trinacriabob

Mind blowing, isn't it? That a person can look better at 27 than 17, and then better at 37 than 27. At 17, I had the "pepperoni on the face" action going. At 27, I had hair that was still too full and needed to be cut shorter. Some people just get their act together later, right?

bitch (how my parents pronounced "beach")

You are up at 4:47 in the AM and on this site? Good Gawd...My response: IKEA Hate that place!

FIFTEEN bucks... That must be your co-pay!

I've gotten that sensation, too, from people from there I've known and when I've been there. (I did not get a good feeling in Boulder, though, as granolas pretend to be so liberal, but are actually very rigid and smug -- their list of "shoulds" is much longer than most peoples). I hear Denver is often used as a "test market" because the cross-section is "extreme" so it really represents the US pop. I've often questioned if the cultural amenities are very good, though. The one thing that I don't think I could handle is the extreme dryness which creates a lot of nasal problems for me, so I like a mild dose of humidity to keep me out of pain. Another thing that keeps Denverites upbeat is 300 days of sunshine, compared to less than 100 in Seattle..is it any wonder northwesterners are so morose?

furniture

And the Pacific Northwest is EXACTLY the same way, particularly Seattle. That's why I couldn't stand it, though my parents retired in that region. In fact, you know that MSP and SEA are tied at the waist...too many Minnesotans of the smug variety moved there and made it uptight. They couldn't stand me. (I do have one friend from northern MN who is of French Canadian origin and she is one of the coolest and funniest people I've ever met - I met her at U of I when we were students). Down here, I am myself at work, or wherever, and it works just fine. Within a couple of weeks of being at work down here, numerous other employees were including me in their lunch groups. It's for that reason that my Dad, when he was alive, had a deep seated dislike of Nordic types, being from the other end of Europe (Sicily) and all. He was so irreverent, emotional and talkative that those stoic types seemed confining to him. He talked to all of our neighbors except for Mr. Olsen with whom he just drew a blank. And, yes, enough people notice it about Seattle that it's almost documentable. Don't even think about changing it "over time." You either assimilate, keep being yourself and risk not being in the clique, or move. I moved. And, it shouldn't take 3 years to be accepted. I know anywhere between 3 minutes and 3 weeks if I want to hang out with somebody.

No, dude, Arizona is ridiculous...3 months of 110 degrees. Yikes. I don't care how low the humidity is.

flap

You're asking ME? The "Canadian" car, of course.

What Wilmanjoe said, Mr. Nick.

Linda Blair

Good question. It is several of those. The first is that I am itching for a NEW car. My beloved Regal turns 15 on May 16th and I can kiss the ground for its relatively faultless service. The other reasons are that: -- I like the driving sensation...the sense of quiet and dependability, especially at 1 am coming back down from Lake Tahoe or from SF -- I like the way it looks going the down the road and would like to see myself in it but I doubt I would get many admiring looks in an MC, GP or LaCrosse -- It brings back memories and family traditions...my Dad breathed Oldsmobile and Buick and I was weaned on the much-loved Cutlass Supreme.

Aside from religious/political alliances which cause distress, this is what this war is about and, prior to that, why an icon such as the WTC which represents our economic prowess was destroyed. Let's face it, America, with a relatively small population yet very high consumption of resources, is not too well liked with the exception of other similarly-wired economies elsewhere in the globe.Americans can't afford to be uptight about sexuality under such conditions. There are "bigger fish to fry."

I left my job about 2 weeks ago. I wanted to finish this night time graduate degree this May (2 months from today, more or less), so I overloaded on credits to wrap it up. I worked through the 1st month of the semester, so now I am playing catch up. One chick at work e-mails me quite frequently since I was the project manager on a large project and she worked for me. She just told me that the guy in the outside window office across from her is in the cardiac unit of the hospital. He is only in his late 50s and is health is poor. He buried his wife within the last 5 years and he has not done well since. Compared to most a-hole architects, this is one of the nicest people you'd want to know. In fact, he is the "technical glue" in the office. While others are trying to vaunt their designs, he knows how buildings really go together. He is the "go to" person and will put his own work aside to help anyone out. What do you bring to a grown man in a critical area of the hospital? Please advise.

exorcism

Isn't this sort of INconsistent with the ultra-liberal, "live and let live" ...but don't get too close Scandinavian way? I had a friend from Indy (an IU grad) who took a job up in the Twin Cities. He said that, while everybody was very polite, they weren't particularly friendly. He then took a position in Cincinnati, much closer to Indiana, and said the people were a lot more "normal" in this regard. I just finished reading a required book called "Authentic Leadership" in which the author uses the term "Minnesota Nice." This is so incredibly Nordic. Give me Mediterranean in-your-face-ness any day of the week...and STAY OUT of my e-mails, Helga.

NOS, nothing ever worked for me so I know how painful this can be. Then, when in an architectural desing lab in grad school, I had a B-A-D headache. I asked this dude across from me for anything for a headache. He had Advil. I remember that, in 1/2 hour, my headache was gone. It turns out that ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) can knock out a headache for me whereas all of the other stuff is worthless. I would suggest that route, as it has worked for me. If you think it is food related, then 7-Up and bland crackers has done the trick as well. Or, if something you ate didn't agree with you (I am allergic to MSG), inducing vomiting is absolutely ok...while gross, you will feel better soon enough because you have ridden yourself of "the offender." It if persists, you need to see a physician promptly.

dependency

That is absurdity in its worst form. Like Cappy in the post below says, it's amazing that people who can serve and contribute are deemed improperly suited for it over something completely irrelevant. Every 5 years or so, it seems like a high profile discharge comes up over such a "discovery" relating to an enlisted person.I don't care about people's sexual orientation when it does not impact me. (My posts about butch lesbians are negative because of the unsolicited and unilateral nasty way they've treated me as a co-worker or a customer, so I'm standing my ground on that and will steer clear of them). But this is about something else. At times like these, and at any other time for that matter, sexual preference is an irrelevant thing for serving this country. Unbelievable to think that there was a chance that 9/11 could have been defused if this kind of redneck idiocy didn't exist.

burn

I know L.I. is huge...some 110 miles from Brooklyn out to Montauk, right?However, at what point (or, beyond which towns in Suffolk) does it thin out so as to be woodsy farmland? I can tell you, for example, where LA, Sac and Seattle make the transition from suburb to undeveloped wilderness. Just curious.

That's the mark of a good dog...when it accepts and protects your new offspring like their own. I have a sad story in this regard. I have a friend who is an architect and lived alone in a small house he bought for himself. Someone (a downtown homeless person) had abandoned a "tortoise shell" pit-bull outside the firm's offices. He had a house, so he was talked into adopting it and taking it home. She was a great dog who really liked people. She knew the sound of my engine as I pulled into his driveway (about once a month or so) and proceeded to come greet me by jumping up on me, licking me and even peeing from the excitement. He then got married to this lady he worked with. They had a little boy about 2 years ago. This dog has not accepted the child. My friend and his wife keep an eye on both of them and the dog now spends the night in the study (with the door closed) when she used to have the run of the house. This dog does a lot better with bigger people (teens and adults, it seems) because they are not at eye level. Furthermore, she is obviously jealous. The dog hasn't done anything but it either growls or avoids the kid. It could be that, as the kid gets bigger, the dog might come around. I know that our dog was wary of strangers, but as my friends hung around more, she came to accept them. They can read when you are a family friend, you like them and aren't out to hurt them.

Ditto. Without a doubt.

I've never tried yoga or meditation. One would have to take classes, I presume. Therefore, here's my cheap version and the more expensive version. The first is the long-drive by yourself somewhere scenic or inspiring, that isn't particularly populated or hectic. Make a day of it. Eat in local dives or coffee houses and take a few walks. No loud music of any kind permitted. The second is a long weekend away. Again, not to be near people. Someplace woodsy and quiet. Sleep a lot or watch movies in the hotel. I always try to spend 3 days like this in the small towns outside of Montreal when I go there for a week and fall colors are at peak. It feels great.