Ask MetaFilter posts by theora55

Help me Re-Negotiate

theora55 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:29:00 -0800

The appraisal came in low. Buying a house with no real estate agents involved. Offer contingent on appraisal. Re-negotiation strategies needed. The appraisal is 95% of the offer price. It does not affect financing. We re-negotiated after the inspection and the seller is fixing a bunch of stuff, as well as taking 1,000 off the price. Price is 190,000, appraisal is 180,000.

Seller has dropped price consistently over 8 months. Seller may be cash-strapped. I've invested 1500 in inspections, appraisal, lawyer & financing fees. I'm in love with the view, and really ready to move.

In Maine, they call them Cheaters

theora55 — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:00:56 -0800

Riding on the coat tails of this post, are there some good choices and low prices on Reading Glasses on the Web? And, what kind of lenses would be scratch resistant?

Soft food recipes

theora55 — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:14:27 -0800

Meal ideas/Recipes - staying w/ my Mom, whose teeth are in the process of being repaired. She can only eat soft food. Need recipes with ground chicken, turkey, beef, etc. Mom's tastes are pretty traditional, not loving the spicy.

Potluck Dinner Party Menu Ideas

theora55 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:06:01 -0800

It's time, once again, for a menu idea for an annual potluck at my house. Past successes have included veggie lasagne, rice noodles w/ peanut sauce, chicken/spinach curry, potroast, chicken wings, potatoes au gratin, corn pudding. Health conscious, veggie friendly, no red meat (the potroast was popular, but I made a nonmeat alternative, and that's a lot of extra work). Preferably not incredibly untidy to eat, as it's buffet and laps. No Canned "Cream of" Soups. Money is not unlimited, so no lobster or caviar. I like to cook, but nothing terribly complicated. @ 15 people. Considering: Pad Thai or Thai Spring Rolls. White Bean, Green Chili & Chicken Soup. Chicken pot pie (biscuit top crust).

Recommend an Escrow Service

theora55 — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:10:03 -0800

Can you recommend a good escrow service for selling a domain name? Any other things I need to know about selling a domain name? thanks.

Broadband in Antigua, Guatemala?

theora55 — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 11:29:13 -0800

Broadband in Antigua, Guatemala? Any expertise on getting a reliable fast or broadband connection in Antigua, Guatemala would be appreciated. A friend needs to telecommute for several months. I have a gmail account if you want to reply directly. Checking it only every other day or so. thanks.

Steel travel mug

theora55 — Mon, 08 May 2006 20:31:32 -0800

My new steel travel mugs make my coffee taste like.. steel. It's not enhancing my morning caffeination rituals. Brushed steel, all metal mugs. I generally like the all steel travel mugs for keeping coffee hot and not imparting off tastes. Have used these several times and they still impart a steel taste to the coffee. yecchhh. These are from Ikea; I got 2 cause they were affordable. Is there any way to make them usable?

Will I regret a Celeron?

theora55 — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 09:34:23 -0800

I've been happy with my IBM Thinkpad T21, but I want CD-RW, DVD and something shiny & new. I'm looking at an IBM TPad R40 model 2681 - Celeron 2.0GHz RAM256 HD40G CD-RW/DVD + 802.11B Wifi from a reliable online vendor. US 575. Will I regret the Celeron as opposed to PIII? Home use, mostly Internet and some web dev. More RAM is @ US50. 802.11b is not great, but Broadband doesn't exceed 11 megabits, so not a big deal. I already have an external USB hard drive so drive space is no problem, and 4x my current drive. Feeling spendy and will probably decide by this evening.

What kind of yarn for needlepoint?

theora55 — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:43:45 -0800

Needlepoint yarn - does it have to be a special type of (expensive, French) yarn for a pre-worked canvas? or can I buy wool knitting yarn? How do I calculate how much yarn for 2 seat covers? Also, have you ever bought yarn on ebay? thanks.

Repair Outlook Express Inbox?

theora55 — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 13:34:44 -0800

Outlook Express v 6.00.2800.1123 hosed my inbox and all folders therein. Yeah, I know, use crappy software, reap crap, but I Want My EMails. Still have drafts, sent and deleted. Lots of tools to buy online, looking for one that's reliable, preferably free.