My sister and brother-in-law own a small BBQ cafeteria-style restaurant. My BIL works 10-14 hour days, pretty much every day. (My sister has a new baby so she stays home and does the books - she used to work full days there as well, though.) They do catering, so they work on/around most holidays too. They struggle to find good staff - back in December when I was visiting, BIL had a swollen, bruised face from where his (former) manager punched him in the face after not showing up to open the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 12:27 PM on June 26, 2008

All I know is I just found out 90 seconds ago that there are no druids in 4E. This is a travesty.

My character is a druid in our 3.5 campaign and I love it (first time gamer). The animal companion thing is more trouble than it's worth, but the druid has saved our group's collective ass so many times by summoning a pack of dire wolves or bears or whatever. We're a physically under-powered group (cleric, wizard/cleric, druid, and rogue/fighter) and the druid... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 5:32 PM on June 25, 2008

Hema's screwed us over big time - their service is terrible. A friend called to make reservations. They said they normally don't take reservations but because we had a large-ish group, they would. We got there and there's nowhere to wait inside, so we waited outside in the cold - for an hour and a half. Some of our group actually helped clean off a table, thinking it would be ours, and they gave it to another group that had a similar not-really-reservation for a half hour AFTER ours.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 12:18 PM on June 25, 2008

Somehow I missed this! July 8th should work for me, and if so I will bring a sign again. Not sure if the fiancé will join me - I think you guys scared him a little bit last time.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 10:57 AM on June 24, 2008

I went to Cornell for undergrad, and have no problem talking with anyone of any educational or social background.

Maybe it helped that I worked in the dining hall all 4 years, got treated like shit by most of the student populace, and hung out with my group of not-rich-but-smart friends and the 'townies' that also worked for campus dining.

Maybe it helped that none of my friends were legacy admissions or anything like that. We got in on our... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 2:49 PM on June 18, 2008

Wow, 50 comments since I commented last night. Sorry the conversation passed me by.

But I did want to add this - I don't know what the other Ivies are like, but I do wonder if Cornell is a little different because some of the colleges are part of the NY state college system. As in, I paid in-state tuition (about $9k a year back in the mid-late 90s) to get my Ivy League degree. Maybe that part-state-school aspect means Cornell has at least a slightly different culture... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 7:43 AM on June 19, 2008

To add to ztdavis' compendium of the Red Line:

Thorndale - walk one block west to Broadway. A block or so north is Ethiopian Diamond, delicious Ethiopian food. Or, a block south is Moody's - great burgers and one of the best outdoor dining spaces on the north side.

Argyle - Tank Noodle is good, but I love Pho 777 just east of the station for really delicious, really cheap food.

Grand/State - walk east, go south on Lower... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 7:24 AM on June 19, 2008

Alice and Friends Cafe has the greatest fake meat ever. I don't like fake meat, my friends don't like fake meat, but Alice and Friends is awesome. 5812 N. Broadway.

Also worth the trip is Soul Vegetarian on the South Side (205 E. 75th St). Try the BBQ twists, tastes like a pulled pork sandwich.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 5:54 PM on June 4, 2008

Achievements: “Nominated for prom queen”

I recently saw a resume that was very similar to this. The candidate was only a few years out of college and didn't have a lot of work experience, yet it actually went to two pages just so that he could list all the awards he won, or was nominated for, or was runner-up for, mostly for his fraternity or tennis club. This included Homecoming King Runner Up.

Oh, and he had a glossy,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 12:08 PM on June 2, 2008

Where was this post 4 months ago? White Russians are a winter drink. Today it is finally, finally decently warm out and I'm having a grapefruit mojito. Dammit.
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 5:44 PM on May 30, 2008

Bad news: I'm still a maybe. Good news: The fiancé is a maybe with me.

Crush: Sorry to hear about your window!
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 2:00 PM on May 20, 2008

There had better be people there tonight. That's all I'm saying.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 12:02 PM on May 21, 2008

I'll likely be one of the first, since I work in the building. :D So I'll print out a metafilter logo table tent card thingy and sit there looking all lonely until you guys start showing up.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 1:27 PM on May 21, 2008

/misskaz sticks out her tongue at eriko and asuperant
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 2:48 PM on May 21, 2008

Videos uploaded.

I have died of dysentery.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 7:27 AM on May 22, 2008

I should add: the fact that the gift is a mac laptop will not be a surprise. We have been talking about it for a couple months, deciding what she needs.

If she already knows about it, I'd give it to her right away. i just went through this same thing with my fiancé and his birthday. I bought him a telescope. But the thing is, I don't know a thing about good low-end telescopes and he had been doing a lot of research. So he picked it out and I bought it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 10:18 AM on May 8, 2008

How are you going to pay one credit card off with another? Balance transfer? With those "convenience checks"? Either way, they usually charge you a flat fee or percentage of the amount in order to use those. On $10k that would eat up your piddly $400 pretty quickly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 6:31 AM on April 28, 2008

As I sit here eating some Sunsweet prunes as an afternoon snack, I'm reading on the back of the package that one ounce of prunes delivers more potassium that one ounce of bananas (208 mg vs 101). Despite expert advice to eat *something* pre-workout, I work out in the mornings and do not eat breakfast first, so I can't speak to the prunes related to that. But they are tasty.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 12:54 PM on April 24, 2008

Weekends (not this one, but usually) are ok but negate the benefit of the Billy Goat - which is that I work in the office building above the Goat so it's super easy for me to head down there after work. I assume others work downtown which is why that location is good for weekdays.

I do prefer weekdays + Billy Goat, but that's just me. Weekends + anything in Andersonville/Edgewater/etc are also approved because I'm selfish and that would be close to me. (Moody's once the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 1:42 PM on April 9, 2008

Aw man, I love Quenchers! And the Goat! Alas, this Saturday begins two weeks of various work travels (taking up two weekends in a row, god dammit) and I won't be able to get to any meetups until after the 19th.

So, carry on, but let's not go too long until the next one.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 10:43 AM on April 2, 2008

Because you are from Austin, I thought I'd point out that UT has a dual degree program in Law (JD) and Community and Regional Planning (MS). I have my MS in CRP from UT and was bummed that I didn't find out about the dual degree option until I was a year into things. Then again, the dual degree thing is a four-year program. I don't work in the field, though, so I can't speak to the rest of your question. Good luck, I loved planning but graduated at a time when cities weren't really hiring so I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 9:22 AM on April 2, 2008

Dip, if you like the typically sour cream kind:

1 container Fage Total 0% greek yogurt (or similar)
some salt
some garlic
some lemon juice if desired
some green onions or chives
some of whatever herbs you like (I'm a dill person usually)

I use this more for veggies like carrots and cucumber slices. This greek yogurt stuff is amazing, it's like 80 calories for the whole container, 0g fat,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 11:06 AM on March 7, 2008

Moto is an out of this world food experience and is a great thing to share with someone. Prepare for a large bill. Get the wine pairing. By far the most expensive meal I've ever eaten, but also one of the best and the experience is a lifelong memory I will share with my fiancé. We still bring it up and talk about it over a year later.

We also really enjoyed Spring, mentioned above.

I've heard great things about Everest, although I haven't yet... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 9:36 AM on February 25, 2008

I really like (fluff)Friends, which is just a game where you add a cute little animal friend to your profile. Then you can feed it and buy things for it and it races against your friends' (fluff)Friends and wins prizes. It's a cute distraction but doesn't require a lot of attention if you don't want it to.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 5:39 PM on February 15, 2008

I'm with Evangeline and jrochest. For the first time in my life, I am counting calories. And it's quite an eye opener - so many of my assumptions about what is high or low calorie have been off-base. I've always fancied myself a naturally healthy eater; I'm doing the calorie counting as much as an experiment/test of will as to lose a very stubborn 8-10 lbs for my wedding. But even now, with almost two weeks of calorie counting under my belt, I still would have underestimated the caloric value of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 11:33 AM on February 12, 2008

I'll try to be there! I have a dentist appointment that afternoon and was planning to head home after that. But I'll see if I can't drag my fiancé back downtown with me.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 11:20 AM on February 5, 2008

If your dog is so farty, smelly, flea-ridden (WTF?) that it disturbs you to have in your bedroom, then you are not taking good care of your dog. A dog fed high quality food won't fart or stink - my dog's farts can peel paint, but she only gets them if we give her too much people food. Dogs groomed at the frequency necessary for its breed simply should not stink. And easy-to-use flea protection products exist.

My dog's bed is a washable zippered cover filled with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 1:09 PM on January 31, 2008

I travel for work about 8-10 times a year. My trips range from short one-on-one meetings (for example, I'm going to DC on Thursday - flight leaves at 6am, get back home by 8:30 pm same day) to an entire week staffing my company's conferences.

1. Direct flight. Luckily I live in Chicago and only fly domestically for work, so I can almost always get a direct flight.

2. Hotel near important things. I avoid renting a car if at all possible, it... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 11:10 AM on January 14, 2008

Personally, I'm not sure that proposing to him out of the blue is a good idea (frankly, I don't feel it's fair to spring it on women, either, if it hasn't already been discussed). If this is not something that has been part of your conversations he may need some time to think about what it means to be married and whether that's something he can or is willing to do.

Talk to him about it. That's what worked for me - after living together for four years, I brought it up to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 7:48 AM on January 5, 2008

Are you cutting just once slice, then trying to take that one slice out? It'll never work. Cut two or three slices before trying to lift out a slice. This gives the cake/pie enough movement that you can usually get the first slice out pretty well.

Just tried this trick on an apple pie this weekend (frozen, not homemade, so there was no getting parchment under or other any other preparatory treatments) and it worked.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 7:35 AM on December 24, 2007

I went to a chiropractor once a week or so for a couple months. I got awesome back massages by clinical massage therapists, and then the chiro would come in and crack my back in the same places I crack it myself when I do my stretches every morning. I'm pretty sure the cracking didn't do anything, but thanks to the massages my neck and shoulders never felt so relaxed.

And the best part was my insurance paid for it.

A++++++ WOULD GO AGAIN
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 9:23 AM on December 22, 2007

I started skiing at age 6. Skied every weekend of every winter until age 18. I never really liked moguls - especially after a particularly nasty one shredded my ACL during an evening of night skiing with my high school ski club. Ouch. (One of the problems with skiing moguls is you have to tighten the tension on your bindings so your skis don't randomly come flying off, which may mean that when you fall and your ski starts twisting around as you tumble, your binding won't release and eventually... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 1:32 PM on December 19, 2007

Yeah, #mefi is pretty much awful, and their bot sucks. #bunnies, however, is full of awesome!
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 7:33 PM on December 18, 2007

I'm not sure I understand the question, but let me share my related story in the hopes it will help. You sound as confused as I was - too confused to know what to ask.

I have a mac at home and use VPN to connect to my work PC. I was confused when I first tried using Internet Connect - it appeared the connection worked, but I wasn't sure what to do next. Like, how was I supposed to actually access files?

The answer, for me, was the Windows... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 7:19 AM on December 18, 2007

Suh-weet. Billy Goat is in my building (which is, by the way, not the Wrigley building but the Realtor building.) I will be arriving through the SECRET BACK DOOR.

I'm a bit intimidated about going to a MeFi meetup, but it's hard to say no when all I have to do is take an elevator to get there.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 11:59 AM on December 4, 2007

So the plan is show up, find the group of people in the bar that seem the dorkiest, and approach and give them the mefi secret handshake?

In my experience Billy Goat isn't super crowded at 6pm on a Wednesday - maybe a little more so with holiday shopper tourist traffic, but chances are MeFites will be the only large group that doesn't look like 1.) tourists or 2.) creepy old men.

At least that's what I'm hoping - I haven't met... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 2:38 PM on December 11, 2007

I'm so psyched! wfgms is right - it's very important you go downstairs. If you're standing at 430 N Michigan and are confused and looking at a Walgreens, you are in the right spot, just one flight too high. Just look in front of the Walgreens and you'll see some stairs descending into the sidewalk. Take those and you're all set!

Personally, I love that it's so hard to find - I think that's what keeps all but the die-hard (or led-by-a-local) tourists out of there. And I... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 8:26 AM on December 12, 2007

As long as you aren't lugging giant shopping bags from American Girl Place, we're cool. :)
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 10:39 AM on December 12, 2007

Ok, I can bring some paper and sharpies for shout-out and/or signage purposes. But I don't have a working camera. I hope someone has one!

Perhaps one of those pieces of paper folded up into a triangle with NERDS written on it?
Funny you should say that. I hosted a meetup for some internet/IRC friends this summer. NERD signs
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 12:51 PM on December 12, 2007

What a fun group we are! I had a blast; sorry I had to duck out so early. I only took two pictures with my cellphone camera.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 7:17 AM on December 13, 2007

I can't argue with that logic!

The only drawback for me is I'd love for my fiancé to join us for future meetups, and he's reluctant to come all the way downtown on weekdays. (He works in Evanston and we live on the far north side). But, with all the stories I had for him from last night, I probably could persuade him to join us next time!
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 9:58 AM on December 13, 2007

*misskaz high-fives iguanapolitico
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 2:16 PM on December 13, 2007

Which is why (most, maybe not toy) dogs should have access to outdoor space and, ideally, a doggy friend. Leaving two dogs in an adequate yard all day or, I daresay for two days, isn't cruel. If your dog depends on you taking it for a walk to get outdoors, or depends on you for companionship, you're cursing yourself and your dog to codependency. Having a dog in an urban setting is a real challenge to begin with, and should sometimes just be disregarded as a possibility for everyone's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 11:58 AM on December 13, 2007

Ambrosia Voyeur, I appreciate the respectful tone of your reply. I think we agree more than we disagree.

I certainly think it is reasonable to have people chose a pet that can live in their climate, if it is to be an outdoor pet. I just also think it is appropriate to chose a pet that can live comfortably only as an indoor pet, if the owner understands the sacrifices that entails and the dog can be healthy and happy as an indoor pet.

I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 12:43 PM on December 13, 2007

Have you checked out the forums at IndieBride? There's a whole thread about finding poofy, tea-length dresses.

/also wants a tea-length dress for her wedding and will be favoriting this question.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 5:19 PM on December 6, 2007 marked best answer

Lucky stores, mentioned above, have 50% off sales a few times a year. Keep an eye out for them. I've never paid more than $60 for Lucky jeans because I only buy during their sales.

Also, the "Lil Maggie" style that slowfasthazel linked to is probably way too low rise for your tastes. I have a pair, and like them, but they are almost too low rise for me, and I like a low-ish rise.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 5:39 PM on December 4, 2007

I hated the AT&T/SBC DSL. It would go down all the time, and the customer service I got from the reps and techs was terrible.

I've had a great experience with Comcast, internet-wise. Never goes down. Customer service is so-so, but seems to be better than SBC. All of our Comcast problems have been related to the DVR anyway, not the internet.

If you're on the south side, you may be in the Wide Open West service area. They're smaller and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 2:36 PM on November 28, 2007

I'm about to become a first time aunt in about a week! Unfortunately my sister lives in Houston and I'm in Chicago, so offers of help just won't work. But I am getting her some things *for her* for Christmas. I already know my brother is getting her all baby stuff, but I can't help but think she might feel sad if every single Christmas gift labeled "for Sis" is actually for the baby.

I will probably get her pampering type stuff from Sephora or Lush.
posted to Ask Metafilter by misskaz at 5:28 PM on November 27, 2007

I subscribe to the MeTa RSS feed - I guess that's the one don't-miss part of the site for me. I used to get the AskMe RSS, but it's too damn prolific and overwhelmed me. So, I just visit AskMe when I have a chance - probably a couple times a day. MeFi is only for when I've run out of other internet content and don't want to get back to work.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 5:17 PM on November 27, 2007

I have a piece of sweet potato pie - the last slice - right here with me. YUM.
posted to MetaTalk by misskaz at 5:00 PM on November 27, 2007