Actually, it was the press who called them the Aquatots.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 6:05 AM on September 5, 2008

Wierd, I blogged about this last year and never thought to post it to MeFi because I was sure it would have been a double. I love the Bechdel test, and I do frequently apply it to movies I've seen. As already pointed out, not passing the test does not automatically disqualify a movie from being good - it's just something to think about. I personally give movies a pass if they specifically occur in a context where no women really would be around - like in The Thing or any movie that happens in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 6:12 AM on September 3, 2008

I don't know that having a "strong female character" should really excuse a movie when the type of women people use that phrase for almost invariably means a woman who can a) shoot a gun, b) repair a vehicle, or c) have sex with whoever she wants. Meanwhile, the character is still one-dimensional, objectified, and often still has to be saved in the end. This article had a bit I really liked:

I think the major problem here is that women were... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 4:58 PM on September 3, 2008

9am isn't quite early enough to have a paper route (I get $500 a month from mine, and I deliver from 5:30 am to 7am), but you could get a flyer route or two. My roommate delivers flyers Tuesday and Thursday mornings and makes a couple hundred bucks a month. No, you aren't your own boss - but you never have to see your boss or any other employees plus you get exercise and fresh air.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 10:07 AM on September 2, 2008

The Farming Game. A 6 year old I know is obsessed with this game and his parents get a big kick out of it too. Bonus: the people who cooperate best win.

Many others have suggested Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and Ticket to Ride - while these are my absolute favorite games in the universe (Alhambra is pretty great too) they might be better for the 14-114 crowd than the 4-104.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 1:10 PM on August 31, 2008

Interesting. Like the author, I don't think I've ever eaten lard except in the odd pie crust (we use shortening or butter mostly) but unlike the author I don't think I'll head down to the old-timey butcher and get some pork fat to render. If someone wants to invite me over for dinner though...
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 9:57 AM on August 30, 2008

Republican McCain picks woman as running mate
Keep it classy CNN.

Really though, what? Did they say "Obama picks man as running mate?" Obama picks caucasian as running mate?" Of course not, they would have just used Biden's name. Argh. This shit makes me mad. I guess they're just being honest though, I mean the reason she was chosen is that she's a woman.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 11:34 AM on August 29, 2008

I'm with jamaro - it's the size of a spaghetti squash and then it shrinks to be mango? What?
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 1:22 PM on August 20, 2008

I just use a regular sized drip coffee maker, make a pot of strong coffee and pour it in a juice pitcher with milk and sugar. Chill. Then I serve myself (or fill up my water bottle) from this pitcher for a day or two. I don't quite understand how your method of making coffee for iced coffee is any messier than than making coffee to drink. I think a regular sized, plain old coffee pot would do the trick if you aren't a big connoisseur. I find I'm less picky about the quality of the coffee... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 4:08 PM on August 18, 2008

Let me be totally frank with you: a fetish is not just a trivial thing like what genre of movies you like. If you get into a relationship where you will have to completely repress your fetish, it will own you. You will probably get obsessed with in a way that you have never been before. You will think about it all the time, WAY more than you did before you got into this relationship, just because it's forbidden. You may obsess over it to the point of making bad decisions.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 6:17 PM on August 17, 2008

You think she's probably been planning a great white wedding since she was eight, but you don't know? That means you haven't even raised the possibility of a wedding to her! Dude, as far as you know, she may be set on a huge Anglican 'do with all the trimmings, she may want to get married in the town park with no one there but the commissioner and two witnesses, or she may want nothing more than to run away to Vegas and get married by Elvis. Ask her how she feels about all this, and then if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 10:37 AM on August 14, 2008

Popcorn. Yum! For a bit of a kick, sprinkle some chili powder in too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 10:47 AM on August 11, 2008

Some vegans I know use it to add cheesy-taste to casseroles and pasta dishes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 10:48 AM on August 11, 2008

Biffa: I thought the same thing. Turns out the dog breed is spelled dalmatiAns not dalmatiOns
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 10:33 AM on August 11, 2008

I love my vet. I love all the vets at my office. Come to think of it, I love all the techs and assistants too. Let me think of some specific reasons:

1) They never talk down to me. They explain everything to me, tell me what they are doing and why, what is happening in my bunny's body and what my options are. When it's clear that I am comfortable with sciency-medicalish words, they talk to me using them.

2) They are not afraid to say... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 8:05 AM on August 10, 2008

Wow, doubles (essentially a triple, really) don't usually stick around this long.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 7:41 PM on August 9, 2008

Frequent updating is by far the most important aspect for me. My city does not adequately use their webspace, updating it so infrequently that it is useless. I used to look there first for info on activities and events, but I don't even bother anymore.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 6:39 PM on August 9, 2008

If you want it for videos, 8 gigs is probably too small. I can watch short videos on my mini screen (iPod) but I don't know that I could watch a whole movie. Maybe. You'd lose a lot of detail though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 6:05 PM on August 9, 2008

From my understanding, you (and desjardins) have it right. It's because more people will watch women's beach volleyball the less the players are clothed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 1:09 PM on August 9, 2008

UNSEE! UNSEE!
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:12 PM on August 4, 2008

Oh God, Sodexho - bane of my existence. All of the various "restaurants" on my campus are Sodexho, which means that all year round we get a choice of muffins-from-buckets, injection-molded-chicken-meals, and the most disgusting coffee ever served anywhere. I have Sodexho with a fiery passion. Getting poked with a sharp stick would be preferable.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 6:42 AM on July 31, 2008

.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 3:33 PM on July 25, 2008

I'm still researching, and I see that the skin is left on in all the recipes that require hot smoking (the sacrilege!) or dry rubs, so I'm thinking of leaving it on. When do I take it off, though?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 4:46 PM on July 16, 2008

I mean, I know it will have to come off at some point before I eat it, I'm just not sure when. As an aside, what is this 'crackle' you speak of? Sounds delicious.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 4:48 PM on July 16, 2008

I'm not in a huge rush. The brines are sitting in the fridge coming down to temp before I can put the bellies in. Thanks for looking around for me. :) And I think it's pretty cool that your wife is a bacon-making expert.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 5:00 PM on July 16, 2008

Wow, thanks everyone. I hesitate to mark a best answer because all the comments were so good. We've decided that since we have a fair amount of pork belly (erm... 25 lbs), we're going to try a few things. The bellies are currently all still skin-on and brining. We will probably take the rind off of a chunk or two before it sits to form the pellicle, and smoke the rest rind-on. Then we can experiment with slicing the rind off after smoking, and having rind-on bacon. Hey, why not? Now that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 2:40 PM on July 17, 2008

Also, oh my god, I am going to have the best split pea soup in the universe this winter. Hells yeah for bacon rind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 2:42 PM on July 17, 2008

Ok, today was the day of truth and I thought I'd come back here and update the future (ture...ture...ture...) on how it went. We started with two pork bellies, cut in thirds. One entire belly was brined in the recipe from the link in the OP, for the other one we substituted maple syrup in for the molasses. We left the skin on until after smoking and we cold smoked 2/3 and hot smoked 1/3.

Overall... a little underwhelmed. The hot-smoked bacon was probably the nicest... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 11:13 PM on July 20, 2008

Wow, that was awful.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 6:36 AM on July 19, 2008

I read most books all the way through, just because I can't stand to give up on a book. I am, however, pretty picky about which books I attempt. I only read one book at a time and I do make the decision to quit a book if I find myself looking for other things to do rather than read it. The fact that I only read one at a time, coupled with my avoidance of the current book, means that no reading is getting done. At that point, I shelve it and look for something better.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 11:09 AM on July 18, 2008

This is why I love the CBC:

when "Hockey Scores" was briefly taken down on July 12, the CBC sent an e-mail to Lowgain (sic) clarifying that the move was a mistake on the part of a third-party moderator, and that Aube should "expect no further trouble with your most excellent submission."
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 7:47 AM on July 18, 2008

The novel Tipping the Velvet is a fascinating look at the different ways of being a lesbian in Victorian England. It's really detailed on the intricacies of the dirty underbelly of London, the sex trade, the entertainment industry, class differences, and the ways different people in different times negotiate their sexualities and sexual identities. Avoid the BBC miniseries, though. All of the scintillation, none of the character or history.

Also: it makes me so happy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 7:19 AM on July 18, 2008

No! I'm going to be in NOLA in February, not July! Damn you. Damn you all.
posted to MetaTalk by arcticwoman at 2:53 PM on July 15, 2008

Is there a link to the original photo? I can't seem to find it on the World Press site.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 2:26 PM on July 15, 2008

I hate "fitness" and gyms and workouts too, but for me the trick has been to schedule in the activity in a way I can't say no to. I got a paper route, now I walk roughly 4kms every morning. Since it's a job, I can't just say "I don't want to" or "I'm too tired" or some bullshit, I just have to do it. Also, I am getting paid for it - instead of paying the gym $60 a month, I get paid $500. Also also, since it's so early in the morning I go to bed before I have a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 4:16 PM on July 12, 2008

This is so damn cool.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 3:44 PM on July 11, 2008

I'm about the same size as you (although built very differently than the women in the photos) and also very self-conscious - to the point that I won't wear pink, gray, or certain patters because I'm afraid that people will look at me and be reminded of a pig, elephant, or sofa. Because of my self-consciousness I am constantly looking at (and judging, let's not be delicate here) other women's bodies and clothes. I find that the women who I think "I want to look like that" and the ones... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2008

What is a strange thing you believed when you were a kid? (Stuff like "All dogs are boys and all cats are girls, or there are people inside the street-side generator boxes pulling switches to make the streetlights turn).

Flying or Invisibility? Note: Invisibility does not include incorporeality (so, you can't be seen, but you can't walk through walls).

Pirates vs. ninjas?

What does the tooth-fairy do with all those teeth?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 11:21 AM on July 11, 2008

Talk about the plot of a book one (or both of you) is currently reading. My wife reads lots of classics, and we'll often talk about them as she is reading them. She'll tell me the plot of (for example) Crime and Punishment, and we'll get into great discussions about nihilism, guilt and innocence, mental illness, interrogation techniques, religious conversion, and what we think Raskolnikov is going to do next. Then, when he does something, we talk about it some more!... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 11:28 AM on July 11, 2008

Definitely don't forget goggles, whatever you do.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 8:53 AM on July 11, 2008

I don't know, on an idealistic level I think that if it's part of her job, she should just do it. I remember, though, one time when I was working at a phone-survey job, and one of the surveys was asking Americans their opinions on gay marriage (back in 2002 or 03). After having person after person tell me about how not only should gay people not be allowed to marry, but they should also be hauled out into the street and shot, I asked to be placed on another survey. I asked people about cars... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:02 AM on July 11, 2008

You are right, CaptApollo. If my boss had been unwilling and unable to reassign me, I would have quit and I would not have sued, understanding that even though I don't like the opinions elicited from this particular survey, it was important to elicit the opinions. But I guess it also depends on my boss's reason for (hypothetically) not reassigning me. If I had been kept on the anti-gay survey because there was nothing else for me to do or no one to take my place, I would have quit thinking... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:22 AM on July 11, 2008

It's a matter of being forced to violate one's religious convictions

Her religious convictions forbid her from marrying another women. I don't think her registrar's job required her to become a lesbian.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:24 AM on July 11, 2008

Whoa, Wood, I said I most likely would have quit thinking that I just wasn't right for the job. I listed a few reasons I would accept for the boss being unable to reassign me, but it wasn't an exhaustive list. Not being eligible for reassignment would fit easily within that list.

Also, I know what you are saying about employers not being required to accommodate workers, but what if they can? What if it is easy to accommodate a worker's request? Is it reasonable to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:51 AM on July 11, 2008

I have a question for all you good-financial-skills people about saving money. Right now I can only afford to put about $35 dollars a month away, and I am throwing that right into an RRSP. I, however, have no "cushion." Should I be putting that money into a regular savings account instead (and making basically no interest on it?)? Half-savings, half-rrsp? All savings until I have a certain amount saved up? If I have a few extra dollars at the end of the month, should it go into... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 8:07 AM on July 10, 2008

Also, Mint only works in the US. Any suggestions for the rest of us?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 8:10 AM on July 10, 2008

Thanks for all the help and advice, everyone. I found the article that I was referring to when I mentioned the perhaps less-than-usefulness of PAP tests. Here is the quote that Wikipedia uses:

"A nurse performing 200 tests each year would prevent a death once in 38 years. During this time she or he would care for over 152 women with abnormal results, over 79 women would be referred for investigation, over 53 would have abnormal biopsy results, and over 17 would... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 6:59 PM on July 8, 2008

May favorite WAPB: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Kept me entertained for hours at a time as a kid, and I still think the illustration is gorgeous.
posted to MetaFilter by arcticwoman at 8:58 AM on July 7, 2008

Labello.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 7:27 AM on July 5, 2008

I think if you went on vacation and had a little fling...

Also keep in mind that even if all your bits are in perfect working order, you only have about a one in four chance of getting pregnant each cycle.* So, if you plan to do something like this, you better to prepare to spend a week on vacation in Tahiti every four weeks for several months.

Also, think long term. What do you want to tell your kid about their origins... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 8:21 AM on July 4, 2008