My wife and I had our first in April. My wife has been working to settling into a breastfeeding schedule and got the Madela Freestyle pump. It is ultra portable and easy to use. We have taken it on a couple trips and it's easy to use in the car even.

http://www.medelafreestyle.com/

The first couple of weeks we rented the Symphony which was a good workhorse.

I'm not sure where you live, but near us we have the Pump... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:07 AM on July 10, 2008

Read up on some articles from here:

BigHeadBadHair

Try gems like CostCo Field Trip, Tim Hoo is a Genius and For Who the Bell Tolls.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:00 PM on June 16, 2008

Congrats, very cool choices.

I would ax the Latin Grammy's trip, why bother going somewhere in the US if you can get a free trip abroad?

I would also skip Geneva, I spent a couple days there and found it excruciatingly boring. As Vagabond said, you could use it as a stepping off point, but Geneva is not a great city to visit.

Carbide's point about Dublin is great, and I was going to make the same one. It doesn't matter... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:57 AM on June 3, 2008

You have to wait until the Fall, but Glamis is something to see.

Pismo Dunes are less nutty and more scenic.

I second Santa Barbara hikes, but I'm a bit puzzled at the semi-secret comment, when I lived up there the best hiking trails were well known.

There are some cool coves and rocks off of the Laguna beach area. I can't remember the exact locations, but you can do some fun rock/cliff jumping.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:43 PM on May 29, 2008

My wife used to take her Saab to Two Guys from Sweden:

11305 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 575-1954

They do Volvo work too and were honest and reliable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:39 PM on May 8, 2008

You can do all of this with Expression Engine. It's more costly that the other options that you mentioned.

You can control who reads it (and who can search for it) by creating an access level required to view pages. Each person would create their own account and you would assign them to a member group.

If you use their Engine Hosting they do give you a basic version of Expression Engine.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:37 PM on April 16, 2008

I buy Chado Tea in store, but they also sell online. I drink mostly Green Tea, Genmaicha is my current favorite. It's a fun tea to drink:

"Tea of curiosity and tranquility. Bancha green tea blended with popped corn and toasted hulled rice kernels. Nutty flavor and wonderful taste."
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:30 PM on March 24, 2008

There's nothing wrong with learning to surf in Newport, but the waves tend to be a little be steeper and less forgiving than some of the HB spots.

Bolsa Chica is probably the best place to learn - waves wise. It's a slower break with mushier waves, which means that you will have more time to stand up and wont get pitched forward as easily.

Swimming helps, especially in the waves and doing a lot of body surfing. If you're not real familiar with... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 7:50 PM on March 24, 2008

I second the Anawalt suggestion, plus it's an overall great store.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:55 AM on March 13, 2008

I have been on MT's Grid since shortly after they launched it. Before that, I had two of their shared hosting sites. After a few months, I moved two of my sites off of MT and over to Wired Tree. The only reason I haven't moved the last remaining site over to Wired Tree is because there is a lot of data to move and I'm lazy.

MT's Grid was really, really frustrating for me at first. Frequent outages and extended problems with MYSQL. I still am not totally clear on their... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 3:41 PM on March 10, 2008

I asked Dad where she is, he says shes still sore about my response and HE wants me to write her an apology letter to smooth things out. Should I do it?

In an effort to answer your question: I think you should write a very short note to your step mom saying something along the lines of "I think that our notes to each other may not have conveyed the tone of our thoughts. I'm sorry about the dog poop, I would really like to talk to you about the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:32 PM on March 3, 2008

conrad53 probably identified one of the biggest changes in the past few years. Culver City downtown has grown leaps and bounds, with some of the best places to eat in the city.

I concentrate pretty heavily on the food scene (as the creator of the previously mentioned la.foodblogging.com). Since you have lived here before, you know about the different neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves scattered about.

I live in Santa Monica and commute over near... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:36 PM on January 14, 2008

The Santa Barbara Orchid Estate is, in fact, cool and definitely worth a visit.

Recently CostCo started carrying huge 3 and 4 spike orchids for $20! Not the orchid of the month, but you could drop by every so often and pick one up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 1:53 PM on February 1, 2007

I'm not sure where in Mexico you are going, but in Baja there is rumor of a crack down on bribe offerers. I agree with clearlydemon and Lyn Never. Assume that the cop is honest, but as a back up, it's not a bad idea to limit the amount of cash in your pocket.

There are periodic armed stops on the highways, looking mostly for drugs. Definitely don't try to bribe these guys, that probably gives them cause to further tear your car apart (and leave it to you to put back... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:07 AM on January 26, 2007

Thanks for the tips so far! I wonder how many of these sites can stay afloat.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:07 PM on October 25, 2006

I like randomstriker's suggestion.

I personally would avoid something like a movie or a play where you are essentially just sitting next to each other and can't talk. Sporting events are cool though beacause there is action and excitement, but you can still talk and joke around.

I know this sounds cheesey, but what about the batting cages or something like that? Especially if both of you aren't good at hitting a ball and can go laugh at... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:53 PM on October 17, 2006

The Antinori Tignanello is an amazing wine for under $100, plus it has a really nice label.

The Tignanello is a Super Tuscan which has sort of a neat rogue history.

I disagree that nice wine is wasted on someone who doesn't drink it regularly. Even a casual drinker will notice the difference between an average wine and a great wine.

BTW, I 'discovered' the Tignanello on my own honeymoon.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:58 PM on October 5, 2006

When you say that you are hoping to make a career out of this, what kind of career are you talking? Wedding, sports, portrait, stock...? It matters for the kind of lenses you would buy.

For low light and general portrait, I would opt for the 50mm/1.4 over the 1.8. It's not too much more and the extra couple of stops can really make a difference, plus the build quality is a bit higher.

Also, you will need a wider than wide lens, since the digital... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 6:24 PM on August 12, 2006

The f1.4 version of the 50mm is $230 more, which is 400%+ the cost of the $70 f1.8. It's certainly better built, but if I can buy four cpoies of the f1.8 (I have yet to need to replace it even once), that's fine.

What I meant by better build was that it is sharper, focuses faster, and also is more durable. I didn't mean that the f1.8 will fall apart. You're right that the f1.8 is a great deal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:18 AM on August 13, 2006

I'm fairly confident that this sort of thing does not exist. What part of West LA are you searching for parking in? There are very few West LA streets that allow more than 2 hour parking without a permit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 10:09 AM on June 15, 2006

I vote against Charles Shaw. I tried to convince myself that it was drinkable/cookable, but I can't live the lie any more. It's pretty crappy. The cab tastes like someone poured six packets of Splenda in the bottle, maybe that's why it's not bitter.

Give the cheaper Torres wines a try. The Sangre del Toro can be had at Trader Joes for around $6.

Pretty much any $5 Chilean cabernet will be good, Chilean wines are way cheap.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 3:36 PM on May 9, 2006

I know at least six that are available and I own another one, do you really think that there is value in four letter domains?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:31 PM on April 17, 2006

I didn't just mean monetary value, but of value to you in some way, as in why four random letters instead of more letters that might mean something.

Email me (address on profile) if you want me to tell you a couple that I saw that are available.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:47 PM on April 17, 2006

Fair trade, organic and tasty. You can mail order from Groundwork in Los Ageles.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 4:04 PM on April 11, 2006

Bran Van - Drinking in LA
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:19 PM on February 23, 2006

I was there last year and the airport is airconditioned and comfortable. We actually spent about four or five hours there before our flight left. There isn't too much to do in the airport though.

DO NOT RENT A CAR AND EXPECT TO BE BACK IN FIVE HOURS! Driving around Costa Rica is a trip, completely different than anywhere I have been. It took us a long time just to find our way out of San Jose. Roads are hard to figure out and maps are almost useless. Costa Ricans are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 7:46 PM on January 27, 2006

This was an interesting article on domainers, people who make money by parking high traffic domains. They do buy popular domains on the auction sites.

Here's an adsense option from google on parked domains, I never knew about that one.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 12:29 PM on January 19, 2006

Here are two previous answers I had about stuff to do on the Westside.

For a car (which ou should definitely get) reserve through priceline. You should be able to get one on the cheap.

The Palisades (as people call it) is a bit outside of "the action". It is a beautiful place though.

If you haven't been to LA before, I would say that a visit to the Sunset Strip is in order. It's a bit cheesey and full of itself,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 11:33 PM on January 6, 2006

I concurr with the clogs not cleans evaluation. I grew up at the beach and lived with 5 other surfing room mates in college. Sand clogs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:38 PM on January 5, 2006

I have had pretty good luck with Dreamhost, with a few hiccups. The bandwidth and storage is nice, but as someone mentioned above, there is a limit on CPU Cycles which are hard to quantify. That's one gotcha that I think is a bit misleading and hard to figure out before you sign up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:31 PM on January 5, 2006

I can't remember the cheapish hotel we stayed at, but we did find some great places to eat from Cheap Eats in Paris, but if you're on your Honeymoon, you might be going big. We had some great three course meals in places the book suggested.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 6:25 PM on January 2, 2006

Not a skin care product, per se, but I can vouch for the effectivity of Flax Seed. I have been putting it on my oatmeal in the morning and I have definitely noticed that my skin feel smoother and softer. It worked for my dad too with some dry skin he was having.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 2:07 PM on December 16, 2005

Thanks for the tips, I do like Balkanarama, it is more on the folksy side. I really like the Eastern Euro voices and the language in song. I like the Bulgarian Women's Choir as well.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 11:32 AM on December 2, 2005

Thanks tomierna! It looks like I had the wrong spelling too, that might help find it elsewhere. I'm not too sure that I want to ship my credit card number to Bulgaria, might be time to try a one time use number.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 1:13 PM on December 2, 2005

Thanks mykescipark - any other suggestions from the site? Their CDs are only about $14 shipped anywhere., seems like a good deal.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 4:55 PM on December 2, 2005

How about "Six installments of $10.00 each"
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 10:29 AM on November 12, 2005

I'm recently married and found a great jewler in Santa Monica, Bubar's . William Bubar, the owner, is incredibly helpful without being pushy or overselling. He did a great job resetting some of my grandmother's stones and also making wedding rings from scratch, all at a great price.

One thing I liked about using a jewler that is close by was being able to go back and forth easily. Before making each ring, he showed me the wax models with the stones in them and it was a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:04 AM on November 6, 2005

It always depends on the recipient, obviously, but I have some general tips.

I don't think that gift cards are ever a good gift, unless they are for a restaurant or event that the person would want to go to.

I like to give themed gifts with multiple items. For someone who enjoys wine, a set of cool wine glasses, a wine opener and wine charms. For a cook, a few kitchen gadgets and some fun spices or sauces (hit up Surfas in Culver City for great... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 4:46 PM on October 10, 2005

For the new parents:

i might barf
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 5:22 PM on October 10, 2005

Thanks, that was exactly what I was looking for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:15 AM on September 22, 2005

I wrote a bit of a guide to West LA here.

The Georgian is one of the coolest hotels in Santa Monica, be sure to take advantage of their plantation style front porch.

There is a comic book store in that part of Santa Monica, but I'm not exaclty sure where. Kid Robot is right around the corner of your hotel. It's not a comic book store, but you might still like to poke your head in.

One of my favorite breakfast places is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 2:03 PM on September 21, 2005

Westwood also has Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash. I don't know how it ranks in the comic book world, but it looks like a pretty cool store. If you do go to Westwood, I second Diddy Reese. For lunch, I like Damon and Pythias or Gypsy Cafe which hookahs (if you're into that sort of thing) and even better, an amazing tomato soup.

An easy day would be to take the bus to Westwood, then maybe take a quick cab to the Getty. I often go up there just to enjoy the views and the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:52 PM on September 21, 2005

What makes LA great is what a lot of people commented about as being bad. It's big, diverse and offers a little bit of everything. I have never been to Minnesota, so I have no valid opinion of what it is like.

No offense meant to jdtoth's family but San Bernadino isn't LA and is one of the more miserable places in all of California.

I am spoiled to live on the Westside of Los Angeles and I can walk to everything I need, including multiple ethnic... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 1:55 PM on September 14, 2005

p.s. I have supported LA a few times on Ask MeFi before:

here, here, here,
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 2:03 PM on September 14, 2005

p.p.s. If you do decide to move to LA, be prepared for friends and family to tell you how much it sucks to live here. You will hear that most from people who either have never been here or have spent one weekend in LA.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 2:12 PM on September 14, 2005

To balance out my hurrah for LA comments, here's a few things that are not great about where I live:

* LAUSD - The city school system is pretty bad, look at places in the south bay or pasadena for public schools, or consider the charter, magnet, or if you are rolling in dough, private schools.

* Dirt - Beyond the general city grime in some places, there seems to be a fair amount of dirt/dust in LA. We are in a desert after all and there isn't a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 8:22 AM on September 15, 2005

Wow, Irvine is close to SOUTH Orange county, whereas Downtown is in Mid-to-North LA County. I can almost guarantee that you will hate your commute to the point of regretting you moved to LA and then all the little things you don't like will fester into big things. (see my other comments, I'm generally pro-LA, but this is a long (mile wise and time wise) commute.

What industry are you in?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:22 AM on September 15, 2005

Sigalert is a pretty good place to watch traffic, you can get an idea of freeway speeds at different times of day:

Sigalert Los Angeles

Keep in mind that you still have to drive to and from the freeway, adding 10-15 minutes depending on where you live. You will find that in LA, freeway proximity is a good thing.

Culver City has major NPR studios, as well as a lot of large media companies and it's convenient to the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 11:27 AM on September 15, 2005

For a good seafood dish, I like a salmon roulade. It's basically scallops wrapped in flounder wrapped in salmon, then topped with some herbs. I adapted this recipe a bit:

From Alton Brown

I'm not sure what you mean by prep and cook each course before moving to the next, but this is something that you have to prep before hand because it has to sit in the fridge for a bit.

I think I have some pictures from when I made it,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 3:13 PM on September 13, 2005

stet- I understand now. I think that a mussels appetizer followed by the roulade would be a great presentation. The nice thing about the roulade is that it cooks pretty quick and looks fancy without a ton of work or ingredients.

You prep the fish, roll it in parchment paper and put it in the fridge to set. Right before you cook it, you slice it and you can show your girlfriend the rings of fish and scallops. I made it for my family on Mothers day and there were plenty of... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jonah at 9:21 AM on September 14, 2005