If you are getting a flat per-month fee or a per post fee for blogging, it will in no way compare to print rates. $500 a month sounds average to me for that kind of gig.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:01 PM on July 25, 2008

People can make a decision not to have sex that is based entirely in logic and outside of any morality system. Sex (and, for that matter drinking) comes with responsibility. If you cannot afford birth control, are completely unprepared to face an unplanned pregnancy and the choices that brings, or simply do not want to run the risks of STDs that comes with being sexually active, than abstinence is a fine choice.

In terms of drugs or alcohol, well, there are a lot of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 4:54 PM on July 24, 2008

I’m confused about this behavior, if you don’t fear eternal punishment for drinking and fucking or whatever...

Also, FYI, this isn't motivating any of your Jewish friends. There is no Jewish concept of hell.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 4:56 PM on July 24, 2008

I think the differences between male and female content are pretty well staked out. If you look at who's making money, men are making money writing about technology and business strategy, and women are making money mommy blogging and making porn.

Obviously, this annoys me. But it leads me to my next point, which annoys me even more, and I think would be an interesting basis for some research towards a thesis.

The very structure of the web and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:06 PM on July 23, 2008

Oh, sorry. All of which is to say: I think research on organisational styles, sociolingusitics, and their effect on the visibility of women in tech would be interesting.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:13 PM on July 23, 2008

Mike, you're sort of missing the broad point there with Gizmodo. Normative for tech blogs is, well, male. Were that not the case, then there would be no need and no market for tech blogs specifically for women. Of which there are many, because this market is not being served particularly well by your standard - ie male - tech blogs.

To put it another way, there are no (or very few) "tech blogs for men" because almost all tech blogs are already for men - or are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:59 PM on July 23, 2008

Oh dear God I do this too.

When the more mortifying moments from my past pop into my head I tend to do "No no no no no no yes!" Which mostly leads people to believe I'm having a Vicar of Dibley moment.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 7:37 AM on July 23, 2008

Dude. This is bad.

Is this the first time you've ever fallen in love? Because you are absolutely behaving like a young woman without the perspective and experience to know that whatever happens, you will get over it and you will move your life forward.

Grown ups in healthy and well balanced relationships do not have regular screaming fights, bang their heads against the wall, live with a complete absence of romance, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:11 PM on July 22, 2008

What everyone else said. Your job at this moment in time is to make it as easy for me to hire you as possible. Right now, you're making me work very hard and I already don't like you.

Redesign. Simply. Take every item on your Work list and make a page for it, with commercially viable examples. Take everything else that's listed and put it on a Resume page.

I don't know what types of work you're applying for, but if I'm hiring for print, I don't... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:35 PM on July 21, 2008

I don't understand. There may be no possible room for advancement in your current place of employment, but you can put together a great CV with the stated goal of "utilizing all of the experience and knowledge I have gained in internet marketing and web whatever in my current position" to move into a better position. Obviously somewhere else.

One thing I'm a little unsure of for you: 53K to copy and paste isn't bad bank. The economy is not great, a lot of tech... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:15 PM on July 21, 2008

I do 10% on both sides of the equation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 12:49 PM on July 21, 2008

3rding a bezel setting. I have a ring of about the same size in a setting I consider to be indestructible, although I have never smashed it with a rock. More importantly, I'm 99.99% confident the stone isn't going anywhere without intervention from a power tool.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 12:40 PM on July 21, 2008

You're aware that it's a security dongle, yes? And that if it were replaceable, it wouldn't provide very good security, right?
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:02 PM on July 20, 2008

Have a plan. Issue the ultimatum: marriage counselling or we're through. If she refuses counselling, act your plan.

This needs to include being VERY protective of your finances and you home. People have been known to strip marital assets from accounts at the merest whiff of divorce. You'll need somewhere to live, too, because people have been known to change locks, etc.

My point is that if she doesn't deal well with confrontation and bottles... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:43 AM on July 20, 2008

I can't think of a cheap QWERTY other than the Blackberry. The Bold has full QWERTY but the cheapy Pearls have a QWERTY layout with three letters per key. You can send SMS on Blackberry with T-mobile pre-pay in the US. I don't *think* they do pre-pay data plans but I haven't looked in a long time.

Huh. I just checked Ebay. Pearls are seemingly not cheap in the US. Odd, I can get one for €30 on pre-pay here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:20 PM on July 19, 2008

There are some great comments in this thread.

I think it's also worth remembering that for a lot of people, getting sober is profoundly disconcerting. Without the tether of alcohol, people feel lost, and if you're going to AA, some folks have a tendency to latch on to AA instead of latching on to sobriety. It's a 12 step program, not a religion, but you do get people who embrace it with the fervour of the recently converted.

If you've ever been... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:18 AM on July 19, 2008

A $150 dress from Ann Taylor is likely to be a cocktail dress, rather than a more formal evening gown. When a tux is required for men, I think full length gowns for women are a more appropriate bet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:24 PM on July 15, 2008

As a practical suggestion, scattered rose petals (and the fake ones are cheap, btw) make for prettier sheets. As do candles. As do Hershey's kisses.

You do not need to actually purchase new sheets to fulfil this request.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:54 PM on July 15, 2008

Everyone's wedding tackle shrinks when cold and/or wet. Nobody is looking at your junk because nobody is looking at anybody's junk because - see Point A - there's virtually nothing to look at.

Gawping would be a pointless exercise anyway, because the size of any given unerect member has no correlation to the size of the same erect member.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:33 PM on July 15, 2008

Thirding Ning. It's perfect for exactly what you want except for the self-hosted thing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:23 PM on July 15, 2008

It's satire about the inane and vapid day to day life of middle class Britain.

Sadly, they are not overdoing it. But that's why it's funny.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:04 AM on July 15, 2008

Pardon me. You're about to spend money on a wedding but you don't have the budget for relationship counselling? Have you lost all semblance of sense?
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:41 PM on July 14, 2008

I realise this isn't quite what you're looking for but even if you manage, by some miracle, to replace these dishes, you guys need to get everyday (ie breakable) dishes and save these for special occasions. Otherwise you're going to be in the same position in another 5 years.

I love our everyday plates, but no part of my soul dies when I break a dish. I feel differently when we start breaking wedding china, and I can replace that stuff through... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:13 PM on July 13, 2008

Let me deviate a bit from the bulk of the previous posters.

It isn't just about money, it's about house lust. You want what you want even if it isn't completely rational. You're willing to take risks to get it.

Here's a question: Would you be willing to rent this house for $2,300 a month? If so, well, you're going to be paying to put a roof over your head somewhere anyway, so you might as well go for it.

Go to a lawyer,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:23 PM on July 13, 2008

I really think the bottom line is that you can't say "I don’t buy a lot of extraneous crap and I don’t eat out much" if you're not tracking your spending.

At the end of a week or two, you'll see money that left your pocket that really would have been just as happy staying there.

The other end of this equation is, as everyone has said, budgeting. Serious weekly meal planning can save you massive amounts of money. It... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 11:09 PM on July 8, 2008

Chiming in to say please neuter.

My family bred Max the Wonder Dog. This was a handsome, brave, formidable show class Alsatian from winning lineage who saved my uncle's life on one very memorable occasion.

He was bred with a champion bitch, and we still have two grown dogs from that litter. Both whom, while very attractive, are dumber than the proverbial box of rocks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:55 PM on July 8, 2008

When I lived in:

NYC = sub
Rhode Island = grinder
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 8:20 AM on July 8, 2008

Somebody always gets the friends in the divorce. I'm sorry :(

Learn to knit and then Stitch N Bitch. This is the entire reason I learned to knit, in fact. Knitting is a very social activity these days, and if I can couple that with Martinis, baby, it's a win all around.

Also, does your industry have active social networking? I work in tech and where I live, there's a huge repetoir of bar camps, open coffees, geek girl dinners, 1st curry, etc. Is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:19 PM on July 7, 2008

Is this not the sort of thing CRMs were created for?

OK, so I hate Sugar, but there must be a Sugar / Highrise / free something out there you can use. Realistically, if all you need is client entry and contact tracking and a view of aged contacts by date or whatever, even the nightmare that is Sugar would be OK because you don't have to deal with the morass of advanced features.

Whatever - a simple CRM is what you need. For very simple needs like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:11 PM on July 7, 2008

If by "inner city" we are supposed to read "living below the poverty line" I would build in some take-aways for the end of the week. You want to avoid, as much as possible, an introduction to a whole world they may not have reliable access to in the immediate future.

So, if they make images in PS, let them each print their favourite at the end of the session. If they write code, print out the code. Assuming one writes songs or whatever in Garage Band... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:01 AM on July 7, 2008

Kellyblah's idea of making cherry whiskey is a a good one. Not for yourselves, mind you, but as holiday presents. You'll be totally sorted for gift giving this December with some cherries and some adorable bottles with your own labels. Fun project!
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:41 AM on July 7, 2008

Yeah, accidental run away dog time. Pity when that happens. Amazing those critters can get all the way from NYC to NJ or CT.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 4:39 PM on July 4, 2008

Your hymen will be blood rich (or not) at particular points in your menstrual cycle. It also raises and lowers in your vaginal canal, too - it's kinda cool.

For me, getting banged (ha!) in the cervix can either be as uncomfortable as thumping myself on the cheekbone or shin, or as painful as... well, something relatively sharp and painful.

In either case, at the right point in your cycle, when your cervix is low, blood rich and thin, bleeding... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 4:50 PM on July 3, 2008

Your hymen will be blood rich... was a typo. I meant your cervix. Sorry if that was confusing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:30 PM on July 3, 2008

Evolt.org, specifically thelist mailing list, is exactly what you're asking for. The site is useful, but the real action happens on thelist.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:09 PM on July 3, 2008

If nobody has mentioned this yet, please give yourself a reality check kick up the arse by googling New Relationship Energy. It's euphoric, intense, normal, and completely unsustainable.

Your relationship is normal. Very few couples maintain that constant touching, groping feely "I love you, I love you, I love you" fest after oh, the first three months. Those that do are annoying as all get out.

Looking at other humans is normal.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 4:21 PM on July 3, 2008

I would also implement the last straw strategy. It can be helpful in to have a gentle, simply questioning conversation with her:

He's shoved her and she's stayed; slapped her and she's stayed. Would she stay if he slapped her again? Hit her? If either of those things happened, what would she do? Can she put a plan in place for that?
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:20 PM on July 1, 2008

And she lives... where?
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 12:44 PM on July 1, 2008

Tomorrowful has it. Throttle your requests and do it during offpeak hours. If they are unhappy with your visits, there won't be any emails or conversation; they'll just block your IP. This is one of those instances where "don't ask, don't tell" is actually a good policy.

Residents of my house have done this repeatedly with 20K+ record scrapes from a variety of sources and this has consistently worked to achieve, err, the desired end.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:04 PM on June 30, 2008

High-level lawyers who can control and limit their schedules typically bought that luxury with years of toil.

I just called my dad to ask if his experience jives with my outside memory of what Biglaw was like. My dad started law school the day I started high school. He went to a NYC law school and then to the litigation department of a top tier NYC Biglaw firm. For all intents and purposes, we did not see him for the first three years he was there.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:41 PM on June 28, 2008

Are you already selling on esty? I know I've seen your work before and liked it; it's very distinctive.

A couple of things in no particular order:

1/ Leave the jobs off.

2/ Someone is offering to give you a skill you do not have. Learn to drive.

3/ If a car will give you more employment options and more money, drive it.

4/ Do you have an agent? If you don't, get one. A... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:05 PM on June 26, 2008

3rding LinkedIn. But also check directly with the HR listings for large companies. Places like IBM ship people out for long term project stints and then ship 'em home again.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 11:47 AM on June 26, 2008

There are a lot of good fonts out there, not all of which are well known but many of which are useful. The problem with non-professional fonts from Joe Shmoe instead of a proper type foundry is that the spacing between the letters is often fairly crap and requires manual, letter by letter adjustment, which sucks.

It also depends if you want body fonts or display fonts, but I most often use Gil, Aviner, Helvetica, Berlin, Helvector Geometric, Officina, and the world's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 9:28 PM on June 25, 2008

Here's a good list of 30 fonts that I bookmarked a few months back.

That's a great list, made even more awesome by the inclusion of Vag Rounded.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 2:35 AM on June 26, 2008

If I leave my job, will it look bad on my resume or hinder my chances of finding a good job elsewhere?

If you're miserable, find another job while you still have this one. For whatever reason, employed candidates are almost always more appealing than unemployed ones.

Your post is confusing, but as far as I can tell, the cost of gas doesn't stop you from applying anywhere, and certainly shouldn't stop you from attending interviews.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 12:03 AM on June 25, 2008

Sink some time into browsing the Indiebride forums, because those women have thoroughly investigated every budget-concious venue on the island and there are lists floating around there with venue and per-head costs, etc.

You really need to check previous years' attendance to lock your numbers down, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 10:44 PM on June 23, 2008

What worked for you in overcoming PTSD, anxiety, depression?

Xanax

I have a friend who gave me a few of her Xanax... but they are my absolute last resort because who knows when/if I could get more.

This is what your doctor is for. PTSD is difficult but the associated anxiety attacks are debilitating. Your therapist may be qualified to deliver therapy and be a good match for you,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 6:09 PM on June 23, 2008

Marrying someone in the hopes they will change is an idea made of epic fail, colloquially referred to as divorce.

He's more committed to his friends than you, he's focused on his partying and may have a drinking problem, and he's apparently unprepared to discuss significant aspects of the future without bolting.

Seriously, look at your post: you want to marry a man in two years who is choosing to move an hour away from you in preference... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 5:57 PM on June 23, 2008

Self-esteem and self-confidence are closely related. Whoever suggested karate as a good self-confidence builder was on to a good idea there. In terms of self-esteem, you can make a concious effort to bring on board the (admittedly, very tedious) positive reinforcement mantra of good job, well done, and their friends.

"Can you pick up those toys? Oh, well done!"
"Can you wash your hands before dinner?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 3:58 PM on June 17, 2008

This is what I would refer to as the Boarding School Accent. It explains why very wealthy kids from Boston or Texas do not sound like they are from Boston or Texas, but rather from somewhere between Phillips Andover and Eton.
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 12:08 AM on June 16, 2008