Bad news for Republicans always gets put out on Fridays. People will have forgotten all of this by Monday, sadly.

Holiday weekend (for some) too. A well timed report release, I'll say.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 6:25 PM on October 10, 2008

I think GOP senators like Gordon Smith and Norm Coleman and the few remaining republican congressmen in the north east were absolutely in a panic over the negative turn the campaign is taking.

This. I find it notable that here in Maine (where we split our electoral votes), our junior Senator, Susan Collins (R) is running for reelection. Todd Palin is campaigning here this weekend, but only in the second district -- in the northern, much more rural... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 9:56 PM on October 10, 2008

Please be sure to budget some money -- maybe a thousand or so -- to buy an heirloom quality something (Clock, jewelry, painting) that will always remind you of the person who left you this windfall.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 2:58 PM on October 10, 2008

You're having some new appliances installed / some work done on the plumbing / a much-needed and urgent repair on your heating system and need to be home all day to supervise the strangers who will be in your house.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 7:49 AM on October 9, 2008

In 2004 there was an independent candidate for the 1st district house seat by the name of Dexter Kamilewicz. He had local artists create large (like 3 x 5 foot) signs for him that were put up at strategic intersections. Although he didn't do well, the signs certainly served to highten his name recognition at the beginning of his campaign.

So, yeah, valuable in local campaigns.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 2:53 PM on October 8, 2008

A coworker cut a piece of plywood to size and slipped his plastic Obama sign over the top, then put the plywood on metal pipe legs which he drove very deeply into the ground.

Seems to have worked.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 1:31 PM on October 8, 2008

Together for 14 years, lived together for about ten, married for three...

We used to sleep together every night (despite his awful snoring). When our son was born (he's 27 months old) he co-slept with us until he got big enough stand up and fall out of the side-car style cosleeper we were using, at which time we moved him into his own room.

Since he (my son) has had his own room, I end up cosleeping with him (my son) in his... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 8:41 PM on October 7, 2008

Listen to never used baby shoes.

I'll nth what he said re: salary. Its an NPO and its October (ie: late in the budget year in a year where many NPOs haven't gotten the funding they were hoping for, or anticipate budget shortfalls as the donor pool dries up). I doubt there will be much, if any, wiggle room in their salary offer. Can't hurt to ask, but don't be offended if they don't say yes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 8:16 PM on October 7, 2008

Looks like the site creator is getting a huge bandwith bill .. she's looking for donations ...doesn't surprise me, between MeFi, Jezibel, HuffPo, etc.

Anyone want to hook her up with the campaign? Maybe they'd do ads on the side?
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 2:45 PM on October 7, 2008

We have a very young child. I don't need a job tomorrow, but relying on alimony for the rest of my life is not a great idea.

I'm going to be one of those people who doesn't exactly answer the question that was asked. Sorry.

I agree that relying on alimony for the rest of your life is not a great idea, but it sounds like you have some breathing room here. If you needed to get work tomorrow I would say the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 10:54 AM on October 7, 2008

I'd say to look for nannying/childcare jobs, but it's currently an unstable market. Worth a look, though, since your daughter is going to need care and some offer live-in opportunities. Note that most daycares don't pay well.

To add onto that point: It might be worth it for you to check what the requirements are in your state for you to care for children in your own home. In most states its fairly easy: you take a few classes, you get a home... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 2:18 PM on October 7, 2008

Many people bring up the class issues, and are quite upfront about what (and who) they find acceptable or not.

Can you give examples of this? It might help us get our heads around the question.

FWIW, I can't recall "class" ever being an issue for me in social situations. I tend to be fairly observant about these things, because the NPO I used to work for dealt with housing issues, so it wasn't unusual for me to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 1:53 PM on October 7, 2008

Will the kids be there full time, or part time? There is a big difference between the housemates being around the children, say, every other weekend and the children being there 24/7 (or close to it).

how do we deal with discipline and other such issues when it comes to them?

You'll need to talk with the house-mates about this and their comfort level to really answer this question. I suspect that as you grow together as a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 12:19 PM on October 7, 2008 marked best answer

Cotton is not a great insulator, so I'd be surprised if you'll find anything that is 100% cotton. Would a 100% cotton shell with a synthetic (or down) insulation fully enclosed meet your needs?
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 6:28 PM on October 4, 2008

Do you want to go through the contents at all before you dispose of them? If not (and, I admit, while this is common in New England California may be different) I would contact an auction house that does estate sales and see if they will take the whole thing for either a flat fee (they pay you, because they'll make money off what is auctioned) or (better) a percentage of the auction proceeds.

Or, if you want to throw it all away there are services like 1-800-got-junk (??... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 12:21 PM on October 2, 2008

Hi Jaie --

So, maybe I'm being pollyanna, but I'm going to be the only person who doesn't say DTMFA. Instead, I'm going to acknowledge that you're going to be living this life for at least the next month, and so I'm going to try to give you some advice on how to get through that time. What you do after that is up to you, but how he responds if you follow the advice I give below might be a clue as to whether this situation is actually a hot codependent mess or if He's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 11:40 AM on October 2, 2008 marked best answer

I would start a charm bracelet, and make a point to by a new charm every year on her birthday. For her 18th - 21st this will be her gift. Bonus is that as she gets older she'll be able to help construct it, but won't see the finished product until she reaches the milestone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 5:32 AM on September 29, 2008

I honestly can't imagine how its relevant to anything in your current relationship except this: If you and she decide to have a child at some point in the future, the conception and/or birth of that child might stir up all sorts of feelings in you that you were not expecting. If that happens, be open about what you're feeling and why.

But otherwise? No need to tell her.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 1:39 PM on September 26, 2008

So can we please stop humiliating a teenage girl yet?

Agreed.

Guys, by all reports she's been breastfeeding this child. While it is possible to induce lactation in a woman who has not given birth, its difficult. If she is nursing this baby, it'll be obvious to just about everyone who works with her or travels with her -- even if its just that she's disapearing every so often to pump and then there's bottles of breastmilk in the 'fridge.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 7:08 AM on August 31, 2008

konolia, leaving all the rest of this mess aside for a moment, I have two questions for you -- and I am asking in the genuine spirit of "I'm currious" since you're a demographic I don't have much contact with in my real life:

1) If George Bush were eligible to run for a third term, would you vote for him?

2) If Gov Palin's resume and life story were the same, but she was vocally pro-choice (in the same way that, say, Senators Snowe and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 3:59 PM on August 31, 2008

konolia, thanks for your reply. Again, like some here I'm not looking to mock but just to understand.

Palin says here that she opposes "explicit" (and I'm not sure what that means) sex-ed programs in schools. Do you agree with her? Do you (and I am sort of asking for you to speak for the members of your church here, sorry) feel like not teaching kids about what sex is, how it works, and how you avoid getting pregnant -- even if presented along... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 5:29 PM on August 31, 2008

I want to understand the underpinnings of what is becoming broken-water gate....

I'm just going to touch on this very briefly. At first, I also thought it was very weird, but upon reflection I think it was ... ok, still weird, but there are a ton of things we don't know (and shouldn't know).

Chief among them, we don't know what her other labors were like. In the article from the Alaska paper that she was having contractions... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 2:00 PM on September 3, 2008

Not to nit-pick, but the baby was born a month early, so 32 weeks.

Full term is generally considered 40 weeks (because doctors count from the last period, not the date of conception). So 36 weeks would be about a month early.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 2:05 PM on September 3, 2008

Look, no matter who grabs the brass ring in November, the world won't come to an end. I have lived too long and seen too many elections and survived too many Presidents of varying calibers...we will be all right.

Your comment made me cry .... Because, you see, I don't think we will be. Here, in my own life, I don't think we will be. We just can't stand four (or eight) more years of this.

Between the two of us, my husband and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 10:14 PM on September 9, 2008

Note: In my comment above the words On this page in the footnote should link to this page at JohnMcCain.com, titled Immediate Relief for American Families. Its the second bullet point under "Gas and Food Prices".
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 10:39 PM on September 9, 2008

ABC News: Match-o-Matic 2 (via Buzzfeed)

Read side by side anonymized quotes from Obama and McCain. Select the quote you most agree with. Learn which candidate's stated positions you most often agree with.

After all, its about the issues ... isn't it?
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:54 PM on September 10, 2008

Does anyone out there have a link that breaks down the stats state by state (in other words I want to see how the possible electoral votes would stack up?)

Electoral-vote.com. Updated daily.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:59 PM on September 10, 2008

What's Obama up to these days?

Obama on Letterman (9/10/08): part 1 :: part 2 :: part 3
partial transcript

"Yeah, the failed policies of John McCain would be the pig."

Misleading Obama Headline of the Day

Obama speaks in Dover NH "I'm not going to start making up lies about John McCain . . . . I am not going to be... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 5:22 AM on September 13, 2008

I hope Obama starts talking about how the US economy is a disaster and it's all the greedy ass Republicans fault.

Obama's Unusual New Ad

"Unusual" in that its 120 seconds of the candidate talking directly to the camera, describing his thoughts on the economy in detail. I hope Obama does more of this. I've thought for a long time that a good 60 or 90 second edit of the NH Primary Speech ("Yes We Can") run... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 10:29 AM on September 18, 2008

Wow, Cortex ... that sure is ...... Large.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 1:30 PM on September 26, 2008

There is probably some rational and boring explanation, but the National Enquirer website has disappeared completely. Seems like a pretty large coincidence that this happened right after they broke the "story" about Palin's lover.
posted by ymgve at 8:23 AM on September 25 [+] [!]

I'm getting in fine. I wonder though, if their site is getting (you'll pardon the phrase) pounded.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 5:30 AM on September 25, 2008

I honestly think that if Letterman and the rest of the late night crowd turn on McCain, it could actually have an effect on the election.

How terrifying is that?

Letterman has already turned. McCain canceled his appearance last night, and Dave was still ranting about it tonight. Will be fore weeks to come, I'm betting.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 10:17 PM on September 25, 2008

What kind of asshole are you that you think you can sell this to me as if it was in my best interest? Get ready to read about this on the internet, Nick. What no last names? I guess I wouldn't give mine either if I was a man like you.

Rafaelloello, I appreciate that you're upset, but go read the Consumerist for a while. Best rule of getting what you want is to be calm and polite.

Being a jerk isn't going to help your position. At all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 11:21 AM on September 25, 2008

We had two weddings - one city hall legal one, and one big one that people were actually invited to. My husband refers to them as our marriage and our wedding and I'm good with that.

Its actually not all that unusual. I have a dear friend from college who was married while her mother was in the end stages of breast cancer. My friend and her husband had their actual, legal marriage upstairs at her mother's... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 8:42 AM on September 25, 2008

I have friends who separated in a fairly unpleasant way after ten years of marriage (he had been having an affair). Four months into their separation, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. They remained married on paper for six years, through her entire course of treatment, so she could remain on his health insurance.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 6:57 PM on September 23, 2008

Make sure you have an extra set of keys to whatever car you will be using the day of the ceremony. (I locked all my fancy underwear in the car -- with the keys in the car -- and someone had to drive the hour back to my house to get the extra keys.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 6:46 PM on September 23, 2008 marked best answer

How difficult would this be to build ourselves? How cheaply could we do it if we both participated in the construction? Could we build it ourselves with a carpenter? How long would it take if we dedicated real time to it?
We have some free time, a small budget, and want a space to go chill. If you were in our shoes, how would you do it?

Its not difficult. If you can find a couple of other people to help you its possible that you could have... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 6:40 PM on September 23, 2008

We keep a basket full of catalogs in the bathroom. I find it to be perfect reading material -- keeps me entertained but not so ... engrossing ... that you can't set it down.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 7:57 PM on September 22, 2008

FYI, the Jesus Christ was a community organizer and Pontius Pilate was a governor thing got airtime on Meet The Press this morning. (Brokaw showed a pin with that slogan on it and asked Guiliani to comment on it.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 9:59 AM on September 14, 2008

I don't doubt he disdains small-town America. I certainly know from observation his supporters do.

I think you have "small town" confused with "ignorant" here.

And ignorant people live everywhere. (I'm not calling you one, or calling all religious people ignorant, or anything of the sort, not even trying to imply that, so stay with me to the end here please...) Don't try to deny that there are ignorant,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:12 PM on September 18, 2008

Make sure you are registered, you only have about two weeks in some states.

Six states (Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Wyoming) allow same-day (ie: Election Day) voter registration. One (North Dakota) does not have voter registration at all.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:17 PM on September 18, 2008

1001??
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:48 PM on September 18, 2008

will it protect teeth as well as a typical crest style toothpaste

It doesn't contain flouride, if that's what you're asking.

Its soap. It cleans things. We've gotten used to the idea of "different soaps for different jobs", but it doesn't need to be so.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 1:38 PM on September 16, 2008

No one's mentioned the 18 uses -- I'm very curious myself. I can never find eighteen distinct uses on the bottle. Anyone know?

Its a question on the FAQ on the official site. Their answer is:

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
2. Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 7:49 PM on September 17, 2008

Thank you for all the comments so far. A couple of follow ups:

Stop trying to time the market (badly).
I haven't been trying to "time the market". The last time I changed investments was 26 months ago when some new funds became available in my 401K plan. Prior to that, I did some redistribution in 2000 and 2001. September happens to be the anniversary date of my hire, so I try to look at things every September, just to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 5:24 AM on September 17, 2008

And if, for whatever reason, the parents are sure that they will not abort the child, then there is no point in getting tested because the information gained is of no use.

I'd like to speak to this. I was tested. If our son had Down Syndrome I would not have terminated the pregnancy (although I might have if some of the more horrific abnormalities that are possible had been present) -- but it was important to me to know. In advance. Not find out... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 8:41 PM on September 15, 2008

All jokes aside, I thought it was interesting to note that the police think she (the baby) ended up at that house "because it is one of the first residential streets off Route 128 South". I wonder if the mother knew the neighborhood. The odds of the baby not being found for hours or even days are staggeringly high.

Also, this isn't the first I found a baby on my doorstep story I've read in the news this week. Leaves me... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 12:21 PM on September 11, 2008

If you drive down the street you hit one of the most affluent towns in the state with some of the best public schools in the state, so probably not.

Yes, but affluent doesn't mean that the family isn't on vacation or the resident doesn't have one of those jobs where you, you know, have a two hour commute in Boston and then work ten hours and have a two hour commute home.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 1:10 PM on September 11, 2008

There was just a Portland meetup in July, and I think a York Harbor "at the beech / skeeball" one in August.

There are a bunch of us (maybe 20-ish) in Southern Maine, though, so it could happen.
posted to MetaTalk by anastasiav at 12:30 PM on September 4, 2008

As a parent, the one I find most moving is the mother holding the daughter with the gangrenous feet. Such love in the mother's face - and such sadness.
posted to MetaFilter by anastasiav at 7:03 AM on September 3, 2008