You mean quit today, like walk out with no notice, possibly leaving them shorthanded?

No. That's crappy karma, no matter how young you are.

Resign today, giving them the standard two weeks notice. That makes your last day the 15th, giving you a few days for tomfoolery, plus $400 to do it with.

You can certainly ask whether they need you during these two weeks. If you're as underutilized as you say, maybe they'll say no. In which case, bonus!
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 11:42 AM on August 1, 2008

She wasn't bossy or nosy, and she turned me on to Joan Armatrading and magic mushrooms.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 5:06 PM on July 31, 2008

Yep. Uncheck Facing Pages under File > Document Setup.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 6:27 PM on July 27, 2008

Yeah, you know what, I'm full of shit. Facing Pages doesn't do what I thought it did.

Funny, I'm listening to the This American Life about people talking about things they don't really understand!
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:19 PM on July 27, 2008

Hi, I'm Stella, and I'm addicted to chatfilter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:16 PM on July 27, 2008

You and your wife need to decide what your actual goal is, and take steps accordingly. Right now it seems like you have several competing goals.

Is it getting the dress back? Then comply with her demand.

Is it being right and teaching her a lesson? Then tell her to fuck off, you won't give in to blackmail.

It is minimizing drama? Then walk away from the dress, give her what you think is fair for the car, and drastically... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2008

MeTa. (And I mean that in a good way.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 10:17 PM on July 22, 2008

The problem sounds like it's not the dog, it's not even his feelings about dogs.

It's the conversations. So don't have them. Have one final conversation where you tell him how tired you are of rehashing the same discussion over and over. You both know how the other one feels, so don't go there anymore. mikepop has a good line to head it off at the pass.

As far as your dog's hurt feelings go, you're undoubtedly a lot more upset about the whole... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:41 PM on July 22, 2008

>People with no pets or plants are bad experience.

Now that I hear how harshly some of you folks judge anyone who doesn't share your deep love for Fido and Rover, I'm starting to feel Mr. Boyfriend's point that Americans are kind of nutso when it comes to dogs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 10:03 PM on July 22, 2008

What about working at a guesthouse? Seems like it would give you the dramatic change of context without as many practical drawbacks.

Of course, you'd need to get good with playing the role of illiterate foreigner who changes the beds -- but maybe the temporary change in status would be enjoyable to a couple of people wanting a break from their high-pressure lives.

Bonus: more time to travel and hang out. I imagine owning your own guesthouse... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:42 PM on July 22, 2008

I think you are describing a phenomenon that is much more limited than you realize. You and people you know != "people in Western countries."
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 6:31 PM on July 20, 2008

Cat Pie has it (and eponysterically at that). There is no such thing as too much home-smoked salmon. A chunk of freshly thawed smoked salmon makes the perfect hostess gift, thank-you present, potluck contribution, low-key bribe, etc.

A delicious alternative: home-made gravlax.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 6:12 PM on July 20, 2008

I don't have time to do the digging, but the star-shaped nimbus around the lantern looks like a quote from the cover art from a Led Zepplin album -- the one with Stairway to Heaven on it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:15 AM on July 15, 2008

Along the lines of bubukaba, I recommend Sandor Katz's Wild Fermentation for lots of great things to do with boatloads of vegetables.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:43 AM on July 13, 2008

Seconding Fatshionista. Lots and lots of ideas, sources, solidarity, and encouragement there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:28 AM on July 11, 2008

Is LoveTribe in your city?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:21 AM on July 11, 2008

Even reading this over I'm just so ashamed to be worked up over something so stupid.

What you're doing right there -- that is part of what's dragging you down. You're not just feeling bad -- you're beating up on yourself for feeling bad.

Feeling bad is part of life. But feeling bad about feeling bad is totally optional.

Start by being gentle with yourself about how crappy you feel. Don't let that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:44 PM on July 10, 2008

No need to explain such a short break in your cover letter. In your resume, omitting the months from your dates of employment does wonders to smooth over little lapses like this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 5:50 PM on July 3, 2008

When I do that -- assuming that I selected the end of row mark for the rows I want to move -- the rows get pasted as a table-within-a-table inside the first cell of the row I created.

The only way I can do what I want seems to be to create as many blank rows as I plan to paste, then copy the rows to move WITHOUT selecting the end of row marks.

Then it works fine -- but what a pain in the neck!
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 6:27 PM on July 1, 2008

I honestly don't understand questions like this. What can anyone say, except that they like wiggly food because it's so delightfully...wiggly?

I mean, if you were asking for tips on wiggly food for beginners, or ideas for making wiggly food more palatable for the non-wiggler, I could see it, because then you'd stand a chance of having a positive wiggly experience yourself. But you seem to have already made up your mind.

I think the best way to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 10:30 PM on June 23, 2008

Recognize that this grief is not about your daughter -- it's about your father. So devote some time and energy into mourning him directly. Write him a letter and burn it; hold an imaginary funeral; throw his picture into the ocean. Consider a short-term course of therapy focused on exploring and expressing your grief and rage at having had such a crappy dad.

Then work on envisioning and creating the father you want to be. Write about your idea of a good father. Talk... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:12 AM on June 23, 2008

This is what you should have focused your question on. (It's not too late.)

Agreed. Focusing your energy on the bi best friend serves to distract your attention from the actual problem onto a lurid but purely imaginary "threat." Don't waste another bit of energy entertaining suspicious fantasies about your fiancee and her best friend. Instead, figure out where the "fire" is. Hint: the place to start looking is with you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:46 PM on June 21, 2008

I think this is one of those paradoxical situations where the two of you need to differentiate in order to become more intimate. By differentiate, I mean you need to stop trying so hard to manage your man's emotional state.

You're trying to reassure, comfort, encourage, and motivate him -- and the strain is starting to tell on you. You are taking on too much responsibility for his feelings.

Focus on feeling and expressing your own feelings for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:30 AM on June 21, 2008

I really like Wing's I Ching Workbook. Nice big format, good instructions on technique, and the interpretations are clear and practical. Read it alongside the Wilhelm if you want a closer look at the text.

I use the coins because they're quick and easy. Really, it's not as hard as you think. Just dive in and start using it. For an interesting meta wrinkle, try asking the oracle questions about itself.

The more I use it, the more I get a sense... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:26 AM on June 21, 2008 marked best answer

Above all, chill out.

Seriously. I'm not a dog person, so I don't have a lot to offer there, but your anxiety level about all this seems super-high.

If it's really truly true that you have no possible alternative to keeping this dog in your apartment, then start by accepting that fact.

Accept the inconvenience. Accept the smell and the mess. Accept that it's going to stress your dog out. Accept it,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:43 PM on June 19, 2008

I don't have much personal experience with ghosts, but I did some investigation when a friend asked for help with some strange goings-on in their house. I posted to various local pagan lists, asking for first-hand experiences with haunted houses and got a dozen or so responses.

The kinds of phenomena people talked about were things happening without apparent physical cause (objects getting moved, lights or electronics turning on or off, doors closing, footsteps, etc.)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:35 PM on June 18, 2008

A few sessions with a CBT-focused therapist might be a good idea. It sounds like your boy has learned to internalize teasing into self-hatred. That's a dangerous habit of thinking, but one that he can unlearn with help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:38 AM on June 17, 2008

"Can you pick up those toys? Oh, well done!"
"Can you wash your hands before dinner? Great job!"
"You're a great breakfast eater / toast maker / shoe picker-upper / tooth brusher."

Oh, please don't. Even to a kid this kind of automatic overpraise rings hollow. Plus, there's evidence that praising accomplishment rather than effort actually reduces a kid's self-confidence.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 5:42 PM on June 17, 2008

You didn't do anything wrong. And he doesn't have to be a scary stalker for it to be OK to set him straight. He's just a guy who has taken an interest in you. You don't owe him your time, your attention, or your friendship -- just basic kindness and honesty.

For the sake of workplace harmony, try a few more rounds of "No, sorry, I'm too busy," before taking him aside at work and saying something like "I need to let you know that I'm not into hanging out... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 11:32 PM on June 16, 2008 marked best answer

Sounds of Silence.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 10:39 AM on June 13, 2008

My guess is that your appetite for novelty, which is the product of a highly developed global consumerist culture, is at the far end of the range of human variation.

In other words, your wanting to eat a different kind of food every two days is what's unusual, not people in isolated villages eating the same thing every day.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:25 PM on June 12, 2008

Entrelac looks really cool, is fun to knit, and is not nearly as hard as it looks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:05 PM on June 11, 2008

I switched my cat to raw food at the age of 12. A natural food supermarket in my area grinds chicken or turkey muscle meat with necks and backs. I supplemented it with salmon oil.

He loved it the first time he got it. I noticed an immediate improvement in his coat and weight. He also seemed less greedy for food. I fed it to him until he started having trouble chewing it with his old teeth, then switched to canned.

As to concerns about E. coli etc.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:01 PM on June 11, 2008

Yep, that's how I did it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:05 PM on June 2, 2008

Vetiver is a lovely earthy rooty scent. Sandalwood is distinctively woody rather than earthy, IMO.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:41 AM on June 2, 2008

10 a.m. in my book.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 8:10 AM on June 1, 2008

"To my parents, Ayn Rand and God."
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 7:49 AM on May 29, 2008

Are you looking for porn with male sumo wrestlers? With each other?

Yes, precisely. Video, photos, drawings, fan fiction, all great. Doesn't have to feature real competitive wrestlers but models should look be massive, male, and Japanese.

Not looking for:
Fat Americans pretending to be sumo wrestlers
Humorous/racist parodies of sumo wrestling
Chub/"girth and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 1:50 PM on May 28, 2008

Totally snackable as is, or with a squeeze of lime.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:54 PM on May 27, 2008

Ask your friends if it bothers them. Then decide how much you care if they say yes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 2:49 PM on May 27, 2008

Ursula LeGuin's Always Coming Home and The Dispossessed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:11 AM on May 27, 2008

And, speaking of consensus, Molly Gloss's The Dazzle of Day.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:13 AM on May 27, 2008

no powerful feeling that I want to spend the rest of my life with him

I think this is the essential requirement for getting married. If you don't feel it, don't do it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:55 PM on May 26, 2008

I like the idea, but it wasn't the custom when I was growing up, so I never developed the habit.

I don't especially like being asked to take my shoes off in other people's houses, particularly when I'm wearing dress shoes -- I worry about running my hose, and I don't like having cold feet. I'm similarly reluctant to make my guests take their shoes off because I'm concerned they will be cold or uncomfortable.

This creates a certain circularity:... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 2:50 PM on May 26, 2008

If you were expecting to take your shoes off at a friend's house you'd wear socks or bring something along to change into.

Is this true? Do people in shoeless-home cultures really carry slippers around with them all the time?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:01 PM on May 26, 2008

Sorry for your loss, rhizome.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas.
When Death Comes by Mary Oliver (some other good ones on that page too).

Could you give us a little more to go on with regard to tone/mood/message? Or a writer he especially liked?
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 1:59 PM on May 26, 2008

I don't live in Oakland anymore, but I use Angie's List for this kind of thing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 1:20 PM on May 25, 2008

Why would watering from above be bad? Just be sure to give them a good soaking once or twice a week rather than a daily sprinkle -- deep watering sends the roots deep.

Place several cups around your patch and measure the depth of water collected to make sure you're watering enough. Rule of thumb is an inch of water a week, more in hot weather or periods of active growth.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 12:34 PM on May 21, 2008

Lucky you! You'll be rafting the Middle Fork of the Salmon through the River of No Return Wilderness -- one of the most beautiful, wild, and thrilling whitewater rivers in North America.

It was my first river trip too, back in 1985, when my friends and I went along on a private trip led by a friend's family. We were snotty Reed College intellectuals who brought Thai peanut sauce in a jar to make the dinners more palatable, and they were huntin' and fishin' folks from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:11 PM on May 17, 2008 marked best answer

Oh, and cotton is fine to wear in camp. I also like a big white cotton dress shirt to throw on over my polypro base layer when it's hot and sunny. A wet cotton overshirt can keep you cool even when the thermometer climbs over 100, which is certainly possible this time of year.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 3:16 PM on May 17, 2008