Homeowner/landlord of our shared residence leaves front door open at night with the notion that it cools the house down. I'm fucking terrified...details within.I live in a house with three other people. Myself and my roommate are on the ground floor, we have our own rooms and bathroom we share. Upstairs is the bedroom, living room, etc areas of the homeowners, but all four of us share the whole house. It is not partitioned off, it's a big shared house. We live in one of the more affluent neighborhoods of a major city, but very centrally located and close to downtown, not on the outskirts. One of the homeowners leaves the front door wide open nightly, 7 days a week. Not propped open, wide open. The reasoning is that with this being an old 20s house with no air conditioning, and keeping all the windows shut all day, it will cool the house at night. I think it is fucking bonkers, and I have had a lot of difficulty going to sleep at night. There have been times I've shut the door, and it gets opened again. She then comes down to shut it at about 3am. There seems to exist a perception of safety due to never having been burgled, etc. However, obviously it takes just one time, and property crime in our city is not low. What I am also very furious about is that I respect anyone's right to make poor decisions, if it affects them only. However, as a tenant, I feel it is grossly irresponsible to potentially put my and my roommate's life in danger. I am the first bedroom when someone enters the house. From the front door it takes about 3 seconds to get to my bedroom. Our doors have no locks and, again, being an old house, it would be almost a construction project to get a lock installed. The doors are also lightweight and I myself can probably kick one down without a lot of trouble. My roommate has a restraining order against a man, who, while he hasn't been violent in the past, is obsessed with her and has showed up and entered at our house in her absence. We both got spooked when we were out and he showed up where we were. We then let the landlady know that we want to keep the doors locked. She was amenable initially, and then the doors started being opened again. My impression is that in the end, the need to cool the house down overrides any concerns or regard for our safety. I also have very bad PTSD from having been attacked in the past. Please help me figure out what I can do, even practical strategies for guarding my room should something happen one day. I can not simply move right now, I have only lived here for six months and this was a godsend in every other way, after leaving a weird situation in my own apartment prior.
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The mighty and most beleaguered BunnyCat had to endure an emergency enema today to address a major blockage in her poor colob. This had led to extreme explosive poo and lots of sad. I am doing my best to catch up with her when she leaks/smears/can't help but leave behind a mess, but I am struggling. Please help me try to keep our little apartment mostly poo free.Cat tax. Bunny had explosive sludge poo on her way home from the vet (a good thing! Poo was not expected! Blockage was terrible!) Unfortunately she escaped while I was trying to clean her fur in the tub and still has thick AND watery poo on her body and popo, which means that whenever she sits somewhere she leaks. I have sacrificed all towels towards making her nests since she's still in shock/pain/etc and needs soft places to hide. Periodically though she goes to uncovered carpeted areas and I don't want to keep picking her up so I can put yet another towel under her bottom. But my god is she stinky. I am in need of two things: 1) a means of gently cleaning her tuchus whenever I can that doesn't involve me putting her back in the bathtub to try and gingerly wash her off 2) a means of spot cleaning the stinkiest leakage spots (which are becoming increasingly invisible as her sludge turns to liquid) We are truly the unhappiest of campers. I have pee pads en route thanks to Amazon and will try to cover all carpeted areas with them, though she will probably try to dig them up. :( :( :( :( On the plus side the weed issue from my previous ask has been resolved courtesy of my stalwart landlady so I am not dealing with weed AND the weirdest smelling poo ever. But still. :( Thank you.
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So I'm growing my hair out for the first time (I'm a dude). I really like it! I'd like to have long hair for a while! But...I don't really know what to do with it!It turns out that my hair is pretty curly. At my current length (a bit past mid-neck if wet), I have a white-guy fro if I don't do anything with my hair. Right now I am using a sort of stiff semi-circular hair band (I actually don't know what they are called), but my hair is soon gonna get too long to be able to use it in the simple fashion I have (which is to put it at the base of my hairline then push back until the wild part of my hair is in the back...soon the wild part will be too long). So I guess I need advice on two fronts! 1. How do I take care of long, curly hair? 2. What are things I can do with it? I don't want a fro, really. What other sorts of hair-tools are there...head bands? Hair pins? Pony tails? Buns? I'd love ideas, and uh, instructions. My hair isn't long enough for all of that yet but it will be by the end of the year I think and I'd love to play with it. On the 1 front, I just want my hair to be healthy. I don't mind if it is curly or anything (I think some people do a lot of stuff to try and fight the curl...that's not my goal), I just don't want to inadvertently...damage it? Is this just shampoo commercial propaganda? I really don't know. Do I need combs? Brushes? Do I get-it-wet-but-not-shampoo? Do I not get it wet at all? I really am clueless about this. How do I avoid knots and stuff, that sort of thing... On the 2 front, just hit me. I'm not super concerned about gendered styles though probably wouldn't do something TOO feminine... but I might try it out at home ;) This is the first time in my life I've ever had long hair and I feel it's just a cool chance to get to know this part of my body better! Thank you! PS For extra credit if you have any tips of what to do in semi-formal settings, that'd be great. In general I really don't care at all, and I'm a programmer, so those environments don't care...but I figure that for interviews (or weddings, etc) I could at least do a little. Something I've seen in the past is a sort of pony-tail-into-a-bun that generally looks pretty clean and tasteful. But would also appreciate tips.
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We are fighting an infestation of bugs. I've not seen them in the master bedroom, but they have been in the kitchen, living room, etc, and just now I had one crawl on me in the other bedroom that I use for sleeping until the baby wakes up (he is in the master). I am too disgusted and tense to go back to sleep.We have been circulating through different types of treatment for these German roaches which are apparently a common issue where I've moved to, and I've only ever had run-ins with palmetto bugs which are too gigantic to really crawl on you. Obviously treatment that works is a priority. We have been trying sprays, traps, homemade stuff. We don't really have the budget for an exterminator but if our latest treatment doesn't work, I will happily go into debt for the ability to fully relax in my house and not worry about roaches messing with my kid. I'm grossed out and can't sleep, and it is day 2 of the pest disgust interfering with my sleep. (My spouse is supposed to plant the gel bait later tonight. I'm intimidated with the chemicals and the need to avoid placing where pets or children can reach them. My spouse is much more of an expert on toxic chemicals.) It will also probably take a couple of days for the treatment to work, so I need solutions now. I thought about wrapping myself in a sheet like a burrito, but that would get incredibly hot. I took a Xanax to calm me down enough to sleep, but it seems to not work on disgust-related hypervigilence.
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My partner and I have been excitedly awaiting this weekend for a weeklong-ish backpacking trip around the Three Sisters Loop in central Oregon...except that we're not so sure about it now due to the smoky air and possible hindered views. We'll take a last minute look tomorrow and decide whether we do the loop or not. We're looking for alternative suggestions for outdoor fun so we don't sit at home moping for a week! Details within...What we're looking for: - Someplace within driving distance of Eugene, OR (we have passports) - Not too terribly smoky - 4-5 day backpacking trip OR road trip with hiking/camping options along the way - Beautiful views - Not crowded, the more remote the better - We are seasoned hikers/backpackers and enjoy challenging routes but easier is fine too What say ye, AskMe? Help us have a beautiful, nature-filled, adventure where we can breathe (relatively) easy and not waste our hard-earned PTO! Thanks all :D
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You have a career in Widget Field X. You have earned elite degrees, won national and international awards, achieved some fame, and built a tremendous amount of credibility (and even fame) in Widget Field X. You also do work in Arts Field Y. You have a few small engagements in this field over several years, but no great achievements (yet). You want to eventually become successful in Arts Field Y.There isn't any overlap in the practice of the two fields, but there is definitely some respect for success in Widget Field X among people in Arts Field Y. - How do you list the achievements in Widget Field X when you writing an Arts Field Y bio? Do you mention them? In a serious way? In a joking way? Is there a way to get some credit (if that makes any sense) for the achievements in one field in another? - How do you introduce yourself at professional gatherings for Arts Field Y? - How do you deal with it when people are intimidated by your success in the Widget Field, but unclear on your status in the Arts Field? - In general, how do you navigate these context switches and explain this to people?
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I need a video camera to view an front office down the hall. I have a computer at my desk [and a smart phone]. What would be cheapest and easiest way to do this? The front office is unmonitored and there is a bell that rings when they come in but I still have to get up to go see if it is really a visitor or if it is just another worker coming in and out. Thanks for any suggestions.
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How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex. Use pop culture as a springboard for talking about your values... Is there any better song for talking about toxic masculinity than "Grenade" by Bruno Mars? My son and I had an interesting talk about the song "Tell Me You Love Me" by Demi Lovato: Why are girls taught "you ain't somebody 'till you got somebody" and is that really true? Romance review and snark hub Smart Bitches Trashy Books features middle school sex-ed teacher Jennifer Prokop's advice on how to talk to your kids:Romantic relationships aren't more important than friendships and family relationships. Many kids feel left out if their friends have romantic relationships and they don't, but you should remind your kids that all kinds of relationships are important and worth cultivating. You can model this by talking about the importance of all your relationships with your child and reminding them that dating someone shouldn't define who they are. We don't do enough to teach our kids about healthy relationships and intimacy. Bonus: Her review of What Does Consent Really Mean by Pete Wallis & Thalia Wallis
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Our measurements confirmed what every woman already knows to be true: women's pockets are ridiculous. [slThePudding] Like so many things on the internet, we could find complaints and anecdotes galore but little data illustrating just how inferior women's pockets really are to men's. So, we went there. We measured the pockets in both men's and women's pants in 20 of the US' most popular blue jeans brands. Take a look at what we found. Pockets, previously: 1, 2
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Looking to find an electric piano for rent which can be picked up in Portland or Eugene and brought out to MacKenzie Bridge for a weekend. Not local and having trouble finding leads.Hello all! I'm getting married in a little under a year in MacKenzie Bridge, Oregon (about an hour outside of Eugene, about two hours from Portland and an hour+ from Bend). My fiancée has friends and family out there, but we both live in NY, and we'd like my brother (a composer and pianist) and his son (a very talented Saxophonist) to play at our wedding. The trouble is, none of my brothers pianos would make the trip very well, and it seems like it'd be simpler and cheaper to rent one in the area, but I'm having a hell of a time finding one for rent.Any musicians in the Eugene or Portland areas have any ideas or leads here? Thank you much!
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The Northeast Document Conservation Center recently conserved an 1848 Mathew Brady daguerreotype image of Dolley Madison found in a trunk in 1956. [via] "Dolley Madison became a national figure when the United States was barely a nation... [and] proved herself a powerful political player in an age when women were excluded from politics."
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I'll be starting a pharmacy tech program in the near future, with completion after the first of next year. My question is this - there are pharmacists and pharmacy technicians ... are there other pharmacy related positions within this continuum?We have doctors, PAs, and nurses - is there a similar hierarchy within pharmacy? Or is it a matter of just adding experience in the different pharmacy areas as a tech? Also, anyone have comments/thoughts on relevancy of data & systems knowledge with the pharm tech field? I have a background in both and have some interest in health informatics. Appreciate the feedback in advance & will try to clarify if necessary. SandPine
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Scientists Calculate the Speed of Death in Cells, and It's Surprisingly Slow: A new study [abstract] shows that death travels in unremitting waves through a cell, moving at a rate of 30 micrometers (one-thousandth of an inch) every minute. "Apoptosis is also sometimes called "cellular suicide," because it is a process of self-destruction. It begins with a signal either from the inside or the outside that informs enzymes within the cells called caspases to start cleaving the cell. But it had been unclear how apoptosis, after being triggered, actually spread through the cell. [...] They found that [apoptosis] traveled through the test tubes at a constant speed. If apoptosis had carried on due to simple diffusion (the spreading of substances from an area of high concentration to one of low concentration), the process would have slowed down toward the end, according to the study. Since it didn't, the researchers concluded that the process they observed must be "trigger waves," which they likened to "the spread of a fire through a field." The caspases that are first activated, activate other molecules of caspases, which activate yet others, until the entire cell is destroyed."
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I have a iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil and would like an app that allows/enables me to do some basic drawing based on photos I take.So, an app that lets you load an image in the "background" and then there's like a piece of clear(ish) "tracing paper" over it that you could draw over the image with. When you are done, you could then save the drawing "layer" as a standalone graphic file (jpg, tiff, whatever). In this way, I could do sketch-like drawings from photos that I take. I would probably mostly us it for architectual images. A bonus would be if you could easily "grab" a color from the actual photo, and then draw/paint with that color on the "tracing paper" (instead of having to keep going to a color picker or a limited palette to try and pick the closest color to, say, the blue of the sky in the background). So, if I took a photo of this color-filled window, I could sketch out the basic shapes of the wood parts and then "grab" the basic color of each pane of colored glass to sketch/fill with. It would also be nice if you could choose different styles of drawing like "oil pastels on thick paper" or "colored pencils", et cetera. I do have both the Pixelmator app and the Affinity Photo app and I'm guessing I could probably do something kind of like this using layers like one might in Photoshop, but I thought there might be an easier way to do it with a more focused drawing/sketching/tracing app. Any ideas?
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I'm feeling overwhelmed with the task of organizing my work and home computers, and guides like this are medium-useful but not handholdy enough ("you can start by going through your computer and deleting files you just don't need" BUT HOW DO I KNOW?!). So I'm really curious about how people do this in practice. Do you have a system that works for you? Tell me about it! I need inspiration!I work on both a PC and a Mac, and both desktops are cluttered with photos, interesting things I've screencapped, work documents, school documents, creative writing and other personal projects, and leftovers from planning a wedding last year. It's just overwhelming. In particular, the idea of "unused" files, or files I won't "need," is dragging me down. What if I need them in the future? What if I want to go on a nostalgia trip someday? How do you decide what to delete and what to keep, and how do you label all of it? Do you use color-coding? This is not a general-organization question--I really just want to know what your desktops look like and how you maintain them. My to-do lists are set and I do not want recommendations for Evernote etc. Practical and security matters are taken care of. I work in digital preservation, so it's all here in line with best practices. There's just so much of it.
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I have signed up to provide a meal for a family of four in the DC area.Mom is going through some health issues, and so restrictions must include No Soy, No Beef, No Pork, No Tofu, No Cows Milk. Galley Foods was given as an option, but wanted to see if there were any other meal delivery services in the DC area that might be a good option?
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I will be in Atlanta next Thursday for the day. Driving down from NC. My question is, should I pick a MARTA park & ride station on the outskirts or drive all the way in to the convention center? I'll be arriving early afternoon & leaving around 9pm. Last time I was there I flew in & took MARTA train to the GWCC in 2010.
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Help me find a non-standard height table/desk/seating solution for a microscope that will fit into a professional office setting.I started a new job a few weeks ago, and as part of my office outfitting, I was offered a microscope! This is very exciting, as previously, all microscopy involved going down to the lab, hunting down the appropriate tech, finding the slide, and then trying to find an open microscope (so that I wouldn't prevent people from doing their jobs). Of course I want a microscope! When one uses a microscope, they should be slightly taller than the scope, so that they are looking down, not straining their necks, etc. I am about 5'2" and whenever I have had to use a microscope at a standard desk for any length of time longer than 5-10 minutes, I have to sit on textbooks (yes, plural), to achieve this goal. I have a standard-height desk in a cherry finish, probably about 30". My chair is at its maximum height. I have asked if I could have a separate, shorter table or desk and they are willing to provide this. They would prefer it to be of similar finish to my desk. They sent a few examples of some side tables/nightstand height tables, but I'm not sure these would work, as they don't look like I'd be able to actually sit at them (very nightstand-y, and probably too short). Another consideration would be for them instead to provide me with an adjustable height stool. Some examples of what my manager suggested: Example one Example two Example 3: I like the open bottom, but no height listed. Example 4: Too short at 20 inches.
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I'm in the process of buying a home in Lake County, California, which is currently on fire. We're supposed to close Monday but no insurance companies will issue policies when there's an active fire in the same zip code. Fire is like 60 something percent contained, may take a month for full containment. Can I delay close of sale?I've given over ten thousand in earnest money to the title company, we're supposed to sign papers and record sale Monday. What happens if I say I want to delay sale until I can insure house? I have no idea how this works. My agent is also the sellers agent. (Just so you know, I recognize most of what I've typed above sounds extremely ill advised. The back story on this is complicated and boring. I won't be living in the house. I just need to know if I can delay the sale when I did sign an offer with an escrow period that is already passed.)
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I will be visiting Seattle this weekend and want to visit bookshops and cafes. I am still missing the beautiful space that used to be Vivace's old location overlooking the reservoir. Where else on Capitol Hill can I get coffee with a pleasant view or (if view is not possible) a nice environment to linger and read?
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The technology of tomorrow is being used by insects today. Wired has a summary of six scientific investigations into biomimicry that may make their way into the phones of the future: sugar-powered batteries, wide-angle camera (and more!), waterproof coating, exoskeletal body, anti-glare screen, and directional mic (CES 2018 demo story). Here are some of the links to the damned papers, but also some paywalls: sugar-powered batteries = A high-energy-density sugar biobattery based on a synthetic enzymatic pathway, 2014 wide-angle camera = Bio-inspired hemispherical compound eye camera, 2014 : full article paywalled waterproof coating = Bioinspired rice leaf and butterfly wing surface structures combining shark skin and lotus effects, 2012 : full article paywalled exoskeletal body = Unexpected Strength and Toughness in Chitosan-Fibroin Laminates Inspired by Insect Cuticle - PDF, 2012 anti-glare screen = Broadband antireflection film with moth-eye-like structure for flexible display applications, 2017 And because that final story is doesn't have any public articles (that I've found), a bonus, semi-related story on spider silk microphones and (with more photos) spider silk can be used to improve microphones = Sensing fluctuating airflow with spider silk, 2017
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I'm getting ready to teach my first-ever class (grad-school level) and want it to be a safe zone for my students. Since this wasn't really a thing when I was going through school, I could use some practical advice on achieving that goal.Here's what I'm looking at: graduate school, so the students are all adults. The subject matter of the class is pretty technical and doesn't touch on LGBT issues. Since this is my first time teaching, I won't know much about the students in advance. Here's where I need help: how do I help students feel safe in class, and how do I educate those who might not see the need for doing so? I've included a note in the syllabus about campus resources for LGBT students, but I'm not sure what more to say about the subject on the first day when going over the syllabus. I'm also planning to have the students let me know on the first day what their preferred salutations and pronouns are. I don't have any specific plans beyond that, so any ideas and experience people could share would be very much appreciated.
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My coworker has a pet as decoration on their desk in our office that is living in inadequate conditions. It's making it hard for me to concentrate because I feel sorry for it. Is there anything I can do without offending my coworker or making waves?The animal in question is a fish in a very small, unheated bowl. This type of fish requires a heated tank. It's doing a lot of "glass surfing" which many fish enthusiasts believe is a sign that the fish is stressed, bored and/or in too small of a tank. This fish should be in a 2.5 gallon tank at least. I have a soft spot for aquarium fish and it really, really bothers me to see it living in these conditions. The fish has the approval of management. I'm not particularly close with my coworker. They seem like a nice person but I'm also guessing they would be offended if I were to approach them and say, hey, your fish needs a bigger tank, etc. If I were to leave an anonymous care sheet, I'm guessing they would also know it was me (we work in a small office and I'm the only person who would do that sort of thing, I think). I've even thought of just going out and purchasing a set up that would be more appropriate, but then it would not fit so nicely on coworkers desk and again, they would probably be offended. Is there anything I can do to help the fish without alienating anyone? I should also mention that there are security cameras, so there will be no daring late-night rescues of the fish. Thanks.
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I am so happy, I have a new grown-up bed that I love! But now I need to get lower nightstands. I would like something that matches the style of the bed, with a drawer, and between 14-20". Here are some stock photos of the bed, but instead of the mattress pictured, imagine a thinner futon mattress. I am on a budget but can be convinced to splurge a little. Can you help? Zinus Ironline Low Profile Platform Bed
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The conversation of murdered and missing native women is not one North America wants to have - but it must Given the complicated and tense mesh of federal, state and tribal law – as well as entrenched racism towards indigenous people across North America – cases continue to fall through the cracks.
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