Ask MetaFilter posts by QIbHom

Buddhist bracelet, not Baltimore bracelets

QIbHom — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:40:38 -0800

Today at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, a Buddhist monk (Mahayana, since he was from Bhutan) tied a yellow piece of yarn around my wrist. Being as this was in a temple, I'm assuming this had some religious significance. I've googled a very little bit on yarn on wrists in the Buddhist context. What I'm really curious about is when should I take it off, how, and how do I dispose of it? While I'm not Buddhist, I'm a polytheist and try to deal with religious things in the context of their religion, not mine. Not knowing that context is embarrassing me.

Finding a place to sleep near the fishes...

QIbHom — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:35:03 -0800

Should I hire someone to find me a rental in Baltimore? I'm going to have less than two weeks to move to Baltimore. I want to live in the city, with my dog and two cats, near public transportation, for under US$1,000 a month, preferably near Charles Village, Wyman Park or Hampden (although I'm open to other areas). I'm coming from Detroit. I start work on 7 May, last day of work here is the 23rd. I will be in Baltimore from the 25th to the 28th for the physical and house hunting.

How hard is it going to be for me to find and put a deposit on a suitable place in the time I have? Should I just hire someone? I know that business folks do something like that. I don't have a ton of money, but I don't have a ton of time, either. If hiring someone is an option, how do I find these people and what should I pay them?

No, it never has been on the level...

QIbHom — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 20:57:37 -0800

How to level a burner on a gas stove? I have an old gas stove, and the 4 burners are all uneven in different ways. I'd like to even them out, but am having difficulties finding anything on how to do this.

Can I just use anything flat and heat tolerant to shim the grates? Are there kits for this, or should I just go looking for scrap tile or something? Any gotchas? Should I try to come up with a way to fasten the shims in place? Or, should I just mark each grate, then shave metal off the bottom until I get evenness (or the world's thinnest grates).

I want to...sing!

QIbHom — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:54:10 -0800

Kamal Hassan on the bus, dancing, on the road to Kashmir. Which Hindi film? I saw this film in a theatre in India in 1982 or 1983. Said song and dance number had Kamal Hassan dancing and singing inside and outside the bus while it wended its way along scary mountain roads. Goondas followed in a car, shooting at Our Hero.

This was the most amazing musical interlude, and I'd like to see it again, and to share it with my non-believing friends. The only thing it lacked for sheer awesomeness was Shabana Azmi. Parveen Babi and Smita Patel weren't in it, either. Neither was Amitabh Bachhan.

If you can tell me where I can get it in the US, I'll be even more grateful.

I know Ottawa is around here somewhere...

QIbHom — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:07:21 -0800

Access in Ottawa - which sights should I see, where can I get free wifi? We'll be staying at the jail (hostel) after the conference ends, and have 4 days to visit museums, eat, walk and pet cats. During the conference, I'll need things to do in the evening and places to eat. The entire time, I'll need a place I can log on, preferably free.

We enjoy museums (especially small and quirky, although we're thrilled to see Petra is at the Museum of Civilizations), history, gardens (probably not in October in Ottawa), ethnic food and libraries (can't wait to visit the Parliment Library again). We don't like bars (unless good folk is being played), spending lots of money or crowds.

For example, the Diefenbunker sounds like a blast to me (although not to my partner). Is there a way to get there without a car? The Bywater museum looks like fun.

And, any other Mefites going to Access?

2 cycle, 2 wheel, 2 be prepared...

QIbHom — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 19:44:17 -0800

What does a new moped owner need to know? Next weekend, I will get my new, used moped. I used to ride motorcycles, 20 years ago. I've never ridden a moped. Used to fix my bike, too.

I'm looking for riding tips, repair advice, anything you think a newbie 'ped rider should know. I know about the Moped Army and have interloaned everything my library co-op has on mopeds.

Surviving Cat

QIbHom — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 20:34:20 -0800

How do you help a cat survive another cat's death? My partner buried her 21 year old cat, Pixel, today. We are very concerned about Kali Ko, her 16 year old "kitten". Kali has always been a nervous cat, and Pixel has been in her life since she came to live with my partner when she was a few months old. Pixel was very much the alpha cat.

Is there any way we can help Kali? I don't think getting another cat is an option, at her age. The last time we tried to introduce her to another cat, it did not go well at all (and Quark was a very laid back cat).

We hurt, and she hurts. We'll be fine, but we aren't sure Kali will be.

Hearing and drugs

QIbHom — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:18:33 -0800

Hearing loss, vasodialators and nitrous oxide - why do these chemicals improve hearing? My partner wears hearing aids due to the bones fusing to each other and to the eardrum. She's noticed that when she has nitrous oxide or takes vasodialators, her hearing improves noticibly. Not enouch that she can hear well enough to take out her hearing aids, but enough that she needs to turn them down.

google shows technical papers on sudden hearing loss and vasodialators, but that isn't the type she has, nor does that explain why the gas improves hearing.

What is going on here? Is it anything we can trap to help her hearing? Does the same mechanism work with both substances?

Doughnuts in Boiling Water

QIbHom — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 11:14:28 -0800

Doughnuts and boiling water. In the 1928 edition of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, a recipe called 'cheap doughnuts (without shortening)' has a bizarre method. "Remove from fat, using a two-tined fork, and pass quickly through water kept at the boiling-point."

Why would you do this? Is it to get the fat off the surface of the doughnut? But, wouldn't it make it soggy? The ingredients are pretty standard doughnutty things.

I have seen something like this used for bagels. But, doughnuts?

housefilter-wood porch, badly painted, wet

QIbHom — Sat, 21 May 2005 10:21:06 -0800

The front porch of my 1926 non-historic house needs to be refinished. It has peeling paint over stain, is developing 3-4mm wide cracks and when I make it down to wood, the boards seem to be damp. Small ants come spilling out when I turn off my orbital sander. The porch is covered, isn't too big (maybe 15 sq. feet). I have an orbital sander, wirebrush, paint scrapper, a heat gun and a small tools and material budget. I have elderly pets and I eat the plants I grow next to the porch, so I'd prefer to avoid chemical strippers.

I assume I need to get down to the wood, fill the cracks, sand, put on a coat of some kind of primer, then possibly multiple coats of paint (I gave up on stain, after seeing the shape the wood was in). I got nearly nowhere after 4 hours with paint scraper, orbital sander with course sandpaper and fingernails (some of the paint sheets off, other bits are really on there). I gave up on the heat gun after 15 min. Is there any way to speed this up without using chemicals? Can I leave the paint on the railings (which is in better shape), and just sand and paint it? And how do I get the hook and eye sandpaper to stay on the orbital sander for long enough to wear out said sandpaper?

Paint was glopped on over dirt, bird shit and gods know what else, and it was applied thickly. The porch itself was (like so much of the rest of the house) apparently built by a 4th grade class on holiday.

The goal is not a cover on House Beautiful, but rather to end up with something that looks decent, does not attract any more attention from the zoning zombies and does not require major surgery every year. Repainting every few years is fine. I'd rather spend a little more on paint and get another year or two out of it than repaint frequently. I'd rather not spend huge amounts on paint that will last 2 months longer than cheap stuff.

Any paint recommendations? Primer recommendations? Should I break down, and put some kind of outdoor carpet thing on the high traffic bit up the steps to the door (I think that kind of thing looks tacky, although that would fit in with the tone of the neighbourhood)? And, how do I deal with the damp boards (I'm in Michigan, if that makes a difference). I'm doing this alone, and really need to move on to other house issues within a few weeks.