I was going to suggest New Zealand, but mdonley beat me to it! It's on my list of places to live if I decide to move countries again.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:24 PM on July 25, 2008

My situation was a bit similar to yours - I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, but its more likely a side effect of the steroids I had to take in the 2nd trimester to get my asthma under control. My GD (or faux GD, whatever) was very borderline and easily controlled through diet, so I imagine this means its much less serious since I didn't need to use insulin. I had the countering effect that due to other issues, my son was considered at risk of low birthweight, which countered the risk of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 1:07 PM on July 24, 2008 marked best answer

Oh, one other thing I forgot during my typing frenzy... Depending how early your doctors would like to induce, you may need to take steroids in order to accelerate the baby's lung development, so he/she does not need help breathing after birth. These are probably the same sort of steroids I had to take for my asthma (everyone kept saying "at least his lungs will be developed if we have to induce really early!"), which in turn caused me to fail the GD tests. So I would ask about the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 4:18 PM on July 25, 2008

Some googling turns up this club in North Hollywood (they seem to play in Calabasas quite a lot, which is nearer you).

A citysearch search turns up a few in the valley, but details are sparse, so you would need to call them.

There's a soccer field in Balboa Park, perhaps you could stop by sometime on the weekend and see if there is anyone to ask. Or why not call the Santa Monica and Hollywood leagues and see if they know any clubs nearer you. I'm... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:38 PM on July 24, 2008

Everything is cheaper. Syzygy outlined the tax situation. When I used to visit the US from the UK I generally bought clothes and electronics. Getting electronics though customs without claiming them is risky - its obvious. But if you just buy one or two small items then its probably safe - like an iPod or something, Clothes though - just rip the labels out, wear them once and you're good. Clothes are so much cheaper in the US, esp with the current exchange rate.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:42 AM on July 24, 2008

Surely a signature IS an easy to draw (for you) secret symbol. Signatures don't need to be your name written out in longhand. The less straightforward they are, the harder they are to copy. You coudl have a hash symbol inside a circle as your real signature if you wanted!

I have got pretty good at signing those electronic thingies now, the trick is that you can't treat the stylus thing like its a pen, you have to sort of tilt it slightly to one side and use the edge.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 4:32 PM on July 22, 2008

Make sure you have a well-tended profile on sites like linkedin.com. Linkedin is the professional side of facebook-type networking, and you should link with any recruiters that approach you on there, as well as all of the co-workers and ex-coworkers and friends you can find there. This is not the whole answer to your question, but IMHO it is an very important part of building up your network, and ways for people to contact you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:44 PM on July 21, 2008

I can't say I ever had constipation issues with the prenatals, so carry on with what you're doing, if you aren't having any side effects. Why take two pills when you can take one you already like? Oh yeah, and that leads me to a related piece of advice, get used to everyone telling you what to do all the time :D

If anyone gives you a copy of "What to Expect When You are Expecting", thank them, then burn it or throw it away. Awful fear-mongering book. Try... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:06 AM on July 21, 2008

Seconding the Wasp Factory and the Night's Dawn Trilogy. Also suggest Iain M Banks "Use of Weapons" for a more sci-fi slant. Lots fo Banks books have disturbing aspects, "Consider Phlebas" is good too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:49 AM on July 21, 2008

I think the boyfriend issue is a dealbreaker, aside from that I see no reason not to adopt two cats (keep each other company while you are at work/gone for the weekend). It sounds like the boyfriend is being unhelpful and stubborn. I don't believe that he has tried everything, and I would question why he doesn't want to try the medication. Speaking as someone with bad allergies and asthma, who is extremely allergic to cats - I have two cats and take medication every day, and enjoy their company... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:43 AM on July 21, 2008

You're in Los Angeles, sweet! So the non-frightening option is to go to your local Whole Foods and ask for suggestions, buy your cheese there. Lots of good cheeses, much better variety and quality than your standard supermarket. Pick up some fruit (grapes, pear or apples), some fruit pastes/jams (they often have them on the shelf above the cheese fridges), some crackers, nuts (eg walnuts) and maybe a few types of bread too, don't just stick to french bread. Oh yes and the butter.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:16 PM on July 19, 2008

I'll second optovox's Aaron Brothers suggestion. I have used their ready-made frames to frame almost all of my photos. Just get them to cut you a proper mat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:28 PM on July 19, 2008

Please talk with your doctor or OB. I agree this sounds like post-partum depression. I would guess that getting guns, dogs and even a 20 foot concrete wall with machine-gun towers around the house won't help you sleep better, you need to get your head back into a better place, so you can be a happier (and well-rested!) person.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:49 PM on July 12, 2008

Buy the PS2. Software emulation will be the same, or slightly worse in some cases. As well as being cheaper to buy the PS2, it can play ALL PS2 games, where the PS3 can only play most games.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:39 PM on July 11, 2008

As someone already said - the perfect stroller doesn't exist. You have to compromise on something unfortunately. Its also impossible to tell what will suit you until you've bought and tried it.

I am assuming you will have a car seat, how will you get the baby home from the hospital (unless you are doing a home delivery I suppose)? I agree with Aunt Lisa, you will probably end up buying multiple strollers for different occasions.

We bought the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2008

I think the cost-benefit ratio of getting a carseat-adaptable stroller or frame is not optimal though - I don't see the kiddo being in the carseat very often.

You can get those snap and go things on craigslist for almost no money at all, so don't rule it out if you will be buying the carseat anyway.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 12:02 PM on July 11, 2008

Agreed on the extra power adapter.

I bought a wireless mouse when I got my macbook and I think I've only used it once. The trackpad is awesome, so unless you plan to do something really fiddly (like graphics work), don't bother with the mouse.

My most-used accessory is a USB memory stick adapter (or USB to whatever-memory-card-format-your-camera-uses). It's tiny, cheap and useful. You can get some insane ones that will accept almost any flash... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:27 PM on July 10, 2008

All the wonderful parks in the Santa Monica mountains, esp Franklin Canyon and Topanga State Park.

The Getty Center - did you know that the tiles on the walls of the ramp down (the one near the cactus garden) make a lovely bong! noise if you hit them with your knuckles just so?

Big Jo's burgers in Santa Monica (Broadway and 20th).

Driving around the canyons and finding cool architecture and unexpected views. If you drive... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:23 PM on July 6, 2008

I live in the US, and all my family is in the UK still. I have never been able to get through to the hospital phones either :( I'm not aware of any solution, but skype might work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 5:57 AM on June 23, 2008

Write clues on painted walls using paint that is only visible under blacklight

Use magnetic or stick on trinkets/objects, that can be hidden in places where people don't usually look (underneath shelves or tabletops, behind picture-frames etc).

Some kind of electronic doohickey that beeps or plays a message when another doohickey is brought within range. Eg doohickey A is stuck to the underneath of a dining chair. If you happen to carry that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 2:11 PM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

I also took it while I was pregnant, had no side effects at all, or queasiness.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:39 PM on June 15, 2008

At around this time, your milk supply might be doing the changeover from hormone driven (plenty of milk available all the time) to supply-and-demand driven. This often causes a drop in milk production, esp if you are pumping more than nursing, since pumps are less effective than nursing babies. As someone else mentioned, it might be the return of your periods, which often causes a supply drop immediately beforehand, and then a return to normal levels during and after (this will happen each month)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 3:35 PM on June 10, 2008 marked best answer

Are people taking them home and not bringing them back? Maybe you could set up a script, so that the laptops have to connect to the office network every 24 hours (or other number of your choosing) or they will lock themselves down. When the laptop connects to the office network, it registers on a log somewhere, noting who logged in using that laptop - giving you an up to date list of who has what, and ensuring no-one keeps laptops away from the office for more than 24 hours. When a locked down... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 3:23 PM on June 10, 2008

I believe you can "unlock" many of the regular Photoshop features in Photoshop Elements, with macros. I haven't done it myself, but keep meaning to because I particularly miss the curves editor. A quick google should help you out, check out these two links for examples.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:13 AM on June 10, 2008

I would be willing to bet that the "and also just move it around the city for one night stays whenever" would get tiring really fast. Here in insanely expensive LA, there are people who live in RVs, and I know they are viewed as a nuisance by some homeowners. Most people do not want an RV parked near their house, neither do many businesses, so you might find you get chased away a lot. Most parking lots here specifically forbid overnight parking, and many residential streets too. Look... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:24 AM on June 9, 2008

Ken McLeod's Engines of Light series, and Fall Revolution series.

Also Nth-ing Iain Banks Culture series
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:43 PM on June 4, 2008

Cheaper to buy I'm afraid. The vast majority of the cost of a house in LA is land. if you browse the real estate listings for land only, or for lots with teardowns, you will notice the discount is usually only about 10% or so (from memory off the top of my head). Check out California Moves (the interface is nicer than realtor.com) and you can probably see what I mean.

Or for another example, browse the LA county assessors site, type in an address in LA and you can see... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 4:45 PM on June 4, 2008

I've never had nitrous, but I am a major dental chicken, and I have had Valium/Xanax beforehand, which was fantastic and I highly recommend it. Of course someone needs to drive you home afterwards, but its worth it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:51 AM on June 2, 2008

Reed

/late to the party, everyoen else already explained it
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:51 PM on May 29, 2008

I have to agree with oneirodynia, I think you are going to come back with lots of great memories of things you've seen through the windshield of your rental car, and not much actual fresh air exploring. I've done trips like this around the southwest, and you get a great list of places to say you have been, but not really any quality time anywhere. Personally I suggest slowing the whole thing down, cut off everything after Vegas, and instead end by driving or flying to LA and fly back to London... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 3:00 PM on May 26, 2008

I used to live in Marina Del Rey, and can third the comment that you don't really need AC, so that keeps the electric bills under control. And yes, cold in winter by LA standards, but coming from NY you will probably just laugh at us all.

I seem to remember that LA DWP was my electric/water/sewer/trash collection provider, so that's all combined in one bill. Heating is probably gas - from the imaginatively named The Gas Company. Cable was AT&T, phone was Verizon. My... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:38 PM on May 25, 2008

Oops, sorry firestyle, I was getting my company names muddled, with all the buyouts and moving house etc. Cable is Time Warner, and phone is Verizon. For extra excitement, I think Verizon are offering FIOS there - you lucky person you!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 2:51 PM on May 26, 2008

I have no experience with any of the ones you linked, but I do have a double drawer fisher and paykel, and love it! You could either get the regular double-set ones, which is basically two half-size dishwashers in one unit - so you can just fill one drawer and run it while the other runs empty (or is full of clean dishes that you are to lazy to put in the cupboard, ehem!). Or you could just buy the single drawer and install it, with a small storage cupboard below.
Here's a link to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 1:31 PM on May 23, 2008

Oh also, I believe other manufacturers are now making their own versions of the dishdrawers (now that F&Ps patent expired or something) so there may be cheaper versions of the same concept available. For resale reasons, as mentioned by kcm, I would personally get a double drawer, and then just use one drawer at a time, like I do :)

Have fun remodeling!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 1:34 PM on May 23, 2008

I'm not sure how the cost would be, but have you considered Australia? Northern Queensland is probably great for surfing (and July is outside of the jellyfish season, so the waters are safe), the beaches are fabulous, and you can easily go off the beaten track.

My best vacation ever was up there. We got a last minute package deal from a travel agent, flew into Cairns, rented a car and drove north along the coastal highway to Port Douglas. There's lots of pretty beach... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 4:31 PM on May 21, 2008

I've used a car service in San Francisco where I specifically requested a car seat for my son. They installed it front-facing instead of rear-facing (he was under 1yr old at the time), but that was better than no seat at all. The car seat didn't add much to the cost of the car service, so I would suggest calling around and asking about the car seats.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:18 AM on May 21, 2008

William's Pork is in Lumberton, NC. I have ordered some sausages and bacon from them, and it was great stuff, the lincolnshire sausages in particular.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 1:50 PM on May 20, 2008

Why not use one of those dry-clean-at-home products like Dry Cleaner's Secret or Dryel? That saves on the cost and inconvenience of the actual dry cleaners, and you can put them both in together. You just need to spot-clean any marks and pop them both in the tumble dryer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:24 AM on May 14, 2008

What exactly do you mean by "web-based social networks"? Are you looking for industry-specific versions of facebook and linkedin? Or will industry-specific messageboards do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:44 PM on May 13, 2008

First of all, congrats with sticking it out this far, through all those problems. Mom deserves a big hug and not guilt. If you end up deciding that pumping is not working out, then don't feel guilty, you tried, you worked hard and endured a lot of pain to give 6 weeks worth of breastmilk.

I do encourage you not to give up yet, because the beginning is often bad, but it does usually get much, much better. I would strongly suggest that your wife try joining the PumpMoms... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 12:39 PM on May 13, 2008

Paulsc, I don't want a "frost free" model because they have a tendency to dehydrate the frozen food, and also I plan to store breastmilk in it, which has a shorter lifespan in a frost free model due to the temperature cycling.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 4:24 PM on May 12, 2008

My must-eat restaurant recommendations are: Slanted Door down at the ferry terminal, and Michael Mina on Union Square (its inside one of the hotel lobbies, forget which one).
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:37 AM on May 12, 2008

I can't tell you whether you should have kids or not. I can tell you two important things. Firstly 22 is very early to worry about it. I know you and your boyfriend are evaluating your relationship based on this, but you could easily work for ten years to get into a good place in your career, and then decide whether to have children or not. You may find that in ten years time your feelings about yourself have changed.

Secondly, I will tell you that I am a 36 year old... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:36 PM on May 10, 2008 marked best answer

I have a small-ish car too. I bought the Britax Diplomat, which is specifically designed for smaller cars. It goes to 35lbs rear-facing, and 40lbs forward facing. That is a lower weight limit than seats like the Britax Marathon etc, because those are bigger seats.

If that's the kind of car seat you have already, then maybe its time for a combination seat or child/seat booster? I'm not sure, but check out carseat.org for more information about your choices. Please try... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:00 PM on May 10, 2008

What WizKid said. Suggest that a security camera be installed, so that the offenders be caught on tape. Just the thought of it will encourage some to stop being so messy. Not for discussion in the idea box, but afterwards, your receptionist friend could order one of those fake security cameras (with the little red light) and put it up in the kitchen (out of reach). Also, add one of those warning signs with the eye on it, which have been shown to improve people's behaviour (sorry can't remember... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:38 AM on May 7, 2008

Pretty much what Enroute said. I know they're not exciting jobs, but you really, really don't want to be living in a house while you remove popcorn ceiling!

Personally, I would love to have grey-water recycling for our lawn sprinklers, but sadly we have a slab foundation, so that's not gonna happen.

We have radiant floors in the bathroom and it is fantastic! Highly recommended. Also have tankless water heater - for infinite-length hot showers,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:10 PM on May 1, 2008

To follow up mr_roboto's residency comment, being a citizen means she can easily move to [whichever state she wants to study in] since she is a US citizen, work any old job for a year to gain residency status then apply for college.

Does she have a US passport? I assume that having a passport kind of solidifies your citizenship status, it does for UK citizenship anyway.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 11:18 AM on May 1, 2008

I don't know the answer, but like Crazycanuck I recommend not leaving the country, unless you have an Advanced Parole. Definitely ask an immigration lawyer, I know its annoying to spend money on this, but really immigration laws are not nice, easy to read and understand laws you can just look up. They are a horrible spaghetti of contradictory rules issued at different times without regard for the previous rules. Also, don't ask ICE, the staff will happily tell you incorrect information if it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 9:59 PM on April 30, 2008

I'm sitting in an office about 4 blocks away from where you will be working :) Definitely craigslist, and definitely look into student sublets. You will want to keep your commute to a minimum because traffic here is awful. Santa Monica is a great place to live, and relatively bike-friendly (for LA anyway, which isn't very). You should be able to find a studio apt around 4th street area that is within your budget, and it will be a walk to the ocean, shops, cafes etc. That will be right at the top... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 2:11 PM on April 29, 2008 marked best answer

Do you have friends who will be playing GTA4? Which console do they own? What other games do you like playing? Any upcoming games for either console that you are looking forward to? Are you interested in the blu-ray capability of the PS3? Do you enjoy online play for other games?

Don't make your hardware decision based on one game that's available for both, because I honestly don't believe the difference between the two versions is enough that you will notice when... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Joh at 10:41 AM on April 29, 2008