Oh man...Jackie Rogers Jr..."Papa! Papa Daddy Sir!" Hilarious!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Overzealous at 7:00 PM on October 4, 2008

Aboriginal families don't have a monopoly on that...so what really is the point of introducing that topic?

The fact that people were all saying what they were doing at 7 years old; and bringing up as examples things their parents taught them, things they had to play with. Pets they kept. Microscopes. Things they learnt in school. And if this kid came from this kind of environment, those things just aren't relevant.

We don't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Jimbob at 2:25 PM on October 3, 2008

Man, you guys sound so stressed. I'll send you this story of a cab driver and a old lady. It'll make you so very hoppy!
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 4:41 AM on September 30, 2008

Ah, Metafilter. Just when I think I enjoyed something, I can come here to find out how wrong I was.
posted to MetaFilter by LooseFilter at 6:49 PM on September 28, 2008

Some of you have the heart of a slumlord.
posted to MetaFilter by nola at 7:53 PM on September 28, 2008

My fellow Americans, I want to take a few moments of your time to talk to you today about John McCain's decision to call timeout in his campaign.

I just want to say, I agree with his idea wholeheartedly. Wholeheartedly. (beat) It is, finally, a good step in the right direction -- a step that frankly I think we all wish would have happened, somehow, sooner.

If only he had called timeout when he was trying to gut the regulators in the 1980s.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by felix at 1:05 PM on September 24, 2008

He talks a lot about having hope and visualizing and creating a better tomorrow without actually specifying his vision of what a better tomorrow would look like, or the steps required to achieve that.

Yeah, he should really provide some specifics. Maybe he could provide a 33-page Blueprint for Change [PDF]. Maybe he could set up web pages and downloadable PDFs on issues like Civil Rights, Defense, Disabilities, Economy, Education, Energy, Ethics,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 11:52 AM on September 26, 2008

What the fuck -- I'm on the Paula Young email list AND get the catalog by mail for TWO goddam years, spending half my free time marveling at the monumental Montana and making up background stories for all of the models, and you think you can just ROLL ON UP in here like you know Paula? Lemme tell you something about Paula. She does NOT fuck around. Girl has false eyelashes made of REAL HUMAN HAIR, bitch, you better show some respect!!

*sigh* I'll just save my own... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 1:34 PM on September 25, 2008

At the time I was like "We never get to do anything!!" But the other day I actually thanked my mum and told her I'd be doing the exact same thing with my own kids. Because did we ever get molested? Hell no we didn't!!

FFS, you know who else didn't get molested? Almost every kid ever, including me and my siblings who were almost never in my parents sight.

To the OP:

I think twirlypen has hit... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jacalata at 1:26 AM on September 25, 2008

any asshole can jump out of a plane or get into a fight; we'd all do it if our lives depended on it.

mentoring underprivileged kids, volunteering at a hospice—these kinds of things, that take real emotional tolls and that you're not going to brag about at a bar over some beers with your brahs, these are the kinds of things that really speak volumes about your inner strength. macho bullshit is exactly that: bullshit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by lia at 9:50 AM on September 24, 2008

None of your suggestions will test anything. You're choosing fun things like camping, learning martial arts, and skydiving. Those are recreational things millions of people do casually. Most people dont choose volunteering at a shelter or food bank because these things actually do test your mettle. Find the thing that least attracts you. Do that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by damn dirty ape at 10:19 AM on September 24, 2008

Obama has to walk on eggshells whenever he's approached about the dynamics of the mccain or palin family. He can't discuss mccains military record without it being respectful to mccain's supporters. The shit he has to go through to get to the whitehouse is... typical. He knows this. His white supporters closest to him are really freakin smart, so they know this too. All the ghetto black people I've talked to say "they'll never let a 'n' become president." All the regular black people I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Flex1970 at 2:34 PM on September 15, 2008

I am familiar with fasting, and I guess all of us here can agree that if properly done, fasting can help to get rid of toxins and re-establish healthier digestion.

Which toxins would these be? Toxins no more build up in your digestive tract than they do in your eyeballs.

I have a friend that did do colonics, and according to her she felt more energetic, more balanced afterward.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Inspector.Gadget at 8:36 AM on September 15, 2008

so thanks, David.
posted to MetaFilter by Espoo2 at 6:16 PM on September 13, 2008

Goddamnit. I have that terrible, terrible _urgency_ you get when someone you care about dies. Like this need to do something, anything, right fucking now. At the one moment you can do nothing to help at all.
Infinite Jest changed my life when I was 19. Dropped out of business school, got a lit degree, learned to listen to people, and read the world around me. Things just didn't happen anymore. There were causes and reasons and hidden codes. "It strikes me that EXIT signs would... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cascando at 6:27 PM on September 13, 2008

Well, shit. I remember being introduced to DFW when I was 14, and Infinite Jest had just come out and there was press being made about how freaking big the novel was. So I picked it up more because I figured it would be a single book that could keep me reading all summer at summer camp, and I'm glad my idiot teenage mind at the time introduced me to him, because I got lot more out of it than just a summers worth of reading.

.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 6:40 PM on September 13, 2008

“Hello?”
“Hi have you heard the news.”
“No, what?”
“David Foster Wallace is dead.”
Silence for about ten or fifteen seconds.
“How did it happen.”
“He hung himself. It was in the LA Times, and on Metafilter. That's how I heard about it.”
Silence for about ten or fifteen seconds.
“Huh”/sigh.
“I know.”
Silence for about ten or fifteen seconds.
My phone... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by skwt at 7:37 PM on September 13, 2008

Former vegetarian, agree that you shouldn't say anything to her.

However! I would say something to the caterer, who can't be bothered to know what the ingredients are in the food he serves. That's very poor service.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Solon and Thanks at 6:41 PM on September 13, 2008

There's nothing to be gained by telling her about it. But I totally agree that you need to speak firmly to the caterer.

Servers need to know what's in the food they're serving, or they need to say they don't know and offer to find out. A vegetarian eating bacon may be betraying a cherished principle, which is bad. Someone with an allergy to shellfish could die if they're given the wrong information.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Sidhedevil at 6:44 PM on September 13, 2008

Much as I agree with her sentiments, you don't win elections by yelling hysterically at the opponent. You win elections when reasonable people speak reasonably to their family and neighbors about why their candidate is better suited to the job.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry. I'm not trying to be a dick but... have you been around for the last two elections? At all?
posted to MetaFilter by danny the boy at 10:17 AM on September 13, 2008

I'm not Asian, but I'm the son/grandson/great-grandson of immigrants, and I think certain patterns are common in all immigrant familes. So I maybe have at least a rough sense of what you're going through.

I think there's a common thing where smart, ambitious people from elsewhere in the world really want their children to have access to everything that America promises. So they make huge sacrifices to bring their family to America--but somewhere in the back of their... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by yankeefog at 7:58 AM on September 9, 2008

Konolia is the only one with the balls to stand in the shitstorm and spit back at it.

Seriously. I have tremendous admiration for Konolia right now, just for hanging in there. We need more of her backbone around here.
posted to MetaFilter by rokusan at 4:25 PM on September 2, 2008

Alot of people have spoken to this, but this whole experience pissing match is just too stupid. Plus it took me a long time to type, so i'm going with it...

I am saying that it is wrong for the Democrats to claim Palin is less qualified than he. It is a ridiculous argument and it's time to drop it.

Despite totally disagreeing with you completely, I have a bit of respect for your input konolia. If only because you have stuck... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billyfleetwood at 11:52 PM on September 3, 2008

The always great Booman Tribune, on attacking community organizers:

I used to be a community organizer and my old profession came in for some open derision and scorn tonight from both Rudy Guiliani and Sarah Palin. That's okay. I don't mind. I actually kind of welcome being singled out for special abuse. It validates everything I do, and have done, in politics and in poor urban communities. These people hate me and they hate the poor people I helped. I understand. I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by XQUZYPHYR at 7:10 AM on September 4, 2008

Listen, I completely understand that you're freaked out, in a probably perpetual state of panic and stress and looking to just run for the hills. But before you chuck the keys into the jingle mail, there are some things you should seriously consider. IANAFA and these are very general.

1) You can always declare bankruptcy. It's the option of last resort, but as last resort options go, it's pretty fabulous.

2) Knowing that you have the bankruptcy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by DarlingBri at 1:51 PM on September 2, 2008

You're a professional! You're allowed to take a sick day when you're sick!

The way this is written it seems like you've just gotten busted by your parents when you're 14.

One reason why I hate admin jobs is because there can often be this whole guilt trip and pseudo-panic if you're not there because *horror of horrors* the boss hasn't figured out how to work the scanner on his own.

Either send an email or call and tell... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Flying Squirrel at 2:26 AM on September 1, 2008 marked best answer

My advice would be to stick with regulated professionals and steer clear of naturopaths and chiropractors.
posted to Ask Metafilter by SciencePunk at 2:36 AM on August 28, 2008

But all that dress "entitled" me to do was to cast a few furtive glances in her direction, and appreciate the view and her physique, trying not to be impolitely obvious while doing so.

I agree with this 100%. My argument is all about the reality that people don't always act in a way they are "entitled" to act. Jerkishness and out-right criminal behaviour EXISTS. When you deliberately act in a provocative manner around a bunch of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by chudmonkey at 12:57 PM on August 26, 2008

If you are contemplating data recovery, shut the drive and machine down and don't run it at all. Let an expert do this. You may lose further data that would otherwise have been recoverable. I agree with the suggestion to send the drive to DriveSavers.

You should be honest and confess your error immediately. He may have a backup, in which case no damage was done. He may not, in which case you need to quit screwing with his drive and send it to Drivesavers. You... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ikkyu2 at 1:56 PM on August 26, 2008

Fixed that for you hi m everyone. I love hitler.

Strikethrough abuse - don't do it.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 3:29 PM on August 25, 2008

Cooking is a mindless chore, like scrubbing the bathroom or laundry. It needs to be done over and over again, and the tasks it involves are unsatisfying. Why would I want to spend a lot of time doing mindless manual labor just to get the same (or a less good) result as I could pay someone else only marginally more money to produce for me? Chopping things into tiny pieces and watching water boil and checking my oven compulsively to make sure I haven't ruined something for an hour or more each... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by decathecting at 2:32 PM on August 25, 2008

It's your responsibility to keep up with your schedule. If you do not know when you are supposed to work next, it's up to you to find out. The managers are not your mom. They aren't going to chase you down to tell you when you are to work next.
posted to Ask Metafilter by GlowWyrm at 9:28 AM on August 25, 2008

Honestly, I'd love it if we just got rid of that damn tag. As if we didn't have enough snark, one-upsmanship, and ego-waving, this tag just makes the comments that much more offensive. And how often is it actually useful, really? How often does anyone NEED to use this tag?
posted to MetaTalk by SeizeTheDay at 5:03 PM on August 24, 2008

I'm in ur filez usin my brainz.
posted to Ask Metafilter by spilon at 9:41 PM on August 24, 2008 marked best answer

Your lifestyle and activities sound very similar to mine. I'd love to share some brands and fashion tips that have really made a difference for me. I actually travel with the clothes I've described below, and have done everything from treking around in the jungle to formal dining.

You definitely need one or two great pairs of great jeans. Go to Nordstrom, Saks, or a similar high-end department store, and ask for help. Ask for a slight bootcut or straight leg, medium... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Snower at 10:40 AM on August 24, 2008

I think it's much better to take her now, before her every living moment is miserable, and so you can have some final happy memories of cuddling with her on the floor, instead of sad memories of cleaning up her messes while she lays next to them, miserable with the pain/shame of it all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Grither at 7:55 AM on August 22, 2008

I have enjoyed the company of more than a dozen cats over the years, and had to make the decision about euthanasia several times. My obese kitties have almost always died relatively young compared to the skinny ones, and usually without my intervention. (Fat ones died at 10 or so, three skinnies lived to almost 20.)

When the quality of life and/or the prospects of return to quality of life decline to low levels, I usually go ahead and do it. Cats purr when they are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by FauxScot at 8:31 AM on August 22, 2008

For the anti-OMG HER HEALTH people: 1 in 4 teenage girls in the U.S. has an STD. You don't have to have unprotected anal sex orgies with Brazilian tranny hookers on a daily basis to get an STD. If this person's ex-girlfriend has picked one up since they last dated, which is not inconceivable or even unlikely, then he could have contracted one by sleeping with her. Those that assume he must have used a condom, I am unsure where you are getting that. Yes people fuck and we don't all have Ebola,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ND¢ at 9:22 AM on August 21, 2008

I don't know, it sounds extremely dated to me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by matteo at 6:59 AM on August 20, 2008

I'm going to be the wet blanket.

Love? Welcome to infatuation. Or something. So you're both in a (very) foreign country and happened to find each other, so similarities are even more pronounced.

Of course, I'm not too liberal in applying "love" to everything from one-night-stand movies to pop songs because it's not "true love" unless you feel the same way forty years from now even... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Ky at 8:05 AM on August 18, 2008

Zulonline, I wish we knew where you are from originally? Is it a country where women are treated differently than in Britain?

If Mr. Perfect travels a lot, he knows the culture you are from. I think he has taken advantage of you -- maybe not to be mean, maybe because he was lonely and attracted to you, but still he has taken advantage. But, you are a stronger woman than he knows! You are a survivor.

These are my suggestions:
1. When... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Houstonian at 6:18 AM on August 16, 2008 marked best answer

Ugh. I'm grossed out by this, and I don't mean the Craigslist respondents.

If you go looking for crooked people you'll always find them. But we know nothing about these people and sitting around judging and presuming and cackling is so ugly.

Why doesn't this guy use his energy to do something to uplift people rather than exploit something as obvious as human nature? What exactly is he proving? Nada. What is he managing to say? Nothing. What is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by loiseau at 4:42 PM on August 14, 2008

She has mentioned Mom's birthday and presents several times since, but hasn't mentioned either (or the coasters) recently, and apart from the toy "gifts" she gave a couple days ago, may have forgotten about it all.

She hasn't forgotten.
posted to Ask Metafilter by anastasiav at 12:09 PM on August 11, 2008 marked best answer

Those statistics are not telling you what you think they are. For example, 3,000 lung cancer deaths a year in non-smokers... What percentage of those have lived in a tiny apartment with a chronic smoker for 40 years and rarely opened the windows? What percentage shared an office with a dozen smokers for decades before workplace smoking bans were even dreamt of? What percentage lied when the doctor asked if they smoked? And what percentage of those deaths were people who lived next door to a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by le morte de bea arthur at 1:35 PM on August 10, 2008

kittens for breakfast: "Um, really, those of you who aren't voting are helping "them" by not voting."

This is worth repeating. Every time I see anyone making the argument that NOT voting is helping things, I want to smack him/her with a spiked bat. Please remember that about half the country didn't bother to vote in the last two US elections. When all you need to win is 1/4 of the people, your job is much easier.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by caution live frogs at 10:03 AM on August 10, 2008

"Hey, want to go out this weekend? You do, cool!"

On the date: "I really enjoy going out with you, but I feel funny always being to one asking you out. So I'm available next week, but only if you plan a date and call me."
posted to Ask Metafilter by orthogonality at 4:32 PM on August 6, 2008

"My assertion, which I will restate for the record, is that this is not happening."

That's an interesting comment. Many/most men don't see subtle misogyny when it's right in front of their faces, I'm not sure why we should expect women to have any more success in identifying subtle misandry, especially when society is tuned in such a way than men are often told to "suck it up" and "be a man."

I'm... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by toomuchpete at 7:00 AM on August 6, 2008

The attitude is overwhelmingly, "you failed to support your argument's central idea with examples of genuine misandry." It's been stated and restated over and over since the second post where Jessamyn said it pretty clearly

Yes, and it's still meaningless that people don't see it in his examples. (One case against his examples seems to be that they're all specifics ... so? If there were lots of sexist comments about how hot x... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by bonaldi at 10:21 AM on August 6, 2008

He emails me a dozen times a day. If I'm late to reply he sends "where are you? are you okay? messages."

Oh helllllll no. He broke up with you, he doesn't now get to dictate when you two speak. Now that you've broken up, you need to not talk to each other so you can both move on. For your sake and his, cut the cord- let him know that you'll be "needing some space" from speaking to him, and you'll be in touch when you feel like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:41 AM on August 5, 2008

Yeah, cut off contact for a while. He doesn't get to dump the lover but keep the friend - at least, not right now, and not, I'd suggest, for at least six months. A year is probably better. Right now, the contact with you certainly helps soothe his feelings, but it's only going to fuck up yours. If he's really the gentleman you say he is, he will respect your desire for no contact.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rtha at 9:53 AM on August 5, 2008