When I was teaching in a Title 1 school, I spent a lot of my own money on office supplies and stuff for my classroom. A small gift certificate to an office supplies store or to the local teachers' shop would probably be appreciated quite a bit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 7:31 AM on September 14, 2008

Dont know about them influencing vote's, but the creator's seem to be having a good time, so good for them.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 7:09 AM on September 14, 2008

Dry bag for clothes and personals. I've always just kept the food in a pack of some kind and hung it to keep it away from the bears (put everything edible in it- I don't know where you'll be camping, but black bears will find pretty much anything that's edible, whether it's sitting out by the fire or in your pocket in the tent). I don't think a cooler will be very good protection against a bear- if he wants in, he'll get in. Just put the garbage in a big plastic garbage bag and keep that in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 7:55 PM on September 13, 2008

I had good luck warding off a few colds last winter by taking tons of vitamin C and drinking absolutley as much water as I could comfortably take in. 6-8 liters a day or so.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:08 PM on August 27, 2008

My high school self is devastated by this news. Current me is a little sad, too. So it goes.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 11:46 PM on August 19, 2008

I wish I could unequivocally think that this was a good idea by UC. I just feel really bad for the kids whose parents forced them to attend one of these schools. They never stood a chance.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 2:18 PM on August 13, 2008

In.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 10:40 AM on August 9, 2008

Head to this place. I feel like every time I got a piano bar there is at least one bachelorette party there. My buddy had his bachelor party at one and it was great. Have fun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 11:50 PM on August 8, 2008

If you can be in Detroit at night, see a rock show at a local establishment. There are lots of options every night. Shoot me an e- or me-mail with the weekend you'll be there and I might be able to come up with a specific recommendation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 10:02 PM on July 23, 2008

My friends and I refer to this genre (the Pearl Jam ripoffs, not PJ themselves) as Ass Rock, or that rock which emanates from the ass. You can add Finger 11 to the good suggestions given up-thread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 1:44 PM on June 26, 2008

Fire Joe Morgan is a hilarious blog whose authors are big-time stat-heads. You can learn to understand stats there as you read criticism of sports writing that doesn't.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:05 AM on June 9, 2008

Sorry I missed this thread. I got busy this afternoon, but samph did bail me out with a roll of quarters. I repaid him with Oberon.

Happy birthday, bettafish.

I'm in for a meetup whenever. I must say I've been very impressed by the generosity and willingness to help of AA Mefites. I'll buy a round to say thanks. Let's set a date. This weekend? Late on Fri or Sat evening works for me.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 10:19 PM on June 4, 2008

Hmm, John, I think bettafish's arguments for Ann Arbor are, at this point, more compelling than yours. Care to respond?
Saturday sounds like the day. Location TBD. I'm gonna sidebar this.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 8:39 AM on June 6, 2008

ABC sounds good to me, so does Dominick's. Sat night surely works. In the interest of starting to start creating a consensus, I'll say, yep, HB, ABC. 8:30?
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 9:03 PM on June 6, 2008

That makes 2.5 of us. Huron Bob, you in? Lentrohamsanin? ulotrichous? John of Michigan? Bueller?

Hope to see a lot of you there.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 12:55 PM on June 7, 2008

I'm at the end of the bar on the left when you walk in, for anybody else checking on their phones.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 5:39 PM on June 7, 2008

We've got three people and a sign. Would love more. Come on out!
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 6:18 PM on June 7, 2008

I was about to post these, after reading them and crying my eyes out. Glad I searched. Glad people are reading them. Thanks, BTGOG.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 9:39 PM on June 5, 2008

bettafish, my dilemma is way trivial in the grand scheme of things. Didn't mean to sound all dramatic. The nearest branch of my bank (USBank) is in, like, Cincinnati. Unfortunately I don't have the time for that kind of commute. I'm in for the meetup- I'll start a tab at Connor's- on my credit card!- or elsewhere to pay you back for the quarters.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 7:46 PM on June 3, 2008

I won't be available Thursday until sometime after 9:30, which, for you 9-5 folks might be a little late. Wednesday I have the day off, so any time works.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 8:53 PM on June 3, 2008

I know I was very disappointed to find out that my expensive headphones do not fit into the jack of the iPhone. They almost do, but not far enough to make the sound come through them instead of the phone's speakers. If you're looking to use phones other than ones made by Apple, you may be out of luck unless you want to do some hands-on work and put a new plug on your non-Apple phones. Good luck.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 11:58 AM on June 2, 2008

Go ahead and party. Don't let her force you to give that up. But there's no harm in staying in to watch a movie and cuddle every once in a while.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 11:51 AM on June 2, 2008

Brainy: I remember reading a long time ago that elephant skulls were the source of cyclops lore, that the trunk hole was thought to be an eye socket.

Oh man. I read that too, growing up, but had completely forgotten it until this very moment. I'm pretty sure it was in a Zoobook about elephants. Regaining this memory has made me bizarrely happy. Thanks, Brainy.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 8:48 PM on May 31, 2008

It's safe. I've been down there many times for various events and never had a problem or heard of anyone who has. Park in an Olympia lot- they're more expensive, but I'm pretty sure there's somebody watching them throughout the game. Parking is more expensive the closer you get to the park. If you're willing to walk, park in one of the farther lots and you'll pay something like $15. There are also bars in Detroit and the closer suburbs that run shuttles to the park, I think, and I imagine... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:45 PM on May 26, 2008

A local burger joint here in Ann Arbor, MI offers a variety of fried veggies, of which cauliflower is (the tastiest) one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 3:02 PM on May 20, 2008

Jello was always the first thing I ate after having a sickness that made me throw up. It still makes me a little nauseated when I eat it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 8:10 PM on May 12, 2008

My anecdotal evidence proves these conclusions truer than true. My sister did the same stupid shit I did in high school, but she didn't get punished for it nearly as severely as I did, because by the time she was doing it I had gotten into a good college and shown my parents that your kid doing stupid shit in high school won't keep them from fulfilling the dreams you have for them. Parents learn too- as they go, even.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 9:30 AM on May 5, 2008

I could probably make it to Detroit sometime that weekend.
posted to MetaTalk by PhatLobley at 7:55 PM on April 14, 2008

I was wondering the exact same thing, miss lynnster. How he went about knocking his teeth out with a chainsaw while keeping his head attached is just one of the many things I can't figure out about this video.

I can't wait to go to my friend's wedding in Kentucky next month.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 7:49 PM on April 9, 2008

It's really great to lie to kids when you're a camp counselor because you're not responsible for any long term effects that your lies may have. In the summer I'd say right around 40% of everything I say to campers is a bald-faced lie. It is a long-standing camp tradition and, really, tons of fun.

I teach skin diving and can dive pretty deep into the lake- farther than any of the kids, at least. The reason that this is important is that nearly every kid under 12 at... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 4:53 PM on April 9, 2008

Excellent. My favorite part was when he stopped playing the ocarina but that version of him stayed on screen for a while and just kind of bobbed his head to the music. Utterly charming.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 10:07 AM on April 8, 2008

Fun. And cool music.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 7:54 PM on April 6, 2008

In a bizarre confluence of two of the myths mentioned in this thread, I knew a kid in high school who drank a capful of bleach because he thought it would help him pass a drug test (he had been smoking pot).
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 5:27 AM on April 5, 2008

Just be honest with him. It's all you can do. You're not doing anything wrong being with him without loving him, even if he loves you, provided that you aren't misleading him about your feelings. If he needs to be in a relationship with someone who is in love with him, it is his job to find that person. If you think you might love him someday, offer him that hope. If you know that you won't, be honest about that (it may take you some time on your own to be honest with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 5:18 PM on April 3, 2008

Update:

Here's what I went with, for those who care:

1. "Let's Dance"- The Ramones (Dee Dee Ramone [my friend had him on her list of sexy guitarists.])
2. "Twist and Shout"- The Beatles (Take your pick)
3. "Machinehead"- Bush (Gavin Rossdale)
4. "Spanish Bombs"- The Clash (Joe Strummer)
5. "My Stupid Mouth"- John... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 6:13 PM on March 31, 2008

I slept in rest areas on I-80 on my road trip this winter. I found I felt much safer and therefore slept much more soundly when I was parked near truckers. I also had a can of pepper spray, which I kept near me, more for peace of mind than anything else. Male, travelling alone, never got hassled by anybody (in fact, some truckers gave me a jump in the middle of Wyoming when it was -7 and my battery ran down).
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 10:56 PM on March 27, 2008

Sys Rq: You mean the earth isn't flat?

Please be respectful of my religious views.

Also, that Dunder Mifflin game (thanks, brain_drain) was really fun because it was tricky to translate the info I've gathered from watching (too much of) the show onto a map of the office, which is a way in which I'd never seen it presented before.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 2:26 PM on March 22, 2008

My sister always gets great reactions when she points at her Aussie with her fingers like a gun, yells "Bang!" and the dog rolls over onto her back.
I have no advice as to how to teach that trick, so I hope you were just looking for ideas on what to teach, and not how.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 11:01 AM on March 20, 2008 marked best answer

Superb work!

If you can get it.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 12:35 AM on March 14, 2008

"They ride around on a tritecycle."

I know this band. Dude's right.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 10:49 PM on March 13, 2008

Silversun Pickups? Snow Patrol? Some off-the-beaten-path Beatles?
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 7:01 PM on March 13, 2008

Every time I hear about the golden ratio, I think back to 6th grade and "Donald [Duck] in Mathemagic Land." Cool stuff.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 7:20 PM on March 12, 2008

Head to about 6 minutes in if you'd like to see the "golden proportion," as they call it, explained in a way a kid (or an adult like me) can understand and enjoy. It's mainly about the golden rectangle.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 7:32 PM on March 12, 2008

Fountains of Wayne: "Hung Up On You"

"It may be the whiskey talkin', but the whiskey says I love you any way."
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 7:42 PM on March 7, 2008

The 250 ft ski drop is insane. Just because you've got skis on you can jump off of whatever you want? Yeesh. I broke my hip on a blue slope in January. Makes me feel pretty uneasy.

Also, the no-parachute guy freaked me out. I was nervous for him the whole time.

Maybe I should watch fewer videos of people doing crazy things.
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 6:49 PM on March 3, 2008

Killjoy airline executives promptly fired his ass.

They wanted some butts!
posted to MetaFilter by PhatLobley at 9:34 PM on March 2, 2008

You can see great stars on Isle Royale. It's in the middle of Lake Superior, and there are just a few electric lights on either end of the 45 mile-long island. Also, if you're lucky, you'll get the Northern Lights, which are breathtaking.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 6:51 PM on March 2, 2008

Grew up in Davenport. Not a lot of experience there as an adult. Here are a few things I can think of off the top of my head:

Jim's Ribs in Rock Island is absolutely worth driving across the river for. Highly recommended. The Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport is brand new and apparently has some worthwhile exhibits (haven't been there myself). John O'Donnell Stadium is fun, although I think my mom told me it's no longer called John O'Donnell. If you get there... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:57 PM on February 29, 2008

Oh, and while you're in Iowa, somewhere, get a pork tenderloin sandwich.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:58 PM on February 29, 2008

I was 22 when my folks split after 25 years, so I guess I can speak a little bit to what you can do as far as your boys go (I'm my parents' boy). It sounds like it was a lot like your situation, where my mom just said she'd had enough.

First, be honest with them, but if they're anything like me they won't want anything too graphic at first. I found that in talking about the divorce with my folks I felt a lot better when they would just let me ask questions and try to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 9:35 PM on February 23, 2008