. On the internets.
posted to MetaTalk by Stynxno at 2:25 PM on July 21, 2008