Uh, this is a really stupid question, but is the $80 only for the electricity, taxes, and other fixed costs? Or does it include things like a deposit or a connection fee? The reason why I ask is that I notice you said it's the first time you've lived alone and also your first bill. There may be some charges associated with you beginning service.

$80 seems to me like an awful lot for just a couple weeks' worth of electric service for such a small place. Check the line... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:13 PM on September 5, 2008

Since you've just moved to a new city and don't know anyone, you don't really have to come out. All you have to do is be out. Nobody in the City knows that you were ever "in." That is, in fact, what I did when I moved to D.C. when I was your age.

In my case, I met people and got involved in the community and social activities initially through joining a GLBT religious group. This was back before the Internet. I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:27 PM on September 4, 2008

Just to clarify a bit more, I was just starting to accept my gay identity when I first moved to D.C. It was moving to a new city and making a fresh start, with a fresh attitude, that made a tremendous difference for me. Best of luck to you!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:29 PM on September 4, 2008

I use vbulletin.org at least several times a week. I don't know if it has the comprehensive resources you're looking for, but it does have a lot of people there who use vBulletin every day, and many posts that might apply to specific questions you may have.

FWIW, I typically work with a developmental copy of a live vB board. If I really get stuck, I end up editing the script and sticking in "print_r($vbulletin)" -- yes, really, and it produces a humongous... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:52 PM on September 2, 2008

I'm curious about your phrase "a certain standard of living." All of us, rich, poor, and in-betwen, have "a certain standard of living" but I think it's rare to people to need multiple jobs to support it unless they are, in fact, poor and struggling or else have unusual expenses. Many two-person households who earn less than you live on much less than what you make. The median household income in Connecticut in 2006 was $63,422, and I suspect that you two earn more than... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:40 PM on September 1, 2008

It's not ethical. Neither is it ethical to buy a dress, wear it for one fancy event, then return it. The $15 or $20 isn't a lot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:49 PM on August 31, 2008

I named my LLC after a dog. Then there's that computer guy who named his company after some sort of fruit...

What I'm getting at is, perhaps if your company does what it does well and gets known, it will establish an identity that will lend meaning to the name, rather than the other way around. So many companies' names have been seemingly random string of letters. It's what they do that gives it meaning.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:26 PM on August 29, 2008

Just chiming in, very quietly, to address the issue of US hospitals, ERs, etc. and translation for those who do not speak English. My sister-in-law is a bilingual Asian immigrant who learned English many years ago, met my US-native brother in Europe and married him there. They have lived in the US many years now.

She has a job as a translator. A lot of her work, she told me, involves translating for doctors and hospitals. However, she never leaves her workplace; she... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:02 PM on August 28, 2008

...clarifying, her main work is translating between the patient and provider at the point-of-service. The job is wrenching, sometimes, the things she has to tell people.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:04 PM on August 28, 2008

Not even BIZ uses .biz
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:44 PM on August 27, 2008

Your husband cannot "live a life of pure logic" and also be an "angry, angry man" who rages at you and other and "despairs" at those who do not see the validity of his opinions.

You say you believe you should not try to change someone. I disagree. He needs to change, otherwise he will continue to be angry and miserable. And so will you.

There are good suggestions upthread. Reread them, and start by realizing that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:56 PM on August 24, 2008

Following on kimdog's comments, cats don't just live in square footage; they live in three dimensional space. If they have furniture and shelves that they can climb or jump on, the space available to them will be much more than you anticipate.

One place where I lived had a wall of bookshelves. There, my cat liked to leap to the upper shelves, walk around, cuddle up around a vase, peer down at me, etc. In my current space, she frequently jumps on top of the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:32 PM on August 22, 2008

This is from a series of documentaries currently being shown on BBC America. I don't know which UK network they came from, since the US network, despite the "BBC" name, does include some content from non-BBC sources in the UK. Others in the series include things such as "My Big Breasts and Me," "My Small Breasts and I," "I'm a Boy Anorexic," "Plastic Surgery Junkies," and more.

These are surprisingly non-exploitative... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 5:15 PM on August 22, 2008

I'm seeing several new suburban shopping centers going up near me each with multiple bank branches. Some of the banks (looking at you, Chase) have two branches across the street from each other. Others (Chase again, and BofA) are building branches within a mile or two of existing branches.

I suspect that in addition to dealing with the Friday traffic jam, there is some logic in providing convenience for the merchants who make deposits into these banks. It's easier for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:47 PM on August 22, 2008

With our Westies, we've taught them to let us clean the "sleep" out of the corners of their eyes a couple of times a day. This lets us nip in in the bud before it cakes up going down their faces.

We also give them filtered water. Where we live now (SE Texas) they generally seem to have fewer allergies than when we lived in California; that may also be a factor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:21 PM on August 21, 2008

My partner takes over a dozen medications daily. I keep a list in a spreadsheet, and change it as needed when the doctors change his meds. Basically, it's just one column each for medication name, dosage, and how many times a day (or other comment). When I print it out, it's still less than a single sheet and is easily foldable.

There's additional worksheets in the same file listing all his doctors and contact info and also all his past surgeries.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 10:26 AM on August 19, 2008

We've had four terriers over the years, in our case Westies not Bostons, but I think some temperament aspects may be similar for all terriers. For example, terriers are "earth dogs," literally. Many of them like to dig in the earth (i.e., terre).

Anyhow, both of our two females have had stronger or "bitchier" personalities than our two males. That didn't make them any less lovable, but it did mean that they were more... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:00 PM on August 16, 2008

Agreeing with fogster, if you do this, it is not for him, it is for you. That doesn't mean it is a dick move bad thing to do. What it means is that you should be honest with yourself about your motives. Maybe you need to do this to refocus on "what's important" or "family" in this time when you job is stressing you so much. On the other hand, maybe you're so stressed right now that you don't really know what to do but are grasping to do the "right thing.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:54 PM on August 15, 2008

For US Federal taxes, you can pay online through through the government's EFTPS service. This includes the ability to schedule the payment in advance so that the transaction is performed on the due date. I started doing this last year after a large tax payment check of mine was lost in the mail, and it's worked very well for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:48 PM on August 13, 2008

Years ago, my ex and I used to use Albolene. He claimed (don't know if this is true) that Al Parker used to use it. :-) It cleaned up well, being a cleanser after all, and lasted a long, slick, satisfying time. If you were in fact using it that frequently, though, you might have some concerns about how it would affect the insides.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:27 AM on August 6, 2008

My partner has Type 1 diabetes, has had it since age 12 and he is now 50. The tips he follows are probably ones you already have, but here goes.

-- Test often
-- Keep o.j. in the fridge, keep candy (or glucose tablets) by the bed and in the car
-- Know what you're eating and be aware.. Whether you give yourself insulin shots (he does, with a pen) or use the pump (he did, for awhile, but switched back)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:13 PM on August 5, 2008 marked best answer

I thought of a couple more things:

-- If you are having surgery or some other medical procedure which requires fasting, ask to have it scheduled first on the schedule. Understanding that you are a Type 1 diabetic, they will let you have your procedure early on (e.g. 7am) so that you do not have to go throughout the day trying to manage your blood sugar without eating.
-- If you are having general anesthesia, be sure to talk with the anesthesiologist to make... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:04 PM on August 5, 2008

  Female bisexuality/lesbianism is becoming... well almost a fad.

Becoming? Almost? It's been around for a while.

...all those episodes of Friends where Joey almost creamed himself thinking about Rachel and/or Monica and/or Phoebe together. It was a funny caricature, but the Perry song to me just seems exploitative. Thankfully, I have not heard "UR So Gay."

UR: Wasn't that in ancient Mesopotamia?
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 7:43 PM on August 3, 2008

That brought back memories. In the 70s I thought Wal-Mart was a phenomenon of podunk hick towns. I was shocked when I came home from DC in the 80s to visit my parents in San Antonio and discovered a Wal-Mart a couple miles from their house. Then a few years later one popped up in Suburban Maryland, and suddenly they seemed almost everywhere.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 5:34 PM on July 31, 2008

Home Depot has quality brands, reasonable prices, and excellent staff.

Maybe in Canada. Down here, Home Depot has invisible staff: I can hardly ever find someone to help me. And when I do find someone to ask where the widgets are, they don't know. Then I wander around, find the location, and they're out of stock. Lowe's, any day, instead.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 5:58 AM on August 1, 2008

I am a gay man in a loving and sexless relationship. Notice I changed "but" to "and".

In our case, we've been together eight years and plan to be together for the duration, indefinitely. The first year or so the sex was wonderful, but as my partner's health declined he lost interest in sex, and then later it became implausible, if not impossible. Sex just isn't on the agenda.

We always did have an open... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:30 PM on July 31, 2008

AeroBed. Get it at your Target or BedBath&Beyond or order online. Some varities/sizes are well under $100. We have a full-size one we bought for just over $100 which we use when extra guests are visiting. I found it very comfortable, although I would raise it off the floor if I was sleeping on it more than a few nights.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:14 PM on July 29, 2008

Back in the 90s I worked in the IT department of a catalog company. In fact, they sold shoes, and I was in web development, although I also did some programming for their back-end inventory and fulfillment systems. I remember a particular crisis day during the UPS strike and a bunch of stuff had to be revised... (The joke at the time: FedEx and UPS merge and become "FedUp")

Anyhow, shipping is considered a profit center. It is normal and expected for an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:33 PM on July 27, 2008

One other thing occurred to me: If you selected next-day shipping, the cost will skyrocket. If your package weighs a couple of pounds, it's quite possible that you would pay a hefty shipping charge. $70 still seems steep, but if the shoes and the packaging actually are particularly heavy, that would make a difference.

Second-day shipping, likewise, would also command a premium over something like Priority Mail, UPS Ground, or Parcel Post.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2008

I do the gardening and yard work. An afternoon of digging and planting works lots of muscles and burns lots of calories. If you don't have a yard, you could volunteer with a local group that plants trees and does other beautification projects.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:41 AM on July 25, 2008

A girl in my HS class was named Candace Cain.

A former co-worker of mine told us her maiden name was Candace "Candy" Cain. She married and divorced, then remarried, but went by her first husband's last name, which by then was how she was known in her field. When she and the first hubby split, she said, her one non-negotiable need was to keep the ex's last name.

Be that as it may, the singer is my favorite of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 4:38 PM on July 24, 2008

Here's a page about the plant, which is also known as a Rose Mallow or Confederate Rose. I have three pink ones in my yard; I didn't know they grew that far north. I don't know about the bug, but I bet the people on that site, Dave's Garden, can help you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:26 PM on July 24, 2008

Are your criteria ranked, 1 through 5, or is that just the way that you happened to write them out? I think that ranking them might help, and also recognizing that you might not be able to satisfy all of them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:53 PM on July 23, 2008

How about if you buy the CFLs or LEDs now and take them with you when or if you move?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:05 PM on July 22, 2008

If you ever get food poisoning or have some other cause of digestive upset, you feel happier if you have mattress cover. The cover can be easily laundered. (and bleached!) The mattress cannot.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:02 PM on July 22, 2008

From your question history, it appears that you have just moved or are about to move from Michigan to Charlotte. I suspect that some of your problems are related to simply not actually living there. The last time I was doing a long-distance job hunt prior to moving (and this was also during a recession), I wasn't able to land a job until I was actually living there. I suspect that unless you, as a candidate, are unusually appealing or well-matched to the job, the employer will hire someone... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:35 AM on July 21, 2008

Happy Birthday, Tyler. I looked at your profile to try to get a better sense of who you were, and I saw that your birthday was yesterday, the same day you submitted this question. I suppose it must not have seemed very happy, so please think of it as wish and a gift for you, and a hope for your future.

I see a lot of similar questions from you, ("i.e., Why am I boring?"). I don't think you're boring, nor stupid, but you do need help sorting things out,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:58 AM on July 20, 2008

Happy Birthday, Tyler Travis .

I'm so sorry. That's my fault, not yours.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 9:08 AM on July 20, 2008

Isn't there a chapter in freakonomics that deals with campaign fiance?

Campaign fiance? Add one more 'e' and we'll be talking about Charlie Crist.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 6:46 PM on July 19, 2008

The supermarket association has a lobbyist in Washington; he is the grocers' lobbyist.

It really does depend on context.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:08 PM on July 17, 2008

CU Service Center for shared branching and what it's all about. 3,379 credit unions across the country have an arrangement to process deposits, withdrawals, etc for each other.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:55 PM on July 16, 2008

Don't shop for "small," shop for a particular neck size and sleeve length. If you don't know your size, go to a department store or other finer mens clothier and have them measure you. After you know your size, you can either shop locally (where are you?) or shop online.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:50 PM on July 14, 2008

“Animals don’t do sexual identity. They just do sex,” says sociologist Eric Anderson of the University of Bath in England.

But do animails "do identity" at all, sexual or not? Watching my dogs and cat, I would say yes. Then again, I understand that the labels of gay/straight and homosexual/heterosexual are fairly recent in human history. We gay guys have been doing our thing for centuries, even if we didn't have a special word for it.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 6:46 PM on July 13, 2008

Arturus, I started to write that we actually agree, but that I was sloppy in my wording. But then I had second thoughts... What about the work of historians such as John Boswell? I think my poorly worded point was that people have been acting and thinking of themselves in same-sex relations and relationships for a long time, no matter what it was called, no matter what role it played in society.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 8:24 PM on July 13, 2008

Doesn't the receipt have the server's name on it? Many restaurant receipts do. If it does, go back and ask for that person by name, explain your mistake and give them the extra amount. Was this today or some days ago? If today and it's not really late, go back now if you can. If not, address this the next time you are there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:38 PM on July 13, 2008

An alternate history of hurricane naming conventions, and another. My mother grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I remember her telling me about Hurricane Alpha, which I think was in the 1940s prior to the use of women's names.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 8:56 AM on July 13, 2008

.

I, too, was surprised when I watched the networks' news yesterday and more attention paid to Snow than to DeBakey. One man will go down in history; the other will likely be forgotten.
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 8:47 AM on July 13, 2008

Per the Chronicle, Houston has more job growth than Dallas. The article is the first I found in a quick search, and it's from March of this year. I recall reading more recent ones which indicate that employment is still growing here, albeit more slowly.

Home construction is also slower than last year, but in my area, western Pearland, there is massive commercial construction. CBL is working on a new "town center" development and there are other commercial... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:43 AM on July 13, 2008

I see it now: "Officer, it was a hit and run by Mr. Peanut."
posted to MetaFilter by Robert Angelo at 3:11 PM on July 11, 2008

Echoing dirtdirt, and more, I think that there are so many places online for forums and chat that it's unlikely that a city government, with a limited budget and limited resources, would want to develop that.

My city's web site is truly ugly and disorganized, which is a shame because the design they had until last year was actually quite pretty. Having said that, I have access there to things like a GIS service that shows things like capital improvement projects and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 8:02 AM on July 11, 2008