Jonathan Richman is sing-along-able and might work for you, if you don't mind the mood improvement side effect.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:07 AM on September 20, 2008

I've only been to Cedar Rapids' airport, so I can't speak about that town. But I will say that Iowa City is a really nice college town just a half hour (or so) away with a walkable downtown full of (non-chain) stores and great places to eat. Here's a good Iowa City thread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:52 AM on September 18, 2008

The "Guess what?" nonsense was popular in the early 70s on the schoolyards of northwestern PA too. I'm not sure, but it might have come with a punch in the arm.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:21 AM on September 9, 2008

Ms Booth, who is an oriental carpet dealer and knows a thing or two about these things, says this: "It's a machine-made carpet, the design is a Persian Kashan." She agrees that this is not a "rare, valuable treasure."
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 10:41 AM on August 27, 2008

But then those wouldn't be Persian rug factories!

Maybe this is obvious, but these days "Persian rug" is more likely to mean a rug with a pattern that's traditionally Persian - like this one - not where it was made.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 5:29 AM on August 28, 2008

Sorry I can't answer your questions, Anon, but I've had three friends (all childless) go through this in the past year and all three came out the other end of the surgery/chemo/radiation process healthy and happy. I wish the same for your wife.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 5:24 PM on August 11, 2008

I do an actual ampersand, like how Fiasco described earlier in this thread. It didn't take much practice, and I like how they look.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 5:19 PM on August 11, 2008

A little late to the party...
Here's a disc I put together for my wife for this purpose. I put a picture of Supergirl on the cover.

Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel
Hail To Whatever You Found... - Rilo Kiley
Wallflower - Peter Gabriel
Lookin' Forward - Over The Rhine
*I Don't Ever Give Up - Patty Griffin
I Saved The World Today - Eurythmics
True To Myself - Ziggy Marley
*How We... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 5:55 AM on August 7, 2008

I've done the same thing over the years. This helped me: the now-popular video of Ira Glass talking about how the gap between your good taste and your still-sorta-crappy work causes people to quit. I'm now actively not quitting fiction writing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 11:19 AM on July 16, 2008 marked best answer

First one to throw a balled-up corporate memo into a wastebasket? Provide an inbox full of pre-wadded memos for each contestant, and maybe put the basket near enough that it won't require much skill to make the shot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:42 AM on July 8, 2008

If you stop in/near Erie PA, take a drive around Presque Isle. It's an interesting habitat, with beaches all along, and a bird sanctuary out toward the end. They're tourist-izing the waterfront, so you might find other stuff to do there too.

You're in PA wine country up there. The little town of North East has a bunch of wineries (and their Grape Festival WineFest is Sept 26-28). Actually, you'll pass through the Finger Lakes region of NY, where you'll find (in my... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:12 AM on June 24, 2008

kimdog: Malcolm Holcolmbe
That guy makes me think of John Hiatt.

Hear also: Jimmy Dale Gilmore.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:45 PM on June 22, 2008

I've heard "Amazing Grace" in both 4/4 and 3/4. The original hymn tune is in 3. The only version in 4 that I can name for certain is Tori Amos's, but I'm pretty sure there are others.

Ani Difranco's 4/4 version can be heard in this bongo-playing baby clip.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:40 AM on June 22, 2008

I did most of the deep thinking about my thesis while walking the dog.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:16 AM on June 10, 2008

Before getting the poor animal arrested, try this...

When the dog jumps up, turn your back on it. You might add some sort of unhappy sound: "Nuh uh" or something. He jumps up to get attention and he's not going to get it from your back. He gets your attention when he's being good. Otherwise, turn your back and ignore him. A lot of dogs hate being ignored and this technique worked to train mine. It's also safe to do with dogs that aren't yours. There's nothing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:01 PM on June 6, 2008

My understanding is that planets don't twinkle (or twinkle less) because they're visually larger. Stars are pinpoints; the atmospheric effect disturbs just that point. With a planet we see a disk. Atmospheric effects from one point on the disk tend to cancel out those from other points on the disk. Correct me, you experts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:53 AM on June 1, 2008

The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction is the anthology that got me going (link is to the edition I have; there's a later edition). What keeps me going now is The New Yorker (Harper's also has top-notch fiction). I've also started buying collections by authors I don't know, based on reviews in the NYT Book Review and Poets & Writers magazine. Some of these I like, and some I don't, but all are worth reading.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 4:54 PM on May 28, 2008

You know, I've been thinking about your question. So I'm back at this late date to pass along some great advice an instructor gave me.

To be a writer, write. A lot. Just write.

And read. A lot. Rather than asking for story recommendations, just get one of those anthologies and see who you like. See who inspires you, who makes you want to write. Then buy collections of stories by those people and read them. Keep them close at hand for inspiration.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:28 AM on May 31, 2008

Every story in Benjamin Percy's collection Refresh, Refresh involves blood. I don't know if that was an intentional theme or not. I'm not into blood for blood's sake, but I liked these.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:25 PM on May 26, 2008

We were just in Stonington last week. We love it there.

It's on Deer Isle, up the coast nearly to Acadia. You can rent a house with a view and watch the lobster boats go in and out of the harbor. You can take a tour of the islands on a lobster boat. There are a bunch of nature preserves for hiking in (our favorite is Barred Island). Here's a schedule of events. The Lobster Boat Races are on July 13.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:30 AM on May 14, 2008

The Winnie the Pooh books, and instructions for the parents to read them to the kiddo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:04 AM on May 13, 2008

Coming of age in the suburbs, dreaming of joining the Woodstock Nation: "White Angel" by Michael Cunningham.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:57 PM on April 26, 2008

Echoing Cmdr Rachek: We love Stonington. Here's where we find our rentals. There are quite a few larger places there. On Deer Isle I'd also recommend the Barred Island area, another nice place to hike around.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:35 AM on April 14, 2008

I wasn't impressed with Dozen's brunch, but I've only been there once and haven't given them a second chance yet. But a few more blocks up Butler (the 3800 block) there is Piccolo Forno, a great Italian place for lunch and dinner, and Coca Cafe, which is funkier fare for lunch and breakfast and Sun brunch.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 3:34 PM on April 8, 2008

As for particular local beers... I like the Penn Brewery beers (visit the brewery if you get to Pgh) and East End Brewing is a new microbrewery that has come out with some great stuff. I imagine you can get the Penn beers in Grove City. Not sure about the East End.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:37 AM on March 24, 2008

My vote is for telling her. But I'd do it outside the building. Talk to her over lunch or coffee or in the parking lot after 5:00. That would demonstrate that the whole thing is separate from the workplace.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:49 AM on March 12, 2008

The Music I-Quiz podcast occasionally features a Bacon-like contest called "Back to [Jeff] Beck."
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 11:56 AM on March 11, 2008

Martin Sexton's "The Way I Am" [lyrics] [youtube]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:04 PM on March 9, 2008

Find a like-minded friend. I make photo-walkabout dates with a friend, where we wander around a different part of the city every couple weeks. With cameras in hand we feel more free to crouch and climb and walk around the backs of things. And ask people what that odd-looking building is. And read the weird signs posted on the poles. So, in addition to the photos, we're really getting to know the area better than we normally would. (This weekend we discovered the world's first industrial atom... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:31 AM on February 25, 2008

...that needs cleaned...
A true Pittsburgher would say "That needs redd up."

I've lived here for 28 years and have taken on quite a few Pittsburgh-isms, including this one, but they still don't come naturally. I can't seem to say "The dogs need walked" unironically. But I appreciate those who can.

Also, if Shakespeare had been a Pittsburgher the line would be just "or not." Ha!

(Great thread, by the way.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2008

I once saw a staffer outside the Letterman Theater giving away tickets to people who could answer a simple question about the show (she asked one guy who the stage manager was). Unfortunately I was leaving town before the taping. That is maybe the easiest way to get tickets, but I don't imagine they're out there every day.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 5:48 AM on February 9, 2008

It was probably first played by children who had to avoid stepping in actual lava while also avoiding saber-toothed tigers and pterodactyls.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:51 AM on February 4, 2008

2. Our favorite restaurant these days is Legume in Regent Square. It's BYOB. But if you're looking for great beers, try Point Brugge. (Order the mussels.)

Sorry, arco, but I'm going to recommend staying away from Gullifty's and Pamela's. I find them more popular than they deserve. Quantity over quality.

3. The Warhol and the Mattress Factory are the best and most unique art galleries we've got. I'd skip the Carnegie if you're pressed for time.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 4:21 PM on January 17, 2008

Ah, Lawrenceville, my new favorite neighborhood.

To get to Coca Cafe from Oakland, catch a 54C bus (there are two types - get the "Penn & Main" version) in front of the Carnegie Museum at Forbes and Craig Street. You'll get off at Penn and 40th and walk a couple blocks down the hill to Butler Street.

Piccolo Forno is a very nice Italian restaurant just a couple doors down from there, and there are some interesting little shops... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:50 PM on January 18, 2008

ALongDecember is right. The few times I've caught that bus I've caught it on Craig Street. Check the bus stop signs for your bus number.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:27 AM on January 23, 2008

Music podcasts are often listenable in short chunks. My favorite is Coverville. The guy who does that also has a shorter one called Lyrics Undercover, in which he spends 5-10 mins talking about a single song.

I also like News from Lake Wobegon, which is usually about 15-20 mins long.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 7:19 AM on January 23, 2008

Sounds a lot like the problem I was having with my '93 Civic (94K miles). When I'd stop it would cut out intermittently. And later I began having trouble starting the car. After trying a number of things over the years (yes, I drove it like this for years), my mechanic finally replaced the distributor and it's been great since. (Cost me about $300 if I remember correctly.) Unfortunately now the engine light is always on and his diagnostic equipment can't figure that out.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:26 AM on January 20, 2008

Everyone knows "tire iron" is pronounced "tarrarn."
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:25 PM on December 30, 2007

Weirton and Steubenville, WV = Weirdtown and Stupidville.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:16 AM on December 17, 2007

A couple short stories:
- coming of age, sibling relationships: "White Angel" by Michael Cunningham (includes underages sex and drugs)
- injustice: "Smokers" by Tobias Wolfe

Both classics, both great stories.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:05 PM on November 20, 2007 marked best answer

The first I thought of was one of Bob Dylan's story songs: "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts." Thievery, prostitution, gambling, death, and love.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:19 AM on November 12, 2007

Kate Christensen's The Epicure's Lament is about a loner misanthrope. I enjoyed it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 8:57 AM on November 12, 2007

If you're heading out to Siena for a day, you might try finding these places...

There's a tiny village north of Siena called Fonterutoli. There's a little restaurant there, a church, and olive groves, and not much else. There's a small road across the street from the restaurant, which we followed--a 40-min walk, a couple miles--to an Etruscan gravesite in a cypress forest. (Now, graves and cemeteries don't creep me out, but this forest was so other-worldly it felt like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:52 AM on November 10, 2007

It would be awesome if ten pounds of eggs made it back to earth intact.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 12:29 PM on November 9, 2007

I only recently learned that sleeping fitfully meant sleeping poorly. I always associated it with "fit" as in "healthy."
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:37 PM on November 3, 2007

Does he have Stewart Brand's "How Buildings Learn" yet?
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:50 AM on October 28, 2007

...er, except How Buildings Learn isn't such a work of art itself.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 9:51 AM on October 28, 2007

If you're looking for quantity, here's the "printables" tag at del.icio.us.

Here's another list: Useful Items You Never Knew You Could Print Out - The Ultimate Guide.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:09 AM on October 28, 2007

I have one of these dragons on my desk. (Watch the vid to see it in action.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 6:17 AM on October 28, 2007

Buddy and Julie Miller have done a couple albums together, but they show up on each other's songs fairly often.
posted to Ask Metafilter by booth at 1:45 PM on October 23, 2007