Nthing the cloth diapers as burp rags. They are big enough that you can fold them over a spot of urp-age and have a fresh clean surface on the outside. Personally I don't think a washcloth would be as good at that. Also they are quite absorbant and less fumbly to fold compared to flannel blankets.

In the cloth-vs-disposable diaper decision, I was initially drawn to cloth because of the persuasive stuff I had read. Well, it didn't work out. My daughter's poop *always*... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 2:04 PM on September 13, 2008

The trouble was that after I didn't pay the ticket, I was assigned an Illinois license which was immediately suspended. Again, this seemed like a bureaucratic issue to me. But when I was stopped for speeding (6 mph over the limit on the Illinois Tollway), I ended up with a driving on a suspended license citation -- oodles more serious with the possibility of jail time.

I work for the government in Texas dealing with driver's licenses and I can tell you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 9:20 PM on September 2, 2008

If you have some space for a deep bookcase in front of your wall, you can use one of these rotating bookcases to hide your tv with a couple shelves of books when not in use.

I remember I first heard of these things from a mefite who works for a company that makes the rotating brackets (this was on #mefi probably over 2 years ago).

My Google Fu turned up the link above using "rotate tv hide", if that helps.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 6:23 PM on August 24, 2008 marked best answer

I just talked to him on the phone, and I need to clarify: he said that he doesn't want to do programming full-time, he's okay with programming as part of doing other things.

Thanks for all the great info, everyone! So far I found 3 entry level jobs at the IBM site (perversely, you have to go under their "Experienced" section to get to them), and I have many more great leads to follow now.

He's okay with working at a grocery store or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:16 PM on July 13, 2008

If your budget is really low, you could get another PS2 (should be pretty cheap), and enjoy your Guitar Hero II again. You can also pick up the Guitar Hero 80s version and Guitar Hero III. (The original Guitar Hero was underwhelming and I wish I had not bought it - the hammer-ons and pull-offs are infuriating since they don't work like the later games.)

If you like singing you don't have to go whole-hog with Rock Band. You could get Singstar. It's got the real songs... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 10:42 PM on July 11, 2008

Being there for her, assures her that she can be loved by man that she loves (you) and when you treat her well, she learns that she deserves to be treated respectfully - she doesn't have to compromise herself just to get boy to pay attention to her.

Reading this almost made me cry. Let's just say my dad wasn't around (mom had moved us a thousand miles away), and I wish I had been able to learn this from my father.

She deserves... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 12:59 AM on June 28, 2008

Lock up all the food? Sooner or later he will have to venture out and get some money somewhere in order to eat.

Kind of cruel but she's not legally obligated to feed him, is she?
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:45 PM on June 4, 2008

I don't think Hyde Park stops at 45th street, I think extends to at least 51st street. I live right at 46th street, on the same block as the Walgreens (and across the street is a quickie mart with an excellent booze selection, including an extensive collection of wine). I live directly on the UT bus line (but I am not a student so I can't speak to how full or convenient they are).

There are some nice complexes in this area, but some of them have very tiny / overpriced... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 5:07 PM on June 2, 2008

I have had this problem as well with an HP scanner. To the point that it's been sitting in the closet for a couple/few years, unused. I think I'm going to try hap_hazard's suggestion and see if that helps. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 6:17 PM on May 27, 2008

I work for the Texas Department of Public Safety in the Driver's License Division, and there's a sheet that I can picture in my mind (sitting on my desk right now) that says what all the acceptable forms of identification are. It was recently revised (as of May 20th). Unfortunately, I can't remember the whole thing exactly. There are separate lists for what counts for primary, secondary, and supporting documentation.

Ah, here it is online if you might find it useful. If... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 6:09 PM on May 27, 2008

I suffer from some of this myself sometimes, and I've found the very thoughtful and articulate responses in this thread very helpful. Sometimes I have to knock some sense into myself when I get down thinking about how I was on top of the world in high school, and now I'm a lowly clerk. In my case there is mental illness and years of instability and depression to look back on, making the simple gentle happiness I have now something I greatly appreciate, but sometimes it does get me down that I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 3:30 PM on May 18, 2008

My daughter's is still in her dad's freezer. She just turned 9. There's not really room for a new tree at their house, so that option is out. I figure we will just keep it til she's old enough to bring it to school for a human physiology class show-and-tell or something.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:26 PM on May 5, 2008

The hormones in the Mirena are released locally

I was told this about Nuvaring, and it was a big fat lie. I definitely had major mood changes - it made me (more of a) psycho bitch. Just cranky and unpleasant as hell.

I am wanting to get an IUD and I've been leaning heavily towards the Paragard for just this reason (fear of adverse mental effects from the hormones in Mirena). I don't trust them when they say the hormones are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:09 PM on April 22, 2008

I can tell that I've eaten tuna by the odor. I've never heard anyone else mention this, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:00 PM on April 22, 2008

When I visited UMass in Amherst, dmd and I found the tactile map of the campus (I think this was in the library). Just a little diorama-type thing, with braille labels for the various buildings.

I live in the same neighborhood as the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. There are quite a few blind people who live in the area. Some of the nearby intersections have buzzers in addition to the little flashing-hand or person-walking visual indicators about... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 5:14 PM on April 22, 2008

These are great! Keep 'em coming!

Just wanted to add that I remembered that I usually do have a brush, and a little cardboard thing with about a dozen 4 x 6 cards (I'm a little ... crazy with 4 x 6 cards, I must have a thousand of them of various kinds).

If it matters, my purse is a Timbuk2 metro bag.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 4:07 PM on April 22, 2008

If you're in the Chicago area, the Old Town School of Folk Music is very much your friend.

Both my parents used to take lessons there in the 70s. My dad used to play & sing some of the songs to me when I was very little, but he quit a long time ago. On one of my visits there I showed some interest in one of his guitars so he gave it to me. I replaced the case but I just had to transfer over the Old Town School bumper sticker from the old case, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:26 PM on April 10, 2008

Are you using condoms? If so, changing your birth control method might help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:17 PM on April 7, 2008

In fact, I once read that a penis curving upwards is more pleasurable for a woman because it can stimulate her G spot.

I know this poster isn't bent in such a fashion, but I'd just like to offer one data point that the upward-curving penis is not always... preferred. I had a hell of a time being smacked in the cervix (painful and uncomfortable) with a partner who was bent this way. Not every combination of bodies will turn out to have a sub-optimal... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 8:50 PM on March 24, 2008

Thank you so much for posting this! (and thank you to the answerers as well, of course)

I have been vexed by this damn thing as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 8:26 AM on March 15, 2008

My mom's schnoodle is just nuts about frozen green beans. She has a very delicate digestive system, and these agree with her just fine and have been OK'd by the vet.

A long time ago I had a dog that loved the crunchy midrib of (iceberg) lettuce.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 10:45 PM on March 2, 2008

I have had symptoms of waking up feeling panicked when I stay in bed too long / wait too long to take my Wellbutrin (300mg XL). This was much worse during the month and a half I didn't have health insurance and essentially went off of it. It seemed to dissipate once I got up and started doing things. Anyway, not so great if you like to lie in bed late.

Your mileage may vary. Also I am on other psych meds (Geodon and Lamictal) so this may affect what I experience(d).
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 6:42 PM on February 26, 2008

Swing-Away can opener. As a bonus, makes a very satisfying noise when you whip it open and closed (keep your fingers out of the way when trying this stunt).
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 4:57 PM on January 13, 2008

There are three books called Big Secrets, Bigger Secrets, and Biggest Secrets by William Poundstone that have this sort of thing in them, but I'm not sure if you'd be interested in them since they've been... well, published in books.

I found them entertaining however.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 5:13 PM on November 7, 2007 marked best answer

I'm sort of like this in some ways, and I always figured it was because I am bipolar. I can be on both sides of a dichotomy, just at different times in different situations, and it's hard to say at times which predominates. It usually depends on when I'm asked, which side I consider myself to be on (that is, if I'm able to come down on a side at all). And of course sometimes it feels like a 80/20 or 70/30 split or something, and I have to recognize that both aspects are partly true at a given... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 4:48 PM on November 5, 2007

Nthing ask for voice chat. "I really want to hear your voice" shouldn't come across as threatening / rude / untoward. You could even particularly say that you wanted to hear "her" laugh, maybe that's more romantic.

In my WoW guild, there's a guy who's fallen for ... someone we suspect is male. He thinks she's female. "She" won't speak on Vent because she says she's mute. Yeah. Really. And he buys it. Poor guy. We think he better be put on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 8:07 PM on October 22, 2007

Just a suggestion if you want to consider something short of waxing the main area: buy a set of clippers and trim to your desired length. Yes, one can use scissors, but it's harder to get a consistent length and it's possible to snip yourself (I have done this and have a little 2-3 mm "v" notch in one of my labia minora - which is why I decided to spend the money on the clippers).

And I just want to reply to those who say that waxing will not leave bumps or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 3:38 PM on October 15, 2007

Would putting your request for documentation of your unlicensed status in writing have any chance of helping here? Just a thought - maybe it could more easily be forwarded up the chain to someone who could help you, rather than chasing around with phone calls.

Sometimes when you call you end up with the noob who doesn't know how to do what you want, and it's easier for them to tell you "no" just to get rid of you and off their plate.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 10:05 PM on October 13, 2007

The OP's responses just make the situation seem more and more awul / pathetic / depressing. You deserve someone who respects you. This guy clearly does not.

Not only is he amazing to put up with how I look

He is both a better person and a better match for me than anyone I could have hoped to get.

"if I stick around waiting that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 9:57 PM on October 13, 2007

I have an lcd solitaire game (klondike) that I keep in the bathroom for idle amusement there. To avoid frustration, I don't try to play through any game where I can't make at least four moves off the bat (before flipping any cards from the deck). This has cut my aggravation considerably.

Sometimes I let one go that has only three, which I refer to as a "scholarship student". Ok, weird analogy but that's what sticks in my head. Occasionally they win and it's worth the gamble.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 9:32 PM on October 12, 2007

I think the question is whether or not "too much" means he's not doing enough for his obligations to the family or not. I mean, once he gives a fair amount of time/effort to the family (and any other obligations he has), the rest of his time is up to him and even if *you* think it's "too much", you need to just him do what he wants and not interfere in some devious or passive-aggressive way.

The key question here being, how much of his time is it fair... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 9:32 PM on June 30, 2007

What the hell is money *for* if not to help your children have the best chance in life? This is not a wedding or a fancy car, this is 40 years of working life, and fucking GOODWILL towards one's family member (which, incidentally, one CHOSE to bring into this world). It's downright stingy when they are as rich as in this poster's question. You have every right to be resentful, but of course dealing with that resentment can be tricky.

I can understand a middle-class... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 7:49 PM on May 26, 2007

Denver uses alphabeticals in other areas too, not just the ones named for tribes. I remember poring over the maps long ago and there were several A-Z sequences.

Where I'm at in Austin (Hyde Park) there's a small section where it's just letters (Avenues A through H). Avenue E is named Speedway instead though, I imagine since it's the one that's more of a mini-thoroughfare.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 6:03 AM on May 22, 2007

Wow, until I read this I hadn't realized that I miss it too.

What's annoying though is when they think they know what you're about to say, but they're wrong, and then you have to decide whether to simply continue or chide them mid-stream, as it were.

And you can also see what terrible typists they are, and how many mistakes they make. Good times. And another thing is I think it helps spur the slower typist to greater speed to keep up.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 5:56 AM on May 22, 2007

If you care for her, as you dump her you should maybe let her know something about how she can do better in the future. Presumably you want her to be happy someday, and it sounds like she (at least sort of) wants a long-term monogamous relationship with *someone*.

Or even a simple "Please please please don't hurt someone else the way you've hurt me." Okay maybe that is twisting the knife a bit but it sounds like she really needs a wake-up call, and clearly she... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 11:43 AM on May 19, 2007

I'm late to the thread, but here goes...

I've been in several different guilds where it's just not seen as a big deal. And one of them was a big raiding guild with a gay GM and several other gay members, who all used "gay" in this way themselves.

The one I'm in now is very tightly bonded and I think the use of the term in this way is one marker of this. In other words it's (just a part of) a way of saying "inside our circle, we can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 1:59 PM on April 25, 2007

Seconding something involving "externality".
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 12:56 PM on April 25, 2007

I live in Austin and I'm a responsible cat owner. Alas, my kitty does not particularly get along with others :(. Sorry.
posted to Ask Metafilter by marble at 10:05 PM on December 6, 2004