Another view from a gay man, but more like grumblebee's than mdonley's: When my partner and I met it was love at first sight. I turned around and he was there staring at me, I said, "Where did you come from?" and it's been almost eight years since. Nothing has turned out like we planned, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me.

He had already been officially "disabled" for several years due to a combination of diabetes... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:13 PM on July 5, 2008

Yes, I know that grumblebee is straight...
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:14 PM on July 5, 2008

I think it's important that whatever you choose to do, you act with integrity. When you mention this being "discrete," isn't that an another way of saying that her husband would not know she is having sex with other guys, or having sex with you? If so, bad idea. He, too, is your neighbor, and you'll likely have to deal with him sooner or later. He certainly deserves as much consideration and respect in this situation as anyone else.

On the other hand, if... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:27 PM on July 4, 2008

I use a Michelin road atlas, but you might like the National Geographic United States Classic map. "All major cities, transportation routes, State boundaries, National Parks, inland waterways, and mountain ranges are clearly displayed and labeled. Available in several size, printing, and lamination configurations."
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:04 PM on July 4, 2008 marked best answer

It's hard to recommend for a 14-year-old. I know that that age, I read both adult books and childrens books, depending on how I felt. Now in my late 40s, I still do. But I digress...

How about the works of C.S. Lewis? They aren't explicitly political, but they certainly do illustrate some conservative (and of course, Christian) values. Maybe That Hideous Strength would be suitable, since might be too old for Narnia (or already read them). It's got some interesting... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:35 PM on July 3, 2008

Frequently needed? Go back to Vons, Ralphs, or wherver and read the labels. It's likely that your major-brand beer and your soda-pop are US made. You'll probably find a lot of processed foods that are still US made.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:17 PM on July 2, 2008

As a fellow introvert, what worked for me over time is that the people I cared most about and who cared about me grew to understand that I hated to talk on the phone. My mother was that way, too, so we didn't have conflict. After I moved away for college, we never lived in the same city again. Years ago, when long-distance calls were more expensive, we had reason (or an excuse) to keep the calls short and infrequent. (Yes, I'm middle aged) Later on, my family all had email and we emailed... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:01 PM on July 2, 2008

I think that many people actually do perceive these types of events as part of a pattern, but in a different way than you realize.

For example, with the celebrity thing, that's a form of entertainment. It's not news that any random celebrity does anything in particular, whether it's posing nude, adopting a third-world child, tussling with paparazzi, or whatever. However, the latest case and most recent circumstance is entertainment, part of the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:12 AM on July 2, 2008

Latest regs rom the TSA. Sounds like the big thing is to be "co-operative" with the "additional screening." Get there early.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:15 PM on June 30, 2008

I notice your tags include "stick" "it" "to" "the" "man." I seriously doubt that the man cares what you do or whether you are happy. However, your loved ones and your friends do.

I agree with decathecting's advice above. Don't tell them who you are not or will not become, or what you will not do. Tell them who you are, where you want to go, what you want to become. Then do that. Go there. Be that. And they should... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:06 PM on June 29, 2008

dirtynumbangelboy's advice is utterly ridiculous.

When dirtynumbangelboy and konolia sorta semi kinda agree and both get a best answer, it makes my day. I agree with them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:09 PM on June 28, 2008

I read your post twice and I'm still confused. You promised to "dump her in October" to try to convince her to stay until then? You want to "give it a shot" and maybe you'll be in love then? Or maybe you'll hate each other? If I were her, I'd run too.

There's a cliche that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." I don't know if that's true or not, but maybe a little time and distance would give you both an opportunity to clarify what you want.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:50 PM on June 28, 2008

Thanks for the answers, so far. I've seen stories like this one, and it makes me wonder.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:49 PM on June 27, 2008

Priority Mail is not guaranteed, but it will probably get there. If you want certainty, go with Express Mail. It will be guaranteed, and also less expensive than FedEx or UPS.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:34 PM on June 27, 2008

A Canticle for Leibowitz is the very, very best.

I also like On The Beach.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:06 PM on June 27, 2008

Your question seems to be "was I fired?" since neither the boss nor the HR person spoke to you about it. Is that correct?

You can confirm this by talking to the HR person. Perhaps you could call him/her and ask if you are eligible for COBRA or when you can roll over your 401(k) if you have one. Or, simply related what you were told and ask when your last paycheck will be.

Anyhow, if you believe you were fired go ahead and file for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:29 PM on June 25, 2008

My partner takes klonopin. We have two (smaller) dogs. Please do your best to find it. I would be scared that, if eaten, it would put one to sleep and it wouldn't wake up.

Having said that, I doubt if a klonopin tablet would look appetizing. It doesn't smell like a dog treat, after all. My best advice is, if you don't find it, watch you dogs for changes in behavior. If they seem unusually sleepy or groggy, go to the emergency vet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:21 PM on June 25, 2008

You say "business partner," but is this "company," actually a corporation, LLC, partnership, or what? That affects what goes into disentangling yourself. You mention "shares" -- that sounds like there is something "official" here. Get a lawyer.

Moving on...

#2, Yes, leave as much documentation as you can.

#3. Really, a transitional period, at least a couple weeks, would be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:16 PM on June 25, 2008

Actually living in Texas, I don't want to park at Sonic and sit in my hot, hot car with the engine off, nor do I want to keep the engine running so that I can have a/c. There is no inside seating. I go through the drive-through and they hand the goods to me through the window and I drive home. The carhop doesn't come out to me. I don't tip at the window.

Basically, I don't like eating in my car anyhow. Even if it was wintertime, I'd either go through the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:32 PM on June 25, 2008

Also worth noting: Sonic is a franchise business. What is paid a one particular franchisee's location, in Arizona, Texas, or anywhere else, may not reflect what is paid somewhere else. I'm really shocked to hear they are paid less than minimum on the waiter's scale at some locations. My partner was a waiter years ago, and we always tip close to 20% at normal restaurants, and more than that for excellent service.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:36 PM on June 25, 2008

One more thing, then I'll shut up. The Federal minimum wage for waiters in Texas is $2.13/hour. I wonder if the person in that link who said they made $3.25 was paid the regular minimum wage, but years and years ago...?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:42 PM on June 25, 2008

Thanks for all the answers so far. I've been shopping at HEB-Plus, which is sort a cross between a regular supermarket, a Costco, and a gourmet market. There is a Central Market and a Whole Foods a few miles up the road in Houston, and a Costco even further away in heavy traffic, but I can probably find the suggested alternatives right here.

I'll try the DiGiorno in cooking -- every store has it, and using 1/3 cup in my Alfredo sauce is a lot less expensive than using... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:59 PM on June 13, 2008

Meaning, of course, that I'll sprinkle the genuine article on top of the Alfredo when serving it... Can you tell I'm on a budget?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:01 PM on June 13, 2008

If anyone is still following this, the Parmigiano Reggiano is up to $18.99/pound -- just 12 days after I asked my question! I bought the Grans Padano instead (thanks dersins & jocelmeow) which, still pricey for me $14.99, is a better option for my budget this week.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 12:58 PM on June 25, 2008

I'd be curious about this type of thing. Recently I bought a 15-pound bag of potatoes but did not have room for them in my fridge, my usual storage place. I put them in my pantry, and within a couple weeks they started to get soft and mushy. Most houses here in SE Texas have no basement. The pantry is a walk-in closet just off the kitchen, but it probably runs slightly above 78 degrees. My thermostat is at 78, lnot 72, and the pantry has no a/c vent.

Being energy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:39 PM on June 18, 2008

I was just wondering yesterday why US Spanish-Language television didn't seem to have procedural crime dramas: No Ley y Order, no Veracruz Vice, as it were... Thanks for asking this.

There's some game shows on the Liberman Broadcasting stations, and also a Jerry Springer style talk show. These are all pretty silly low-budget affairs, but for awhile we were watching them just to be amazed how low and awful TV could go. This is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 5:06 PM on June 15, 2008

You'd think that if they had the budget to make Amas de Casa Desesperadas (Univision's scene-for-scene refilming of Desperate Housewives) they could make other programs that were one hour a week instead of five. How much does it cost to make a procedural crime drama or a courtroom or medical show?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:32 PM on June 17, 2008

Amas de Casa... was developed by Disney/ABC for Univision, licensed to rewrite the original scripts. If you like Desperate Housewives, it's funny to see the same characters and scenes redone in Spanish. "Susana" behaves just like "Susan," mannerisms and all. There was a write-up in the New York Times, which notes that the show is expected to be exported to Mexico.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:24 PM on June 18, 2008

But if you were so in love with these people at the same time, how could you cheat on them and lie to them and still say you were in love with them? This seems like just disrespect and not love at all. Maybe lust, but not love.

It's not necessarily cheating. Suppose they know about each other and approve? Or what xoder said.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:47 AM on June 18, 2008

You have your answer already, but I'll add this: I lived in Galveston for about 5-1/2 years until moving closer to Houston last year. I think you'll find that it has a laid-back funky atmosphere. It reminds me of the old Austin vibe of the 70s and 80s. (Don't get me started on how Austin has changed...)

There's some little live-music venues on Post Office Street and elsewhere. Check out the Parrot, an alternative paper, to find out what's happening. The web site has... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:44 PM on June 15, 2008

Agreeing with elf27 about "That must be hard."

I've gone through the type of situation described (elderly parents sick, both deceased last year -- I actually saw my father for the last time a year ago next week). I would hear it as empathy, not editorializing. It allows me room to talk if I wanted to talk, or not talk if I wanted not to. It's similar to the cliched style that psychologists are said to use:

Patient: My parents are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:27 PM on June 13, 2008

And yes, I just remembered ikkyu's profession -- sorry, I didn't mean to sound insensitive to you! It's just that for me, in a similar position, I would appreciate the words.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:29 PM on June 13, 2008

Whether you put it into Wordpress or any other solution, your answer is going to depend a lot on where and how your survey stored the responses. Are they in a database now? If so, what database? Or are they appended to a text file? Or (shudder) separate emails to some account for each response?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:50 AM on June 13, 2008

I'm not familiar at all with ConstantContact. But, if you have Excel, do you also have Access? Seems like you could import the CSV into Access and hey presto, instant database. That would give you better tools than Excel for manipulating the data and doing reports or queries against your tags.

Once you have it in Access, you could probably also do some one-off UPDATE queries to apply some tags based on the answers to certain questions, i.e., if they answered... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:19 PM on June 13, 2008

It really depends on the terms of the will as well as state law. You didn't say if the will says what happens if one of the beneficiaries pre-deceases the person who made the will. I hope you have a copy of the will to take with you when you speak with the lawyer.

IANAL, but I have two parents who died here in Texas last year, and I was managing both their affairs until the second death.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:56 PM on June 13, 2008

A few years ago I had a Kenmore portable similar to the one Gucky described. This was for a rental place, and we later moved it into a house we bought. If we had ever remodeled the kitchen, I would have had it installed under the counter.

It was essentially a regular-size Kenmore dishwasher on wheels with a metal cabinet and a butcher-block countertop. It worked just fine. The only caution I have is that the countertop is not a cutting board, even if it looks like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:08 PM on June 10, 2008

I agree with matty and mdonley. You're not an anomaly. And the bigger issue, which will have a greater impact beyond meeting someone, is having a full and busy life.

You sound a lot like me, actually. Until last year I lived on Galveston Island 50 miles from Houston. Although I am partnered, my partner is disabled and we don't get out much, see many people, or have many friends. We moved to the Houston 'burbs to be closer to his doctors. Unfortunately we couldn't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:29 AM on June 10, 2008

This happens sometimes with my partner and me, perhaps because we are about the same age, have similar hair color, both have moustaches, both wear glasses. More often people say that our voices sound alike, but I do, in fact, see some resemblance. The big difference is that the males in my family are balding (me the most) and the ones in his family are not. If we wear caps, he does resemble one my brothers, the one who was an Army officer. But I digress...

I don't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:22 PM on June 5, 2008

I agree that people in Houston drink, drink, drink. If you can't serve alcohol at all, I'd go with the breakfast event -- unless, of course, your non-profit is some sort of rehab/recovery outfit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 9:07 AM on June 5, 2008

Um, what type of tile? Ceramic, vinyl, marble...? I'm trying to imagine chili sauce staining tile, and I can't quite get my head around it.

Anyhow, I think the vinegar or vinegar/baking-soda sounds like a potential winner.
Jif is a brand of peanut butter in these parts, though Unilever may sell it here under another name.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:46 PM on May 31, 2008

I don't have an answer for you but I noticed another weird thing with Ford cars recently. In the UK Ford has the Ka and the Fiesta. Both are compact cars that would be perfect for this market.

Ford has, in fact, just announced that it will produce the Fiesta in a plant in Mexico for sale in North America. I imagine that the production and parts constraints cited above, as well as the need to meet US safety and emission standards, play a role here.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 1:27 PM on May 31, 2008

Googling "comcast steal cable" took me to this. I would assume that Comcast will take care of any police-related matters, since they are a victim.

...Comcast has been gracious enough to waive large portions of our bill for the affected time range.

Sounds like you have been taken care of. The rest is up to Comcast. Contact them if you find that the problem comes back.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 7:10 PM on May 30, 2008

You don't grow up being taught that and believing that you are abnormal and sinful because of who you are.

You don't growing up fearing that your parents, family, and friends will condemn or disown you because of who you are.

You don't grow up having to overcome self-hatred, a self-hatred reinforced by the culture in myriad ways.

When you finally take your first tentative steps toward self-acceptance, you don't look in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:07 PM on May 29, 2008 marked best answer

does she have any recourse for lawsuit for unlawful termination

That's the thing to think about when she talks to the lawyers. Assuming that the dismissal was illegal, what resolution would she want? Surely she doesn't want to go back to work there. The lawyers can look at the particulars of her case and determine what legal remedies are available -- or, perhaps even simply working through the lawyers and the likelihood of bad publicity, the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 3:32 PM on May 28, 2008

Here's another point about regionalism and architecture influencing this. Our last house, in Galveston, Texas, had hardwood floors and no subfloor, built on a pier-and-beam foundation. There were a few places where you could look down at the floor closely and see the dirt below the house. I especially remember when we had to pull out the dishwasher for some reason and we discovered that whoever had installed it had put a hole about 6x8 inches underneath, and we could see... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:36 PM on May 28, 2008

You might light the mysteries of Ngaio Marsh. She started being published in the mid-1930s, and many of her books are in your time period. Many of them also have a deep sense of place not just in physical location but also in what you might call "milieu" -- in her case, in the theatre and performing arts. Some are also in her native New Zealand.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:17 PM on May 25, 2008

Really, just as people are saying, the prep is much worse than the procedure itself. It's basically induced massive diarrhea for a few hours.

I wonder if what you're worried about with "complications" are related to whatever it is that the doctor is doing the colonoscopy for -- and not necessarily for the colonoscopy itself. Those of us middle-aged and older start having to have colonoscopies every few years, and it's routine -- not a big deal.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:23 PM on May 14, 2008

I don't think that chewing these things is going to kill you or give you cancer, though you might want to watch out for the sharp ends of those staples and paper clips. When I was a little kid I used to eat scotch tape (just like you described), Elmer's Glue, and all sorts of other odd things. Eventually I stopped, though I was still a kid then. I didn't get cancer, and (at age 46) I'm still alive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 2:45 PM on April 28, 2008

Personally, I'd do it either at Point Loma (i.e., the Cabrillo) or at Mission San Diego. I have known two people whose ashes are at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Point Loma, and it's a very special place to "visit" them if you ever want to go back. Do watch the wind if you decide to use the Cabrillo grounds. In both places -- Cabrillo or Mission -- you should be able to get away from the main attraction and buildings and release the ashes without attracting undue attention.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 4:47 PM on April 21, 2008

Errrrrmmm...I don't know about the Mission

You're right. What I was thinking of was the Presidio, which has a park around it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Robert Angelo at 6:46 PM on April 21, 2008