I think the waxing thing is more common sense than porn-related.
posted by ChickenringNYC at 8:28 AM on July 18 [+] [!]

In what way is waxing common sense?!
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 3:56 AM on July 18, 2008

Slow as an asthmatic snail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:15 AM on July 16, 2008

She's a drama queen. Drop out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 5:37 AM on July 15, 2008

"Teach yourself one day Portuguese" Amazon link has the real basics on one CD. I used that and a portuguese book I got in a secondhand bookshop to get me the basics before going to Brazil. The just one CD thing I found helpful - listening to it on repeat meant that it sank in and gave me auditory "hooks" to hang the rest off. I always find it a little difficult to motivate myself to do a full "Teach Yourself" language course, but the materials... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:42 AM on July 15, 2008

A friend who's name is Müller always has his name spelt wrong going one way or another. The German way is to spell it Mueller when the umlaut is unavailable - but when he does that the English check in people say "You're not on the list", he explains the problem, they let him through. If he spells it Muller (the English way to deal with the problem) he has the "You're not on the list" problem at the German end. It involves a conversation either way but he gets through... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:28 AM on July 11, 2008

I did the traditional "get drunk, eat bacon sandwich" approach at the end of my long term vegetarianism. I'm still here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:57 AM on July 9, 2008

The dynamics of a house with a couple in it are very different to those with a group of singles. Have you decided...

- What you'll do if (when) you argue with each other? You should try to keep the other housemates out of it. Seriously. And you can't both strop off to the room. Is there a library nearby?

- What to do if (when) you fall out with other housemates - there's nothing wrong with disagreements, but it can be a bit... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:03 AM on July 9, 2008

Luxor, Egypt. The valley of the kings, the temple at Karnac, Rameses' mausoleum... the sites are just amazing. These people had a written language and were building massive structures whilst the rest of us were hitting two rocks together. Take a felucca ride on the Nile (little sail boats). Drink tea in the markets.

And whilst you're there, visit the pyramids (by Cairo). You can do the pyramids in a (long) day from Luxor though. and I found Cairo itself a bit much... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:19 AM on July 8, 2008

Spaceship Medic by Harry Harrison?

I remember it as a sequence of catastrophes hitting the ship one after the other...
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:46 AM on July 1, 2008 marked best answer

Wicked. From question to answer in 5 minutes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:48 PM on July 1, 2008

My guitar teacher Tom Quayle is pretty good even if he didn't win Guitar Idol.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:19 AM on June 27, 2008

Weightwatchers. You can expect to lose between 1 and 2lb a week, and it works. You can get the same effect yourself through calorie counting, and exercise... but WW take a lot of the fiddly stuff out of that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:53 AM on June 26, 2008

(To be honest any diet, followed properly, will get you that level of weight loss -- but I've been having personal success with WW and it's basically just healthy eating with fat restriction)
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:54 AM on June 26, 2008

Ditto airing it. Or, you know, drink a few glasses - the taste might grow on you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:11 AM on June 26, 2008

I'd stay away from the bigger venues and the Reading festival unless you like big corporate gigs, drunken kids, and flaming piles of litter. Whereabouts in England will you be going? Just London?

ATP is a good recommendation. Gets a more mature crowd than the other festivals, and you don't have to camp.

In Leeds, there's a lively DIY scene promoted through Cops and Robbers, and the other major listing is Leeds gig guide. My favourite venue at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:35 AM on June 26, 2008

My mate drew wrote this guide - a few years ago, mind, but some of them are probably still open.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:55 AM on June 25, 2008

I missed the more inside... so here are a few more things to do in Amsterdam whilst baked:

The beguinhof is worth a visit, it's just a quiet corner, but has a very meditative atmosphere: Beguinhof photos on flickr. The aforementioned "church in a house" is very cool. Just strolling around the canals and flower market can be great.

If you're there on a Saturday morning, go to the street market on Albert Cuyp street and have some fresh... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:32 AM on June 25, 2008

I am similarly sartorially challenged (when questioned I sometimes tell people "I'm a transvestite" because at least it explains all the men's clothes) so it's a bit strange answering this question because I'm not really qualified... but what you need is a girlfriend. Someone who loves shopping, dresses fairly stylishly, and will give up their saturday for you. Put it just like that: "I'm trying to change my look, and you look cool, would you mind... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 12:50 AM on June 25, 2008

I've been to the flat white in Soho, and the coffee is fine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:30 AM on June 24, 2008

There's a park on an island where you can hire bikes - when I had a day to spare in Stockholm, I did the Vasa museum (which is brilliant) and hired a bike for an hour and just pootled around. The island park is called Djurgarden (with a little circle on the a) wikipedia link
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 5:31 AM on June 24, 2008

Farsley Celtic (non league northern team) have some great chants. "There's only one F in Farsley".

And Brighton and Hove Albion have a bit of a reputation for being gay, Brighton being the gay capital of the UK or something. So the standard anti-Brighton chant is "does your boyfriend know you're here" (yes, charming). Some of the responses are hilarious:
as you can see.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:01 AM on June 24, 2008

I've got a disk brake bike with a rear pannier rack. It's one of these:
edinburgh bikes link
It works OK - it's not quite as rigid as the ones for non-disk braked bikes, but it handles the daily commute (~5 miles each way on dodgy roads and the occasional shortcut through the woods) fine. The weekly shop strains it a bit, and if I'm carrying loads of books I get a bit nervous, but hey. Day to day it's holding up well.

Any clip on panniers will do,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 10:14 AM on June 23, 2008

obiwanwasabi; we have double glazing and good insulation and are looking to replace an instantaneous gas system.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:38 AM on June 23, 2008

Cool quiz questions I have been involved with (used to go to a quiz where each month the winning team set the next month's questions, it got a bit competitive...)

* Who can peel the longest piece of orange peel (winner was someone with REALLY sharp nails who created something over 2 metres long). Needs shitloads of oranges and a tapemeasure

* If you're drinking and there are bottles on the table, give each team a large bottle of water and tell... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 1:36 AM on June 23, 2008

Leeds, UK: Chapeltown/Harehills has a historically bad reputation based on immigrants and thinly veiled racism, but I'd say that Gipton and Seacroft farther out are actually rougher (white trash rather than Asian/Caribbean).
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:21 AM on February 15, 2008

Thanks essexjan. I'm in the UK too and was hoping to order from Wickes online (no car you see!).
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:36 AM on February 3, 2008

Brill, ta.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:57 AM on February 3, 2008

Oxfam unwrapped http://www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com/ do some cool gifts. You could get them a toilet installed somewhere that really needs it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 10:57 AM on December 15, 2007

who can get the longest piece of peel off an orange (no kidding, someone managed over 2 metres at a quiz i hosted once. she had great nails)

who can build the tallest spaghetti tower, or a spaghetti structure than can hold the heaviest weight... the weight one is fun as you can test the structures to destruction

whose paper aeroplane goes farthest

who can draw the best mona lisa (this can actually be very funny)
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 9:15 AM on November 4, 2007

A long discussion in Turkey about the European/Arab thing led to the following : "They're not as European as they think they are" "Yeah, but they're more European than you think they are".

It's perfectly normal in Turkey to see people kissing hello/goodbye, or even men holding hands. Why not ask your roommate about the custom and whether there's anything else noticably different? He obviously knows it's not the done... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 3:37 AM on September 1, 2007

Are you on Facebook? Facebook marketplace lets you list free items and I've got rid of stuff on there that freecycle was no use for.

Also you might want to try you local Linux Users Group - it might run a linux fairly well and anyway, LUGS are often full of the kind of geeks who like this sort of thing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:51 AM on August 29, 2007 marked best answer

No it's not impractical. You just have to be a bit more laid back about mess.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:08 AM on August 28, 2007

A good book on English usage like Partridge & Whitcut (if she doesn't already have it).

There are a whole bunch of books on how to do a PhD - I got one out of the library. I think they're much of a muchness, and not that useful, but her mileage might vary.

The thing that really helped me was getting to grips with a bibliographic software package ahead of time - getting your references in order early (and keeping them so) saves... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:05 AM on August 28, 2007

Great ideas so far, I'll give them all a go when I get home tonight. Caddis - I'm not sure what a realtor is. We phoned the estate agent but they don't know, so we've asked for a contact no. for the vendors, but they haven't provided one (yet).
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:38 AM on August 17, 2007

davy_darling nailed it, turns out that in order to unlock the door you have to push it shut and I mean shut for the pin to pop out. I have so far only achieved this by going out the main door, walking round the house, and pushing it shut from the outside, which is not the easiest way to open patio doors but hey at least they now open!
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:27 AM on August 18, 2007

Firstly, unless the cat is puking loads (like, more than 2 or 3 times) it's probably nothing to worry about.

9-10 month old kittens are fine on cat food. Hell, tiny kittens were fine on cat food until the pet marketeers decided to try and sell us another product. So it's not the food. I'm guessing the upmarket food you fed them was IAMS, right? My cats get through that much faster than they're supposed to - I think you're meant to weigh out how much to give them and not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:03 AM on August 17, 2007

OpenOffice
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:14 AM on August 3, 2007

Gvim (maybe that's a little geeky, actually, but it's one of the first things I install on a new machine).
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 8:14 AM on August 3, 2007

David Mitchell's "Ghostwritten" was very interesting - AI plays a large part towards the end, although it's not entirely clear what's going on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 3:42 AM on August 1, 2007

(First, a parenthetical remark: A lot of what we call Indian food is actually Pakistani.)

For some tasty Indian food, though... Try this from Hansa's Indian vegetarian cookbook - it's one of my staples. I halve the oil.

1 large aubergine (cut in chunks)
3/4lb frozen peas
1tsp ginger (crushed)
1tsp garlic (crushed)
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp turmeric powder
1tsp cumin and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 4:39 AM on July 31, 2007

I expect it is a function of autonomy and memory. The stuff you listen to as a teen is likely to be the first stuff you chose to listen to (rather than being the choice of your parents). So you have more autonomy concerning the choice, so it is more you. When you add to this the effect of the reminiscence bump (a well-documented phenomenon whereby we remember more events and more clearly those from adolescence and young adulthood) it also becomes more memorable. I can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 6:38 AM on July 30, 2007 marked best answer

Go for the scientific approach. Monitor your food using some software which can keep track of RDAs and intake, and supplement those things which you're not getting enough of. I've just started doing this, but I suspect it is better than taking random supplements for the sake of it.

I'd always been of the opinion that by eating a low fat high vegetable brown bread and muesli yogurt weaving hippy diet I would be getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals from food.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 2:29 AM on July 30, 2007

Teleskiving is right. The Frances books are all fab. I still remember running away to under the table (like Frances does in "A baby sister for Frances").
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:58 AM on July 26, 2007

I must have been using the wrong keywords. That looks great, thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 7:15 AM on July 25, 2007

I realise the amount generated will be tiny, however, I am enough of a geek to want to give it a go. I particularly like the idea of recharging the batteries for the lights of my commuter bike using a stationary bike...
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 1:52 PM on July 25, 2007

Seconding Ortlieb. My partner has a pair and they are great (I got the cheaper own brand ones from our local bike shop). He has this variety and regularly just sticks a laptop bag in. Ortliebs are deep, waterproof, have an efficient closing mechanism and a carry strap for when you're leaving the bike. They are also proper sturdy - I can tell his Ortliebs will outlast mine by years.

I borrow these when I'm going places with lots of luggage because of their improved... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 2:05 PM on July 24, 2007

The Ortleib I link to are sturdy canvas with some sort of plastic coating. They're stiff, but not rigid, if you know what I mean. If my laptop was in a laptop bag in one and the bike fell over I wouldn't blink. If I'd been on the bike myself, I'd probably check it, and it would probably be OK.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 2:29 AM on July 25, 2007

I was recently shown a way of making vinaigrette which resulted in a really smooth, thick dressing:

Take a bit of smooth mustard in a small bowl.
Add a teaspoon of olive oil and stir with a fork until it mixes together and you can't see the oil any more.
Keep adding oil and mixing until you end up with a smooth oily paste. The mustard seems to sort of expand with time and mixing to absorb the oil, it's strange.
Then add the vinegar... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 10:52 AM on July 24, 2007

You need to re-think your model: it doesn't go to the ground, it comes from the ground.
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 5:03 AM on July 24, 2007

Train pricing in the UK is bonkers. The cheapest single ticket from Edinburgh to London is £15.70. An open single is £117. If you get a pre-booked cheap ticket, you are committed to catch that specific train. The ticket is not valid on any other train. They are like airline tickets, in that there are N tickets at the cheapest price and once those are gone you have to buy the next most expensive one, and so on.

If you want flexibility, you have to suck it up and buy the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by handee at 1:37 AM on July 24, 2007 marked best answer