Ask MetaFilter posts by hermitosis

"The Horror!"

hermitosis — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:48:50 -0800

Can you point me toward the best Horror/movie blogs? I'm looking for blogs that are frequently updated, that cover horror in movies, fiction, and news. I'm also open to blogs that are not exclusively horror themed, but still sometimes feature horror content.

I have the basics covered (Fangoria, Bloody-Disgusting, and about a dozen others). Throw me any ideas you've got-- long shots welcome.

AskYou

hermitosis — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:49:43 -0800

Help become a better interviewer! From a journalistic point of view, what are your tips or resources that will help me set up, conduct, and edit interviews? In my new job, I'm interviewing professionals from the entire spectrum of careers and backgrounds, from actors and authors to folks with notable or everyday jobs. I feel like I'm off to a great start, but my I also feel like I'm flying blind and my inexperience is going to catch up with me at a really inconvenient moment.

Most of the interviews I conduct are over email, and they are unsolicited, which means that in most cases I make the first move in approaching the person or their management. Occasionally I interview over the phone. Usually it is I who comes up with the questions, and I often have to edit and selectively quote from my interviews myself to build the final product. Often they are short, consisting of just a few questions, but I'm getting assigned larger pieces lately. I want to put people at ease, give them questions that I know they can answer (yet leave room for surprising answers) and be able to deliver a finished product that satisfies the interviewee, the reader, and my editor.

What advice can you give me to help with any stage of this process?

To 'nip or not?

hermitosis — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:28:30 -0800

Help me settle a debate on the ethics of catnip. Last night I got into an argument with a fellow mefite about the ethics of my catnip deployment.

In the past, whenever I have wanted to get my kitties spun out on catnip, I've taken a toy full of it and rubbed it gently all over their face and body, so that they get pretty coated in the scent of it right away. They usually then go after the toy in a big way, but even if they ditch it, they've still got a heady snootful of the nip. A good time for all ensues.

I did this last night when company was over, and was informed that this is not good pet-parenting; that I should just introduce the toy and let the cat decide whether he wanted any catnip, and how much; and that my way was the equivalent of slipping someone a drug against their will, however pleasurable I was sure the experience would be for both.

Frankly this really surprised me, as I'd never really thought about it. This is just the way we always did things in my family. But then again, considering my family, this may just be one of those things I should have selectively disinherited long ago.

So what is the deal with catnip? Does it have to be consensual? Does no always mean no? Or can I rub their little faces in it with a clean conscience?

Best of Both Worlds

hermitosis — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:55:15 -0800

Where can I go in NYC that serves both ice cream AND hard liquor-- as many varieties of both as possible?

Past Movie Reviews/Reactions

hermitosis — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 16:00:10 -0800

Are there good online resources where you can go to find out how movies were received when they came out? Collections of criticism and/or public reaction?

Blow my house down.

hermitosis — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:29:06 -0800

New home sound system, and now I've got more bass than I know what to do with! Help me take advantage of this with music recommendations that will make my house shudder and boom as I harness the power-- THE POWER. I know I could rock out with pretty much anything, but I'm looking for tracks or albums that are especially breathtaking, beautiful, and bootylicious when the bass is boosted.

A friend sent me some deep, mellow Indian music that fit the bill perfectly, and inspired this question. What have you got?

Take me to Sponge City

hermitosis — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 07:08:43 -0800

Help me find the best deal on natural sea sponges! Real sponges are expensive! Where can I go in NYC to get a smokin deal on a big-ass sponge? The big-asser the better.

I'd also like to know of any good online sources I should check out, but I'd prefer to be able to just go buy one if possible.

Please don't just say "Chinatown" unless you know somewhere specific. It's a big place and some of those stores are just as expensive as anywhere else.

Sleep is a headache.

hermitosis — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:09:25 -0800

A question about sleep, dreams, and headaches... Almost every day I awaken briefly an hour or two before my alarm goes off. Sometimes I get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, but just as often I'll just fall right back to sleep.

A couple of times a week, I've found that I have a splitting headache during this brief awakening. I fall back asleep miserably, expecting to wake up later with the same pain, but without fail the headache has completely vanished by the time my alarm goes off. This has been going on for quite some time.

Also, there's the issue of my dreams. I have intense dreams almost nightly that I usually remember upon waking. Many of these are nightmares; I'm just so used to intense dreams by now that scary ones just seem like part of the territory. I've noticed that the bad dreams and the headaches seem to overlap with some regularity, and I don't know what to do about it. I don't know if the tension from bad dreams is causing the headaches, or the pain from the headaches is causing the bad dreams.

I get sleep, food, and exercise in healthy amounts. The last thing I do before I sleep and first thing when I wake up is drink a glass of water, so I don't think dehydration is the issue. I seem to sleep in comfortable positions. To my knowledge I don't grind my teeth; I broke the habit years ago, but I suppose it's possible that it's happening unconsciously. I wind up with mild eyestrain from computer usage every couple of weeks, which results in mild headaches during waking hours, but doesn't seem tied to the sleeping ones.

My question is, how do I approach this problem? As a health problem I should go to the doctor for? A psychological problem? Or is there something else I should be considering? And is anyone familiar with this?

Whatever happens, I'd like to be able to keep having the dreams, even the scary ones.

Winter Ice Cream Extravaganza.

hermitosis — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:40:05 -0800

Cold-weather ice cream suggestions/recipes? I want a whole new palette of ice cream flavors that are perfect for cold weather, use seasonal fruits/ingredients, or are perfectly (or suprisingly) paired with other cold-weather foods and beverages. Bonus points for recipes that allow me to make or blend them myself.

I'm NOT really looking for the sort of seasonal gingerbread/peppermint/pumpkin flavors that the regular brands march out over the holidays. These tend to be sticky sweet and incredibly obvious. I'd prefer complexity of flavor to mere sweetness, which is where pairings might come in handy.

This question was inspired by Vosges' Naga flavor, a curry and coconut custard, which is so buttery that it alternates between sweet and salty on the tongue. I'd love to find a way to approximate it.

Inspire, challenge, and surprise me.

Jung: Gifted and Wack?

hermitosis — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 06:35:46 -0800

To what extent has Carl G. Jung's work has been replaced, rejected, or made obsolete, and how ought this affect how one reads his books? I've read Jung off and on over the years. Lately I've been reading "Man and His Symbols" and am interested in getting deeper into his work. I don't know enough about modern psychology to know how discriminatingly I should proceed. I came across this thread about Freud, and while the judgments there didn't surprise me, it made me realize what little context I have for what I'm reading except for what I myself have experienced.