Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in the Time of Cholera
Paulo Coehlo - Eleven Minutes
Margaret Mitchell - Gone with the Wind
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre
Juliette Benzoni - Catherine series
Anne Golon - Angelique series
Boris Pasternak - Doctor Zhivago
all by Erich Segal
all by Jane Austen
all by Judith... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 6:36 AM on April 21, 2008

Fastball - The way
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 11:02 AM on March 18, 2008

thomas144 - I am learning German, I am getting German TV, and even though it cracks you up I think I am done with my formal studies for a while - I have my MA - I do not foresee going for a PhD or another degree in the nearest future.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:43 AM on March 18, 2008

American Heritage Dictionary
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 5:30 PM on February 17, 2008

I feel bad about converting it to euros b/c while I have been earning it, the money has lost a significant percentage of its value against the euro. I will be moving to Europe permanently so I will be spending in euros and living my life in euros. Not sure if I would call these savings as an emergency rainy-day fund - it's simply all my savings (have nothing else, but also I have no debts). I am not an American and therefore have no 401K or IRA. My conundrum is whether I leave it in a US... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 7:14 AM on February 15, 2008

I will be moving to Germany. My salary is from an international UN-umbrella organization and it is not taxed in the States (and by bilateral agreements, not taxed in Europe). So, no taxes for me. On the other hand I am an international consultant (not staff) in my organization, therefore I do not get a retirement plan.

burnmp3s - your fist paragraph is exactly how I feel. I understand that this may be a permanent loss, but looking for ideas on how to move from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:01 AM on February 15, 2008

Mutant - I am not American and as a worker of international organization I am exempt from income taxes in the US and in my country of origin. All expat staff/consultants working for the UN and any of its agencies are exempt from income taxes.

I guess by now my question has been derailed to - how to move my money from the States to Europe without being taxed on it :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:01 AM on February 15, 2008

Love Notes
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:05 AM on February 14, 2008

hi, my old question may be helpful
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 10:38 AM on February 11, 2008

see if he can negotiate deferring his job offer by a few months (i assume he woldn't be starting immediately?), you stay where you are till you complete one year (in the meantime looking for a job of interest in the new state). this may involve a few months of long-distance relationship (which i definitely do not recommend for long periods of time) but it can be done.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 1:30 PM on February 7, 2008

seconding asking for an advance on the paycheck and looking through craigslist gigs section. asking friends/family (not for the entire amount but $50-100/person, which would be manageable) - throwing a "save clcapps and mrs. clclapps from homelessness" party and asking your friends/guests to pay a cover of say $15-20. donating your blood/sperm may be a good idea. also starting a website like SaveToby and asking for bunny ransom money. the possibilities are endless.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:01 AM on February 7, 2008

Justinian has a good point, in the long term it would help if you learned about financial planning. The fact that between the two of you, you cannot come up with a thousand bucks would mean that you have no savings, no emergency fund, no money in the checking account. I have been there at some point of my life, so my post is not so much about embarrasing or chastizing, but rather pointing out that it's a risky/tough way to live. MAybe time has come to think about it and implement some changes.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:18 PM on February 7, 2008

glass houses
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 11:00 AM on February 7, 2008

oops just saw koeselitz's post - anyway, same idea came to my mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 11:01 AM on February 7, 2008

Mexicale
Belly Dancing Salsa
Lebanero
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:11 AM on February 7, 2008

my mom hugged me and said "welcome home, woman" - it was strange. i felt uncomfortable. unless your niece is over the top happy for getting her period, i would just leave her alone and not make a big deal out of it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:56 PM on February 1, 2008

ha, my goal for this year is to read one book per week. so far i am on course. i think the tricks are as follows:

1) read only the books you enjoy - if after 50 pages you can't get into the book, you don't enjoy the style, you feel it doesn't bring anything to you - let that book go

2) read only one book at a time in order to be able to focus on it

3) read for 30 minutes every day - on the bus, in the line, while... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 10:03 AM on February 1, 2008

one I should have added i the question: eurobrussels.com
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 4:50 PM on January 31, 2008

Check out the "Adams Mill Bar and Grill" and "The Angry Inch" in Adams Morgan
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 3:05 PM on January 25, 2008

Jesus Christ people, you are being the most unhelpful and defeatist bunch so far. For your info, both my parents recognize the fact that they have to change some of their habits, they just don't know how to do it and don't have the self-discipiline to stick with any of their plans (and they have voiced the desire to change for the past decade without my prompting). Also, even though your telepathic powers tell you otherwise, I have never attempted to force them to do anything, never... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 4:20 PM on December 13, 2007

canine, seriously, don't lecture me on how the question should be asked. nothing in it indicates that i'm doing anything against their will. the fact that your first thought is to second guess and come to the conclusion that "i want to force my priorities on them" is your issue and is unhelpful. (it's the same curiously negative and suspicious approach that results in every single relationship question being answered: you need to break up!)

finally, while... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 7:37 PM on December 13, 2007

hmmm, i guess more information is needed in this particular case. My parents are from and live in Eastern Europe. They do not speak English and although they do have access to the internet - they are convinced that computers are too difficult and they wouldn't be able to "learn them". Actually, one of my resolutions is to show them that they can learn how to operate computers - and hopefully expose them to the wonderful world of the internet.

Some other info,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:00 AM on December 14, 2007

pregnancy tests are really not that expensive. you can get ANSWER 2 tests for $11.19 at CVS.com, which means that if you were to check every month, you'd have to pay $67.14 per year for your peace of mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 11:29 AM on December 7, 2007

regarding books that deal with this topic, i recommend Noam Chomsky's: Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media as well as Media Control: the Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda and Doris Graber's Media Power in Politics;

in terms of major - it should be a mix of Communications and Political Science. there are courses that deal with propaganda and media control, but I doubt that there's an entire program devoted to it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:34 AM on December 7, 2007

btw hungarian is not eastern european in terms of linguistics, only in terms of geography;. also, i assume that you know what 'pichka' means in a number of eastern european languages? why not name the kitty in a similarly anatomical manner?
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 3:33 PM on December 6, 2007

i guess one of the questions i have is whether i can demand a reduction in rent for this - taking into consideration that they are not fulfilling their part of the bargain - why should i pay them the full amount? i will talk to the management tomorrow morning, but i'm already devising all sorts of plans on what to do if they continue to be sucky just like they always are.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:15 PM on December 5, 2007

klangklangston - i could shower at night - water is mostly hot in the evenings - but this is not the point. the point is that we should have access to hot water everyday, and especially in the morning, when you want to jump out of your bed and warm up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:40 AM on December 6, 2007

According to Wikipedia, Political Consulting consists of advising campaigns on virtually all activities, from research to field strategy. check out the links at the bottom, they should provide you with more context.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:24 PM on December 5, 2007

the World Bank has a number of blogs, the first one launched, if i'm not mistaken, was the Private Sector Development blog
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:05 AM on December 5, 2007

For today's Poland "Snow White and Russian Red" by Dorota Maslowska, although this must be one hard-to-translate book. Alternatively you could read anythng by Jerzy Pilch (especially his editorials) but he doesn't seem to get translated into English much.

Classic Polish historical novels: Sienkiewicz's Trilogy: "Ogniem i Mieczem", "Potop" and "Pan... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 4:55 PM on December 4, 2007

hmm, i've been on both ends 1) being a girlfriend to 2 drunks 2) drinking way too much myself and not being able to switch it off.

About 1): by the end of the relationships when i would see boyfriend1 or boyfriend2 drunk, i felt disgust. what else can you feel when you run out of concern, pity and anger. i found it disgusting to see them stumbling, looking at me with their disgusting drunken eyes, throwing up in cabs, attempting to drive a car and falling down and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 3:55 PM on December 4, 2007

easyjet.com
germanwings.com
wizzair.com
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:26 PM on December 4, 2007

if you contact them in writing, it may be helpful to refer to them as Marie Claire, not Mary Claire
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:02 PM on December 4, 2007

vanilla icecream with bananas coated in oatmeal and fried in butter (with a splash of whisky) and some raspberries - it delicious and looks pretty
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:09 PM on December 2, 2007

through cerebus19 link you can find an Archibald McGregor who served in the 4th NC
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 10:58 AM on November 30, 2007

theft blah blah cakes. they will most likely notice at some point, but it's a likely excuse for you to say you haven't noticed till you looked over your bank statements (if it's being wired to your account). of course you should return it immediately if they find out (and not sure the interest is worth it).
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:10 PM on November 28, 2007

since everyone is sharing, I'll add my favorite: Bricks and Stones
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 11:50 AM on November 28, 2007

there's is no chance for a raise and to be quite honest, i am very happy with the money. while i do not necessarily need this paycheck, there are other very good reasons to stay in this job.

crazycanuck, my boss happens to be confrontational and very upfront - that's why i'm scratching my head and thinking about what i should say to him.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 3:52 PM on November 20, 2007

well, anything can happen, people are people. you can't stop them from sleeping together if they want to, but you can try to diminish these chances.

first of all, keep up what you're doing: be a good, outwardly secure and confident girlfriend to your bee's knees boyfriend. if you start accusing him of things and acting insecure, i'm sure you'll lose some of that equal standing you have.

second, be kind to the roomie. chances are that if she... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 7:28 AM on November 20, 2007

if you don't want to live in fear I discourage you from going to any of the following (at least for the moment): DRC, Congo-Brazza, Liberia, Chad, Burundi, Guinea, Sudan, Northern Uganda.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 3:23 PM on November 15, 2007

nthing performance anxiety. it's the first thing that came to my head even before i finished the question. you're young, not exactly a candidate for erictile dysfunction, it hasn't happened before, with other women, and you are trying to impress and satisfy the woman you really like. i've instigated a number of such performance axieties, in my time, it really is no biggie.

the most important thing though, is for you to get out of the loop. now since it happened a few... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 10:15 AM on November 15, 2007

oh, and please don't try gimmicks, cockrings and/or viagra before you give a chance to natural methods.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 10:21 AM on November 15, 2007

so does his book Kitchen Confidential which has a bonus of quotes, paragraphs, even, on his general debauchery. You may also be interested in checking out the "No Reservations" thread on Television Without Pity (TWoP)... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 2:28 PM on November 13, 2007

i'm with Ambrosia Voyeur, pay it forward in the future. i remember being a poor student and finding some money on the ground. i didn't have the instinct to give it away - i figured it was there for me to find because i really needed it. i ended up spending it on food. if you do have a strong STRONG compulsion to pay it forward which is not fueled by 'this is not my money' guilt - then make a note to yourself that when you're no longer poor or in need, next Thanksgiving you will spend $85 +... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:08 AM on November 13, 2007

pesto, tomatoes, pickled peppers, mozarella and basil

black olive tapenade, goat cheese and tomatoes

garlic mayo, grilled chicken, tomato and bacon
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 1:15 PM on November 12, 2007 marked best answer

What's the plan, Stan?
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 1:08 PM on November 12, 2007

i don't get why all of you are coming down so hard on GoodJob!. the fact that he lied/misinformed her about his bisexuality is a huge dealbreaker. i wouldn't want to date a bisexual just as i wouldn't want to date a vegetarian or a Bush supporter (for the record i'm not equating these, just enumerating) - we all have our preferences if it comes to our partners and we do have the right to pick those partners with lifestyles that are most compatible with ours. that doesn't make us homophobic... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:46 AM on November 12, 2007

Cerutti 1881 is a great fragrance
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 8:10 AM on November 9, 2007

ok, before everyone assumes that i want to open my own consulting firm - my question was to find out about types of work in management consulting in big consulting firms, like Booz Allen, McKinsey, BCG, Accenture, etc.
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 12:10 PM on November 8, 2007

other places you could go to (although I haven't been to and cannot personally recommend) per Delta's prices:

RDU to Aruba (Dec.9-20) for $423
ATL to Barbados (Dec.9-22) for $468
CLT to Belize (Dec.9-22) for $508
CLT to Bermuda (Dec.9-19) for $338
CLT to Grand Cayman Islands (Dec.9-22) for $274

These are just a few flights I did with my search (now you have to do yours)

I'm... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by barrakuda at 9:04 AM on November 8, 2007