Fourthing the statue park -- creepy but fun. My personal favorite is the spa at the Gellert. Yeah, it's schmancier than the others in town, but I really love it. There is a restaurant near Moskva ter metro called Szent Jupat (looking it up, the address is Dékan utca 3) -- think Hungarian Denny's. Except AWESOME. The fried-vegetable selection alone, dear golly... when I was dating a guy in Pest, we worked our way through that section of the menu like it was our last meal ever. The Matyas Templom... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 8:13 PM on June 24, 2008

You can now sell supplies (and I would suspect machines fall under "supplies") on Etsy.com -- there's a very good chance you'll find a crafty person there who'd love to give them a home.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:09 PM on June 23, 2008

Thank you, dear MeFites -- I, too, have been struggling with excessive CSA greenery...
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:06 PM on June 23, 2008

Modal is, specifically, made of beech. (Unlike lyocell, aka Tencel, which is a more generic form of woodpulp/cellulose-based fiber). The spinneret process used to create the fibers, which is akin to a very very fine weight Play-Doh spaghetti maker, doesn't alter the pulp itself, but not knowing what the individual manufacturer has used to bind the fibers together, I'd say don't risk it, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 5:47 PM on June 22, 2008

Speaking of dogs they may have a concern that they can't find a dwelling (for example an insurance covered hotel room) that will allow the dog... It doesn't sound rational but many people go homeless rather than give up their pets to a pound.

Agreed. During Katrina, I more than once told my boyfriend I would sleep outside in the muck before I would let any of my animals be taken away.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 11:04 AM on June 11, 2008

Ditto PossumCupCake re: dachshunds being great alarm system and snuggle monsters who (in my case, anyway) get along wonderfully with cats.

Also, I think I would be more comfortable with noise-making things on the doors/strung across the windows... the thing that calms me down the most (presuming I wake up) when my boyfriend comes home late from a night of debauchery is hearing the beep beep our door makes when the alarm is successfully disabled.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:31 PM on June 2, 2008

Pavlova. The meringue only requires 250 degrees to cook, which is better than most "baked" things... and cream/fruit on top is tasty in the summer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:26 PM on June 2, 2008 marked best answer

Zucchini is awesome beyond belief in any and all kinds of muffins. I shred mine very finely in August when the ZUCCHINI TAKEOVER is in effect for all gardens within a 50-mile range of me. Squeeze out ALL the excess water and freeze. Pull out clumps of it throughout the year and throw it in after breaking it up (don't bother defrosting).

A word on strawberries, though: they're really good in muffins but also really over-juicy. In my muffin recipe, at least, they make... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:20 PM on June 2, 2008 marked best answer

Might I ask a question as a non-parent who's done her fair share of babycare with friends' kids, etc? Why do parents track these kinds of things if a child is normal and eating/sleeping/pooping as expected? I mean, I could see if the baby was not doing much of the above/or too much of, but is this something pediatricians ask for these days? We're considering having kids and I find this aspect of it fascinating...
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 7:09 AM on May 29, 2008

Thanks, everyone! Makes sense to me... but until you explained, I would've put it down to obsessed-with-detail-parenting and not just, say, having a real reason to know these things! Ah, what I have to look forward to! :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 1:42 PM on May 29, 2008

Seconding Stasiland, for the German perspective. My future in-laws are both from Hungary -- father left right before the revolution, mother in the seventies. When she went back for the first time after the Wall came down, I remember how incredibly *angry* she was. What stuck out in my mind the most (talking about transiting through Budapest on the way to her village): "There were people sleeping in doorways! THEY would have never let that happen."

And I giggled... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 7:18 AM on May 29, 2008

Forever ago, I was annoyingly poking the arm of this guy I'd just started seeing and it prodded him into superamazing kiss-o-rama! Game: me! Contrast this to another male (and dare I say it? COMPUTER GEEK) friend of mine whose one ex literally whipped her shirt off and climbed on his lap to show him HELLO I AM ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN YOU after months of not-responding-to-poking. So I'd say, all things considered, you're doing fine.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 11:23 PM on May 17, 2008

Wikipedia's got an amazing chart here, along with links to the various country authorities that keep track of such things.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 11:19 PM on May 17, 2008

Cocteau Twins. Airy fairy floaty nonsensical goodness that is MUCH better than Enya. Plus, you can play the "what the hell is Liz Frasier singing about and is she even singing in English?" game!
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:17 PM on May 14, 2008

If it weren't for TAG (and in our school district we also had a super crazy exclusive gifted program called Project Excel that pulled us out of regular school and put us all together in a freaking fantasy world of fellow smart kids one day a week), I would have probably

a. offed myself
b. dropped out or
c. gone completely postal by 7th grade and pulled a Columbine.

I don't want to get into the politics... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 8:07 AM on May 8, 2008

Don't know if these two things are related, but there was definitely a sense that my school district thought smart kids were automatically smart across the board.

That's definitely something to watch out for -- my TAG teacher had to quite literally sit down with my guidance counselor at once point and say NO -- just because she is very good with language does not mean she is good with math, so don't keep forcing her to take higher math classes she isn't equipped for...
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:41 PM on May 8, 2008

My former roommates in Somerville just got a house in Cambridge near the Alewife T for 100K under the appraisal/asking price. It can be done, you just need to be persistent, and as stated above, your broker wants to do the least amount of work possible, you're going to have to pick up some of the slack. I think posting some flyers in coffee shops/post offices/etc in your preferred neighborhoods/cities is not a bad idea at all. And hey, at least it's not like the market a few year ago when people... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:38 AM on May 7, 2008

That you cared enough about them and their dog to take the photos will be gratifying as well.

I think that's really it -- they know you do photography, so it's not like you're suddenly springing some cell phone upskirt crazy on them. As a dog owner myself, I would be really touched if someone I hired to help me out did something like this for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:32 AM on May 7, 2008

Agreeing with pearlybob here -- Etsy sellers in general (including myself, and including when I was running my own Etsy-like shop in the pre-Etsy days) are very very good about helping out with secret pal swaps since there are so many of them in the fiber world (my neck of the woods) and elsewhere. Just find something you like and contact them via Etsy before you order.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:29 AM on May 7, 2008

Seconding foodgeek on roasting asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper in the pan. I have two cast iron pans, inherited from my great-grandmother, and they are literally THE ONLY pans I use. Period. (Plus two enameled cast-iron pots, Le Creuset-style but not-Le Creuset).

I love making mac and cheese from scratch in mine -- good crunchy crust. Caramelized onions. You name it, I cook it in there.

Now, since no one's mentioned it yet -- are you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:30 PM on May 1, 2008 marked best answer

I like the beard, myself. Then again, I'm biased. (Tons 'o family beards, + boyfriend with constant facial hair).
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 10:49 AM on April 23, 2008

If I remember correctly, Ohio University's was named ALICE 1992-1996 when I was there... I think it was an acronym for Athens Library & Information Catalog something something something I forget! :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 7:54 PM on April 8, 2008

Ditto-ing subajestad et al -- I'm into Fibonacci sequences for designing striped patterns in knits. And Diana Eng, who was on Project Runway, has done a whole series of math-inspired knits (you can see them on her website).
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:15 PM on March 28, 2008

I know a company that does this for knitting, not cross-stitch, and I know quite a few cross-stitchers. Have you considered doing what I do when I test my new knitting patterns (before I start to sell them)? I offer a certain number of test knitters a free copy of the pattern (and in the case of cross-stitch, you might want to throw in the materials, too, they're not that much) in exchange for completing it and making sure the pattern makes sense.

Some people who don't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:21 PM on March 12, 2008

Ha! Enroute, the same thing happened to me when I got talked into being in an article about bra fittings here in Cleveland. Those old school department store ladies know their stuff!
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:20 PM on March 12, 2008

Fairy tales were cautionary, for the most part; like medieval versions of To Catch A Predator.

I laughed at this for about five minutes. Good one!

For those of you who are interested in other fairy tale-related analysis, Marina Warner's From the Beast to the Blonde is good, too. I also just picked up The Owl, The Raven & The Dove, an analysis of religious themes in Grimm (I'm only a few... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:09 PM on March 12, 2008

Aveda has a styling moussey/waxy thingy that comes in a little blue jar and it's a hair lifesaver when it comes to making hair piecy instead of puffy.

Aha! here it is!

I've also always been a fan of their Self Control Stick.

Both are great if your hair tends to the curly/wavy, too...

Dittoing the funkycool earrings suggestions above. Etsy.com and local boutiques should help you out there.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:06 AM on February 25, 2008

ThePinkSuperhero is right -- although a cool pair of earrings will definitely help you out on the short hair front if you can't do the kinds of colored stripes and stuff you used to do, you need to keep the rest of the outfit pretty simple. I'm practically Steve Jobs-like in my adherence to a standard uniform (cardigan, fitted t-shirt, Levi's jeans... or an indian print skirt if it's hot as heck in the summer). The things all those pieces have in common are solid colors (except for the skirt)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:27 AM on February 25, 2008

Oh! Rosie! A fellow curl-head! Yes, you really should check out that Aveda stuff I mentioned above, the waxy stuff in particular is a lifesaver. I also think the grey hair is superfine, particularly if your stylist tones it so it's not yellowy or brassy.

Then again, maybe you shouldn't be listening to me, 'cause I thought the photo Mr MoonPie linked was kind of cute. Necklace a bit big maybe, but cute.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 12:14 PM on February 25, 2008

I call it "thrift whiff."

It's the sole reason I learned to shop so very quickly in thrift stores (by comparison, my mom takes FOREVER).
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:07 AM on February 25, 2008

I've done really nice roasted squash + walnut + apple ravioli before (in a browned butter sauce).

Something I love as a ragu (served with Ohio City Pasta's wild mushroom pasta, quite possibly the tastiest pasta on earth. If they won't ship you a few sheets of it to try, you could probably try to make your own by adding mushroom powder, available at my local Italian grocery, to your own dough recipe) is:

(wow, that was a long digression, sorry... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 1:00 PM on February 21, 2008

Holy wow, eve harrington, that sounds awesome (and colorful. and staining!)! I bet, if you wanted to get all crazy, there are plenty of other veg juices you could reduce the heck out of and mix into ricotta/mascarpone/etc for a whole new flavor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 2:13 PM on February 21, 2008

Seconding my hometown of Cleveland, there are lots of developers and the pay rates here are fairly sucky compared to the rest of the country, so chances are whatever you're offering will be better. There are many colleges but not enough jobs, so lots of people leave the city every year (point taken about graduation coming up! a good chance to get your hands on new grads). I'm happy to point you to some appropriate contacts if you MeFi mail me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:23 PM on February 15, 2008

To save untold millions of dollars, Coke switched its sweetener from sugar to corn syrup years ago.
Purists still argue about the taste differences.

Oh, it's not a purist thing, it actually does taste CONSIDERABLY better. Brighter, more lemony, better mouthfeel. I'm talking regular Coke with sugar (usually brought back in vast quantities whenever I visit Canada) vs. American diet Coke.

Also, I've got cans of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:05 PM on February 14, 2008

Newsflash, BobbyDigital, pets are not inanimate objects to be discarded indiscriminately. The OP is looking for solutions to his cat's current problems, not a heartless "get rid of the cat" comment. The goal is to AVOID that.

TwilightKid, have you considered that Scarlett is acting out because she's not "the baby" anymore? She went from living alone with you to becoming the youngest of three cats and now her position has been disrupted again. Would it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 8:35 AM on February 4, 2008

When I sold computers full time (I took a few months off in college to earn money for my internship abroad), I took all kinds of abuse from male customers who didn't think a GIRL could possibly know anything about Big Fancy Electronics. Specifically, I was the sole Apple specialist on staff. You'd ask a guy if he needed help as he was checking out the latest Mac and he'd say "Oh, that's ok, dear, I'll wait for one of the guys." During the Christmas season, after hearing that one too... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:37 PM on February 3, 2008

Related: where can you check to see if your domain has been listed as a spammer? I've been having problems with emails from my one domain getting through to people and given that I've seen a lot of spammers using my domain in their reply-to, I'd like to see what I can do about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 11:58 AM on February 2, 2008

and many other grocery stores, for that matter -- in the salad section.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 10:40 AM on February 1, 2008

When I lived in Prague we had NOTHING but a hot plate -- I'd have killed for what you've got. (Also, I would have committed MANY sins for a proper piece of toast, but that's neither here nor there).

There's a ton of "one pot cooking" books and websites out there -- use "one pot" as your search term and you should be fine. The grill you can probably fry up some lovely veg, or meat or other things to add into the crock pot yummies.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 2:45 PM on January 30, 2008

Baby_Balrog, I once made a dress for my (male) hamster.

Oh I cannot believe I just admitted that. Let's just say when you go to college at age 17 and can't even get into 18+ shows, you'll come up with some very disturbing hobbies.

That said, cardboard houses were ALWAYS popular with Akbar and Jeff (my former hamsters). Or use balsa wood -- it's light enough to cut with no special implements, yet sturdy enough to do cool stuff.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 2:38 PM on January 30, 2008

dpx.mfx has it right -- I used to work for a small firm in Boston and those kinds of services are CRUCIAL, plus there's no pool of interns or clerks or fresh college grads or whoever the hell the big boys use for all of the above.

MANY, many lawyers are not ultra tech savvy, and IT skills that are suited to both general small office management *and* the legal business will take your son farther than just volunteering to do whatever, wherever. As he starts to build up a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 7:16 PM on January 28, 2008

Not knowing what your work/school situation is at the moment, is there any chance you could do a study or work abroad program? If your company or school has an office/campus in a German-speaking country, that would be your best bet -- most companies will shell out for additional language classes while you're overseas, and the immersion will really help.

I found when living in Salzburg and Munich at various times that my skills really went up a notch, much more so than... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 5:32 PM on January 27, 2008

Seriously waterproof messenger bag or bike panniers (depending on how much usable fabric you can get out of it)!

Don't forget to seal the seams for ultra-super-cool waterproofyness.

A search on Craftster.org or the like should net any number of good messenger bag patterns. I like Amy Butler's "High Street Messenger Bag" pattern myself.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 3:05 PM on January 27, 2008 marked best answer

Unlike some crazy people, Utilitaritron, I do not surf Lake Erie (as seen on the No Reservations ep when Anthony Bourdain when he visited my fair town) -- so didn't know they're not actually waterproof. I presumed they were since they're neoprene and neoprene is used in cases for things that shouldn't get wet -- like laptops and PDAs and such.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 3:30 PM on January 27, 2008

As above:

1. Keeping a detailed and dispassionate journal of events, however minor in the grand scheme of things, is key.
2. Recording her outbursts has the bonus of
a. proving you're right
b. showing her you're serious about documenting her behavior towards you
(I like my tiny little 1GB Flip videocamera. Just cheap enough to be worth keeping one at work)
3. You might want to try a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 3:21 PM on January 27, 2008

I love Kevyn Aucoin's makeup books for ideas if nothing else, though I'm more a Bobbi Brown girl for everyday type stuff.

I'm also partial to Paula Begoun's (aka the Cosmetics Cop) products, particularly for skin care. Decently priced, excellent quality, no extra money spent on schmancy packaging.

She has a continually-updated version of her book Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me at Beautypedia.com. That book breaks down a lot of the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 1:52 PM on January 23, 2008

I just have to say the term "prank lobster" is the most awesome thing ever.

In our family, we had a wooden Indian carved by my grandfather that served much the same purpose as ol' Prank Lobster here.

Take them out for sushi and have the restaurant bring prank lobster out on a plate!
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 7:48 PM on January 21, 2008

Seconding Defenestrator, I opened an ING Direct account when I came into some money and it's served me well over the past few years. Being online-only (yet tied to your regular banking account) means it's relatively easy to get to but not TOO easy to get to, if you know what I mean. If you're worried you might spend it on something frivolous, that's a happy medium to have, all while earning some nice interest.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 5:56 AM on January 8, 2008

Once I'd registered my PO box, they never asked me for an address again -- as long as you keep the bill paid, they don't seem to really care. So I think you could indeed get away with giving them the old address, no problem.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 9:00 AM on January 7, 2008

I grew up a few streets away with a train track, have lived near the T in Boston, and am now in the flight path of a major airport. Maybe it's me, but I found I've been able to completely block all of those kinds of sounds out after a short while. The thing that would worry me is if it shakes the floors and walls a lot -- annoying to have to keep picking your nicknacks up off the floor!
posted to Ask Metafilter by bitter-girl.com at 6:05 PM on January 6, 2008