Sounds like a great trip. August in Southern Utah is pretty freaking hot, in my opinion, but, if you're coming from Phoenix or something it won't seem that bad. In Zion, you'll probably want to do the Angel's Landing hike in the early morning to miss the crowds and avoid the heat. It's a great hike and last time I did it, it only took a few hours. The Narrows is a great place to spend a hot day. The whole hike is in the water and mostly in the shade. If you day hike it you'll have to start... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:26 PM on July 19, 2008

Pick out some road trips within 100 miles or so and get driving. Take a licensed friend with you and have fun. Get out of town and on the open road and you might like it better.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:43 PM on July 11, 2008

I second the Allen Carr book. Sounds impossible, but, it worked for me and a good friend who was a hardcore smoker. I was pretty burly myself. After reading the book it just seemed easy. No lie. And I had tried quitting many times before over the almost 20 years I smoked. Just typing "20 years" freaked me out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 3:47 PM on July 11, 2008

Where are you located? What kind of skis are they? $10 is way too low for a brand new pair of skis. Unridden skis should hold their value pretty well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:24 AM on July 3, 2008

On a side note make sure you aren't wearing polarized sunglasses when you're outside shooting in the sun. Polarization makes it next to impossible to see LCD screens.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:04 PM on July 2, 2008 marked best answer

My kid did the same thing around that age. I just figured he was just seeing how loud he could yell. He would let out a really loud scream and then just giggle softly for a bit and repeat. He grew out of it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:38 PM on July 1, 2008

I've recently begun homebrewing. It's fun and in the end you get to get drunk!
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 11:22 AM on June 30, 2008

Oh, budget is under $1000.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 4:01 PM on June 26, 2008

A lot of times the little cable to the screen will wiggle loose. I can't find one, but, look online for a tutorial of where to unscrew the covers and wiggle where the cable connects to the screen. I've seen that fix several laptops.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:30 AM on June 23, 2008

Our car takes premium, but, my wife and I have 1 mile commutes, so, I didn't feel like it's a big deal. If there's one thing I learned from my dad, it's to always get the fast one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:20 PM on June 16, 2008

I loved Trout Pond in West Virginia when I was a kid. It'll take you a while to drive there, but, it's really nice as I remember it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 10:36 AM on June 16, 2008

I've pulled this off several times. Realize, that as long as you are doing a decent job (I'm sure you are) it is much easier and cheaper for them to let you work from home. Try to think of what their concerns are going to be (meetings) and have a resolution ready to go. In my most recent case, I took a year at home to be with my kid (I'm a dude, but, my wife has a much more professional career than my generic web job). I basically said that I've got a kid now, my wife makes the real money in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 7:33 PM on June 11, 2008

My wife "bounced" right back after child birth. It felt a little "looser" afterwards at about the 2 month mark, but, now, 2 and a half years out, I can't discern any difference. It was a vaginal birth with some tearing and stitches. She was 29 when she gave birth.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:28 PM on June 9, 2008

Bear Lake is great for swimming and boating, I think there is good mountain biking at the top of Logan Canyon at Beaver Mountain. Cafe Ibis in Logan has great coffee and sandwiches. I usually head up to Logan for the awesome rock climbing in Logan Canyon. Antelope Island is cool. Down in Ogden they have a new thing called the Solomon Center that has like an artificial wave to surf, a cool climbing wall, and an indoor skydiving tower.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:10 AM on June 5, 2008

I don't know anything about that drive, but, I would say that you should probably invest in a portable dvd player. Our kid is the same age and also very wiggly, and everytime we've had to do a drive of more than a few hours (and those are the only times we bust it out) it's been worth it's weight in gold.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:07 AM on June 5, 2008

Second Asheville. Awesome dining, great bars, plenty of places to stay and the Biltmore Estate.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:21 PM on June 4, 2008

Hey mindsound, I'm a climber and I've had the same problem. Tight climbing shoes really exasperate the problem and I wear my shoes really tight. The only thing you can do is do get that wedge chopped out of there. They'll need to cut it way back and in some cases cut it so far back to the root that that portion of the toenail is going to stop growing from here on out. Honestly though I don't think the recovery time is going to be 4 weeks. More like two. And even then it shouldn't be so bad... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:16 PM on June 4, 2008 marked best answer

I strongly advise against deciding on a second dog until AFTER the baby arrives (congratulations).

Seconded.

Thirded.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:16 PM on June 2, 2008

I remember Bubba's I don't know what happened to it. I would say that Pigman's or the Duck Deli are good alternatives.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 4:19 PM on June 1, 2008

When you are traveling from country to country, get a sleeper car at night. While you're sleeping you might as well be getting somewhere and you make the train pull double duty as transportation and a hotel room. We rode overnight trains a lot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:23 AM on May 28, 2008

Well, I'm not a Yellowstone expert, but, I have been there a few times. I think you should do some research and look at other photographers work to find your spots. There are tons on great views just off the road at Yellowstone so finding shots won't be a problem. Google Earth is probably also loaded with images at many of the areas.

You'll be there during the high season, so, I would suggest that you get an early start and shoot around sunrise to avoid the crowds.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:10 AM on May 20, 2008

I went the jewelry route. Necklace and matching bracelet. Worked out well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 12:51 PM on May 12, 2008

You know they sell papers at your nearest convenience store. They work great.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 11:01 AM on May 12, 2008

Ah this reminds me of the two years I had unlimited access to Southwest standby vouchers. America was my playground every weekend. I wish I still had that hookup, but, I think flying standby these days is a total nightmare.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:39 PM on April 24, 2008

Read this book:

The Easy Way to Quit Smoking - Alan Carr.

The book was actually recommended in another askme thread. I picked it up and didn't read it for a while. I finally did and it really worked. I had smoked for 15 years and had quit several times for different lengths of time. So, the idea of going through all that again for something that probably wouldn't take again was very disheartening. But, reading the book really kind of hit the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:00 AM on April 23, 2008

Would Fugazi's "Waiting Room" qualify? Despite a slew of great albums, that's the track that everyone knows.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:58 PM on April 22, 2008

I've got one of the classic steel Coleman coolers. It pretty much rules. Generally driving around the desert in summer it'll keep ice in there for a couple of days.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 10:31 AM on April 21, 2008

I recently did this and I'm glad I did. I bought a D830 and it's worked out great. We have a couple of Dell Vista machines here in the office and IMHO they suck. Vista just isn't there yet. Another option you should check out is Ubuntu linux on your Dell. My machine is dual booting Windows XP and Ubuntu. I haven't booted into Windows in weeks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:35 AM on April 17, 2008

Try talking to your kids honestly and openly about drugs. Then find an activity that they are into and help them get really involved in it so that they don't have times for drugs. Skateboarding worked for me. College didn't.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 4:19 PM on April 6, 2008

Have a skating party like it's 1980. Rent out the skating rink and go nuts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 7:51 AM on March 24, 2008

Looks like they did it with an Image Map.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:55 PM on March 18, 2008

Park City would seem to fit the bill.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:31 AM on March 4, 2008

I love my 2006 Outback. But I also loved the 1981 Toyota Tercel that my wife drove for 15 years until we finally sold it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:27 AM on March 4, 2008

This is what I debate every time I go to visit my in-laws. The Phoenix downtown library is really cool and would be an easy way to kill some time. If you get hungry and want some killer Mexican food, check out Los Dos Molinos. I go there every time I go to Phoenix.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:54 AM on March 3, 2008

Find comfort in the fact that you are your own man/woman and that you've gotten yourself to where you are today. It's hard to be jealous if you're proud of what you've achieved on your own.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:46 PM on January 28, 2008

I've been using a Logitech webcam and Skype to video conference with my parents and our 2 year old. It works well and it's easy to setup.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 7:20 PM on January 27, 2008

Glad you came to Utah. How about Yosemite. Lots of day hikes there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 10:03 AM on January 17, 2008

Thanks for the feedback everyone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:23 AM on December 13, 2007

I grew up on the mountain above Purcellville. If you're looking for a good place to take a walk after stuffing your self with Turkey head up to Bear's Den. It's only about 15 minutes from P-ville and has a great cliff overlooking the Shenandoah Valley at Sunset. The Appalachian Trail runs through this property and the Hostel, which used to be a retreat for the Russian Consulate, houses hikers who need a shower and a bed to sleep in for a nominal fee.

In D.C. it's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 8:13 AM on November 16, 2007

I did this about a year ago, and, while I would say that the dust situation in our house is probably a little better now, for a while it was much worse.

The guy really worked the ducts over and I couldn't believe the amount of junk he got out of there. But for a while after that there was a lot of dust around and he also kind of dislodged several of the ducts with his shenanigans and I had to hook some back up.

I don't think I'd do it again,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:53 PM on November 15, 2007

I don't know if they sell it there, but, there is a giant ski swap at the L.A. convention center (next to the Staples Center) the last weekend of 11/30 to 12/2. I know this because I'll be working there. Stop by the Ski Utah booth and say hi.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:22 PM on November 15, 2007

I would tell them that you're not a janitor and they can either pay you to do the job you were hired for or you can take the next 4 days off. You've got some vacation and sick time to burn right?
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 7:24 PM on October 15, 2007

I was considering wearing a Burka this year. It would be cheap to make. Is this offensive?
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 10:35 AM on October 15, 2007

Scary Spice
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 2:12 PM on September 18, 2007

It sounds like you'll be in the area of the Green River. The waters below Flaming Gorge Dam are some of the best fishing in the west. You can't go wrong with a guided float trip down it. Though, I believe technically, you'll be in Utah.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 11:31 AM on September 18, 2007

Build a halfpipe. That kept me busy for many many hours of my childhood.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2007

I was going to suggest the cork in the bottle trick. I use the plastic bag approach as well and it never ceases to amaze.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 9:21 AM on August 23, 2007

All of the state campgrounds on the Oregon Coast are awesome. A ways off the 5 and you might need reservations this time of year but the scenery is fantastic and the campgrounds are very well maintained.

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/searchpark.php?region=central_coast
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 10:13 AM on July 22, 2007

My local Tibetan restaurant in SLC has these Cheese Momo's that come with a Yak Yogurt dipping sauce (it might be Yak Cheese too, but I'm not totally sure). Honestly, it is the bomb. I order it every time I go. You'd be a hit if you rolled up with a large take out order of these. And if I can get it in Salt Lake City, I'm sure you can get it in New York. You NYer's are really stretching for party themes these days.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 1:38 PM on July 11, 2007

I agree with Mudpuppie. We have a peppermint bush, that if not contained by concrete would be incredible. I can usually cut it down to the ground and have it grow back to waste high about 3 or 4 times a summer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trbrts at 12:30 PM on June 4, 2007