My honest suggestion (not a stylist, just someone who used to work at a salon) is to not do anything. To get the red out of your hair and get you back to blonde the stylist is going to have to strip the color out of your hair. Having this done at a salon will not damage your hair as much as you would trying to do it yourself but it's still not the gentlest procedure in the world and you don't want to go in with hair that has already been damaged. It's going to be much better in the long run (for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 4:15 PM on May 9, 2008

Hey bunji's suggestion has some merit, green is the compliment of red, green will brown red.

It really doesn't work that way. When trying to get rid of red (brassiness) stylists use blue (hence the "toning" shampoos for blondes that are tinted blue.) Seriously, the best thing you can do is nothing. It's only a few weeks. Be kind to your hair and wait.
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 11:38 PM on May 9, 2008

Yeah, painting your walls and dealing with the color in your hair are two different things. But, by all means, if you want to fuck up your hair, pour some green shit in it. If you want to keep some healthy hair on your head, wait for the stylist.
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 12:32 AM on May 10, 2008

I agree with amyms w/o reservation on this. for example (and there are lots more) in this askme he answered a question, definitively, in about 15 minutes...and no thanks or mark as best answer or even a favorite.

That was a shitty example and a mean way to put someone on the spot who doesn't deserve to be there. The asker returned not three hours later to say thank you.
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 9:36 AM on May 3, 2008

I got 33 responses, and pretty much all of them were awesome. Do I mark them all best answer? How is that helpful in any way? Do I report back as I make each one?

Yeah, that's an issue for me as well. I have asked a few questions where almost all of the answers could be considered a best answer. Not knowing the proper way to deal with a situation like that, I usually just leave a comment thanking the posters and letting them know that ALL of them are... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 11:33 AM on May 4, 2008

Really? There are books like this? Published and everything?

(I just can't get past "Kildar". It sounds like a cheesy robot from some horrible 50s B-movie. KILDAR ATTACK!)
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 6:16 PM on May 2, 2008

MetaFilter: the bitter cat taint of mother's basement
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:48 PM on May 2, 2008

I've seen some web communities (like Something Awful) set up groups on prosper.com, and they actually do loan money. And you get interest, unlike Kiva.

I'm going to guess that the Something Awful lending group gets its money back pretty much 100% of the time. I can only imagine the horrors that would befall the unfortunate individual who stiffed a goon.
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 10:28 AM on May 2, 2008

I still hate lima beans with a passion. Don't even like reading the words. Fuckin' lima beans.

Just quoting for truth. Up yours, lima beans! My mother LOVES lima beans and spent years trying to get me to eat them. I still get a little queasy just thinking about succotash.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:01 AM on April 27, 2008

Finally Glen Burnie gets the chance to shine. Represent Burnouts!
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:42 PM on April 26, 2008

An update on the racist images inside Marcotte's book: both she and Seal Press have apologized and are removing the images from further printings.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:41 AM on April 26, 2008

You know, this post would have been just as interesting without the last three links, which are nothing but ridiculously bad wank material for fantasy fetishists.

I think what's both fascinating and depressing about all this 'art' is the absolute lack of understanding of what women actually look like. Not just the, uh, pneumatic proportions.. their faces are often put in as an afterthought

Seriously. The human body does not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 2:18 AM on April 26, 2008

I'm really sorry Leejay; if I had any idea that it was going to get the attention that it has (I didn't even bother clicking on the thumbnails; just thought that their costumes would be a cool addition to the post) then I would've stayed away from it.

Oh don't be sorry. I still found the post really interesting. I was just, uh, captivated by the sheer cheesy badness of the artwork. But I did not know that there were female gladiators at all and I'm... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:33 AM on April 26, 2008

Do you think she stole the Amandagate idea after checking out MeFi? That would be some pretty sweet irony there!

Daisy wrote about it way back on the ninth. Metafilter was pretty late to the Amandagate party.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 10:09 PM on April 25, 2008

A bit about secrecy among Wiccans. I'm not Wiccan but know some who are and have read a ton about it in my spare time. There is a bit of a rift in the Wiccan community right now between traditional Wiccans (that is, initiated Wiccans who can trace their lineage back to Gerald Gardner) and neo-Wiccans, who are generally more eclectic and may or may not be involved with a working group or coven. If your girlfriend is a traditional initiated Wiccan she may be prohibited from revealing certain... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 6:33 PM on April 22, 2008

she's under the impression (whether correct or not) that there is much about what she does Wicca wise that isn't to be shared with "outsiders".

This is generally a bad sign, no matter what group is saying it. If you're not allowed to learn about it, you can't make a wise decision about whether or not to start practicing with her. It's one thing to limit how much she says if she's in an anti-Wiccan environment and is trying to protect herself, but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 6:47 PM on April 22, 2008

I won't be truly satisfied until they review Gummo. I'd like to see what "message" they take away from that one.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 5:58 PM on April 21, 2008

I looooove white privilege discussions on the internets. My favorite part is watching all the touchy white people start asking, "where's MY privilege? I don't see any privilege around here! I live in a black neighborhood/my parents emigrated here after the civil war/I'm poor/a black person yelled at me once/REVERSE RACISM!!1!"
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 6:14 PM on April 17, 2008

But can we quit with the ad-hominems & "Ubu has no sense of humour / is That Guy who's always saying the wrong things & insisting that it's just that others don't get the joke" already?

Oh for Pete's sake. Your joke sucked and was badly timed. Quit whining and get over it. Sometimes you're funny and sometimes you're not. This time you were not. Can't win 'em all.
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 5:40 PM on April 17, 2008

Oh man! I cannot stop cringing. The phone call to that poor, poor secretary/assistant whatever! Must have been the highlight of her day.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 1:15 PM on April 16, 2008

liquorice, I felt a bit sorry for her as well if only because it seems as if she is at the beginning, or in the middle of, a complete breakdown and when she comes out the other side of it she's REALLY going to regret making this video.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 3:52 PM on April 16, 2008

My only political position on pie is, if you don't like rhubarb pie, you don't really like pie at all.

Oh yes. Yes. My old roommate's father had his own farm in West Virginia and every so often he would show up out of the blue with homemade rhubarb pie, all sorts of interesting homemade wines and, my most favoritest thing of all, homemade puddin'. Puddin' is sort of like scrapple but it's loose instead of pressed into a loaf. It is sinfully,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 3:32 PM on April 16, 2008

Actually, I might be wrong about the loaf thing. For all I know puddin' is pressed into a loaf most of the time. What I do know is that his was not. It was however delicious and made from terrible, awful, tasty things.
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 3:34 PM on April 16, 2008

I had a stuffed dog named Willie. My parents bought him for me when I was six months old at a store in Williamsburg (hence the name.) He was brown and white and floppy and I loved him. I outgrew him eventually but kept him around for sentimental reasons. When I moved out Willie went into storage in my mother's basement.

She eventually moved from house to apartment and I came over to help her pack. As we were boxing up the basement I noticed that Willy was gone. He had... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 11:54 AM on April 15, 2008

I learned a lot of things from reading this article. One of which is:

Don't leave passive aggressive notes for friends or coworkers.

Seriously. That's a hell of an apology to have to make.

Thanks for the article. I thought it was terrific.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 11:36 AM on April 15, 2008

This was exactly what I needed to see at this moment. The corporal cuddling (a technique I have used to varying degrees of success on my boyfriends) started me giggling and when he started in with the cat yodeling I completely lost it.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 8:10 AM on April 13, 2008

Class Goat, Dan's Data review was adorable but I dispute his claim that babies do not have multiple rendering pipelines. I just recently spent some time with my baby cousin and she came equipped with several pipelines, all of which eventually rendered all over my shirt.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 8:56 AM on April 13, 2008

That. Is. Awesome! I wish I had the smarts and know-how to pull off something like this. On the other hand I wouldn't have developed such amazing arm strength from throwing my dog her ball approximately fifteen BILLION times.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 8:15 AM on April 13, 2008

Beautiful! Makes me wish for a good snow.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 10:11 AM on April 11, 2008

Thank you all for the information so far. I haven't marked any best answers simply because every single response so far has been a "best answer"!
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 4:22 PM on April 9, 2008

Again, thank you to everyone who has answered. I can't wait to go to church on Sunday and I feel ready, well-armed with all this information.
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 2:13 PM on April 10, 2008

I don't see it as any more cruel than eating beef or catching a fish. At least this guy is willing to get in there and bet his fingers on it. The biggest risk most of us face when it comes to catching food is poking ourselves with our forks as we shovel it in.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 7:43 PM on April 9, 2008

He says he doesn't drink or smoke or do drugs and I, for one, am glad because I can hardly imagine the carnage that would ensue if this guy decided to go on a bender.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 7:58 PM on April 9, 2008

the most common way to cook turtle soup is to boil the live turtle in its shell.

Oooh, ok, can't get behind that one. That definitely is cruel. I hope Turtle Man kills them quickly first.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 9:25 PM on April 9, 2008

Shit. My condolences, Dan. That was a very sweet sendoff for an amazing lady.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 8:17 PM on April 9, 2008

I think this is a pretty cool idea. I've quit and started back up several times and it was always the ritual of the cigarette that I missed more than the nicotine. I'm tempted to buy one to keep around for parties and social events where I really do miss smoking. Used with the non-nicotine cartridge I could see this really helping me to stay quit and at the very least reduce some of the health risks I'm facing. It's got to be better than continuing to suck this damn smoke into my lungs every day.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 5:16 PM on April 9, 2008

I don't know. When you're that young everything is magic. It doesn't take an adult telling you these things to dream them up. The trees talking to one another and the clouds rubbing the sky and all fish being either Jack or Lorna makes perfect sense to a young child with a vivid imagination.

When I think back on some of the "lies" my parents told me I am grateful that they sparked my imagination and allowed me to see the world in a different way.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 11:39 AM on April 9, 2008

You can save farts in a lunch bag and use them later

This is true.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 11:44 AM on April 9, 2008

This thread is fantastic. It almost makes me wish I had a kid so I could tell them a bunch of tall tales.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 1:23 PM on April 9, 2008

There's no end to the stupid shit and tall tales people will tell your kids, mostly because they have no real idea or comfort level with relating to them as children. You want to do something incredibly awesome and loving for your kids? Become someone they know won't bullshit them from an early age.


Oh lighten up, Francis. There's no one else on this earth I trust more than my family and they told me plenty of tales.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 2:04 PM on April 9, 2008

My father's neutered male (now passed on) had his own humpbear. He wore the fabric on that thing down to nothing and had a good time doing it. I've heard similar stories from many other cat owners. Completely normal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 1:19 PM on April 9, 2008

This feels to me like one of those things that's not obvious at first, but once explained(Monty's choosing gives you information to guide your choice), then it's stunningly obvious.

Yes. Thank you, Metafilter, for finally helping me to "get" the Monty Hall problem. I had read about it before but just couldn't seem to wrap my head around it. Reading this thread and the former one switched on the lightbulb and now it's like, "of course."
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 10:54 AM on April 9, 2008

I have tics. They're minor but they can be annoying to others if we're close and it's quiet. I am aware that I have them but I am not always aware that I am exhibiting them. I would much rather someone gently remind me that I am "making that noise again" than to suffer in silence, slowly building up resentment towards me. Once I know that I am doing it I can usually get it under control and if I can't I remove myself from the situation until it stops.

You love... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by LeeJay at 10:37 AM on April 9, 2008

Really, though, I am curious as to how answerers should handle questions from someone who seems to be coming from a dangerous place mental-health-wise. If the mods delete their question, then they've received no help at all. If we humor them and only answer the question as asked, they've received no real constructive help. But if we try to dissuade them from their premise, we might be breaking the guidelines. So, where's the happy medium?

Well, I... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by LeeJay at 10:45 PM on April 8, 2008

The problem with his Busey (or any Busey impersonation for that matter) is that it fails to capture that sense of looming calamity that hangs over the real Busey's head like a cloud. That very real sense that he could snap and kill you with his bare hands at any moment. ANY MOMENT.

Also, wanna see my impression of Joan Crawford? Ok, here goes: NO MORE JACK NICHOLSON IMPRESSIONS, EVER!!!!!
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 6:27 PM on April 8, 2008

As far as fear of heights goes this video of people on top of a crane IS TERRIFYING.

Oh my GOD. I was fine until the pullups started and then I had to turn it off.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 10:08 PM on April 6, 2008

Man, now I REALLY want to go work on a tall ship. That looks like ot's just plain fun!
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 10:32 AM on April 7, 2008

Also, not being the one in control.

That's it for me too. That's also the reason why I'm not always completely comfortable as a passenger in a car.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 3:47 PM on April 7, 2008

For me it's not so much being afraid of heights as it is a fear of falling.

Yeah. It's not so much the landing since from that height I imagine you don't have time to actually feel anything. It's the seconds between falling and splatting that I don't want to deal with. That's why I always make sure to eat a lot of fatty foods -- so that if I ever fall off the side of a mountain my heart will fail before I have time to really assess the situation.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2008

That is the neatest thing I've seen all week. What a fantastic idea!
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 3:26 PM on April 7, 2008