I'm surprised that no one has come in to badmouth Billy Collins. I like him; I think Litany is really entertaining. But apparently some more "serious" poetry fans don't like him very much. So I'm just warning you, be cautious when bringing him up at cocktail parties.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:26 AM on July 24, 2008

I have similar problems to the OP. I'm not in the best of shape, but even a few feet of swimming can wear me out. I'm sure I don't have the best form in my hands and legs, but as far as I can gather from the comments so far, I am doing the arms, hands and legs correctly.


My problem? I can never seem to get air out quickly enough. My lungs constantly feel overinflated with air and even when I practically scream the air out it's still uncomfortable. I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:18 AM on July 24, 2008

...Oh and assuming this thread stays (I really think this is chatfilter) I think you are totally wrong that the most influential aspect of the Internet in the realm of sex is porn. To be sure, it is now much easier and cheaper to get one's hands on pictures or movies of naked people. But even more so, it is wide, wide exposure to new kinks and fetishes.

Furthermore, websites have made it possible for pretty much anyone in the US to get their hands on a sex toy if they... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:28 PM on July 17, 2008

Oh, and just to emphasize: when I talk about exposure to new kinks and fetishes, I'm not talking about porn. I'm talking about websites that provide instructions about how to use various equipment, support groups for fetishes, pages that talk aboiut different fetishes (my favorite fetish -- not one I have, but one I read about--is getting turned on by getting wet [normal wet, as in taking a shower] while being fully clothed. That, and the one where gay men compare how long they can hold their... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:34 PM on July 17, 2008

In response to anonymous: a lot of men like the women in idealized porn, a lot of guys don't. But ultimately, all of them need someone to hold. You might be surprised how much the internet has to offer people of all kinds of appearances. There are men out there for you. Like I said, online dating is a great resource.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 12:08 PM on July 18, 2008

Is there a reason it has to be in University City specifically? Your selection will be a lot better if you're willing to take the trolley or subway to Center City...
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 1:45 AM on July 18, 2008

Unless your house is very tiny, you need more BTUs. I'm buying an AC unit tomorrow and I'm planning on getting a 10,000 BTU for the entire apartment. It should keep the place livable but not "cool." (This apartment building is also cold). I'd recommend getting a stronger unit and putting it in the room you are in fairly often, ideally one near the bedroom but not right next to the kitchen. This way your bedroom will also be relatively cool, but you won't actually have to have the AC in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 1:42 AM on July 18, 2008

As in everything for Firefox, the answer you seek is in modifying one of the arcane settings in about:config
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:37 PM on July 17, 2008

The direct link to mozilla's documentation
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:37 PM on July 17, 2008

...and the bug request that made it all possible! Thanks Johnathan Nightingale
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:40 PM on July 17, 2008

Oh man. That is annoying.

What are the chances you would be able to get the site in question to change their certiicate? Because I can see how this would be a serious issue: basically, it would mean someone could spoof the other server pretty easily.

Another possibility you might want to look into is running one Firefox 2 instance and one Firefox 3 instance if this works for you...I know there are solutions out there for OSx that allow you to do this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 12:20 AM on July 18, 2008

If this person gave you this money with no strings attached and told you to take your time, they must care about you a great deal. There's no way to know what they would have done with this money otherwise. Maybe it would have been put into one of the many, many investments that have been going down the toilet lately. Maybe part of the money she gave you was earmarked for good work or charity anyway. Maybe she was a gambler and she would have blown it at the track otherwise, but thought to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 12:04 AM on July 18, 2008

It's a stranger concept than salty or bitter, so you should start with that. Explain that, for a long time, people didn't even know that a different "taste" existed, and it was only discovered recently. "It's hard to describe what it tastes like, so we're going to eat some things that have umami so you can see for yourself."

I would make two relatively bland foods, say rice or lentils, without any other seasonings. Make one with an umami ingredient,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:15 AM on July 17, 2008 marked best answer

People have been mentioning mushrooms above as a source of umami. On their own I always feel the umami is a bit subdued, but if you take dried shitake mushrooms and soak them in very hot water, the broth that is left over has a very strong umami flavor. Another good choice would be vegetable bouillon, which usually has yeast extract but not MSG.

Also, speaking as someone who was a vegetarian kid, please make sure this activity can be enjoyed by kids who don't eat meat.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 4:19 PM on July 17, 2008

I am your exact opposite as a dude, more or less. Outside of the kitchen, I am not all that handy, although I can do simple repairs and open pickle jars for the ladies. Also, I am fairly young (early 30s) and close to getting married to my girlfriend but not engaged yet. So maybe this answer is totally useless. :)

Personally, I do not think you should look to movies as a guide to how to behave as a loving man. People on film look romantic and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:55 AM on July 17, 2008

Unless you're in a technical/professional field like engineering or teaching, I feel like undergraduate degree majors have little to do with your eventual job. A degree in literature means that you are probably a fast reader and good at extracting meaning from texts. You are also probably good at expressing yourself in writing. These are all skills that are hugely valuable in many industries.

You're just out of college. In some ways, being fresh out of school makes you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:33 AM on July 17, 2008

To clarify, I'm not a Lit major. I got a liberal arts degree form Sarah Lawrence, which doesn't really have majors. During my stay there I studied theater, political science, quantum physics, creative writing, Italian, architecture, cinema, drawing and printing, chaos theory, literature, color theory, and computer science.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:36 AM on July 17, 2008

People are incredibly vain. If you search for this person's name, it will probably show up on one of his sites. Assuming he uses the same web hosts for all of his sites, you may be able to figure out his other websites from the IP address...

Is there a reason you can't contact this person directly and ask?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:07 AM on July 17, 2008

apparently a lot of his comedy is food related.

I'm pretty sure one of his famous aside whispers is "Are all these jokes gonna be about food?!?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 8:44 AM on July 15, 2008

I like experimenting. Sometimes with disastrous results, sometimes with okay results. You can take pretty much any vegetable and either salt or vinegar it a bit and it will turn out all right. Some things I have pickled (with varying levels of success) include chinese cabbage, eggplant, turnips, and of course cucumbers. Cucumbers are really the most forgiving when it comes to pickling, I think. You really can just take some cukes, salt them a bit, let them sit out to sour somewhat, then add some... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:58 PM on July 3, 2008

I'd be interested to hear about other varieties, such as those from our Asian cousins.

Well...I really like Japanese pickles myself. Here's a page of Japanese pickle recipes that you could try (including the traditional miso pickling).

Indian pickle, if you have never eaten it, is unlike any other kind of pickle you'll eat. Unlike other pickles which can be eaten on their own by the handful (at least, I can do this), Indian... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:10 PM on July 3, 2008

I'd love a quick miso eggplant pickle recipe

It was my brother, not me, who made it...I'll send him a line and see if he can remember the recipe.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:55 PM on July 5, 2008

From my brother (sorta paraphrased):I don't remember the recipe exactly.

My buest guess: I'd say to get Japanese or Thai eggplants, cut in thick (3/4" - 1")slices, mixed with salt, packed into a jar. Squeeze them in as tight as possible.

Cover and put aside for a while (depending on ambient temperature between 8 - 24 hours).

Rinse and squeeze out really well. Mix with miso (preferably white/tan soybean or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 3:19 PM on July 8, 2008

I always liked "What's your passion?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:13 PM on July 3, 2008

I generally hate mayonnaise, but paradoxically I really like Russian Salad which is basically small cooked vegetables (potatoes, carrots, peas) swimming in mayo. If you like mayo, you will like this. A lot.

You can get it all over Russia of course (usually with chunks of ham -- vegetarians beware!) but I haven't really seen it anywhere in the States. Except once...at a Mongolia festival (Naadam) near DC. Everyone was selling... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:50 PM on July 3, 2008

Yeah, if the lies you tell lead you to being anally probed, you're not a good liar. Which is to say, people believe you, but the lies you tell don't get you where you want to be ... or at least, where you say and feel you want to be.

Lying, like anything else, is a habit. You can stop a habit by:First noticing that you did it after the factThen noticing that you're in the process of doing it, and stopFinally, realizing you are about to do it and avoid doing it altogether.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:52 PM on July 2, 2008

What's so unusual about fresh sardines? They're pretty easy to get here in the UK

They're just not at all common in the US. I've only seen them being sold a couple of times. Some Asian and fish markets have mackerel, which is similar. Also, the fresh sardines you have in the UK are different and slightly larger I think. The fresh ones here are very small (maybe 1-2 inches wide at most, 1/2 inch thick, 4-5 inches long).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:09 AM on July 2, 2008

You might want to look into Prosper, where you essentially buy shares in personal loans. If you're only looking to make in the 5-8% range, you can restrict all of your loans to people with high credit ratings taking out smaller loans. Of course there is some risk involved but it's probably no more risky than the stock market, and from a legal standpoint the borrowers are expected to pay you back with interest. You could put half of your money in a low interest CD and the other half in Prosper.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:58 PM on July 1, 2008

I was thinking about this other day visavis my gf. Although we have some similar interests and similar views, what matters most is we have similar inclinations. As a result, in a given situation, we are likely to respond in either a similar or complementary fashion.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 12:07 AM on June 29, 2008

I'm going to guess that, as with most processed foods, the part of the seasoning you like the best isn't the lemongrass or ginger, but the additional additives (now, to be fair, if this is Aldi that means the UK, and in general most ingredients lists in the UK are about half as long as those in the US). But it's very possible that there are ingredients like MSG or a similar glutamate product, or other flavor enhancers, and finally that mysterious "natural flavoring" which can be a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:08 AM on June 28, 2008

But as one who has overcome irrational fears, I will point out that the problem is not with others, it's with you. Your reaction to a harmless entity is extreme, disruptive, and startling. Many, unable to understand your behavior, will assume you're just looking for attention. And they will give it to you.

Sorry, I call bullshit. I'm going to estimate that about 50% of our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors are all centered on irrational beliefs and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:54 AM on June 28, 2008

If you're willing to forgo the tomatoes' volume but still want the flavor, a squeeze of tomato paste might give you the same flavor without putting as much acidity in.

Also, I know the problem went away without the tomatoes, but the blueberries are also pretty acidic I think (well, they taste sour at least). It's possible reducing both of them a bit might work too.

The first result in google is a chart of acidic and alkaline foods, so if you want... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:18 PM on June 27, 2008

Fish is also parve. Make sure it has fin *and* scales, which means catfish is out. If they're semi-kosher they should be fine with anything that had scales on it when it was caught.

I think a lot of times people get caught in the trap of thinking "inside the box." The idea is that keeping kosher, or vegetarian, or vegan, means limiting the range of what you can make. And it does, a bit, but it's more useful to think simply of removing certain ingredients from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:03 PM on June 27, 2008

Then if it comes up, you can say "oh this one is cream cheese, but these other two are non-dairy."

Do not wait until it "comes up". I hate it when I eat something expecting it to not have dairy or meat in it, and then it does. A few days ago I was at a brunch and ate a small canape that looked like tunafish. It was chicken salad. I couldn't eat anything dairy after that and so basically could eat nothing else at the brunch except... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:09 PM on June 27, 2008

Felafel is really more Middle Eastern than Mediterranean. And yes, Middle Eastern/Israeli food is a pretty popular kosher choice, particularly at picnics. You're going to see more of it among Israelis, Sephards, and perhaps more modern-oriented kosher foodies. But a lot of "traditional" kosher food is from the Ashkenazi tradition--smoked fish, bagels, kugel, kasha varnishkes, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:13 PM on June 27, 2008

This is like a broken record, but have you also ruled out the possibility of ADHD?

I ask because of this:
pazazygeek, my job is boring and unfulfilling but I'm so prone to abandoning jobs and projects and goals in an effort to seek something seemingly more gratifying.
The "look! a Bike!" joke is a bit hackneyed but I personally have a very hard time sticking with tasks but always get excited about new projects.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 4:42 PM on June 26, 2008

If you're ever overwhelmed by having to dress totally like a girl (read: dresses, skirts, etc) you can always revert back to your normal clothing choices -- t-shirts, pants, hoodies -- but simply use clothing that was cut and tailored for a woman's body rather than a man's.

I think my girlfriend looks great in hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts. The clothing she wears is all made to fit a woman, and she looks like a woman when she's wearing it.

In fact,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:55 AM on June 25, 2008 marked best answer

While we're on the topic of Budweiser, though, you might enjoy the beer made by the company from whom Budweiser stole their name. Czechvar, as it's called in the US, is light in a good way, and really tasty.

To be fair, Budweiser actually existed before this brewery, so to say Budweiser stole the name isn't quite correct.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:48 PM on June 23, 2008

Yeah, it's really, really common. You might even find that there's more than one brand available. But Huy Fong is the best.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:19 PM on June 23, 2008

Vegetables are nature's potato chips. Next time you settle in for some reading or TV watching, nestle down with a nice large bowl of any vegetable (bok choy does nicely), perhaps sprinkled with just a tiny bit of salt and pepper
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:57 PM on June 23, 2008

Oh my gosh! How could I forget!?!

This is really delicious:

Take a ground meat of choice (tofu also works) and add finely chopped bok choy. Season with your favorite spices; I like 5 Spice for this recipe. You can then either make burgers, patties, meatballs, etc. or stuff them into wonton wrappers and steam them.
The greens mixed in keep the meat very, very moist.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 11:01 PM on June 23, 2008

Think about it this way. Let's say you did have the son. And let's say you put all this effort into filling this void. Except you're filling this void by vicariously doing all the things for your son that you wish your father had done for you. Now, maybe you would end up giving your son what he wanted; maybe not. But for sure he wouldn't respond with the same level of gratitude corresponding to that void you're filling. In the same way that getting that new computer, bike, car, whatever is cool... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:26 PM on June 23, 2008

Carciofi all Guidia?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:17 PM on June 23, 2008

You've obviously already flown, but for posterity:

What is on the bottle that does contain the Vicodin? If it's just a blank bottle, a bottle with your name on it is a better idea just in case it is misplaced, so it can be identified later on.

Even though Vicodin is abused quite often I'm guessing it's not one of the drugs they go out of their way to detect chemically, and most custom agents can't identify drugs by sight anyway. Furthermore, it's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:43 PM on June 23, 2008

Quick derail. I can see how you can differentiate easily between 3/4 and 4/4...but how can you tell the difference between 2/4 and 4/4?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:38 PM on June 21, 2008

When the alternative is serious drugs for an indefinite amount of time, what could it possibly hurt to try?

My parents tried everything else, before meds. As a result, for years I couldn't make friends, couldn't concentrate in school, was ostracized, and felt crazy. Everyone was angry with me pretty much all of the time and I didn't know why. The long shot is I can barely remember my childhood.

I started taking meds in my... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:07 PM on June 19, 2008

Unless you don't want underscores, this shorter regex could do the trick:

^[\w\'&\. ]{1,40}
         ^

I'd use a simple space rather than \s. You probably don't want to allow tabs or returns.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 4:48 PM on June 18, 2008

Panzanella was mentioned above. I think it's worth a recipe right here in the green. Basically, it's a bread salad and the standard ingredients are tomatoes and onions (I've always seen it with red onions). The trick is to take old stale bread, soak it with water, but be sure to squeeze it out very well once it's soaked through. Season with salt, pepper, red wine or balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. You can make it a bit more pungent by adding a few anchovies. It's also wonderful... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 2:07 PM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

This is kind of a weird one, but perhaps you could learn mediation techniques? Knowing how to deal with disagreements and how to help other people understand each other's point of view is a great way to prolong friendships and avoid negative conflict. I learned all my interpersonal stuff from people rather than books, so I can't really offer any book recommendations in that area.

Cooking is really fun. Rather than learning whole recipes, you could learn how to make the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 10:28 PM on June 16, 2008

Assuming that Stevia is safe (and that's an if, since it's generally harder to get tests on something that's an herb) it is a good alternative to artificial sweeteners. I know a lot of people complained about the taste a couple of years ago, but a lot of the packet varieties are really good now (and I personally don't really mind the taste of the powdered leaves either). It's definitely very sweet and will at very least take care of your need for "sugar" of some sort.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Deathalicious at 9:43 PM on June 16, 2008