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The benefit of having breakfast at home is that you get to make it yourself -- not that it saves you time. If you pick the right foods, you'll find that they last you much longer through the day. Unfrotunately most of what are grouped as "breakfast foods" tend to be really high in sugar, and are not good for staying away / keeping up energy.

I tend to eat progressively - making big bowls of stuff for the week, which I then eat for breakfast, lunch, and… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:48 PM on December 4, 2008 marked best answer

Nightmare Before Christmas?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 11:41 AM on December 3, 2008

"Tonight is the Night I feel Asleep at the Wheel" by Barenaked Ladies?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:59 PM on December 2, 2008

If she hasn't "crashed" yet it seems unlikely you'll be able to reason her out of it. Especially if you're a dependent living at home. It's worked out in the past, and as as a minor (?) you've got precious few grounds for challenging her (incredibly lucky) real-world experience.

I wouldn't bother trying to talk about it in terms of her own self-interest -- talk about it in terms of yours. "I am going to be leaving home soon" "I'm really… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 4:00 PM on December 1, 2008

which is just to second everything that came above
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 4:02 PM on December 1, 2008

You can do M.A. programs just about anywhere, which will be a year to two years. Depending on where you go, this may run you $12,000 - $35,000, without fellowship (not including housing costs). Which shouldn't deter you, but is something to think about -- especially if you're not studying something that's going to be directly applicable to work. Ph.D. programs tend to be fully or partially funded, but that's if you actually want to pursue a career.

Where you go… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 9:40 PM on November 27, 2008

John Darnielle's book on Black Sabbath, Master of Reality 33 1/3, is really freakin' good. It's about what happens when you're 16 and they take away your CD player.

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but it's short and amazing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 4:20 PM on November 27, 2008

Poor girl.

I don't have any general advice for avoiding chatty people, but in response to the "handcuffs on the door" question: Assemble your juiciest sex narratives and respond - enthusiastically! - at length with all the gory details. Had a nasty fight with your partner / spouse / parent? That's got to be worth at least five minutes of her time.

Maybe then she'll get the hint?

Usually when people want… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 3:29 PM on November 22, 2008

Invite her to your place for a few days: let her sleep in, make her dinner (or, if she likes to cook, give her full range of your kitchen). Rent movies, listen to music, watch TV -- do a bunch of stuff that doesn't involve looking for work or thinking about school. DO NOT do work at home for this period of time. The idea is to make your home a "getaway" -- a place to chill out for a few days, away from work.

At the end of the weekend, go out and see… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 7:03 PM on November 21, 2008

Ask him on a date.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 6:47 PM on November 21, 2008

The best city tour I ever took was on the Minetta stream, a NYC water way that got subverted, filled in, rediverted, and eventually incorporated (I think) into the municipal water treatment system. It was basically a walking tour of lower Manhattan, where we spent half the time peeking down manholes and finding overflow channels along the edge of the island. Quite literally, a "deep trip" into Manhattan. Fantastic!

I'm sure you could do something similar… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 5:35 PM on November 21, 2008

My advice? Buy a bunch of cookbooks, read a bunch of recipe sites, and don't bother going to cooking school unless you want to make a career out of it. Cooking is something you should do because you enjoy it -- it's not a "skill" that's going to be worth picking up if you don't.

I guess that's true of most things?

This site (and this site, and this site) are pretty awesome -- I don't think any of these people are professional… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 11:17 PM on November 20, 2008

Studio 360's show this week is on chefs, eggs, and learning how to cook. Might be useful? You can check it out here.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 11:57 AM on November 21, 2008

Oh man! Lots of good ideas here - some thoughts in response:

1) Foreign currency is a beautiful thing to have rain from the sky 2) Suggestions for good games? What are games people might actually want to play, once we pick up the pieces? 3) Kindereggs! (in response to lalochezia) 4) A treasure hunt --> piracy --> foreign currency buried in the backyard.

Clearly my head is in the wrong place: stuffing is much more important than… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 7:47 PM on November 20, 2008

Why do I sexualize the idea of friendship so much? Probably because I'm not getting regular sex in my relationship.

Having a long history of dating , developing crushes, and generally fantasizing about having sex with my friends, I'm solidly in your camp here. For me, this isn't a problem at all -- affection is affection, and for lots of us there's a really fluid line between friends, relationships, and lovers.

On the… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 3:22 PM on November 20, 2008

Is hiring someone to help her a possibility?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 1:58 PM on November 20, 2008

It's raining in Ecuador, three hundred miles east. Where you should be, no one's around...[substitute south for east, turn off Counting Crows, and send me on your vacation?]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:27 PM on November 20, 2008

This might be a little to the left of what you're thinking, but if you go to Cool Moon and order a huge sundae with hazelnuts, fudge, and berries, you will not regret it. Even though it's winter -- even though you're clearly looking for seafood suggestions. Trust me, it's amazing!

Other than that, pretty much all I did when I was in Portland was drink coffee. Which I highly recommend, but doesn't actually provide that much info on the oyster scene.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 3:26 PM on November 19, 2008

Make very clear distinctions between job time and non-job time. It sounds like you've got a 9-5 gig? Even if you're not actually taking your work home with you, it's really easy to let shitty work consume all your time.

When I want to curl up into a ball and combust, I try:

1. Not doing work at home. No prepping for work, no thinking about the boss, no trying to figure out how you can improve it - or what you can do to make it livable.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 6:55 PM on November 18, 2008

The state argument would make more sense if it weren't in D.C., and as you say, a national protest. The fact that D.C. doesn't currently support same-sex marriage would seem to be a reason to go, if only to raise visibility for the issue.

As far as bigotry goes - you're responsible for your own choices. If it's a matter of latent sentiment, you can use the protest as an opportunity to talk to other gay-rights activists about the Mormons, and call people out when… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 7:03 AM on November 13, 2008 marked best answer

These are fantastic comments -- much more than I had expected to get! Thanks very much - I will definitely implement some of these in class.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 1:28 PM on November 12, 2008

I don't know much about the issue, but I know that Dean was responsible for making sure the Democratic Party was actively campaigning in all 50 states -- which certainly made a difference for Obama (though it would have for any of the candidates)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 8:27 PM on November 10, 2008

Ben Franklin? Not theological in any sense, but he's solidly Protestant and pro-business, and among the more quotable figures I can think of.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:30 PM on November 8, 2008

Not to jump the gun here, but maybe you should rethink your food choices? You've just described exactly how I've felt for most of graduate school, up until fairly recently, when I've really tried to be conscientious about eating whole grains, cutting out sugar, and replacing meat with vegetables as often as I can.

This is hard to do if you don't like cooking on your own, but it's made a huge difference for me. I have friends who are really big on yeast and… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 4:00 PM on November 6, 2008

Rubber boots - not a very sexy gift, but a must-have.

Short of that, a pocket-knife / leatherman sounds like a great idea. Thoughtful AND utilitarian!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 8:08 PM on October 28, 2008

screen printing? lots of guides on instructables
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 8:58 AM on October 25, 2008

If I could I would - isn't there a line?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 7:03 PM on October 5, 2008

If you live in New York, you should check out Rodrigo Toscano. I don't think he's very well known, but I like him quite a bit. Spoken word poetry is always better in person.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 1:20 PM on October 5, 2008

So sorry to hear about your loss.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 10:42 PM on October 1, 2008

Mountain Goats, anyone?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 6:19 PM on August 21, 2008

TMBG's Pencil Rain. Militarism, self-sacrifice, and graphite.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 6:17 PM on August 21, 2008

I'm doing an archival internship right now -- which is great, in certain ways, but also something to think carefully about. Partly because it can get a little boring - a lot of what you (at least, a lot of what I do) is filing and organizing, which can be really fascinating, but also very tedious. Mostly, though, my objections stem from the fact that a lot of the work seems to be done in isolation -- even for the higher-ups in my department, there's very little interaction between offices,… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:11 AM on August 19, 2008

This doesn't meet a lot of your criteria (affordable, unambitious?) -- but I've never had a meal that beats the food at Petit Louis. It's a little south of Padonia - on the outskirts of Baltimore - but totally worth the drive. It's also not that much more expensive than Carrabbas / Steak and Ale, and a much nicer dining experience.

If you're looking for something closer to home, I second Greystone Grill. I've eaten there a couple of times and liked it quite a bit.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:43 PM on August 14, 2008

Second the Not for Tourists guide. And, if the experience of past J-school friends is any indication, a big honking bag of home brew coffee.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:36 PM on August 14, 2008

My reasons for not liking this center around the indisputable fact that most molestations are committed by males on other males, and are committed by someone the child already knows.

Regardless of whether this is actually "indisuptable," it doesn't account for the vast number of abuse cases that take place *in* the home, and are perpetrated by male (and female) family members. Would you be equally uncomfortable leaving him with an uncle?… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:32 PM on August 14, 2008

Wow, these are great responses!

It looks like at the very least I'm going to need a different set of tools. As much fun as it is to sit on my living room floor and solder direclty to batteries, I think a battery holder and breadboard are definitely in order - especially since I hope to ultimately wire more than one of these in series! This is the thing I eventually want to make, sans microcontroller for now (another project for another day)… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 4:45 PM on August 12, 2008

Are we talking strategies for political outreach - direct change on specific projects - or ways to live with oneself? I'm starting to believe more, of late, in the simple value of voicing discontent, whether or not it's linked to more concrete forms of action. Or rather, voicing discontent as the most important first step.

Positive ways to accomplish this: Local protests? Community action projects? Opinion columns? Local action, with the intention of… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 10:52 PM on August 11, 2008

You know, something like this:
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 10:58 PM on August 11, 2008

If you want to do volunteer work abroad, it's a much better idea to find an organization and go directly through them -- you'll get precisely the same care and handling, and have the added benefit of your time / money going directly to a good cause. CCS sets up homestay and travel arrangements with local organizations that are usually already doing the same thing -- and often charges up to $300 extra (at least) for the privilege of hooking you up with them.

My… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:03 PM on August 11, 2008

People always tell me I need to smile more—and they're right.

Really? OK, I know this isn't the gist of the question. But really?!

There's nothing wrong with lacking a giddy resting face. And stopping someone on the street - or at the water cooler - or in mid-conversation - to tell them they should "perk up" or "smile more" is pretty much out of line, no matter what the circumstance.

Your smile is just fine. Enjoy it!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:48 PM on August 6, 2008

Not remotely linked to CBT, self-help, or really, therapy of any sort - but, in line with Indigo's thought, why not go with fiction? I read Chris Kraus's Torpor during a period when everything in life was going to hell, and it made me feel a whole lot better. The Corrections is also a good depression read. Getting your therapy on through fiction, at any rate, is at least more fun than reading self-help books, and in my experience, every bit as practical.

Zencast… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 2:41 AM on August 5, 2008

I'm currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program, and while there's no doubt in my mind that professionalization is essential, most of the people in the program also consider themselves to be public intellectuals and are pretty strongly invested in academic culture being democratized in some sense. For better or worse, there's a sense that the things we talk about in seminar should "matter" in the wider world - a notion that seems very much at odds with the funding structure of higher… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 8:24 AM on August 3, 2008

Just in case that helps to clarify the question
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 8:24 AM on August 3, 2008

Isn't making friends with her a reasonable first step toward mutual romantic attraction? Unless you're looking for a one night stand, of course. If you're looking for flirting advice, that's different.

Not sure what to tell you in terms of how to spice things up - maybe with more information?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:53 PM on July 17, 2008

by metro do you mean train station? Baltimore doesn't actually have a functional inner-city transit system - most people get around by car or cab. It's not a bad city to drive around in, but do be careful at night.

There are a number of hotels in downtown Baltimore, mostly on the expensive side. I don't know about cheap hotels near Pimlico, but I'd avoid it if possible - if it's anything like I remember, you don't really want to be hanging around there after dark.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 5:49 PM on July 13, 2008

David Rakof has a great story on cryogenics in "Don't Get Too Comfortable" - I'd recommend the audio version, it's great to hear aloud.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 12:04 PM on July 9, 2008

Second kindall on the Smokies. It will be crowded this time of year, but it's definitely still worth it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 5:04 PM on July 1, 2008

Mechanism counts for something, no? I'm often surprised at how arbitrary the original spark is -- a shared enthusiasm for something random and quite specific (Bruno Taut, TMBG, a great album or song, a mutual passion for building potato guns, etc) that morphs into a shared way of thinking and talking and developing curiosities in tandem.

Totally different from "shared interests." I think Brandon's right, in that it has much more to do with how you think… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 9:14 PM on June 28, 2008

Anyone have a link for the Buber (or part of it?). It sounds interesting but also maddeningly abstract. But...having the reference might help to bring the thread outside the realm of purely personal experience.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 9:20 PM on June 28, 2008

You might not want to cut this far north, but if you're thinking of heading through the Dakotas anyway, I highly recommend heading north and doing the Upper Peninsula. It's beautiful, underpopulated, and not to be missed. Are you camping or city-hopping? (the former, if you're thinking of doing national parks?) This will obviously make a difference in what you decide to see.

If you're thinking of taking a southerly route, check out the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by puckish at 6:18 PM on June 28, 2008