1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. Very interesting book, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 4:39 PM on August 24, 2008

allkindsoftime: "Dear sirs:"

In the same way that "using tags like this has will alienate some customers," using an exclusionary salutation will certainly alienate some recipients or readers. Unfortunately, I haven't got a neat solution; depending on the tone of the note, I have used "Hi," "Hello," "To whom it may concern:" (ugh), "Dear all," "To the committee of blah blah," "To... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:03 PM on July 23, 2008

GardenGal: "Yeah, those are scapes, and those are flowers on top. Don't eat 'em. "


Thread hijack: Why not eat the flowers? I have been ... am I doomed?
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 5:02 PM on July 12, 2008

Sorry, GardenGirl, I missed that in your comment.

availablelight: I have just been not trimming the tips from the scapes when I cook them. So they get cooked the same way as the rest of the scape (grilled or sauteed usually). For the most part the flowerpods have been pretty small on my scapes, though I have eaten them when they are big too. I do trim the long tips, as they are kind of tough, and also char too easily on the grill.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:04 PM on July 12, 2008

Deathalicious, I'd love a quick miso eggplant pickle recipe, or even just general set of steps, if you've got one. (Skimmed your link but I didn't see a quick one -- apologies if it's there and I missed it.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 12:26 PM on July 4, 2008

Hooray! Thanks tons. My mister doesn't really like eggplant and I am growing a few plants of a Japanese variety (and a couple Thai ones, but I don't think they'll make it) so I am looking both for variety and short- to long-term storage of fresh ones. This sounds awesome.

Also, it's the first I've heard of chickpea miso. Will have to investigate that!
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:04 PM on July 9, 2008

Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower, and the sequel Parable of the Talents. Highly recommended.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 4:05 PM on July 7, 2008 marked best answer

Back now, now that I'm not at work, to explain my Butler recommendations, hopefully spoilerlessly. I think they fit your requirements pretty much exactly. The books are set in a future that is not exactly post-apocalyptic, more like near the end of a gradual decline into societal hell. Anyone who has any money at all, even a little, lives in small communities behind a wall but grows their own food and hoards water; outside the walls, there is disease and drugs, and, later, crazy fundamentalist... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:02 PM on July 7, 2008

There was a previous similar question, not tagged with "scars," which is probably why you missed it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 11:22 AM on July 7, 2008

Previously, and somewhat related, though aimed at a 16-year-old.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 12:11 PM on July 4, 2008

Not certified organic, but my household really loves Nuun tablets. It is a little tablet (same form factor as Emergen C) that you drop in your water, and then it turns it into delicious electrolyte replacement juice*. With less than 3 calories per serving, and no artificial colors or flavors, and no sugar, etc. They have a few very tasty, mild flavors: Citrus Fruit (my favorite), Lemon-Lime, Tri-Berry, Orange Ginger, and Kona Cola (??).

And they have also just released... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 1:12 PM on July 2, 2008

Bobby Bare Jr.! Your Favorite Hat comes to mind as one of his most weird-voice-y songs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 12:04 PM on June 22, 2008

I've used Boomerang Tags a couple of times, though I have not experimented with or noticed how well it resists the wear you describe.

However, I think you can fit five lines on their medium-large sizes, or maybe even six. You can also engrave the backs! Which I like because my husband and I have different last names and different phone numbers, so his number is on my dog's, in case I don't answer my phone, and vice versa.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:29 AM on June 21, 2008 marked best answer

Another option you could investigate in combination with Launchy: Todoist. Yes, Launchy would be a software install, but it's useful for other things too, and it's pretty lightweight.

It would go something like this:
- Create your Todoist account
- install Launchy on your computer
- get the Todoist Launchy plugin (available here)
- Input your web service token from your Todoist account into Launchy, so it can talk to the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 9:38 AM on April 24, 2008

I keep glass jars in all sizes.
- Canning jars from homemade jam and commercial peanut butter (I use Adams) and similar sizes are good for sliced veggie sticks or portions of soup, or for protecting ripe whole fruit that might get damaged in transit.
- Larger wide-mouth canning jars, the ones my mom uses to make pickles or pickled green beans, are good for things like leftover spaghetti or salad.
- Smaller commercial jars, like from capers, that Chinese... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 9:19 AM on April 24, 2008 marked best answer

I have made caramel risotto. The process was a pain in the ass -- caramelizing the sugar took at least two tries, I don't remember anymore, but the first was a serious failure with very burnt sugar -- but the ultimate result was delicious and fabulous as standalone dessert, over ice cream, breakfast, and midday snack. It's on my list of Things That Will Make Me Popular When I Perfect Them For Parties. (I haven't perfected it yet though.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:29 PM on April 15, 2008 marked best answer

The Henry Gallery has a good cafe. Closed on Mondays. I like it because it's on campus (where I work) but is not the HUB.

I also really like Cafe Allegro at the College Inn, on 40th and the Ave.
This is not the same as the one in the alley off like 43rd. That's just a coffee shop with a website that plays music; the restaurant is above the College Inn Pub and below the College Inn (where I have stayed, and it is awesome), and does not have a website.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:45 PM on April 10, 2008

I love my Breezer Uptown 8, linked above by everichon. I have the stepthrough frame (aka girls' bike, sort of) so it's easy to ride in a skirt or while carrying a bunch of stuff. It comes with fenders and a chain guard, and a generator hub so the lights don't need batteries. It also comes with a kickstand! Which I got made fun of at the snooty bike store, but which I love.
It's basically designed exactly to be "a good urban bicycle."

I don't know... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 5:52 PM on April 9, 2008

the books you read which then continued to spin about through your head until you had finished them

East of Eden (Steinbeck) stayed in my head for a long time *after* I finished it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 3:42 PM on March 24, 2008

I have enjoyed Julep. They have theme nights that might be fun, depending on your interests. Not cheap, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:07 PM on March 10, 2008

My very high arches were a major contributing factor to a broken bone in my foot, the sesamoid. These are two little tiny bones that function like kneecaps, except on the bottom of your foot, under the ball joint (? you know what I mean) of the big toe. High arches --> more pressure on this point --> fracture. I was in a walking cast/boot for 6 weeks and now have custom orthotics but it still hurts sometimes and I think it's going to be a chronic condition for the rest of my life. And this... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:11 PM on March 2, 2008 marked best answer

This was my undergrad advisor's topic: captivity narratives. And this is her book: Captured: The Japanese Internment of American Civilians in the Philippines, 1941-1945.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 7:58 PM on February 10, 2008

I've always called it "cultural osmosis."
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:22 PM on February 2, 2008 marked best answer

For a good overview of the long-held "humans are the only ones with language capacity" idea and the cumulative research into what exactly that means or doesn't mean, see The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language. Ortho's got it -- current research says it's recursion that others don't have, not communication.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:23 AM on January 27, 2008

stet and I actually just moved out of a sweet little house in Wallingford (a bit East of Ballard). Small, but cute. It doesn't appear to be up on Craigslist yet, so MeFiMail me if you want info (incl. landlady's phone number).
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:10 AM on January 6, 2008

You should note that jadepearl probably means Chinese cleavers, apparently aka Chinese chef's knives, which are chef's-knife-like blades but shaped like a cleaver and with the weight of a cleaver. These are great for chopping vegetables finely by attacking them with one cleaver in each hand, as seen on Iron Chef sometimes.

Using two meat cleavers on plant matter probably wouldn't get you very far. Here's a side view of the two different blade shapes.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:13 AM on December 15, 2007

Now THAT'S walkin' around money!

I love Fancy (source of my mister's wedding ring!) and Schmancy. And Nancy, and Pants, though less relevant to your question. Also, I have noticed lots of coffee shops have rotating art exhibits. I can dredge a few up from memory, or you could just check the indie cafes that you know of -- although even some Starbucksen have been known to display local art.

We once got a totally cute print from a random... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:15 PM on December 8, 2007

I had this too. It was purple. Did it have "The Mist" in it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 12:27 AM on December 2, 2007

Seattle Seattle Seattle. Year-round growing season (winter crops, but crops nonetheless), big and supportive organic/local/sustainable/polyculture community, colleges and universities with resources, low risk of drought, several year-round farmers' markets, lots of chefs who buy direct from local farmers ...

(To be fair, most of this is probably true of Portland as well. Don't know about the farmers' markets though. And Seattle is a bigger city than Portland.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:34 AM on November 30, 2007 marked best answer

Shampoo != soap. Soap is a specific thing -- watch the video in this thread. Many lathery products that we use are not actually soap. And many of them do involve animal testing, or are made by companies that do animal testing on other products.

So that's one of my criteria. But I pretty much just use Dr. Bronner's anyway.

Other than that, for me, it's local if possible, and for food it's also seasonal + organic/sustainable/not-stupid.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:43 AM on November 19, 2007

The UW program does require a few days of residency each quarter. (But I guess if you knew you weren't going to be able to make it on those particular dates, you could just not register for that quarter.)

And, yeah, get work experience.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:42 AM on November 8, 2007

Bourbon. Or, really, whiskey of any sort. Do a tasting! Bourbon is very different from Irish whisky, which is very different from Scotch ... taste them side by side, or multiple brands of one type. I'll come over and help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 2:16 PM on November 7, 2007

Ooh! I know! AJ Roach!
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:55 PM on November 6, 2007

I really liked my dressmaker: Lynn Lugo Bridal. There is a build-your-dress thingy on the site, under "Customize." I wore a bridesmaid-style dress, and even custom-made and tailored once I got it in the mail, it was way cheaper than my husband's suit. She also has some nice simple bridal styles. I did it all online since there were no stores in my area carrying samples, but her customer service was great.

And, yeah, IndieBride.com was a lifesaver.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 11:49 AM on November 5, 2007

"secrete" can mean hide away, or ooze forth, take your pick!

Really? I thought the "hide away" definition was a whole bunch of people making the same typo or back-formation, and that it was actually spelled and pronounced "to secret."

Wordnet has both definitions, but the "hide away" meaning is in past tense, so I can't tell if they're correct or not.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:09 AM on November 3, 2007

At this age, she will not get any better.

She will, however, respond differently to different stimuli from her owners -- I'm not convinced this is entirely a dog behavior problem. (I take full responsibility for causing my dog's bad behavior to escalate -- which I do -- it's really hard to be as consistent as a dog needs you to be.)

The alpha roll has been discredited. The Monks issued a new edition (of How To Be Your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:35 AM on November 1, 2007

The only time I have felt weird about a CL interaction was when I made the arrangements for a woman to come pick up a futon, then got in the shower, meaning it was my male partner who met her at the door and then took her into the basement to haul the futon out. I realized partway through that that might look SUPER sketchy so hurried out and apologized profusely. She indicated that it had occurred to her but she wasn't too worried. I still felt really bad.

I've never... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:32 PM on October 24, 2007

I wonder if knitting/yarn sites fit the bill? Like Lion Brand. They offer a lot of free patterns and ideas for things to make designed specifically for their yarns. (of course, you can substitute any yarn you want, as long as it fits the pattern, but Lion Brand won't tell you that.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 7:56 PM on September 12, 2007

Something with cherries! But not for Bridget, of course, because she is allergic.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 9:06 PM on August 31, 2007

Don't forget you can get therapy for this issue too. It could help you understand how to help him. (But, of course, as above, you can't fix this for him.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 7:49 PM on July 7, 2007

Just this week I made a clickable prototype interface for user testing using Visio alone. Tons of pages, as I needed one whole page for each state of each page component, but it worked. You would probably need fewer pages and fewer links. Select an object, control-k, then click the second "Browse" button and select the page you want to jump to from the dropdown. Then F5 to full-screen for display.

This does require clicking and needs the person presenting to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 6:27 PM on July 4, 2007

Something to consider: a friend who works at a non-profit suggested that instead of our monthly $100 to various locations, we instead donate $1200 to one organization per year. She pointed out that all donations cost the same amount for the organization to process, so the orgs get less return on smaller donations.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:28 PM on July 1, 2007

Bobby Bare.

And don't forget Bobby Bare Jr.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 7:31 PM on June 22, 2007

not sure what good the little bags are, though.

Dog poo!!
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 7:35 PM on June 12, 2007

Wow, I would be surprised if they discontinued that; it was super popular. I'd call the UO Bookstore and ask. The Eugene store probably has better/more stock than the Portland one, though I don't see it on their site. The bumper sticker that maniactown links may be your best bet, but you should ask the bookstore staff if they know of anywhere else in town to get it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:46 PM on June 7, 2007 marked best answer

But then you still can't do control-W to close that tab. And I can't tell what ajr's extension even does.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 4:22 PM on June 7, 2007

Yeah, manually adding the .doc to the end of the file name should work. Double-click on the file name to edit it, or right-click and select "rename" or whatever.
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 2:35 PM on June 3, 2007

("It's French-sounding.... must be Francois!)

Of course, this won't apply if everyone around him is francophone. Which, since he's in Montreal, seems likely ...
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:01 AM on June 3, 2007

The Cyrkle originally recorded "Red Rubber Ball," but it was written by Paul Simon (and, apparently, Bruce Woodley).

/Captain Technical
(as I'm known at work)

I came in to suggest "I Will Survive" but after seeing suggestions like "Red Rubber Ball," Kirsty MacColl, etc., I rescind that suggestion.
The Jackson Browne album mentioned above might or might not be good; I associate it very... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 10:03 PM on May 1, 2007

I get the big-hands thing, most often when lying in bed on my back with my hands at my side or on my stomach, or else at the computer with one hand on my mouse and one on the keyboard, but both out of my field of vision. I totally think of balloons.
When I read Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat story about proprioception and the patient who couldn't control her hands if she wasn't looking at them, I wondered if it's possible to have a very mild... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by librarina at 8:51 PM on April 30, 2007