Well, its value as literature is debatable, but the Chicken Soup series is easily digestible and can lead to discussion. My 12yo daughter likes the ones written for teens.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 12:37 PM on October 6, 2008

I have excelled in the program, and no one knows the extent of my poor habits, so I can't exactly fess up.

Why not? Isn't that what your advisor is there for, to lead you through the process, despite all obstacles? It sounds to me like coming clean (or at least a little airing of your dirty laundry) would help you. And I bet you wouldn't be the first one to have struggled, despite outward appearances. Besides, a little... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 12:33 PM on October 6, 2008

Anything from THRILLER!!!

Our House - Madness
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
The Flame - Cheap Trick
That's What I Like About You - The Romantics
Head Over Heels - The Go-Go's
anything from Purple Rain (Prince)
Rock the Casbah - The Clash
Working for the Weekend - Loverboy
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 7:50 AM on October 5, 2008

Foreplay
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 6:41 AM on October 3, 2008

Sliver

David Blaine?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 2:22 PM on October 2, 2008

Are you willing to mail it off, and wait for it to be returned to you? If you're ok with that, I'd start with their official fan club, if they have one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 6:16 AM on October 2, 2008

I would not glue anything to your dog's fur. You would be, in essence, creating mats in his fur, and mats are extremely uncomfortable. Imagine gluing those sticks into your hair, and imagine that feeling all over your body. All that pulling on his skin might drive even the most amiable dog to distraction.

I would suspect your dog would try to chew them off. Whether or not the sticks or glue are toxic, chewing them off (or attempting to) would ruin the costume.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:58 AM on October 1, 2008

I Want to be Your Girlfriend - Mary Chapin Carpenter, featuring the lines "You used to be just this guy I knew from that same old scene, for all the time that I've known you just now I'm noticing"
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 4:40 PM on September 30, 2008

Does it have to be actual structures, or generic representations? A pagoda would make me instantly think Japan (or the Far East, in general).

Mt. Fiji?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 3:31 PM on September 29, 2008

Term paper writer. If you are close to a college, put up some signs or find out where the college kids go online, and post an ad. If you know how to format citations and bibliographies, and can write a coherent sentence, your services will be very popular.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 6:34 AM on September 29, 2008

Previously. Lots more suggestions!
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:52 AM on September 19, 2008

If anyone has kids in public school, did you ever feel like no matter what reason you went to the school to complain about a policy or procedure or teacher, you're always made to feel like you are the one wrong?

No, but I don't go to the school to complain very much, if ever. I can count on one hand the times I've been to my kid's school to complain in the 8 years she's been attending public school, and those were for some really big issues.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 7:40 AM on September 19, 2008

No real problems, but it reset all my Office 2007 settings back to the defaults (fonts, colors, etc.) This was a major pain in the ass, because I use Office everyday and had it set "just so."
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 6:04 AM on September 18, 2008

No sand, unless you want your playground to be the neighborhood kitty box.

The playgrounds around my neighborhood use some kind of recycled product (I want to say old, cleaned tires?) made into pellets. Seems to work very well, but I don't know if it would be cost-prohibitive if you're not doing a whole park district's worth of playgrounds.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 3:28 PM on September 17, 2008

Cake and coffee
Ham and eggs
Beef and broccoli
Sweet and sour chicken
Red beans and rice
Ham and cheese
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 11:00 AM on September 16, 2008

Ooh, just thought of another: shake and bake.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 11:02 AM on September 16, 2008

Here's a link I had saved. It deals more with younger kids, but you should find some useful info.

Teach a Kid to Program (Wired How-To Wiki)

And seconding the idea of not underestimating them. I've taught a couple of younger teens and a few tweens in college-level courses, and they were my best students each time. Just remember they won't get your jokes, because you are hopelessly old and out-of-touch no matter how old you are. :-)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 2:16 PM on September 15, 2008

What version of Outlook? What version of Windows (assuming you're using Windows)? Service pack? Any third-party utilities installed that affect your clipboard? Can you paste into Word or other applications? When you paste, do you get an icon instead of the expected text? When you paste, does your cursor move down like there was something pasted, but it's just not visible? Does it happen when you paste with the mouse, the menu or the keyboard?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:11 AM on September 15, 2008

Sorry not to reply earlier - I had to go to work. Grumble, grumble.

I think you might know this, but, just in case: There are TWO clipboards that are at work here. Office has its own clipboard, and Windows has a separate clipboard. The Office clipboard is only available within Office, but the Windows clipboard is available everywhere.

Could you verify which scenario(s) below work(s)?

1) Copy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 1:59 PM on September 15, 2008

I put my Drinkwell on an appliance timer, so it only comes on every couple of hours or so. The novelty of it only being on some of the time seems to entice the kitties over for a look-see, even if they don't seem to drink much.

Also, keep it scrupulously clean. I take mine apart and run the pieces (I even do the filter) through the dishwasher regularly. The cats tend to avoid it when it smells even a little funky or gets floaties in it.

My cats... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 5:30 AM on September 15, 2008

So the outside of their window is on your balcony? Meaning, in theory, the outside part of the window is yours to do with as you please? Block their view out (and thus, your view in) by nailing some plywood over the window, or hanging some vinyl sheeting or a tarp. Maybe that would be enough of a clue for them? I would only do this if explaining the situation to them doesn't work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2008

Are you asking if you should delete this text message? I would reply, letting the sender know that the phone has a new owner, and then delete it and not worry about it.

Is there more to this that I'm missing?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 7:41 AM on September 12, 2008

Be extremely conscious of correct posture. A personal care worker does a lot of lifting at odd angles, yes? You may have to lift a person out of bed, or ??? So be very very conscious of safe lifting position. In fact, see if you can temporarily avoid lifting anything heavier than a book, at more than an arm's length away from your body, as that position can put an enormous strain on your neck.

Also, seconding a trip to an osteopath. Maybe a gentle massage at a spa might... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 7:12 AM on September 11, 2008

What if the year and song on each postcard corresponded to a significant event in life/career of The Mystery Guest (TMG)?

In order of year, the clues are:

1965 - Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown
1970 - Black Magic Woman
1971 - Stairway to Heaven
1973 - Band on the Run and Tequila Sunrise
1975 - Walk This Way
1979 - Refugee

So TMG had a breakdown in '65, was... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 12:08 PM on September 10, 2008

Can you install a different faucet? Something like this (a taller faucet) or this (a faucet with a hose on the end) might work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:07 AM on September 10, 2008

Instead of offering to pay, offer to be the lead on your company's new "Always Backup Your Data, You Never Know What Could Happen" employee reminder project.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:01 AM on September 10, 2008

Other donation options: nursing homes, hospital waiting rooms, hair salons, doctor/dentist offices - anywhere people wait.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 12:03 PM on September 7, 2008

Seconding Jonas Brothers. Stuff from this page looks cool.

Here's their tour schedule. If you can get them tickets, you will be the rockstar auntie of all time (second only to me - I took my niece last weekend.)

Here's their latest cd at Amazon. You could get it and Miley Cyrus' latest.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 5:04 PM on August 31, 2008

The only thing I would be concerned about (besides throwing out my back picking up gigantic St. Bernard landmines) is if the dog decided to return "home" one day, and got hit by a car, or lost, or picked up by animal control on her way there. Not sure how you can avoid that, but it would be something to think about. Maybe all outdoor time is closely supervised until you are confident she considers your house home?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 4:40 PM on August 31, 2008

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
--Abraham Lincoln

Once I started following this advice, my sarcastic reputation seemed to wane. I decided that instead of making what I thought was a light-hearted, jokey comment about everything, I would just bite my tongue and say nothing, or purposely say something that to my ears sounded falsely sincere.

Those comments that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:15 AM on August 14, 2008 marked best answer

Visual Basic. You don't need to access dlls for this.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:45 AM on August 13, 2008

i_love_squirrels, I did the same thing in 2nd grade! I believe it was between 2nd and 4th grades that we learned all 50 state songs. I can still sing some of them today.

Daily singing was definitely the highlight of elementary school. Also spelling bees, but I was a good speller, so it was a chance for me to show off.

My daughter played a game in the library with her 2nd grade class that they called "library baseball." Two teams, a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 11:04 AM on August 12, 2008

I'm watching men's volleyball right now, and the announcers just talked about this. There are professional volleyball leagues all over the world. Currently the most lucrative league is in Russia. A player will spend about 6 months with his national team (May-November) participating in world competitions. Then he will spend the next 6 months with his club (pro) team.

Most of the softball players play in the National Pro Fastpitch league in the summer, and coach, teach or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 10:02 AM on August 12, 2008

I once bought a music box for a baby gift. It had a charming tune, and his parents would play it for him as he fell asleep. Now the baby is 15, and the music box sits on his "treasure" shelf in his bedroom.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:53 AM on August 12, 2008

but I do think that having been depressed once is a risk factor for being depressed again in the future

This is true, according to this list of risk factors for depression, from the Mayo Clinic. If a therapist suspects depression, one of the first questions they will ask is about any depressive episodes you've experienced in the past.

iamkimiam's chair metaphor is actually a pretty good one. :-) It's a bit easier to work on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:43 AM on August 12, 2008

You could do the boring paperwork for a charity - things like stuffing envelopes for mailings or stuffing give-away bags with fliers and whatnot is enormously helpful. I've done this both on-site at the charity, and I've taken all the materials with me and done it at home. The latter might fit your schedule better. A couple dozen here and there during the day, and soon you've stuffed several hundred envelopes, which can be a big help to a charity that doesn't really have a lot of support staff.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:33 AM on August 12, 2008

Two poop-related ideas: a dog-poop pickup service, and a goose-poop pickup service. For the former, you would go to client's houses and clean up their yards. For the latter, your clients would be golf courses, park districts, condo complexes, office complexes - any place with a large expanse of grass and a goose population.

Another idea, and I know of someone who does this, although I don't know how financially successful they are - a service that gets drunk people and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:49 AM on August 10, 2008

But have you ever been performing and had your name yelled (or even just a general "go!" that was directed toward you) and felt a surge? Or distraction?

Always a surge, never a distraction, from childhood where people who knew me would yell my name, to a few years ago when I did a triathlon, and our names where printed large enough on our race numbers for the crowd to read. It's a totally awesome feeling to have someone cheer for YOU, not... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:05 AM on August 10, 2008

I transport rescued animals to a variety of vet offices for their initial vetting before going to a foster home, so I've interacted with many different vets in many different settings. Beyond a doubt, the ones I look forward to visiting again are the ones who treat the often dirty, smelly, matted, frightened rescue with as much dignity and affection as they would a valuable pedigreed show dog.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:49 AM on August 10, 2008

As noted above, to be absolutely positively sure the employee does not sabotage things after hearing of their layoff, they have to leave immediately.

But think also of the morale of those left behind. If I see someone being escorted out, I know that:

A) that's going to be my embarrassing and undignified fate too if/when I'm laid off;

B) someone (me?) is going to have to do a lot of wheel-reinventing because that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 2:05 PM on August 8, 2008

I think my naps feel better because the feel of sunlight streaming through the windows and the sounds of the rest of the world going about their day makes me feel a little like I'm getting away with something, or that I'm hiding out in my own little cozy nest. I don't get that same feeling at night.

If this sounds like it might be true for you, try to replicate day-like conditions at night. I'd start with one of those light therapy lamps for SAD, and see if just the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:36 AM on August 8, 2008

My new dishwasher has a water jet that shoots from the back side as well as the top and bottom! Amazing! Now I can put big mixing bowls and pots in there facing backwards, and they get clean and also don't block the water from getting to everything on the top rack.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 2:01 PM on August 6, 2008

Why, then, would a smart, passionate, compassionate, loving man throw this away without any reason other than wanting to be alone?

You make "wanting to be alone" sound like a disease or some kind of psychiatric problem. Maybe he just really wants to be alone!

I've been in your situation. I had to break off even friendly contact because it hurt to much to act like "friends" when I really wanted more. My... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 9:30 AM on August 5, 2008

He is doing what he feels is best for himself. Now you do what feels best for you. Listen to languagehat. (And girls can be dumb that way too...)
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 11:11 AM on August 5, 2008

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 10:59 AM on August 5, 2008

I realize I'm not answering the questions asked, but since you seem to have found those answers, I'll offer another thing to try.

My husband uses a product called Critter Ridder around his garden in an ongoing attempt to keep our dogs from nosing around there. I hesitate to actually recommend this product specifically (His comment on its effectiveness: "Eh"), but you may find it (or its ilk) is worth a shot to keep your pup from ingesting too many pits at once.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 7:09 PM on August 4, 2008

Re: the shop vac - If it's a wet/dry vac, be sure to use the appropriate setting. You will probably be vacuuming up rotting cherries as well as pits, and rotten fruit stinks. You could ruin your vac. I know this because I once used our shop vac on the wrong setting, on something wet and stinky, and several years later, there is still a residual stink every time the shop vac is used.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:14 PM on August 4, 2008

I worked in the on-campus catering department and was able to take extra food home. This generally saved me some money, but was not a steady stream of reliable, nutritious food. Some days I just had a basket of leftover dinner rolls, other days some fruit or extra dessert. Very hit or miss, but it got me through a couple of summers with no meal service.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:07 PM on August 3, 2008

Hose reel?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 8:04 PM on August 3, 2008

Or maybe get on a softball team.

::mind boggles::

Wow, what an incredibly uninformed answer!

Besides, softball and baseball will no longer be Olympic sports after Beijing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SuperSquirrel at 2:22 PM on August 3, 2008