Antique stores and junk shops. The complete matched sets are rare and can be expensive, but these places have oodles of inexpensive (or at least reasonably priced) single pieces, which if put together creatively would be beautiful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 6:49 AM on October 7, 2008

Make sure your comments are of the "active listening" type-- repeat, in your own words, your understanding of any given point, end the comment with a question that demands a response-- "is that an accurate description of what you mean?" and then get the person to clarify/simplify/develop. You can bring others around the table into the discussion through this method as well.

Also, not to compare 28-yr-old professionals with a skating class of 6... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 6:27 AM on October 7, 2008

Mashed root vegetables 4 to 1 to 1 to 1 to 1 potatoes, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celery root, add roasted garlic cloves to taste. Mash and thin with butter and milk, or with vegetable broth, or with cream depending on your dietary preferences.

Curried squash soup. Bake any smooth squash (i.e. you can't use spaghetti squash) until you can easily spoon it out of the skin; use any creamed veg soup recipe you like (the net is full of them), but flavor with indian spices,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 6:50 PM on October 1, 2008

So let me get this straight, the actual president is now considered so incompetent and ineffectual that it doesn't seem out of place for presidential candidates to step in *as though they have statutory standing to do so* on a major national crisis, rather than playing their actual elected and appointed legal roles.

Sara Palin is more of an idiot than I gave her credit for, which is quite an accomplishment, not to mention really really scary.

Am I missing anything?
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 8:08 PM on September 24, 2008

Not to sound too naive, but are we finally going to get past the lie that everyone's money is safer in the stock market? Are we finally going to allow people with smaller resources (like the ability to put the limit of just $5,000 per year in IRAs, in other words most of us) to just put their money, if they want, still protected from the tax man and college tuition vultures, in long-term CDs? I did some math, and if I had been allowed to do this with our one actual pension roll over, years ago... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 8:02 AM on September 25, 2008

Thanks chundo. As you point out, my IRAs are fine, because I was able to put them where I wanted them, unlike being forced, with our rolled over 401K, into stocks and bonds. Doing even better is a close relative, who did not need to hide assets from what I called the college tuition vultures, and has basically amassed a fortune in CDs. Our 401K rollover just basically loses all its gains every 5-8 years or so, and that is in fact due to government regulations that, when we had to take the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 9:52 AM on September 25, 2008

I wish I had something intelligent to add, but really I'm just holding my place. Thanks y'all
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 6:51 PM on September 29, 2008

First one looks like a little like spirea. Does it flower?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 4:58 PM on September 29, 2008

As someone working in the nfp sector, every time I hear a remark like this, denigrating a local or regional research, infrastructure, education or arts project as an "earmark" I see red. Not every local expenditure by the national legislature is by definition wasted money. They get rid of earmarks, it ain't the useless, nonfunctional fighter jets that are getting cut, it's the day care centers, regional theaters, sewer projects and public transportation. It's legislation by sound... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 9:09 AM on September 29, 2008

At the very moment you are wheeled out of the emergency room with a stack of bills the size of a phone book in your lap; a giant eagle, swoops down, grabs you by your bandage swathed head and struggling to drag your screaming, struggling body into the sky manages to half pull you down the street while people whack at your broken legs with umbrellas like you are a fucking piñata until it gives up hope and drops you down an open sewer, which chooses that moment to erupt from an excess of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 10:06 AM on September 29, 2008

My best friend accidentally gave her antique, heirloom wedding ring to Goodwill (it was hidden in the toe of an old shoe, for "safety"). Thirty years later it is a central family story, although she was devastated at the time. 'Fess up. This happens (it's why there aren't that many heirloom rings around).
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 9:12 AM on September 29, 2008

Check out America's Test Kitchen website. They tested a bunch of stainless pans; I seem to recall them talking about this. Other than that, kuujjuarapik has it-- high heat, and don't move the food til it seers and releases. Best way to clean stainless pans is with washing soda and white vinegar. If you put this in while the pan is still hot it cleans with zero elbow grease, and it is 100% environmentally sound. (ducks when someone violently disagrees)
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 7:23 PM on September 28, 2008

Forgot the links, sorry. Washing soda. Also, tried to find that ATK link, and they've removed it, but it was "Proper Pan Temperature: How do I know when my pan is hot enough for sautéing and searing?" from Season 5 if you want to try to hunt it down.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 7:30 PM on September 28, 2008

If you've got one, maybe rethink this as a costume for a small, compliant dog? (Etch-a-Pooch, sorry couldn't resist). This might solve some of the problems of size, shake, and substance exposure.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 5:56 AM on September 28, 2008

Well, there's the infamous Chinese shoe fetish. Not a modern example, but still.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 4:08 AM on September 27, 2008

I am full of admiration for those of you with the fortitude to watch a Palin interview all the way through. Katie Couric deserves the Congressional Medal for service to the country in exposing this idiot.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 10:02 AM on September 26, 2008

If your salary was double, could the two of you live on it? If the answer is yes, have him contribute a "match" to your salary to the household budget. Live on that. (You might have to work out some formulas to deduct the cost of you-only expenses like the student loans.) He puts the balance of his salary in savings. If you guys make the long haul, you have a head start on home purchase or retirement through these savings. (Jeez, why didn't I think of this when it was me?)
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 1:24 PM on September 23, 2008

Arrange a Mefi Meetup!
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 5:15 PM on September 22, 2008

Back to longhand, dude. Away from the house/computer. Or maybe a writing buddy? Someone you write with at scheduled times, either with the shame factor as incentive or some sort of applied deal, like whoever writes the least has to buy the beer.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 5:07 PM on September 22, 2008

I just keep wondering where these guys were with their trillion dollar bailout when the American public school system failed. Or the manufacturing sector. Or the roads and bridges. Or New Orleans. Or accessible higher education. Or water and land rights in Darfur. Going into my closet to hug my knees and rock now.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 12:38 PM on September 22, 2008

I would also like to hug your rock.

No! Mine! (goes back into closet)
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 4:53 PM on September 22, 2008

Crawling out of my paranoid crouch for a moment, may I ask if this whole insane plan is evidence that the neocons think Obama is going to win and they are scrambling to saddle him with such a mess that they can then point their fingers at his failure and start the whole sad cycle again? And the Dems are too scared to stand up for patience and reflection because there's an imminent election? (actually, I don't seem to have moved much from my paranoid crouch.)
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 5:01 PM on September 22, 2008

We had terrible analog reception and now we have terrible digital reception. Except with digital it's even more annoying because the flow is actually interrupted, so you don't even get fuzzy information, you just get no information. You can try to figure out where the bulk of the signals are coming from, and orient your antenna in that direction, but I suspect you've already tried that. Not to be unduly paranoid, but frankly it'sjust more legislation, written by industry supposedly for the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 12:49 PM on September 22, 2008

Everybody stop trying to guess whether a- the coach is an asshole or b- the dad is overreacting. OP wants to know how to deal with the situation. I am a coach in a community sports program. Yes, the administration will take the coach's side. First thing I'd ask is whether your daughter even wants you to intervene-- maybe she just wants to vent about this, but is in fact dealing with the situation. So make sure you really need to intervene, first. Might be too late for this, but I would... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 9:23 AM on September 19, 2008

My experience is generally that administrations (not in a loose, parent-oriented organization like little league) will default to their employee's support as a starting position. So just be prepared for that. I wrote a response in a respectful and supportive tone, and if you don't give us all the information all the information that we need to be able to help you, don't turn around and attack. The coach does not get carte blanche, but he is in a stronger position to start, so you need to get... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 1:30 PM on September 19, 2008

I just came off a much less severe break of my fibula. I found when I wore the cam boot after the cast came off, the following unpleasant effects:

When I wore the boot, my ankle ached and swelled more than when I didn't wear it. So ask the doctor to be sure that it's the right size and that you really understand how to put it on. Further, the boot I used had a rounded sole so that I could not properly balance my weight on it, even with the crutch, and it forced me to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 7:06 AM on September 17, 2008

Know prices, make a list and only bring cash.

Walk to the store.

Small shoppings throughout the week, rather than "stocking up." This way you always know what you have in the house, you don't overbuy and either lose things or have to throw them out when they go bad, and you only buy what you need for the next couple of days. This is also a great way to stick to a diet. Only buy meal food on these trips. If you want a snack, make a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 7:04 PM on September 15, 2008

Mefites helped me out last winter.. Definitely go to that falafel place.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 3:30 PM on September 13, 2008

I was going to say Wow. Just Wow, but Stunt beat me to it. What the heck. Wow. Just Wow.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 5:53 PM on September 12, 2008

I hate to be the one to bring it up, but you forgot the batshitinsane tag.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 1:14 PM on September 11, 2008

Just shoot me now.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 1:10 PM on September 11, 2008

You need the World Soccer Shop.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 6:33 AM on September 9, 2008

Yes. The American Medical Association Series How to Understand your Symptoms (one for Men, one for Women, one for Children). Excellent, easy to read, full of common sense.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 2:05 PM on September 7, 2008

This is a great question, and that you are aware of this is such a good sign. I found the difficulty not as much in how I perceived myself as in how I was perceived by society. No matter how you deal with asserting your own identity, and there's some good stuff upthread, you will have a harder time making the world recognize that you are NOT, in fact "anonymous", but are still yourself. The world will start seeing you in relation to your child. Remember that this is actually okay--... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 8:05 AM on September 5, 2008

As a parent of a former nationally-competitive athlete, albeit in the wings of the sport, and a coach in that sport, I can tell you, Tongay notwithstanding, abuse and tolerance of abuse starts with the coaches. When my daughter proved resistant to the coach's emotional abuse he turned on me, and I can tell you you have to be unbelievably strong emotionally to withstand the kind of crap these guys can dish out. I spent the entire year crying, questioning myself as a parent and a human being,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 7:49 AM on September 5, 2008

1- In the party of Susan Collins, Lynn Martin, Elizabeth Dole, Olympia Snowe, Sandra Day O’Connor, Christine Todd Whitman, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Margaret Spelling, Condoleeza Rice, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Kay Orr, Susan Molinari, and Kay Granger, this was the best they could do? This choice is an insult to the women who broke that glass ceiling and put this lightweight into this position for which she is a bad joke. I think there's going to be a Bradley Effect of Repblican women who say they're... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 5:11 PM on September 2, 2008

You cannot decide that certain political positions such as sex/abstinence education, abortion, gun control, school funding/vouchers, etc., are actually evidence of your “values” or worse of “family values” and then claim that the effects and evidence of these values on your own family are irrelevant. What’s the difference between that and advocating, for instance, for financial disclosure for public officials, and then claiming that your own finances are off limits? (oh, wait…). What the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 7:20 PM on September 2, 2008

Just a little still-annoyed-at-the-whole-thing derail here. I propose we start calling Palin "Mrs. Palin" in the same way that the media kept calling Clinton "Mrs." Clinton instead of Senator Clinton. Why should this nonentity get the respect that an actually-qualified woman didn't get?
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 9:37 AM on September 3, 2008

Obama’s positions are nuanced, flexible, considered, intellectual, and rely on historical context. Republicans' positions are visceral, dogmatic, and simplistic and rely on slogans. Which ones do you think are going to appeal to the sound-bite-ocracy?
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 9:44 AM on September 3, 2008

@afu It’s not that Bristol had sex, it’s that she didn’t get an abortion and is supposedly getting married. I would like to know, however, why Bristol’s pregnancy is a private family matter that is off limits, but the son and nephew going to Iraq is front and center? Didn’t see Joe Biden waving that particular flag, but I guess the Democrats have both class and an actual program, so they think they don’t need to show their tits. (oops, sorry, sexist reference my bad) Oh, wait, I’m sorry,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 8:52 AM on September 4, 2008

We "lose" virginity rather than "receiving" sexuality (? what would the obverse be?) because our sick society considers virginity to be clean, pure, and desirable, and sexual knowledge (especially in women) to be dirty and suspect.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 7:26 AM on September 3, 2008

In-home child care. And you can charge a LOT more than six bucks an hour.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 5:22 PM on September 2, 2008

Ravelry looks like the ticket, but how much are they going to care that I do sewing, fabric art and clothing design and no knitting at all?
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 6:03 PM on August 31, 2008

Romas can take a really long time to get color. Hang in there. If there's still no color when the frost hits, follow the paper bag advice upthread.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 1:40 PM on August 31, 2008 marked best answer

@parkbench-- nothing to add, except that as a non-Christian who was made to celebrate Christmas and Easter all my life, and a non-Jew who added the Jewish holidays to our family's calendar so my kids would understand that there are different traditions in the world, I've been thinking about doing this too, and in fact have "practiced" fasting periodically over the past 3 months in preparation. So good for you to try to learn firsthand about how other people experience the world.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 8:46 AM on August 31, 2008

If you're looking for a definition of your donor base some good stuff upthread. If you're looking for specific sources, you want to start by thinking about who is directly affected/benefited by your cause. For the benefits of raw milk you'd be looking at small dairy farmers looking for a niche market, organic dairy farmers and other organic farmers, patrons of alternative and organic markets, farmers markets, even up the chain to a place like Whole Foods, certain types of childrens' and/or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 8:41 AM on August 31, 2008

A fascinating collection, but I felt that the site equated photos doctored to propagate lies with photos doctored to make an editorial or political point. While it is a fascinating look at the evolution of both the technology and its use, at some point people need to learn to understand the difference between a clearly artistic/editorial manipulation like Reagan's tear with the egregious use of photo altering like the Kerry-Fonda canard. Equating the two is like saying that a news story and an... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 7:40 AM on August 30, 2008

If it's just going into storage, I think any professional movers would be fine. In Chicago professional piano movers, including tuning, runs $600 to $1200 for a baby grand/grand. I wouldn't hire the kids from down the block, but I don't think you need piano specialists (I have lots of experience hiring piano movers, as I've worked in the classical and education music industries my whole life).
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 3:05 PM on August 29, 2008

I cried for two hours. I'm crying now. I am so full of joy and hope because of this. I did not ever really believe that this country would nominate a black man for president in my lifetime. And that the runner up was a woman just made it that much sweeter-- historic no matter which amazing candidate won. God bless America indeed. I have never said that before.
posted to MetaFilter by nax at 6:14 AM on August 29, 2008

The pavers I got are 4 1/2". Or, he could pile 2-3 stepping stones one on top of the other. He might still be in a little puddle, but at least he won't be ankle deep. It really does work, because I'm doing it here. (My puddle is also about 4" deep)
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 4:22 PM on August 26, 2008