If you find the addresses of the pople from whom you want autographs, you could try mailing them checks for some foolishly small amount ($1 or $3.73 or something).

They sign and deposit the check (maybe), and a month later your bank sends you back your checks, with autographs.

(N.B. This is not my idea-- I read about someone doing it years and years ago-- can't remember who or in what context. I have no idea if it will work. I sort... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:58 PM on July 8, 2008

Have you contacted the Michigan Film Office? Back in my reality TV days I found state and local film offices to be very helpful with identifying possible shooting locations. It looks like Michigan's is no exception. Frankly, though, if you're really shooting a low-to-medium budget (what's that, somewhere between 2 and 20 million these days?) film on location in a state you're not familiar with, you have no excuse for not hiring a professional location scout who is familiar with the area. Maybe... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 12:18 AM on July 8, 2008

is there anyone searching for a ROCK STAR cooler? if so, i have 2 - brand new in box for sale.

I know what I'd put in them...
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:25 PM on July 7, 2008

As others have noted, this is not an uncommon situation, and a "large moving company" will certainly have dealt with this before and have a policy and a rate sheet that takes it into account. I had something similar come up when I moved across the country three years ago using one of the major national moving companies. They charged me a few hundred dollas extra on a $5000 move to use a smaller shuttle vehicle. Well worth it, in my book. Give them a call and let them know the situation.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 1:20 AM on July 2, 2008

(Please no answers involving therapy or depression. I am not depressed, and therapy is completely out of the question for me.)

That's preposterous. Why on earth would therapy be "completely out of the question?" It is perhaps the single most effective way not only to answer the "What's wrong with me" question, and also to help you learn how to change your behaviors and attitudes. Especially this kind.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:08 PM on July 1, 2008

Mudhoney, mudhoney, mudhoney, mudhoney (ignore crappy video, listen to amazing song), Green River.

Please note that some of these are from the late 80's.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:35 AM on June 27, 2008

Why is my perception of musical genres of any concern to you?

Um, because you specifically asked about a specific musical genre? If you weren't actually interested in that genre, but instead were interested in music which was roughly contemporaneous to that genre, perhaps you should have specified that in your question, instead of specifying a particular genre.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:00 PM on June 29, 2008

Am I effectively a vegetarian by American standards

No. You eat meat.

and hence I don't have to eat my words?

You also don't have to eat your words. Your dietary preferences and habits are none of your coworkers' business. Fuck 'em if they can't understand "I prefer not to eat that much meat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:13 PM on June 25, 2008

"
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:14 PM on June 25, 2008

Head up to Santa Barbara and kayak around the Channel Islands. It's fucking awesome.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:26 AM on June 25, 2008

The last time I shipped a valuable and expensive item via fedex, they told me that I could only insure it for more than $500 if there was at least 6 inches of padding between the object and the side of the box. They actually opened the box to check. If you go with fedex, you might want to buy or build a larger carton and line it with several inches of packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or that wadded-up brown paper they use.

I've never shipped anything of significant value... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:56 PM on June 24, 2008

Cut them in half, brush with sesame oil, throw them on the grill for a few minutes.

This is great. If you don't have a grill , you can do it either on the stovetop in a preheated skillet or (cut side up) under the broiler.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 4:20 PM on June 23, 2008

Capri pants for dudes -- longer than Bermuda shorts

I know you don't care about fashion, but please DO NOT WEAR CAPRI PANTS.

Or a utilikilt.

As mentioned above, linen pants are great for hot weather, as are some of the REI-type hiking pants.

But please allow me to reiterate:

NO MAN-PRIS. NONE. EVER.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 3:28 PM on June 23, 2008

If you can make an educated guess at her birth year, you may be able to find her using the free results at zabasearch. Certainly, you can try calling some of those Patricia H's and explaining who you're looking for and why.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 3:15 PM on June 23, 2008

This is going to be another boring thread, where everyone is going to tell you to talk to an attorney (preferably in all caps) and not to listen to any advice given by the smart people of metatalk.

That is because at least half of the question was "Is this legal?" and the other half was "What [presumably legal] rights does my friend have?"

The people best equipped to answer a question like that are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:37 PM on June 20, 2008

You said depth doesn't matter, but dive watches are designed to be dunked in seawater.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:57 PM on June 19, 2008

Frankly, New Canaan itself doesn't have a whole lot to offer. I grew up there and can't think of a single attraction worth recommending to visitors. They did recently open Philip Johnson's famed Glass House to the public, but I think it may be difficult (if not impossible) to get tickets due to high demand.

If you're up for a Hartford-area road trip, the Mark Twain House and the Harriet Beecher Stowe house are practically right next to each other in Hartford about an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:19 AM on June 19, 2008

This guy has a lot of experience in the field. IIRC, he is a professor of ethnomusicology at an Ivy League university. Unfortunately, he has disabled mefi mail, but perhaps you can find another way to reach him.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:58 AM on June 18, 2008

How about the Spear of Destiny?
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 12:51 PM on June 17, 2008

Well, all your options are listed here. The simplest will be to just go ahead and take a taxi. Should cost you around 40 bucks, including tip.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:58 AM on June 17, 2008

My understanding is that frames of widescreen (let's say 16:9, for the sake of argument) video, are actually 16:9, rather than 4:3 with black bars at the top and bottom of the frame-- the letterboxing is the unused portion of the display. Thus there's no "picture" at the bottom on which to overlay the subtitles.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:14 AM on June 17, 2008

My understanding, of course, could be completely wrong. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to berate me if that's the case.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:15 AM on June 17, 2008

If you can afford it, for god's sake do it. There's really no better opportunity-- it's not like you'll have the time once you are working.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 1:02 PM on June 16, 2008 marked best answer

But it sounds to me like you should get a job first.

Screw that. For reals. Don't buy into that "Welcome to the real world" crap. You have the rest of your life to get a job. It can wait. What's four fucking weeks compared to 40, 50, 60 years? TAKE THE TRIP.

And if you start to run low on funds when you get back, you can always temp while you look for a "real" job.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:46 PM on June 16, 2008

I don't know where this was taken, but it fits your description.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:53 AM on June 16, 2008

The photo dersins linked to was taken in Chicago, by a friend of mine.

Ha! The internets, she is small!

Anyway, Sheppagus, I found that with a google image search for "sexpress." (For obvious reasons, "$express" isn't quite so useful. If you can stomach wading through an awful lot of non-work-safe imagery, you may be able to find the right $express...
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 12:21 PM on June 16, 2008

I suggest you buy this, listen very carefully to everything Thurston Howell III says, and do your best to imitate his manner of speaking, inflections, and pronunciation. It'll be a lot cheaper than hiring a dialect coach.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:03 PM on June 15, 2008

Not domestic, but you can often find high quality imported Pecorino Romano and Grana Padano for a few dollars less per pound than Parmigiano-Reggiano. Neither is exactly the same as Parmigiano-Reggiano, but they are not dissimilar, and both are delicious.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 4:54 PM on June 13, 2008

There is an Argentinian cheese (I don't remember what it's called

Argentine Sardo. Another good choice as a hard grating cheese, but (in my opinion) not quite as good as Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:06 PM on June 13, 2008

You could ask their ad agency. Good luck getting any answers out them, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 4:34 PM on June 13, 2008

I know several people who have submitted offers for short sales; not one of them has been successful. A couple of times people had to wait months before the lender rejected their offer. Short sales appear to be more trouble than they're worth, especially if you're looking for a home to live in.

Your best course of action is probably just to figure out how much you're willing to pay for a house, find a non-short-sale house that you like, and that you (and your buyers'... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 4:07 PM on June 13, 2008

Where is this cast?
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 12:13 PM on June 13, 2008

Can someone tell me definitively (with citation) whether or not unpaid internships are legal in the state of New York?

Why yes, your lawyer can. Alternately, you could contact the NY State Dept. of Labor and ask them.

What you should not do, however, is rely on the advice and legal analyses of a bunch of random dudes on the internet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:46 AM on June 13, 2008

Okay, folks, what am I missing?

Well, you're not missing the fact that the apartment is under construction, but you may be missing the possibility that it will still be under contruction on July 1st.

Also, August 1st.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:56 PM on June 12, 2008

Where are you? Does your lease specify working air conditioning? Is it central air or window mounted?

Oh, wait, you can't answer any of these fairly key questions because this question is, inexplicably, anonymous.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:21 PM on June 12, 2008

Is there a reason you don't call a few paving contractors in your area and get bids from them? The bids (should) cost you nothing, and obligate you to nothing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 12:45 PM on June 11, 2008 marked best answer

I am getting an estimate soon from a paver listed in the yellow pages,


Make sure you get bids from more than one contractor. Sometimes when you single-bid you can bad-luck into the one guy who's twice as expensive as everybody else.

Also, in case you're not familiar with it, Angie's List ican be a great source for information and reviews of contractors, depending on where you live. Well worth the membership fee.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:17 PM on June 11, 2008

Replace half of the above counter cabinates with open shelves where you will store your dishes

NB: only do this if you enjoy dusting or rinsing your glassware every time you want to use it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:43 AM on June 11, 2008

Not a dessert, and admittedly more of a winter dish, but this recipe for braised short ribs with chocolate and rosemary is fantastic, and definitely benefits from high quality cocoa powder (and high quality chocolate, as well).
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:04 PM on June 10, 2008

The Hotel Congress in Tucson is fairly inexpensive, centrally located, and has tons of charm and character. It has a pretty good rock club, too, depending on your tastes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 5:33 PM on June 10, 2008

Seconding the suggestion to ask professionals rather than the internet.

Also, firsting the eponysterical quality of the question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 4:30 PM on June 10, 2008

Can you get Full Sail's beers up in Seattle? If so, I'd cast my vote for their Session. It's a (rare) micro-brewed lager and just about the perfect summer beer-- delicious, affordable (in the 10-dollar range for a 12-pack) AND aesthetically pleasing, to boot. It appeals to all levels of beer consumer from snob to yob. It's probably my current favorite.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:40 PM on June 10, 2008

Snow falling on Cedars. Unless you've seen the movie. Actually, strike that-- even if you've seen the movie.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 9:08 AM on June 10, 2008

Also, Nine below Zero, by the vastly underrated Kevin Canty is an excellent novel set during a cold Montana winter. Be warned though-- it's not exactly cheerful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:39 AM on June 10, 2008

This type of thing is what pays for your free checking account.

And is what makes it not, y'know, actually free.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 10:05 PM on June 6, 2008

Is the guy supposed to just walk up to her and say something?

Yes.

What?

"Hello."
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 11:47 AM on June 6, 2008

I am neither a lawyer nor a copyright specialist, but I did for a time work in a position where I was handling rights and clearances for episodes of a television series. In cases like yours, when we could not find the copyright holder for images we felt we needed, our attorney advised us to document that we had made a good-faith effort to locate the copyright holder, and then to go ahead and use the image / photograph / whatever, while being prepared to pay the copyright holder if he / she / it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 3:32 PM on June 4, 2008

Visit your local library or your local library's web site and type the words "Sinclair, Upton" into the subject field of the on-line catalog.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:34 PM on June 4, 2008 marked best answer

Also, I don't know what grade you're in, but if you haven't yet been taught how to properly research a paper like this, you should ask your teacher the best way to get started. That's his or her job-- to teach you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 2:36 PM on June 4, 2008

6 scrambled eggs
475 calories (assumes no milk)

3 slices of bread
200 Calories (approx.)

one bowl of cereal
220 calories (blueberry frosted miniwheats with skim milk, because that's the box in the office kitchen)

6 slices of bacon
850 calories

one apple
80 calories.

That's 1825 calories. For breakfast. You are going to puke, die or both.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dersins at 1:13 PM on June 4, 2008