Thanks, everybody. This is all very helpful. I may just take some of you up on your offers to help, as I progress in my work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 7:00 AM on June 4, 2008

You rock, palmcorder_yajna. That's exactly what I was looking for, thank you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:10 PM on April 30, 2008

I'm a little bit vague on some key details (where are the different tables physically that are being used?), but assuming the tables you're using are physically on SQL and you're linking to them with Access as a front end, you need to make sure that all your Access links to tables are current (I'd go ahead and re-link every table using the same names), and then make sure you're not using imported tables thinking they are linked. The latter means they are, in fact, keeping bogus, out of date... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:19 PM on March 31, 2008

If distinct cures it, that usually means you have a Cartesian of some kind. Access will treat a Cartesian differently than SQL fairly often.

I'm still a little bit confused by that. The select * from attendance where [customer number] = x should get you the same thing on both but in different order.

Is Attendance a view? If not, what is the primary key?
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:36 PM on March 31, 2008 marked best answer

Niche - is it "nitch" or "neesh." I alternate, and I always feel wrong.

In college English, I had a professor who insisted on saying "Don Kwik-zote" instead of "Don Kee-hote" or "Kee-hote-ay," which are the pronounciations I had previously heard for "Don Quixote."

I am constitutionally incapable of saying "free throws" and especially "three free throws." It comes out... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 10:50 AM on January 8, 2008

I was taught "feb-you-air-y" by teachers. Since that's how I say it, and my birthday is in February, I consider myself an authority on this subject.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 10:45 AM on January 8, 2008

I'm glad I'm not schroedinger's cat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:25 PM on January 3, 2008

Thanks, all. I can't afford Burning Man tickets, although I like the idea, so I'm going to look for towels and a solar shower and if I can't find those in time then I'll go for Ready Made.

hj03, I didn't mean anything insulting or deep by my "sanctity of marriage" comment. I was just trying to telegraph their feelings in quick shorthand. nadawi's interpretation is fair.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 10:53 AM on December 30, 2007

I actually get less acne now that I no longer use benzoil peroxide and salycylic acid, which completely surprised me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:32 PM on December 28, 2007

Washington state has really good community colleges that provide two-year transfer degrees that will make it easier for her to get in to one of the state's four year schools, and will also give your friend more options if she decides she would rather not go to school out of state. Plus, community college is much, much cheaper than other options.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:09 PM on December 27, 2007

"Congratulations! You've got some crazy, exciting months ahead of you, and probably some difficult decisions to make. I hope I can be there to support you through it all."
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:53 PM on December 27, 2007

Just got back from the vet's office, and I felt brushed off when I asked this question. Obviously I'll find a new vet ...

If the vet is otherwise good at what she does, do you really need a new one? As the answers here suggest, there's no magic answer. Maybe the vet was brushing you off because you asked an unanswerable question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:48 PM on December 14, 2007

I assume you have other deductions, right? Because I donated a car in a year when I had no significant other deductions, and was unpleasantly surprised to realize that it was still a better deal to take the standard deductible than to do what I did. If you have a home mortgage, this is probably a moot point.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:45 PM on December 14, 2007

Let us know if the 15 minute thing works.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:06 PM on December 13, 2007

Copied and pasted from here, a yummy vegan entree, orange coconut curry with grilled vegetables - yields 4 to 5 servings. It's good with cooked rice.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra olive oil for roasting the vegetables
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 cup frozen orange juice... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:54 AM on December 13, 2007

It seems pretty normal to me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:37 PM on December 12, 2007

What is BevMo?
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:34 PM on December 12, 2007

Subprime seems to be a term of art.

This is from a Q&A in Friday's Wall Street Journal (about the mortgage plan agreement announced by the Bush administration):

How do I know if I have a subprime mortgage?
"The agreement doesn't provide a definition of subprime ARMS because it isn't always clear. Typically, subprime ARMS carry a fixed interest rate for the first two or three years, then adjust annually. Borrowers who... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:05 AM on December 12, 2007

I just had this vegan, gluten-free meal, and it was delicious - orange coconut curry with grilled vegetables - yields 4 to 5 servings. It's good with cooked rice.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra olive oil for roasting the vegetables
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 cup frozen... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 10:41 PM on December 11, 2007

fan_of_all_things_small: almost all soy sauce contains gluten. Fuzzbean should only use special soy sauce marketed as gluten free.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:25 PM on December 11, 2007

If you're willing to welcome Girl Scouts, who are themselves solicitors, there's no blanket sign you can really come up with.

You could ask these door to door folks if they need help escaping a dangerous lifestyle and tell them you won't pay to support an industry that often exploits its employees?
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:13 PM on December 11, 2007 marked best answer

I don't have a problem with advertising, advertising revenues put food on my table, but there's a difference between it being morally bankrupt and it being wrong, ethically, for me. As a news reporter who believes there is, at least a little bit, a higher purpose in what I do, for me to become an advertising writer would be to abandon something that is ethically important to me, and would therefore become a violation of what I believe I stand for. That would be wrong.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 2:21 PM on December 11, 2007

My mom would have us put the tooth in a sealed envelope under the pillow, because a loose tooth under a pillow is easy to lose. Then the envelope disappears and a coin appears in its place.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:36 AM on December 10, 2007

Life is what you do, and the best way to do fun stuff is to set goals. I set a bunch of New Year's resolutions last Jan. 1, and spent all year working to accomplish them. It was great.

This year I resolved to, and did:
* Run 3 miles in under 27 minutes (I was at about 33 minutes at the start of the year)
* Read two classic English-language novels from each decade of the 20th Century.
* Skiied.
* Slept outside at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:01 AM on December 10, 2007

I would probably try to do something I've always wanted to do, but have never been able to because of the constraints of real life: hitchhike across America, backpack across Europe and Asia, or hike the Appalachian Trail, for example. Backpacking across Europe will create a little bit of a trace, in the form of tickets and visas and passport stamps. But cross-country travel would not. And it would give a person some time to make new connections and learn more about the world before fully... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:32 PM on December 7, 2007

I know a couple of people who dropped out of high school and got two-year transfer degrees from community colleges before finishing up with BAs at four-year schools. At least one never got a GED and never took the SAT.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 9:18 AM on December 7, 2007

When I was in high school, my school district had a rotating psychologist who came to our campus once a week to meet with students. One made appointments with her through the guidance counselor. You might try the guidance office to see if something similar is available, as noted above.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 7:02 AM on December 7, 2007

Do what explosion said. Get an appraisal. Even better: get two appraisals. It will cost more than a few hundred dollars, but you'll have two disinterested third parties providing you with information about the real market in your area.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 6:59 AM on December 7, 2007

I have a latex allergy, and it does not seem unreasonable that she would still be experiencing symptoms after a month or more.

If your daughter thinks she is allergic to latex, she should tell everyone that she encounters at the hospital that she has a latex allergy, at least until it is confirmed. Have them write "NO LATEX" in big letters all over her charts. Don't risk further exposure.

Also, don't dismiss the possibility of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 8:57 AM on December 6, 2007

Huh, maybe it's another allergy, then. I have had reactions to latex paint since long before I started having reactions to gloves, bandaids, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:12 PM on December 6, 2007

"I'm sorry, Boss, I forgot to tell you -- as a result that bad health problem I had a while back, I had to drop some classes. Remember, when I missed a week of work?"

"Actually, it is a personal medical problem and I don't feel comfortable discussing the details."
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:59 AM on December 5, 2007

I have a United Airlines Mileage Plus card, and whenever I've called customer service I've had MUCH better, more helpful experiences, although outside of regular business hours the managers and fixer-people are not on staff. Did you call during the day?

In any case, you should run a credit check and put a fraud alert on your credit accounts - here's how.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 7:32 AM on December 5, 2007

Blue Oregon seems to be the biggest blog I hear about. There's also the Oregonian newspaper, of course.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:28 PM on December 4, 2007

I don't like them because they now have "stretch" in them, and I have a major aversion to stretch as an inferior alteration to denim. I can certainly go off on my rant about why I hate lycra/etc. in jeans, when they should be 100% cotton, but I was hoping to avoid making this into "ohmigawd stretch denim sucks so bad amirite?"

I haven't been in a Gap in a few months. If they are now selling 100% cotton blue jeans again, please let me know.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:18 AM on December 4, 2007

You all are awesome! I'll be pursuing these choices in greater detail tonight, when I'm off the clock.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:00 PM on December 4, 2007

I've been staying in hotels by myself or with like-age friends since I was 17, including in Chicago and many other US and foreign cities, and I've never run into trouble.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:47 AM on December 4, 2007

Dear Boss,

I, NAME, resign from Company, effective Date.

I've enjoyed the X years I've spent with Company, however I feel that I must pursue new opportunities to further my personal growth. (or "however I have decided to take my career in a different direction" or something similar.)

Sincerely,

YOU
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:19 PM on December 3, 2007

Certain things written down outside of court (or legal proceedings, such as depositions) may be inadmissable as hear-say. They'll probably want you to testify from memory in court, not provide your journal. I'm not sure if notarization helps. (IANAL)

When I've seen people testify in court, they've been allowed to bring notes onto the witness stand and refer to those notes. This is mostly detectives and "experts," not ordinary people, but it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:40 PM on December 3, 2007

I disagree with General Malaise.
DC is a tough place to break into mainstream journalism without connections or a LOT of experience. There are lots of journalistic jobs for people willing to work for trade publications or in PR, or for smaller neighborhood-oriented newspapers. The cost of living is high, except in areas that are less safe. I had to leave DC to kick-start my fledgling journalism career.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:34 PM on December 3, 2007

I should have mentioned that I have type II diabetes and do have some problems with the circulation in my hands and feet.

That's a good reason to go to the doctor, even though it really seems unlikely that you have actual frostbite at such a moderate temperature.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:31 PM on December 3, 2007

I've been to lots of industrial work sites that track hours without an injury and reward workers when they get to various goals. Obviously fraud is bad and illegal, but depending on the workplace this can work as a good, honest motivator.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:30 PM on December 3, 2007

"The Guns of August," about the start of World War I in Western Europe, and "August 1914," about Russia's first month in the war, are a really interesting pair of history books to read together, and also wonderfully written.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:21 AM on December 3, 2007

Meh to "Salt." It's OK if you want a toilet back trivia book, but there's no clearly stated central thesis or cohesiveness to how Kurlansky presents all his tidbits about the mineral.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 1:25 PM on December 3, 2007

There's a lot of flooding across the Northwest this morning, which could explain the difficulty of getting in touch with the Red Cross. But if your friend keeps trying, he should eventually get through to someone there who can help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 11:30 AM on December 3, 2007

Can this be done through iTunes? I'm going to be making the CDs on my macbook, but I have the music in mp3 format to start.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:41 PM on November 26, 2007

I assume I'll be marking some bests later this week. Just gotta test it out and make sure I can make it work. Thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:53 PM on November 26, 2007

There's an entire Consumer Reports section on this price range in the used car manual. Go to the library and ask to look at the magazine - the paper publication's details are much better than you'll find for free online.

What I was able to get in your price range:
A four-door American sedan, three years old, with good ratings for safety and performance, about 30,000 miles on it, that gets 35 mpg on the highway and 25/28 mpg in the city.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 2:16 PM on November 26, 2007

I'd just add one or two green things and you're golden. Maybe steamed green beans or asparagus, spritzed with lemon juice and a bit of butter.

Then make a spinach salad - spinach, pears, blue cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, almonds.

My favorite hearty vegetarian Thanksgiving meal is acorn squash stuffed with rice. Half and seed the squash, then cook face down in water for 45 minutes to an hour at 400 degrees, until soft. Cook up a risotto... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 12:23 PM on November 21, 2007

Well, the only time I called in to a radio station I sat on the line for more than 20 minutes and finally I had to leave for an appointment so I hung up and left. I imagine that happens a lot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:12 PM on November 20, 2007

My brother dropped out of high school and is now making just under six figures as a successful computer programmer. When he's not working, he's living in a community of like-minded people, spending time with his significant other, and creating interesting art.

My mom dropped out of college and raised five reasonably successful children, traveled the world, became a world leader in advocacy of a cause she believes in, got her BA the same week she turned 50 and now gets... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 3:48 PM on November 15, 2007