I took a public speaking class a couple weeks ago that was very good. One of the things they instructed us to do was to create a "Core Message", one sentence that summarizes the entire talk and serves as the message you want your listeners to receive. Then, you repeat your Core Message multiple times (at least 3) throughout the talk. Then you want to structure the talk so that each of your main pints supports this core message. So you could relate each page of bullet points to the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:06 PM on July 26, 2008 marked best answer

I'd agree with what everybody else is saying, it sounds like the best place for you would be in SF. It doesn't have to be the Castro, there are a lot of other great places that are public-transit accessible. Just to be clear, whether a neighborhood in SF is "pedestrian-friendly" is debatable; pretty much any way you walk will have huge hills or steps or something crazy.

The Caltrain Baby Bullet train can get you from SF to San Jose in about 45 minutes, which... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 8:58 AM on July 23, 2008

I say, "I work at a hospital coordinating clinical trials."

The response given by the other person's facial expression often falls into one of two categories: (a) bugged-out eyes, mouth dropped a little, surprised expression, or (b) wrinkled nose, furrowed brow, pursed lips, confused expression.

But the spoken response is always the same, "What kind of clinical trials?"

So, because I want to be honest,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 11:42 AM on May 1, 2008

Oh, face-saving techniques: If you'd let me, I could talk about my studies for hours, I'm that kind of nerd. But I try not to be so self-centered, so I usually answer the "What's that like" question with a short-ish answer that reveals a little more about me, like "It's interesting. It can be really difficult when patients don't do well, and with transplant a lot of patients don't do well, but that's why we're doing the research. Clinical trials fit in well with my own personal... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 12:00 PM on May 1, 2008

If you're at a computer, you can download and run this nifty ambient-noise generator called Atmosphere Lite. It has all kinds of nature sounds to use as white or ambient noise. You can not only have your rain, but you can add birds, crashing waves, wind, chimes, etc. You can adjust the volume and frequency of each part as well. I find it really relaxing (and I learned about it here on MeFi, in a thread I can't seem to find at the moment).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 6:45 PM on April 20, 2008

I think "ambiguity" is the right word to describe this sort of thing; that's what I was taught in my linguistics class. There are different types of ambiguity, though, check out some discussion here.

I think the ones you describe might be lexical or structural (and I think it applies whether the word is "arise" or "arrive.")
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:46 PM on April 17, 2008

Luka Bloom- "Acoustic Motorbike"
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:39 PM on March 12, 2008

Expanding on Ufez's suggestion, I think any hip-hop or R&B song done on acoustic guitar is a crowd pleaser for all types. See Jonathan Coulton's version of Baby got Back and Jenny Owen young's cover of Hot in Herre.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:03 PM on February 22, 2008

I really like Elfenland, affectionately referred to by me and my friends as "The Boot Game" because every player is a different color boot. I have played with hardcore gamers and noobs alike, and we all enjoyed ourselves.

The game definitely rewards strategic thinking, in that you have to figure out the best path to get all your tokens, but also how you're going to afford it. There are really only three "rounds," which makes the game seem to go a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 8:39 PM on February 19, 2008

AgentRocket is dead on: young kids up front, and the crowd gets older the further back you go.

Just as a warning, TMBG does occasionally shine a bright light right at the crowd, which can be annoying. And if you want to protect your hearing, bring some earplugs. It does get pretty loud. (I really wanted earplugs last time, and I'm under 30!) And the confetti cannon wakes everybody up (in the days of Factory Showroom, they used to do the confetti cannon 3 or 4 times a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:42 AM on February 13, 2008

Seconding SweetieDarling and wreckingball-- go above this guy's head, especially if he's new. Yours sounds like a special case, so he may not know what he's talking about.

My first instinct would be that the guy wants to give you the scholarship, but also wants to cover his own ass in case it turns out that he makes a mistake.

So, provide him with the information from CPS. Explain that the transcripts and documentation from your prior school... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:34 PM on January 30, 2008

PS- Don't let this guy or your past get the best of you. Obviously somebody thought you were awesome enough to receive one of the best scholarships, which will allow you to better yourself through education. Focus on the end goal-- your future success-- and that may help alleviate some of the stress.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:39 PM on January 30, 2008

xkcd has a bunch as comics, specifically here, here and (the best one) here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 3:19 PM on January 24, 2008 marked best answer

Save it for a special occasion and have a dinner party, using the kraft paper as the table covering. Pass out crayons and have your guests draw pictures!
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 4:48 PM on January 10, 2008

Many Catholic churches hold a "Blessing of the animals" day in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. I don't know anything about specifically baptizing penguins, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 12:30 PM on November 20, 2007

The Planetarium at Chabot Science Center? Kinda like a movie, but better.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 3:59 PM on October 27, 2007

I park frequently in the right-angle spots not.so.hip mentions. The signs say 6-hr parking on weekdays, but as far as I can tell, they've never ticketed anybody there. The majority of the cars I've seen parked there are there all the time, so I think parking over the weekend would not be a huge deal.

The lot at Franklin and Evelyn might be safer since it's directly across from the police station. I have seen people parking there long term, I believe, but I haven't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:23 AM on September 7, 2007

Go to the library and look at the Consumer Reports car guides.

There's a new magazine put out by the editors of Consumer Reports called "Shop Smart" and this month's issue (blond woman in an orange t-shirt on the cover, holding some fruit) has a page about "great used cars for under $4,000." She could probably also find that at the library. One of the cars it says to avoid is the VW New Beetle (4 cyl). Some of the cars it suggests are 97 or 98... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:53 PM on July 26, 2007

SFSU is a great school, and I think there would be people there who could help him plan out his path to med school.

One thing to think about is that a lot of folks (I can think of 4 that I've known in the past year) get their undergrad degree, but don't have perfect MCAT scores the first time, so they get a job for a while during the time they're working on better scores. A great job during that time would be in research, either in a lab or in clinical research... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:14 AM on July 18, 2007

My voice teacher is awesome, works well with kids of all ages and adults, and is very good about teaching to each student's needs. However, she has her own studio, and I don't think she does house calls. The studio's in downtown Mountain View, at Dana and Hope Sts. Her lessons are usually 3-9pm weekday evenings. I've been with her 2 years, I am a pretty amateur singer, but my voice is notably better since I've taken lessons from her (and not just from the consistent practice- I've been... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 5:51 PM on July 2, 2007

I seem to recall there being a place called "2.50 cleaners" at Saratoga and Stevens Creek. I don't know if every item is $2.50, and I don't know the quality of their work, and I can't seem to find any info on the internet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:19 AM on May 3, 2007

I loved that game. The end fish was hard!
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 3:13 PM on April 12, 2007

Right around the corner from Weird Stuff is Yahoo's main campus. I don't know if you can get in there, but you could drive around the parking lots looking for people who can't park.

Drive up 101 and you'll pass the empty buildings for Excite@Home, which have been empty for several years. Stanford just bought it up, though, to make an extension to the hospital.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:27 AM on April 2, 2007

Another previously, for songs about the Midwest.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 8:51 AM on March 15, 2007

The short answer is, No. There is no standardized time frame created by The Ethicists for which to remove life support from someone in a coma.

The next part is that the hierarchy of people who can make the decision to remove life support probably are as follows:
1. The Patient, either by voicing their opinions themselves, or through an Advanced Directive that they have completed prior to the incident.
2. The person with Durable Power of Attorney... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:47 AM on March 8, 2007

Yes, a histology or pathology book would be excellent. Also, looking for descriptions of "differentiation" (the process by which a generic or stem cell becomes a specific cell) might also get you somewhere.

For example, search google images for "hematopoeisis" or hematopoietic differentiation, and you'll find a ton of diagrams explaining how cells in the blood develop from a single hematopoietic (blood) progenitor cell.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:24 AM on March 8, 2007

My 89-year-old grandmother lives in a retirement community down the street and around the corner from McDaniel. It is a beautiful, still fairly rural area, although the housing market has increased. A lot of the kids from McDaniel work in the cafeteria/dining room at the retirement home as well. In the summers, I believe the Warren Moon football camp still uses the area (and possibly some of McDaniel's fields), so there are a lot of kids around.

Also across from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:45 PM on February 21, 2007

"Filgrastim" is the granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF, trade name Neupogen). Most people complain of bone pain after getting GCSF. There will probably be a lot of pain after the marrow harvest as well, but it does go away relatively quickly.

You would receive the Filgrastim regardless of whether you were donating PBSC or bone marrow. It sounds like you will be donating bone marrow, based on the anesthesia part they told you. There is no... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 4:07 PM on February 13, 2007

My niece just turned one back in November. For her birthday and Christmas, the big hits were:
Play Cell Phone and Keys set. This one was the biggest hit. Her parents can record a short message on the phone so that when she hits the right button she hears their voice. She loves playing with their actual cell phones, so this is a nice substitute.
Fisher-Price Gumball Machine. I am told this is the first thing she plays with every morning-- she loves pushing the button... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 12:15 PM on February 13, 2007

I forgot to say, we are simultaneously talking to a lawyer as well about this issue.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:11 AM on February 2, 2007

When I used an deoderant + antipersperant with aluminum, it made my underarms itch. Of course, I only ever really used one in middle school (15+ years ago), and when my arms started to itch, I mentioned it to my dad, and he said that he could not wear anti-persperant for the same reason. So since then I have bought deoderant-only... uh, deoderant, without really looking at the ingredients. They stopped making my old deoderant, so I switched to Tom's of Maine, which also has no aluminum, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:36 PM on February 1, 2007

Regarding Terminal Verbosity's comment about the wet rawhide drying as a torture device: that was on an episode of Brisco County, Jr. starring Bruce Campbell and currently available on DVD from Netflix. I'd love to see it busted, though. In the episode, I think it dries in an elapsed time of 15-30 mins. I can't remember how Brisco escaped, though.

I also would be interested in a ricocheting bullet myth: wouldn't the bullet lose force, and thereby velocity, each time... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:08 AM on January 25, 2007

Yeah, what Liosliath said. Except if you have fine hair, the braids may fall out in the night, which is frustrating.

I've used the Garnier Fructis Curl Construct Mousse before, applied to damp (but not soaking wet) hair, scrunch (like so), and let air dry. And continue to scrunch throughout the day. One time I had an exceptionally good hair day using this technique.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:19 PM on December 5, 2006

When I was in college, the vending machines near the computer lab I frequented were stocked with cookies and turnovers made fresh by a local company. Those turnovers got me through some late nights, and the cookies were downright addicting. So one night at the beginning of finals, I visited the compnay's website and sent them an email telling them how much I enjoyed their cookies. What can I say, I was an poor, giddy college student. Anyway, about a week later I got a call from the Campus... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 6:08 PM on December 3, 2006

I was going to suggest Roller Derby, but it looks like they're taking a break over Christmas. But if you're back again some other time, I bet your sisters would love it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:07 AM on November 21, 2006

Probably more well-known in Canada than the US, Jian Ghomeshi is of Persian decent, although he was born in London and raised in Toronto. He was in the band Moxy Früvous and has been a TV and radio host for the CBC.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:00 AM on November 16, 2006

I hate to be the loser who bring this up, but the Chinese Fast Food Scene in "Dude, Where's My Car?" where the drive thru lady just keeps repeating "And theeeennnnnn?!"

And a lot of the Santa scenes in Bad Santa.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:13 AM on November 9, 2006

My cousin and his wife went on a cruise for their honeymoon, and his wife basically said the same thing-- when the ship was moving she was fine, but when it was at port and just bobbing in the water, she felt ill. Do you have the schedule of ports? Most cruises do most of their travel during the evening, but it's possible that you would have the opportunity to leave the ship whenever it is stopped, thereby avoiding the worst of the motion sickness.

I have pretty bad... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:10 AM on October 31, 2006

Hrm, I've never heard that a check is "invalid" after 6 months. If you found a check from your grandma in the back of your closet when cleaning out your house and cashed it, and got money, your grandma would still be responsible for covering the amount on the check, regardless of how old it is.

This is stated in law: "A bank is under no obligation to a customer having a checking account to pay a check, other than a certified check, which is presented... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 3:42 PM on October 27, 2006

A coworker of mine recently got her Bachelor's degree after many many years of hard work and sleepless nights, and was applying to graduate schools to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. My then boss got a card for the rest of the office to sign to congratulate her. The card had a puppy on the front, looking up a long flight of stairs wistfully. On the inside, the card said "Congratulations on finally making to the top!" The boss crossed out "top" and hand-written... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:13 PM on October 17, 2006

I sounds like you would feel guilty any way-- if you take the job, you feel guilty for being away from your daughter, if you don't take the job, you feel guilty for not working and providing for the family, and if you quit early, you feel guilty for wasting your employer's time. You have to know that none of these is true-- you should feel proud that you can make a decision that is right for you.

If you take the job and then quit after, say, 6 months, the company will... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 11:55 AM on October 6, 2006 marked best answer

Department Coordinator is one we've used where I work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:35 PM on September 26, 2006

In addition to the lack of White Castles, California is also missing Dunkin' Donuts (Krispy Kremes are pretty lame), Steak 'n' Shake (OMG BANANA SPLIT MILKSHAKE), and Caribou Coffee.

This is why my boyfriend and I drove from California to Minnesota and Iowa and back this summer, so as to get our fix of these awesome culinary institutions.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 4:27 PM on September 17, 2006

Also on Livejournal: Found Notes and Found Objects. Be careful on the latter, there are occasionally pictures of dead things.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 1:10 PM on August 17, 2006

following off subatomiczero's suggestion of yearbooks, search for "1995 yearbook" in Google Image Search. I, too, was a high schooler in 1995, and looking at things like this and this make me feel old.

Keep your eyes peeled for "grunge," menswear on girls, and head-to-toe denim.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:57 AM on August 7, 2006 marked best answer

whitebird, I'm interested in this question as well. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you re: Medicaid, but I have a bit of an idea how it is done in practice.

I have been thinking about becoming an X-Ray Tech (an Associate's degree), but the class descriptions I've read online don't mention anything about CTs or MRIs. So I asked a coworker, who's father is a general practitioner, and he said that the people who run CTs and MRIs are X-ray techs, with an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 10:59 AM on August 2, 2006

Cord Locks or Cord Stops
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:42 AM on August 2, 2006 marked best answer

Santa Clara Adult Education (beware, that site uses Java) has a Basic Digital Photography class. I took their woodworking class many years ago and was relatively pleased with it.

If you're willing to drive a little further and pay a little (well, a lot) more, take a look at Stanford Continuing Studies (scroll down to "Art Studio"). The classes are usually in Palo Alto. The Black and White Photography is at a basic level, and it looks like the other ones... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 9:16 AM on August 2, 2006

My dad always used to call our cats like that, when they were outside cats. I had forgotten about it until I read this question. Not sure where he got it from, but the cats would usually come, if not right away, after a few minutes. I would suspect that it helped that he called them right around supper time, the same time every day. Once they became indoor cats, we used the tsk-ing sound more. When the cats would do something wrong, we would usually sternly and loudly say their name, or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2006

Seconding luscious or sacrilicious, adding mouthwatering and enticing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sarahnade at 2:00 PM on July 25, 2006