Having moved from a roach-infested place to a nicer one when in college (more than once; college towns seem to be notorious for roach infestations), here are a couple things I learned:

1) The most insidious hiding places for roaches that move with you are paper bags and boxes. They like glue, I've been told. They CAN move from place to place, and while they may not be a big infestation in the short run, if untreated they can become a big infestation.
2) I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:49 PM on August 7, 2008

Well, my sister had the same problem -- which led to my oldest (now 20) niece's first full sentence:
"Mom, get your damn foot off my leg".

She turned out alright.

So did I, and my mother had a string of curses when the car didn't start that would horrify a sailor's parrot. My dad's family used swearing as emphasis, almost like an exclamation mark.

You just have to clue kids in about the fact that... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:47 PM on August 6, 2008

Stylin' to Go?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:29 PM on August 2, 2008

If thickening it while hot, arrowroot or tapioca starches will be clear.

One thing that will thicken while cold is konjac powder, if you can find it. It is the powder used to make shirataki noodles. But be VERY sparing with it; it is a powerful thickener and too much will give you the consistency of something close to jello very quickly.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:09 AM on July 29, 2008

When I was going through marriage counseling with my husband and our Episcopal priest, he pointed out, as Zadcat states, that the line "...or forever hold your peace" is a request for someone to come forthwith information that one of the parties is previously married and thus not free to marry .
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 4:43 PM on July 24, 2008

Among a group of friends of mine, if two of us had found we had the same idea:

"You must be psychotic!"
"No, I'm telepathetic."
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:21 PM on July 24, 2008

From what I can see of the leaves, I'm seconding cerastium arvense.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 11:39 AM on July 16, 2008

I will bet it was in the wildflower packet, because cerastium arvense is more upright than many of the other more common chickweeds (like mouse-ear chickweed, which grows in mats).
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:10 PM on July 16, 2008

I used to eat them on crackers with cream cheese...darn, that sounds really GOOD right now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 9:08 PM on July 1, 2008

My mother and I used to cut the dried teasel flowers (as you've pictured) for flower arrangements. If you do this, ask permission to go on the land and BRING CABLE SHEARS. AND GLOVES.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:53 PM on July 1, 2008

My journey has been similar to yours, Anon, except that it was a combination of antidepressants and addressing some childhood hurts (through therapy) that led to the feeling that there was a big hole in my heart that someone else needed to fill. Strangely, soon after the therapy gave the desired result (teaching me to address my childhood hurts and self-soothe), I fell in love and got married.

How did it happen? Well, one of my guy friends who didn't look so hot to my... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:36 PM on June 18, 2008

I have a cat who's within the realm of normal who does just this sort of thing. Especially the falling off the bed when being petted. She's just abnormally cuddly, not exquisitely coordinated, and not all that bright. But she's adorable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 6:25 PM on June 16, 2008

It's from a common nighthawk. The reason you hear it above your apartment is because they tend to live on gravel roofs. They eat bugs, so they're great birds to have around. Incidentally, the site linked has a song link to the left which, as you'll note, sounds like yours.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:08 PM on June 11, 2008 marked best answer

Ack, media_itoku, you beat me!!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:11 PM on June 11, 2008

Pulling out one tooth and having a bridge done won't have significant impact -- but the more natural teeth you lose (without replacement with a tooth implant), the more bone mass in the jaw you'll lose. The reason why people with dentures have a somewhat sunken cheek look as they age is because of that jaw loss.

My father is a prime example. In the pictures of his youth, he has a rather strong jaw (thanks, Dad, I inherited it and it doesn't look as hot on females).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:49 PM on June 3, 2008

If you use condoms, don't use the grapeseed oil suggestion above. Oils degrade rubber -- including the latex of condoms.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:53 AM on June 3, 2008

hadjiboy, I am going to relate a Quaker proverb (and true story) here on behavior change and religious belief that helped me.

William Penn, the Quaker, was made the governor (?) of the then-British colony of Rhode Island. The colonial authority expected him to wear a ceremonial sword as part of his office, but violence and weapons are disapproved of among the Friends (Quakers).

He asked his friend George Fox, founder of the Quakers, what he... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:57 AM on May 20, 2008

I'd have it looked at, just to see what is possible. Believe it or not, it might be able to be stitched. My sister was bitten in the lip by her dog (it was her fault; she jerked an arthritic lab/sharpei mix by its collar and got in its face) and it took a chunk out of her upper lip the size of a dime and half the depth of her lip.. She went to the emergency room, and a good doctor there did what could best be described as an emergency cleft-lip repair. This caused a small, fine scar that ran... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:01 AM on May 1, 2008

Thirding ROU_Xenophobe. If you don't waive your right to see the letters, they are viewed by the graduate school as "not being completely honest".

How to solve the dilemma of "How do I know if they'll write me a positive reference then?" You ask your references to write with a slightly different question: "Can you write me a POSITIVE reference for graduate school?"

Also, if you didn't do this before, you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 6:20 AM on May 1, 2008

I paid mine out of pocket as well (I broke it myself trying to scrape -- or rather, chisel -- 1/2 inch ice off it). Only about $300. And there's some support of imjustsaying's experience in the research -- if insurance isn't paying, the repairer will sometimes reduce the charges considerably.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 9:43 AM on April 30, 2008

Here's my two cents' worth:

Roundup isn't enough. Paint the stumps with Stump Killer. It's stronger.

Also, there's one safe way to move peonies -- move them in the fall, after they're done flowering and photosynthesizing. Cut back the stems (but leave enough that you know where the peonies ARE), then dig them up. Splitting them at about this time is also a good idea, because when peonies get too big, they can sprawl and sometimes even get... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 12:46 PM on April 28, 2008

I've had that experience, and there comes a point where any filling is doomed to be temporary, especially those fillings at the gumline where a lot of surface area is missing. What's worse is, as that filling is failing, debris and bacteria are getting behind it and further compromising the tooth further. I don't even chew gum or eat Jelly Bellies, and all those fillings eventually fell out. Of course, I should note that my teeth have enamel deficiencies and that my bite was "too... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 12:38 PM on April 28, 2008 marked best answer

PS: The real danger in neglecting your teeth is your heart, not your bite. Studies have linked bad dental health with bad heart health.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 12:42 PM on April 28, 2008

Some people just don't make as many tears. I have "dry eye syndrome" and I just don't make too many tears. Your doc seems to think your tear production is within normal -- he/she doesn't think you have any serious duct damage, he/she doesn't think you have Sjogren's syndrome (which causes a serious problem). In some cases, a doctor will suggest plugging up the drainage ducts, and he/she (I refuse to assume your doc is male, I guess!) hasn't suggested this.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2008

What would happen if you turned your thinking around? You supported him, to the best of your ability, for quite a while. In a sense, you gave him more time on this earth than he might have had had you not been there.

In the end, though, most of us are not trained to stop a person from committing suicide. Most of the time, we can't even steer them to a trained professional, because the suicidal person is keeping their intentions away from us. And even trained... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:08 PM on April 27, 2008

I'm going to agree with the people who say "none of his business -- he broke up with you; you have the right to do what you want at that point". You don't need to feel guilty, either. So what if he didn't like the guy? He was broken up with you, and the definition of "broken up" includes "gets NO say in who you sleep with".

So, if he doesn't know, don't tell him.
If he DOES know, and isn't handling it well, HE has control... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 5:59 AM on April 27, 2008

When my dear cat Sasha got hit by a car back when I was in grad school, I didn't find out for a day or so until the drunkard down the hall told me he'd thrown her in a garbage bag and into the dumpster.

Another neighbor in the house did the most amazing thing -- she showed up at my door with a jug of wine and a beautiful filet crochet-covered pillow. The filet lace was a picture of a cat. She said, "I called my mom and told her your cat died, and she said we could... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 4:58 PM on April 26, 2008

Hostas and peonies, if anyone is wondering, are native to Asia, so they're not "Chicago Natives" in that sense. However, since Chicago (like many large cities), is a melting pot of cultures ... :)
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:12 PM on April 25, 2008

I'm definitely one with experience in therapy (as a recipient), so here's my recommendations, some about finding one and some about working with one:

1) You want one with experience working with anxiety and depression issues, and one who's going to see your treatment approach as multimodal -- that is, medication plus therapy. I suggest this, because in the short run, medication may be necessary to reduce the anxiety/depression to the point where you can actually work... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 9:54 AM on April 25, 2008

"Open Source Nutsack Project"
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 8:35 AM on April 24, 2008

Exacerbate has to be one of my favorites. I have to say, though, that threads like this exacerbate my tendency to use large words.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 4:28 PM on April 22, 2008

I second the irritable bowel syndrome. When I get this way, I can't even look at a salad or vegetable without wanting to barf. I have to work my way into eating as if I were pregnant -- "Oh, let's nibble some crackers and see if my appetite comes back."
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 10:57 AM on April 22, 2008

Put the cursor where you want the file to be inserted.

Select the Insert menu, then select "File". You'll get a dialog box asking you what file you want to insert, pick the Word file name, and voila!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:03 PM on April 12, 2008

IANAP (also IANYP) but you do sound like you could have generalized anxiety disorder, which does manifest itself as high anxiety about nothing in particular. Even if you didn't want to do the prescription route, a good therapist could teach you about cognitive therapies. For a do-it-yourself route, I suggest Dr. David Burns' Feeling Good Handbook. It has helped me a lot after being recommended to me by a therapist who was working with me on my mild OCD tendencies...... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:01 PM on April 12, 2008

I nth the comment about "Wait till you are in a situation where she no longer has any power over you -- power to grade, power to write recommendations, etc." This means that, if you're in her department, when you graduate. If you're just taking a class in the department, when the class is over -- and never ask her to write a letter of recommendation for you. At least in part because of rules, at least in part because she will never be sure whether your attentions are pure or there's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 6:39 AM on April 7, 2008

White -- the traditional. Good luck.
Gold -- Money. I keep one in my office (I teach consumer economics) as a joke.
Pink -- Love.

The colors are recent. The white one is traditional and reflects the "mi-ke" calico pattern, a favored pattern in Japanese bobtail.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 3:36 PM on March 28, 2008

I think it depends on the "love languages" of the people involved. I find that I'm rather vocal about this, while my husband is more of the "I'm going to do thoughtful things for you" a la youcancallmeal. But, because we've read the book and we're cognizant of each other's expression styles, we make sure we do things that speak in terms of the other's language as well. We're married a year, dated for about 2 years before we got married, and we can get pretty silly/mushy at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:42 PM on March 27, 2008

I agree with Leon on the point that he's rigging the game so you can't win. It seems upon reading your description that he delights (secretly or not so secretly) in "catching people" in behavior he deems unacceptable so he can feel superior.

In addition, I could be wrong, but the way your letter is written suggests that this "game" is not a new thing. If that is the case, I wonder if your wanting to "help him" was... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 11:50 AM on March 23, 2008

My husband and I had the "no kids" discussion BEFORE we started dating. I'm 44, pretty much too old to have kids without some genetic risks, and my husband has some stuff in his genetic heritage (which avoided him, but) he'd rather not bring into the world. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, neither of us really wanted to have kids. We wanted a marriage, companionship, but not kids.

No regrets at all, and blessedly, nobody hounding me asking when I'm... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 5:08 AM on March 12, 2008

P.S.: I feel frustrated with the characterization of childless couples as "selfish". There are many reasons to have children -- some reasons to have children are as "selfish" as some of the reasons not to have children.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 5:11 AM on March 12, 2008

I have a different renal anomaly, which I discovered when they did a dye pyelogram some 15 years ago to see why I was getting frequent UTIs. I actually found out about it when reading some medical records -- it was so unremarkable they didn't tell me, and I don't even know what it is, really. I supposedly have "an extra renal lobe" on one kidney. Maybe it's the half-kidney you're missing, Soulbee! But at any rate, many of these renal abnormalities are trivial, I guess.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 11:03 AM on March 10, 2008

Your observation that you date people like your father is a very accurate one. I went through a similar thing except that I was dating people who were ambivalent like my mother and trying to win them over. The theory a therapist gave me was that, when we were hurt in a primary relationship as a child, we gravitated to people like the ones who hurt us. The idea we hold in this case, consciously or subconsciously (which shows up in your wanting to "fix" the boyfriend) is that, if we... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 7:09 AM on February 29, 2008

This is a difficult issue. My readings on the Roma suggest that the stealing you're seeing may come from centuries of self-fulfilling prophecy -- they were looked upon as thieves, so why not be one?

But at the same time, there may be other people -- non Roma -- who also have stolen from your shop over the years. Because of the stereotypes, these items might not have been missed. Is the fact that "most" of the stealing seems to come from Roma at least... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 11:44 AM on February 26, 2008

Botulism spores, to produce toxin, must have two conditions to form toxin:

1) a low-acid environment
2) air tight environment

The chicken soup has a low-acid environment. If it was tightly sealed in a tub with lid after being opened, especially if having been heated, then put in the tub hot, then sealed before cool so that the plastic lid made a vacuum, it theoretically could yield botulism toxin.

One... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 10:56 AM on February 25, 2008

Female and can't for the life of me scream. The closest I can get is a very crazed "GAH!" Or yelling at a football game. Probably socialization -- I never was one of those "OMG it's a cicada!" squealers, either. The one time I had to decide whether to scream or not, I used a police whistle instead.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 8:52 AM on February 25, 2008

Wow, who are all you folk who know about Starved Rock? That's my hometown area, and I always recommend it. If your boss wants a great, gourmet but homey bed-and-breakfast, I suggest Brightwood Inn. If he or she wants more Midwestern atmosphere, I'd suggest Starved Rock Lodge (food and/or room). There are also Buffalo Rock and Mattheisen (sp?) Parks in the area. If you want more information on the Starved Rock area/Illinois and Michigan Heritage Corridor area, please me-mail me!
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 9:01 AM on February 20, 2008

I'm getting nausea in my shoulders just reading this. I know what you're talking about -- to me it's more like restless legs, only it's restless shoulders. It's a crawly, queasy feeling, and yes, I associate it with migraines.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 11:31 AM on February 19, 2008

When someone asks me how I'm doing:

"Pretty good, if you average everything out."

When someone spills their drink:

"I see you have a drinking problem?"

When someone makes a loud belch:

"Oh, dear, did you rupture something?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 2:37 PM on February 16, 2008

You don't sound like me -- you sound like my husband (*grin*). He's bright, has master's degrees in history and library science (so he's not without a pool of knowledge), introverted, and has some sort of processing problem that keeps him from talking "off the cuff" as well as others. At least this is how he perceives it.

His solution? He joined Toastmasters. In that organization, you practice public speaking, and I understand that extemporaneous... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 5:25 AM on February 14, 2008

Would claiming that the engine has "4 new vertical bolts in engine mount" and having those bolts fail within a few thousand miles give me some sort of legal recourse? If those bolts are single-use expansion bolts that were probably re-used (i.e. not new and why they failed) be a material fact that I could base a case on? This is what my mechanic claims most likely happened.
posted by kscottz at 10:19 AM on February 13 [+] [!]... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by lleachie at 9:18 AM on February 13, 2008