EAT on the upper East Side Side - my father goes every time he's in NY.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 7:46 AM on August 18, 2005

Hot, steamy breath and a clean t-shirt always worked for me. Low tech but easy.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 7:12 AM on August 17, 2005

I think XnView is the best free image editing software available.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 12:45 PM on August 15, 2005

To clarify - I'm already convinced I need an external hard drive. I need to know whether the cheap external hard drives are good enough for my needs, what kind of software I should use, and whether I should back up my entire hard drive or only data folders. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 8:31 AM on August 14, 2005

Just an option - spend $100 on a gift and then forget the whole situation. Her response to you was completely obnoxious, but she'll be your sister forever. What's best for your relationship with her may be for you to be the bigger person, even if she was completely wrong.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 6:12 AM on August 14, 2005

Take inspiration from restaurant menus. I often see combinations on restaurant menus that I never would have thought of at home. When you consider a new combination at home, think how it would sound on a menu. I never would have thought of roasted red peppers on a turkey sandwich without this approach.

By the way - pasta and eggs sounds awful, but with egg noodles and eggs you can make a great Jewish kugel!
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 2:08 PM on August 12, 2005

Just another idea... maybe hire an actor? Perhaps there's a casting agency in Boston.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 7:51 AM on August 12, 2005

I do this all the time... just take a screenshot and paste it into Word. Then you can crop and resize as needed.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 1:36 PM on August 10, 2005 marked best answer

I use Limewire - same as Kazaa with no spyware or popups. Whatever I can't find there I buy on AllofMP3.com.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 8:16 PM on August 9, 2005

There's an ebay shop in Olivette on the north side of Olive somewhere near 170. It's just east of Nobu Japanese Restaurant. Looks like it's a TV or AC repair shop that also does Ebay listings.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 6:26 AM on August 6, 2005

I look for lists of "top music" and force myself to download and listen to anything that I haven't heard before, especially if it shows up on several lists.

I also like Metacritic and Audioscrobbler to discover new artists or songs from artists I've just discovered.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 8:51 PM on July 18, 2005

I second The First Days of School book - but as a secondary birthday present. An ipod mini and the book would be a wonderful combination. (I read the book every year when I was a teacher and found new ideas each time.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 1:40 PM on July 15, 2005

You might want to look into a type of therapy called Cognitive Behavior Therapy, developed by Aaron Beck at University of Pennsylvania. The basic idea is that negative emotions are generally preceded by what they call "Automatic Thoughts" - quick thoughts that flash through your mind after a stimulus, sometimes so quickly that you're not aware of them. Many of these automatic thoughts are distorted, and then they can cause unwanted negative emotions.

The... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 4:11 PM on July 14, 2005

I've moved into apartments before where they told me the smell or noise would go away or I wouldn't notice it. Neither was true. My feeling is - don't trust anyone. They'll tell you anything to rent the apartment.

I wouldn't take the chance.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 11:24 AM on July 12, 2005

If you really care about how this performance comes off, I think you'd be nuts to have either of these people play for you. Unless the bride's sister is a real musician, I think you need to make other arrangements.

Find a pianist or guitarist in your home town and have them record the music for you on a decent tape or CD. Why take any chances?

How to find a musician in your home town? Call any big church - they all have organists and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 1:07 PM on July 11, 2005

I would go with acoustic Irish music, like track #15 on The Celts Rise Again (From Green Linnet records). (You can listen to it on the Amazon page. The artist is Gerald Trimble.)

If you want something more lively, listen to track #8 (Patrick Street - a very prolific Irish band).
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 7:59 AM on July 11, 2005

Sorry - I wish I had another photo of it to clarify.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 12:41 PM on July 7, 2005

I second Fallingwater. I was there a couple years ago and it was really spectacular. Amazing! I'm from Philly, and can't imagine anyone really wanting to spend a vacation there.

I'd vote for NYC and then Fallingwater.

If you do go to Philadelphia, you can also stop at the artsy town of New Hope, PA, about 45 north of the city. Lots of little shops and galleries.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 5:34 AM on July 6, 2005

I just asked a similar question last week and got lots of great advice. The highlights of our trip:

- A Second City etc. show called From Fear to Eternity. Under $20 pp and absolutely hysterical (sketch comedy).

- Exploring Wicker Park. Cool neighborhood - great breakfast spot called the Bongo Room.

- Weiner's Circle hot dogs in Lincoln Park. There are million cool bars and restaurants in this area and the best... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 11:28 AM on July 5, 2005

A few of you said Robie House is too far out of the way. How long / expensive would a taxi be from Magnificent Mile to Robie House?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 4:47 PM on June 29, 2005

Thanks for all your advice! We've decided on the following: Weiner's Circle, Wicker Park/Polish Village, Architectural boat tour, Second City, maybe Dinetto's, Magnificent Mile, Art Institute, (private rooftop party for fireworks viewing!), live music at Coq d'Or, brunch picnic in Millennium Park, and the Robie House tour (we'll drive there on the way out of town).

Thanks everyone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 4:35 PM on June 30, 2005

You probably know of these books already, but I'll list them anyway: Viola Spolin's books of improv games. Definitely worth checking out for ideas.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 8:19 PM on June 27, 2005

I agree with Glenwood.

And if you think you might be losing your hair, you probably are. Don't worry about it. Shaving your head (or cutting it very short) is the best idea in the long run. It worked for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 12:47 PM on June 16, 2005

Crapulent - is there another place you'd suggest? I'm not going for the parties, I just want to be on the water - to lay around, boat around the lake, swim, and go out for a burger somewhere. Advice?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 2:26 PM on June 14, 2005

Thanks for all of the great advice. At this point I'm considering Rend Lake Resort. Although I'd prefer a nice cabin, this seems affordable and on the lake. And only 2 hours from St. Louis. Anyone know this place? Any thoughts?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 12:05 PM on June 15, 2005

I've used the Garmin 60CS for a corporate program and it was very successful. You purchase the Europe software and load the countries you want.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 1:04 PM on June 8, 2005

I agree - but they have told me from the start that upgrading your operating system invalidates the warranty. I always figured if I had any serious problems I could restore the system software before taking it in.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 10:36 AM on June 5, 2005

cmonkey - Thanks for the idea. How do I do that?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 11:00 AM on June 5, 2005

That's the problem - I would love to find something that isn't too short and won't shrink significantly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 10:50 AM on May 3, 2005

I've found that if I leave the wireless on, my laptop will sometimes use that connection instead of ethernet, and it will be much slower. I turn off the wireless when I hook up to the docking station and it generally works fine now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kdern at 8:56 AM on April 19, 2005