Nova Scotia, Canada. Totally amazing, beautiful, down-home. The people are awesome, there's great food, wind-y back roads, lobster villages, cultural stuff. The Tall Ships festival in Halifax has huge sailing ships you can tour; definitely take a three-day sea kayaking course anywhere along the north coast or Cape Breton; drive the Cabot Trail (also Cape Breton).

Much of the activity can be "quality" time - walking long beaches, going on very small-scale... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 10:51 AM on May 27, 2008

Whoa whoa whoa. Get thee to Swatow (on Spadina, half a block north of Dundas) -- TONIGHT!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:47 PM on May 6, 2008

I think things may become clearer once your child is born. Right now you're operating on anticipation and thinking you might feel guilty or conflicted. When your kid arrives you'll have the whole mama bear thing going on and it will clarify your priorities lickety split. Go with your gut.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:42 PM on May 6, 2008

Do you need the stats course on your transcript at all? I successfully petitioned to have an F removed from my undergrad transcript when I was applying for a big fancy competitive scholarship during grad school (I got into grad school despite that one F). Made an appointment with the dean, dressed like an upstanding alumna, went in and talked about the factors that won me that F in the first place (unrelated-to-the-F sob stories though all true, and I left out the part about stopping going to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 3:01 PM on April 18, 2008

Whoa. Seriously, No Rain. Thanks Sys Rq.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:51 PM on April 18, 2008

Ok all youses, unpack the YANAD-but-still-militant knives now: bring a full scrip of doxycylene (tetracyclene), that's 10-12 days. If you get a chest infection that goes yellow and you're hacking up a lung, the local antibiotics aren't going to do. But if you start the course, finish the whole course. Also a scrip of cipro, in case of severe ohmigodI'mdying gut infection. And bring a camera, and a bathing suit. Seconding the jeans and sweatshirt, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:54 AM on February 27, 2008

Do the olive oil + garlic thing. Lots of garlic. Add one whole white (not yellow) onion chopped up (into 2cm pieces, not teeny). Low-medium heat. Mix around, let sit for a minute. Add the shrimp (head off, deveined, exoskeleton on). Mix around. Let it sit for two minutes. Add one big teaspoon of MILD curry paste, mix around. Let sit for another two minutes. Add one can of coconut milk and turn up the heat a bit. Put a lid on it. Let sit for two minutes. Pour over rice. We eat this at least twice... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:10 PM on February 21, 2008

Hm. Sounds like you're scared to attempt something difficult. You even posted this question anonymously. But you're invested in your easy successes as part of your self-esteem. And if it's all so easy, why try, right?

You're on the warpath to make things more efficient at work: sounds like a gratifying power trip. Working toward your B.A. in English so you can check the box marked "have a degree": sounds like you don't think much of university or people who... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:04 AM on February 20, 2008

City planning. Poor planning, incompetent planning, inspired planning, absent planning. Nonsensical zoning restrictions and their impact on the landscape. Laziness and corruption at work in neglect. Might be better if I didn't see all this, but it's always there, all the time.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 12:35 PM on February 12, 2008

For those who might land on this thread from elsewhere: Sears charges different prices in different regions for the whole session on disk. At the Calgary studios they charge $200 without prints, $49.99 with $125 worth of prints. Sometimes there are "specials" where the disk is only $29.99. Sometimes the manager has discretion. Mostly it's too expensive and a complete racket. But, you know.

Re: is it worth it to go elsewhere? I would say that it really depends... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:30 PM on February 11, 2008

I'm seconding the "push gift" - yes flowers (kind of a given), but also tasteful (and if you can afford it, 'classic') jewelery. Becomes an instant heirloom, will be handed down to your son's wife when she gives birth, that sort of thing. I got pearls. I would never have worn pearls before, but now I look at them and I'm like, "I'm a mom!" and I love them. I was floored when Mr. Hilksom pulled those out. But anything nice'll do, it doesn't have to be expensive. Even if your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 10:04 AM on February 11, 2008

Hanoi.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:55 AM on February 11, 2008

Seconding journalist. You'll spend the rest of your life learning and you'll never be bored. You can make a real difference in the world.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 3:39 PM on February 10, 2008

ceri richard, your link is dead - set again?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:57 PM on February 7, 2008

Hm. ericb, more like this: http://www.altfg.com/Stars/o/out-of-africa.jpg
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:00 PM on February 7, 2008

Murrr! Steef, closer, but not quite there. Must be fitted (am willing to engage a tailor/alter an existing design), probably "conservative" in the buttoning up the front. I am a fan of interesting buttoning (not the buttons themselves, the line of the buttons up the garment), creative cuts, draping.

Thanks thanks thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:05 PM on February 7, 2008

Am loving this. I am not much of a shopper, let alone knowing my way around the online shopping world. Thank you thank you. Hindmost, Nanette Lepore is closest so far. Long sleeves is best. Should've said that right away.

Will take all comers! More suggestions? Patterns you know?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:48 PM on February 7, 2008

How about Becky Bee? Right close nearby an' everything.

http://beckybee.net/

A bit out of date online, but recommended to me by green consultants.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:47 PM on February 7, 2008 marked best answer

She also has a book, available online.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:47 PM on February 7, 2008

Let me perhaps make it clear(er): Indian Muslims speak Urdu, and/or regional languages including English, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, etc. Indian Muslims are not Pakistani. People who live in Pakistan are Pakistani.

Also:
Indian Muslims don't speak Thai. People in Thailand speak Thai. If you are interested in finding Muslims who speak Thai, they are located in southern Thailand, not India.

Indian Muslims don't speak Malay (Bahasa... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 7:31 PM on February 5, 2008

I've been a pretty consistent journaller since pre-teen-hood, so I have twenty + years of my idiotic ramblings committed to paper. Seconding Melismata's rxns of wince and nod. I have saved myself so many times, rereading my own words. Also seconding willmize's suggestion of morning pages, which I don't do anymore but did for a while and came away with a bunch of fabulous stuff I don't remember writing. Brain works differently first thing, etc.

I carry the journal with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:16 PM on February 4, 2008 marked best answer

I lost the pre-manuscript of my first book. I think it got donated to goodwill during a snowstorm in which me and some friends were unpacking boxes into the donation dumpster. Fucking devastating. Could not replace the source notes, no way no how. All I can say is that it's a risk you run, full stop. Don't spend time or money or energy being a secretary to yourself, photocopying pages or digitizing or all that shit. Life is short, life is tenacious.

Re: privacy, also a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:46 PM on February 4, 2008

Cuba. Get there before Castro dies and the Americans overrun it with Wendy's outlets and imported sombreros manufactured in China. Go, go now, hurry. Lovely, amazing, time capsule.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:12 PM on January 29, 2008

Murrr! Thanks all! More! More please!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 4:53 PM on January 25, 2008

Peter Hopkirk's "Quest For Kim" follows the trail of the fictional protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's "Kim". Excellent. The route is the Grand Trunk Road in modern-day Pakistan and India.

Also Amitav Ghosh's "In An Antique Land", his account of living in the Nile Delta as a Ph.D.-candidate Indian-at-LSE juxtaposed with the stories of a Jewish trader and his Indian slave living and travelling in 900BC.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 5:10 PM on December 20, 2007

... If you aren't familiar with "Kim", it's set in the late 1800s, in British India. Kim is an orphan, raised in the streets of Lahore, a polymath. Is taken on as a chola (assistant/helper/mentee) of an itinerant Buddhist monk seeking enlightenment. Walks the Grand Trunk Road to Ambala. Finds his father's old regiment in the army. They send him to school in Lucknow for several years, he spends his summers in Shimla, after graduation he rejoins his monk. It is the legendary Kipling at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 5:19 PM on December 20, 2007

After our daughter was born it seemed like the most gargantuan thing in the world to go grocery shopping more than once a week. Gone were the days of nipping back to the store for that last ingredient we forgot on the weekly run. Seeing the problems this posed for us, my brother named himself "Big Nose Grocer" (he has a big nose), on call to bring over any groceries I needed on a daily basis. I'd email him the list (I kept it small - just stuff we ran out of unexpectedly) and he'd... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 4:50 PM on November 27, 2007

Completely with Rykey. Shoot lots, all in manual. Use "auto" when you're doing a one-off shot of your family or whatever so you don't exhaust people with 17,000 shots and fiddling around on the dials, but otherwise go all manual and learn the instincts.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:00 PM on November 12, 2007

Don't let the "it's close to Christmas" thing interfere with the rational management of this situation. For one thing, difficult and manipulative addicts don't change based on the calendar. And second of all, it's not that close to Christmas.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:56 PM on November 12, 2007

No. Go. Rajasthan in July/August is lovely. It's hot, yes. But India is hot in the summer, period. If that's when you're going, so be it.

Mosquito-borne illnesses are avoidable with long sleeves (India is the land of affordable silk), bed nets, mosquito repellent, and tetracyclene.

Conjuntivitis is also known as pink eye and I don't know anyone in North America who hasn't contracted it here. Several times, if we're honest. Wash your hands... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 6:43 PM on November 5, 2007

Alt weeklies are havens for the amateurs desperate to get photos published, and poncy professionals unpacking six cases of gear just to get an interview shot. I suggest taking the middle road. Be the dude with a solid SLR set-up and one flash, and let your eye be the value-added zing in your work.

Spend the big money on lenses - forget the lighting unless you're doing fashion or product photography. In the rare cases that you'll need extra equipment, rent it piecemeal... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:26 PM on August 29, 2007

Le Chandail de Hockey has been recommended already, fwiw.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:49 PM on August 27, 2007

Oui, Le Petit Prince is on the list for when she's older. I'm looking for more pictures, younger audience.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:58 PM on August 27, 2007

Take her with you. I'm with those who have said that death is a part of life. So true. If your husband is very actively (and debilitatingly) upset by the death perhaps you and she can stand somewhere else and you can "narrate" the event for her - explaining why people are crying, why daddy is standing with his parents by the grave, etc. That way you can walk away and play with/distract her if necessary. It won't traumatize her if you explain everything honestly and accurately - uncle... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 4:01 PM on August 14, 2007 marked best answer

Oil industry. They'll send you to Africa and Asia, pay your way, and even top it off with danger pay in some places. Canadian companies are always looking for suckers to go to Kazakhstan, Sulawesi, Nigeria.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:29 PM on August 13, 2007

Hovey Manor in North Hatley. 1.5 hours south into the Eastern Townships. Lovely place, amazing gardens and oldy-worldy feel. Like out of the movie version of The World According To Garp crossed with Great Gatsby. One of the best small hotels in Canada. Steve Stafford owns the place. Walk around Lake Massawipi. Sample the local Brome Lake duck. Antiques, rail trail walks, various little towns, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 3:14 PM on August 11, 2007

Thanks, y'all!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:22 PM on July 6, 2007

I second the recommendation for Sinus Buster. It's serious business and it works.

I also recommend acupuncture. They'll work your feet and the front of your calf and parts of your face. I guarantee you'll walk out of there without a headache.

And massage can really help sinus problems too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:06 PM on June 30, 2007

Let me suggest the Calgary Stampede, "The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth". This city goes positively apeshit for ten days in early July and your week off is the full week of Stampede mania here. Aside from the rodeo and the midway and the exhibition grounds (think quarter horses and llamas being judged), much more importantly it's a gigantic semi-cowboy-themed party for everyone and anyone in town. There are, literally, hundreds of parties per night (official ones staged at venues,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:12 PM on June 28, 2007

For your further information...

http://calgarystampede.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:14 PM on June 28, 2007

I have a friend who, while in Mongolia of all places, babysat his friend's (another expat's) hedgehog while the friend was out following tribes across the desert for his dissertation or somesuch. Two weeks of HELL, he tells us. The meanest damn thing on earth. Truly hated him. Totally ornery and not in the least worth anyone's while. When the friend got back, Mark sez, "Uh, I think he hates me, but he's still alive, here, take him." The Ph.D. guy says, "Yeah, he's been a bastard... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 8:56 PM on June 22, 2007

The Lakeview Lunch. T and I had to go there after The Last Picture Show made us crazed for burgers. It's the only place to get The Burger in TO.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 1:52 PM on June 4, 2007

I second mds35's implied suggestion that you find a native speaker. Most will be vaguely amused but probably willing to do these sounds for you and put them in context, describe what to do with your tongue, etc. When I was learning Hindi/Urdu I found it very helpful to literally watch people make these sounds with their mouths and I suggest you do the same. On tape/cd it can be a bit mystifying as to what exact "difference" the speaker is trying to demonstrate. Ultimately it's the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 12:23 PM on May 24, 2007

Sony Vaio = piece of shit. I recommend bailing out of the brand entirely, immediately. I've been through three and they all suck. Sorry this isn't more positive-sounding or optimistic.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 12:24 PM on May 15, 2007

Life is long! Also, the summer after high school is long. I'm with getting her contact info and then, if you're too nervous to do anything/don't want to be distracted during your final exams, just sitting on the info for a few weeks. Wait until the end of June or even into July. Then call her out of the blue. Have an idea in mind - bike ride, going to a street market, party thrown by mutual friends/acquaintances. Just say "Hey, I was a bit distracted during school - but I wanted to call and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:30 AM on May 15, 2007

I do architectural shoots. Basically you charge the max you think your reputation and their budget can handle. If you're just starting out, I suggest $330 per site for a basic exterior shoot (no interiors: whole different ball game). Don't get greedy, but don't be skittish either. Don't let them talk you down any lower than $300. If they balk, seriously: walk away, they're jerking you around. I know you want the job, but they've got $300 for photos. I guarantee it. Thank your friend enormously... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 3:10 PM on May 8, 2007 marked best answer

Take CAD training. Two years. End result: you design the "guts" of buildings on computer software - where the walls go, where the electrical goes, etc. You can be a well-paid cog in an architecture firm wheel lickety-split, with access to people and circles in your area of interest. World of opportunity, steady paycheque and lots of freelance potential.

While studying get involved in the non-profit world: Habitat for Humanity, sustainability ngos in your town.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 2:33 PM on May 6, 2007

Peel pub!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 11:50 AM on May 5, 2007

I don't think you can talk your way out of/around/through these kinds of tensions. As luminous phenomena said, she's probably embarrassed and defensive. Hence the slamming-of-door and overreaction. I think it's wrong to kiss ass with cookies or apologies. There will be a "next time" with this kid. If you apologize now and someday NEED to talk to this boy's parents about a similar (but escalated) situation, those parents will have the ammo of "Oh, well LAST time you came over later... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:54 PM on April 21, 2007

Combo method: for functional hair-tying-back-ness, try a long elastic headband-type-thing (used by European soccer stars, among others), but use it as a plain hair elastic. That'll wrap a bunch of times around and you can create a ponytail at the top of your head. Then get a 'decorative' piece of crap or other claw-clip that would, under normal circumstances, get laughed out of your hair in two seconds. Just snag it in on top. Voila, illusion of control by clip, hair actually being wrassled into... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mrs Hilksom at 9:36 PM on April 21, 2007