When I helped a friend move, she had these absorbent pad things designed for carrying crates, in the crate with the cat. I can't find anything online about them, my google-fu has failed big time, but basically they're like puppy pee pads. Not for long term use, but was really good at soaking up accidents. He went in regular litter when we stopped at the motel - we let him out.

(Also, don't take a nervous cat out of the carrier to put on your lap & soothe. My friend... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 7:30 PM on July 17, 2008

What's your hair like 'naturally'? That is, without blowdrying it straight? Curly, wavy, mostly straight already?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 10:08 AM on July 7, 2008

I lived in an apartment that had a sink in the master bedroom. I loved the sink in the bedroom. The bathroom was tiny, so it let me get partially ready (brush teeth, put on makeup) in the morning while my ex was showering or going to the bathroom in the morning. It was very easy to get used to, and I missed it when we left.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 3:43 PM on July 1, 2008 marked best answer

Stir. Stirring cabonated beverages helps remove bubbles. You can stop when there are 'some' bubbles, or keep going until there aren't any left. Might take awhile, but it works. And no added sugar.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 3:50 AM on June 30, 2008 marked best answer

Remind yourself, when you feel lonely, of all the friends you have made. And also remind yourself that you do not need another human being to be complete. You're a traveller, you're smart and educated, you have hobbies. That and having friends sounds like you're a successful, well-rounded person to me.

I haven't been on a date since I got divorced 5 years ago (ish). I've only had one guy show any interest, and I wasn't interested back. I frequently wonder if I should... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 9:49 AM on June 26, 2008

Be careful with the magic sponge. It is wonderful - its the only way to get cat face loving off the wall corners without taking off the paint - but I have noticed it wear away paint/dye/details from other surfaces. Not saying it won't work, and its probably gentler than baking soda, but be careful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 1:04 PM on June 25, 2008

Jellied food (aspics) were common in fancy medieval cooking. Jellied fish, especially. Mmm. Its a way of showing off your culinary skill, I suspect. Apart from enjoying the texture, that is.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:12 AM on June 24, 2008

Don't throw it out! Its a cool little box/bookend thing. If you really don't want it, give it away. But don't throw it out.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:10 AM on June 24, 2008 marked best answer

Another 'data point'. As a baby my mom had black, black hair. It all fell out as she approached her first birthday and grew back blonde. She stayed blonde from then on (though now its going grey, can't escape that change!).
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:08 AM on June 24, 2008

Make soft tacos, but instead of frying up ground beef & taco seasoning, mix the seasoning with a can of black eyed peas. Let sit for several hours for the peas to soak up the seasoning. Serve up with the usual salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc. Meatless, and no cooking required.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 5:49 AM on June 17, 2008 marked best answer

2. I live in a one-bedroom apartment (about 85m2/915ft2) and I want to adopt two cats. I've always wanted two, but Scarlet was too dominant and hence agressive towards other cats, so I never added to the family. This is enough space, right?

I live in a one bedroom (not sure of exact size). I have three cats. It works out just fine. Just make sure you have enough space for separate litterboxes/food dishes/etc. But that's more layout than size, I think.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:39 PM on June 11, 2008

Fruit and Spinach Salad

I usually make this for work potluck type things, and I rarely have any left to bring home. It has very few ingredients.

1 bag baby spinach (rinsed)
1 pint strawberries, sliced thin
1 mini tin mandarin oranges (drained)
Handful of sliced blanched almonds
Raspberry vinagrette dressing

Put in a bowl. Toss it all together. Yum.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:20 PM on June 11, 2008

Oh, sometimes I add blueberries instead of the mandarin orange slices. Or you could do both.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:21 PM on June 11, 2008

What about a baby grooming kit? The kind with baby kind nail clippers, soft brushes for hair and new teeth, etc. Or a first aid type kit, with baby thermometer, nose bulb, medicine dropper, etc. They sell them at my local department store but I'm in Canada.
Also, books. Board books, waterproof bath books, soft books he can chew, etc. Some are quite lovely and full of bright pictures and textures, things to grab and pull and pat. Some have sound but I'd stay away from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:07 AM on June 9, 2008

Thanks vodkaboots. I get all teary at stupid emotional stuff, and I need coping strategies. Thinking about it like a guy and a boner might just help. Also the smile thing. Probably more the smile thing.
It might be normal and empathy and all that, but I just want it to stop.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:16 PM on June 4, 2008

Cats-need-time-to-adjust anecdote:

I once got a cat from a co-worker. He went from being the only cat in a house with kids to a childless house with two other cats. I gave him his own room; he hid under the bed every time I came in to change the litter or feed him. After a couple of days of this he bolted out the bedroom door when I opened it and promptly vanished on me. The front door at the time had this tendancy to not shut properly...and when I chased after him, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 11:00 AM on May 9, 2008

So...did he come out?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 8:09 PM on May 29, 2008

My grandmother is in her eighties. My grandfather is in his nineties. They have anxieties about their health, and my grandmother is a worrier. There are things that make them sad. However, on the whole, I get the feeling they are happy. They're happiest when people come to visit, even if they do end up napping in mid-afternoon in their chairs while we read or take the dog for a walk.
Why I think they're generally happy:
1) They have each other. This is the second... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 7:33 AM on May 15, 2008

I don't own a Wii. Friends do. We get together and play Mario Kart and other party style games (Smash Bros?). Its a ton of fun, and yes, we get all 4 remotes going at once. And people swapping in and out to play, which means if we could have more remotes going, we would.
Since you have enough people in your family for 4 remotes, get 4 remotes. You'll use them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:02 PM on May 9, 2008

I've done freecycling and its always worked out. I got a couple good things for free - an iron, some books - and gave away stuff I didn't need any more - some books, some computer parts.

I only dealt with people locally. I didn't know there was a controversy, and I don't care, because all it cost me was a tiny extra bit of gas for the pickup, and a bit of time, neither of which goes to the guy with the name.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 10:40 AM on May 9, 2008

I marked daisyace as best because of the line-by-line.

I'm not sure...I have this feeling there's more to 'god beyond comprehension'. Its "The Lover" though. Lover of god?

Argh. Perhaps I am overthinking this. I do that. Thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 7:21 PM on May 2, 2008

taz - that's a different interpretation and one I had not considered at all. Thank you. It will definately add fuel to our discussion!
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 1:49 PM on May 8, 2008

I went to Bard on the Beach when I was there...bought a ticket off someone for Hamlet. It was fantastic. OK, so there was a bit of ambient traffic noise that filtered through the tent, but it was very intimate and fun. Afterward, we had a question/answer session with the actors and the stage director. Not certain if that is a regular feature or I just lucked out. It was rather spur of the moment.
Its fun, that is, if you like theatre and Shakespeare. You might want to buy a ticket... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:38 PM on May 5, 2008

My mom is a very good listener. When you talk to her, you get the feeling she really cares. She's kind, and she is very supportive. She makes an effort to understand those things I enjoy that she doesn't, and even if she doesn't always get it, I love that she's tried. My mom has a wicked sense of humour. She's also one of two people I can stand to go clothes shopping with. We don't have the same taste, but she knows what I like and is able to spot it when I can't, and she's honest about fit and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:29 PM on April 23, 2008

My boys get 1/3 of a cup each of PH controlled food, every day, usually in the morning. They 'free feed' from that. Since they eat together and throughout the day, I know Osiris eats more than, say Tanis in any given day, and at the end of the day he's still yelling for more food. But he'd eat the whole bag in a day if I let him.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 7:56 AM on April 23, 2008

When I'm really hungry, sometimes the thought of food makes me queasy. Its sort of backwards, I know, and I'm really not sure why my brain works that way. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? Its this very low level sort of nausea, where you're hungry, and you want to eat, but the thought of food just makes your stomach lurch. If you're only eating a certain small number of foods, and not very much of them, you might still be hungry and the queasiness over food is carrying forward in a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 10:29 AM on April 22, 2008

I repeat the name back to them: "Oh, hi Stacey, nice to meet you". When they're out of sight I repeat it again, out loud, to myself. Doesn't have to be loud, but for me actually physically saying it works better than just mentally repeating it. I don't mess around with mnemonic 'tricks' as I found I spent more time trying to remember the trick than I did the name itself, though if an association immediately presents itself (oh, she has the same name as my cousin), I hold on to that. I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 9:11 AM on April 22, 2008

Have you tried playing with a different group of people? I stopped playing games with my ex, because he was extremely competitive, and every time we tried to play a game together, his trash talking and underhanded strategies made me furious. I stopped playing games I had found enjoyable before because all it led to was frustration and me snapping my head off. Finding a group to play with, where that kind of behaviour wasn't encouraged or supported made a huge difference, and I started enjoying... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 8:56 AM on April 22, 2008

What do you guys like to do? Are you museam people? Campers or hikers? Do you like historical things? Do you like zoos? Are you shoppers? Sports fiends?

It might help to narrow things down.

As for things I would find fun, being a history and museam/gallery buff:

There is Doors Open - a free tour of historical buildings. You can search by month to find out what communities are participating at the time your friends are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 2:35 PM on April 17, 2008

Oh, and welcome to Waterloo!
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 2:36 PM on April 17, 2008

I remembered this show, but I forgot the name until disaster77 and good in a vacuum.
Ah, the memories. The rhyming mouse traumitized me more than the singing & dancing mannequin ever did.

And why don't computers talk? My childhood promised me talking computers...
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:54 AM on April 17, 2008

There's a saying that only the wise know how ignorant they are. No one can know everything, and people tend to be more knowledgeable about things they are interested in. Formal education helps a lot, but if you're not interested in the topic, you probably aren't paying very much attention and may not actually learn it, at least not beyond the test.
I think it is important to stay up to date with information, and to pay attention to the world. I try to do that constantly. And yet I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:51 PM on April 14, 2008

I've had dreams of me going to sleep, usually in awkward places like a hallway floor, because in the dream I'm too tired to even crawl into bed. Afterwards, it almost felt like part of my brain was aware of going into a deeper stage of sleep and this was my dream-interpretation of it. But I have no idea if that's true, because on further reflection, it does seem to occur more often if I'm depressed or had an exhausting week.

I wish I had a definite answer for you, but... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:39 AM on April 9, 2008

"Wild Horses" by Gino Vanelli gives me the creeps every time I hear it. Girl hitches a ride with a trucker, and he thinks that gives him license to do what he wants with her. At least that's what I think of whenever I hear this song.

As for "Baby Its Cold Outside" - maybe its the version I listen to most often, but to me it always sounded like she wanted to stay the night, and was hoping he'd talk her into it. The objections are all laid out to be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:40 AM on April 4, 2008

Just plain club soda. I've come to really enjoy it.

One thing I like about pop (soda) in the summer is the carbonation. I drink a lot of different types iced tea and fresh juices and iced smoothies, but sometimes I just want the bubbly stuff. Club Soda is perfect, all on its own.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 12:59 PM on April 2, 2008

Sunlight helps me immensely. Getting outside, into the "fresh" air also helps.

I find when I'm depressed, I really don't want to mingle with people, but spending even half an hour in the company of other human beings helps a lot, whether I make much conversation or not. The trick is pushing myself out the door. Depression = not wanting to be around people = hibernating = greater depression. Its a nasty spiral. I'm not talking a big party with a million people... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 5:15 AM on March 28, 2008

One thought: cats evidently realllllly dislike aluminum foil. For a few weeks, put aluminum foil on the area nearest to the subject vases.

Except mine, who seem to think foil is a toy. They will rip bits off and chase it. No, I don't understand. Except they're cats.

I hope you find a solution that works. Tanis is nine, going on ten, and he still knocks everything off my dresser in the morning if I don't wake up fast enough to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:09 PM on March 26, 2008

In the cemetary I work with, we have currently unused land sitting that we are expecting to have to use maybe in 40 years or so...if the current ratio of full burial to cremation remains steady. However, cremation has been going up. We have various ways and means to handle cremation remains from burial in the earth to wall niches to a scattering garden. Double depth plots are more common now for couples than side-by sides.

As for the non-profit aspect; our cemetary is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 1:15 PM on March 25, 2008

How do I accomodate people's practical needs that I'm not familiar with?

To answer this first question, I say ask them. Whenever I have friends over for dinner, unless I've known them for years and am very familiar with their dining habits, I ask what sorts of foods they like/dislike. If we're in a group and going out, and I somehow end up 'in charge' (it happens), I ask about things like seating preference. If I'm going over to someone else's place... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 7:46 AM on March 24, 2008

One of my English Professors in University stuttered, most often when he was really excited about the topic of the day.

I wouldn't have dreamed of trying to finish his sentances. It was a little weird at first, but by the end of the semester it was just another quirky Prof lecture habit, and one of the less annoying ones - I vastly preferred him to the Professor who spoke in a complete monotone when giving lectures.

I've known a few other... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 11:37 AM on March 19, 2008

You might want to wear a face mask to avoid breathing in any rat feces dust, and gloves of course.

I would try shaking off what I could from the photos (into a box, so you don't have eggs and feces flying all over your garage) first, and then wiping them gently with a lint free cloth. I would only try soaking the worst of them if the shaking/wiping didn't work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:36 AM on March 12, 2008

I completely agree with the extra pair of shoes, a set of utensils, umbrella, and can opener.
I drink a lot of tea, and even though my company has free tea as well as coffee, I keep a couple of boxes of different types at my desk, including mint and chamomile for days of stress and stomach unhappiness.
Put up or have handy a chart for desk stretches.
A 'magic bag' for stress and minor pain - I actually use it a lot for lower back aches. It helps for heat... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 6:45 AM on March 10, 2008

Make a good oven roast - chicken, pork, beef, whatever you prefer - with lots of potatoes and root vegetables. It takes hours to cook and makes everything smell wonderful. You don't have to stand over the stove, either. While the meat is roasting, you can put together a pie, and when you're eating dinner bake the pie.

Sorry its not a recipe, but everyone does roasts a little different, based on what spices and vegetables they like.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandraregina at 4:35 PM on March 8, 2008