trinacriabob

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.

Notice you're included, Nick.

carpet

They probably didn't have a good one. Both Border Collies and Australian Shepherds are working/herding dogs and have an overabundance of nervous energy. They are also extremely smart. The dog guides warn that, if you own such a dog, you had better be an "on the go" type and that this dog is to be taken along to be exercised.Our Australian, if left for long periods, say more than a day, would get bored and start digging in the yard out of boredom or maybe spite. Aside from this, she wasn't that problematic. And what a smart and fun dog. They're like "little people" ....so happy to go on a car ride or run on the beach with their owners...

stucco

Merle Haggard

Congrats. And you have good taste in dog names...that was my Australian Shepherd's name!I, too, miss having a dog. Labs have great personalities. They are great to have around. I am a big fan of Australian Shepherds and Border Collies.

Jill St. John (first thing that came to mind, even though she's a "has been")

It seems that since cell phones have taken off, driving has gotten worse. Last weekend alone, the same chick in a SUV almost nailed me as we were both turning into the curb cut for the Starbucks parking lot AND as she was maneuvering for a parking spot. I look for clarification. She was straddling the cell phone with her shoulder, yapping away. I honestly wonder what could be so important that people are on their cell phones in their cars constantly. At any rate, most close calls have involved others' cell phone use, it seems. I prefer to use a land line. If I decide to have a conversation on a cell while in an automobile, I pull over. I will talk on a cell phone in a car only on a wide open, sparsely populated and fairly linear interstate such as I-5 though California's flat Central Valley. Otherwise, I won't.

bath

Loch Ness monster