What can I do to make his parrot hate me less? Some details within.My partner inherited a 24-year old Amazon parrot about a year ago. She loves him to pieces. He can hang her upside down by her tail, swing her around, it doesn't matter what he does to her, she loves it. Ditto when he scratches her, which makes her lower her head and shut her eyes in avian bliss. She's hugely entertaining. While she's not much of a talker, she loves to sing. And if anyone laughs, she joins right in, albeit mirthlessly, which makes it even funnier. And she has this absolute thing about laundry. Left to her own devices, she will perch on the laundry hamper for hours, and if the washer or dryer are running, she'll stand in front of them clucking. Open the dryer and she's inside instantly, fluffing the clothes. But here's my problem: she's fearless and a bully. When she's in the laundry area, for example, she "helps" my partner fold clothes, etc., but were I to be so foolish she attacks with tail feathers fanned. Even if I'm just standing nearby, it is not unusual for her to climb down from the hamper to waddle over and bite my shoe, as if to say, "Remember, I hate you." She's the same with the dogs and the cat, who all have learned to steer clear of her when she's out of her cage. I long ago learned to keep my hands and arms far away from her beak, because if she can reach skin, she will bite. Hard. There are two times she never bites: when I offer her a pistachio, which is apparently parrot crack, and when she's quickly deposited on my shoulder. In which case she goes silent and starts figuring out how to get off and back to her beloved. And she's vocally responsive when I "chat" with her, though I suspect that when she says, "Hello," she means fuck you. So, my question: what if anything can I do to get her to tolerate me better and not think that she needs to attack me given half an opportunity? I should perhaps add that I cannot fully participate in feeding and watering responsibilities, because I'm routinely away for several days a week. And while this AskMe about an African Gray comes close, after a year of treat bribes and hanging around unthreateningly, we're still at square one.
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Can my wife sue me for infidelity (and what does that even mean?)Assume that these are all facts: We seperated physically as of Nov 10. We agreed to file for divorce on Dec 3. She has the papers filled out but they are not yet notarized and filed. I started dating someone new on Dec 19. Wife has caught on that I'm seeing someone new, and isn't thrilled about it. She found out by viewing (non-suggestive) pictures of me and the new girl on social media accounts. She has since been blocked from viewing these accounts (yes, I know that is not foolproof.) She's saying now that she is going to "take me to court for infidelity." I have not responded to any of her messages about the situation except to deal with logistics (i.e. yes, you can pick up these boxes at this time.) Throughout our (short, year-plus) marriage we kept our finances completely seperate. We are both pretty poor (I would guess at any one point we both have less than a thousand bucks each in our bank accounts) so I'm not sure she could either afford a lawyer or would really have anything to gain through a lawsuit. We live in Kansas. So what's my situation? Have I been, legally, infidelitous? If so, what exactly would that entitle her to? Any suggestions as to how I act going forward? (Besides, "Lawyer up!")
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Henson Alternative's Miskreant Puppets bring you The Twelve Awkward Days Of Christmas. (Possibly not suitable for all ages.)
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Your experiences/tips for having eyelids lifted (blepharoplasty)?My eyelids are droopy to the point that I must have blepharoplasty to lift them and prevent further impediment to my eyesight. Looking for tips and advice from MeFites who may have had this procedure, or know someone who has. I understand this is fairly minor but anytime eyes are involved, I get nervous. Thanks for your wisdom and happy holidays to everyone on the green.
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"The brutal* gang rape of a student in Delhi on December 15 has ignited anger across the country. Youth and students from various cities raised their voices demanding a safer society for women and an end to violence in every form*. From the capital* city of Delhi to Hyderabad and Guwahati, protesters turned up in large numbers to register their protest." (text via The Hindu's slideshow) *may contain triggers Women protesters were also sexually harassed during these protests.
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Baby sign language in a bilingual household research: I'm American, Dad's Italian and we live in Italy. When Lil' Peanut is old enough, should we go with ASL or LIS? Or am I beanplating this?
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How Steve Rogers copes with being woken up into a world he never made, seventy years after being frozen in ice: diary comics. (SLTMBLR)
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What replacement speaker should I get for my amp?I have a Music Man 110 RD 50 that I love with my whole heart. I think she's got a blown speaker. What new speaker (manufacturer/model) should I buy to retain the original tone as closely as possible? Thanks - j
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For your listening pleasure: A Five Guys hamburger review, Songified (SLYT) (the original review unsongified) The Gregory Brothers have appeared on the blue before, most previously here. Take a peek at their main youtube channel and you'll find that in addition to being the talents behind the popular Autotune the News and Songify series (featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt!), they're also talented musicians in their own right, sometimes doing acoustic versions of their own autotune mixes. They even occasionally do slightly more traditional songs. Official Website Wikipedia entry A 2009 interview with John Hockenberry. And finally, in the spirit of the winter holiday season, a live performance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
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Rhinoceroses are purple, they have rounded faces like hippos, they have long, curved stinging tails like scorpions, and they have flashlights in their mouths. Oh, and when those lights are activated, they make pig noises. This is actually a great toy for a kid who's afraid of the dark and also afraid of conventional, non-cute, non-noise-making flashlights. Or for someone who needs a primer in the genetic-engineering technology of 2075 and how it will be used to create monstrous hybrids to serve our every need, including our need for rhinoceroscorpion light sources. It's time for the A.V. Club's annual Cheap Toy Roundup.
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What is a fair price to pay for a used Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (Reprint or possibly original 1971 edition) that looks to be in good shape, including the slipcase & magnifying glass? Used on Amazon looks to be about $50+Shipping to Canada, but I am leery to buy something like this sight unseen; a local used/rare book store has it for $100, and I'm not sure if that is a bargain (The latest edition is $275 on Amazon.ca) or if I could find it cheaper.
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I need advice on sexuality!Hi, I am a female and I'm not sure if I'm straight, bisexual or a lesbian. I find men attractive. I get really awkward around most men and I get these fantasies about dating certain men I find attractive in my day to day life. But I also think I may be into women. I'm not sure because I've never really explored it. I guess I have to give a back story, when I was much younger at about 6-11 y/o I was a very sexual kid. I'm not sure what brought this on, but I'd fool around with neighbors. They were all guys except for one girl... at about at 11 y/o I changed my ways because of my religious beliefs. So it's not like I have been really into sex since then... Anyway, now I'm much older, in my mid 20s and not sure what I am. I've never dated anyone, nor have I ever had sex with anyone. I sometimes daydream about me (well not exactly me, but someone much more attractive and outgoing) and some guy dating or in some type of relationship. Though I consider myself religious (I do believe in God and Jesus Christ), I don't really have a problem with people being gay. I actually a very liberal thinker when it comes to most things. I do know that my family (except maybe my brother, but I'm not really close with him) are NOT accepting of homosexuality. They are extremely religious and generally have unreasonable opinions about many things, including homosexuality. Along with that culturally where they are from, homosexuality is not tolerated well. My family being so against homosexuals is why I've never wanted to explore it, even if I am straight, I'm just so scared of what my family would think, I have yet to explore. I need advice, where do I start, what should I do? Also I guess someone to keep in mind when advising me is that I am a very busy person. Thanks in advance!
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With the public failure of Plan B how could the White House negotiate with Republicans? John Boehner apparently didn't know the state of his party well enough to know that the house Republicans would reject his plan. Doesn't that make him useless as a negotiating partner? How else can the White House come to an agreement if they can't cut a deal with the Speaker of the House?
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What is the copyright status of works created by the New York City government? Specifically works created by the Department of Health or similar agencies, concerning vital statistics and similar public data? (That is, indices to vital records but not actual vital records, which are protected by privacy restrictions.) Does it make a difference if the records and books were published more than 50 years ago? 40 years ago?
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Which brand of jeans has a flattened "x" on the back pocket?I've seen these jeans on younger women in the US. The pattern on the back pocket is two intersecting lines that form a kind of squished "x" shape. The lines start at the two top corners, intersect, and then end before reaching the edges of the pockets again. The design is on the upper third of the pocket. All my googling and denim-blog searching has been fruitless so I turn the hive mind.
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How safe is Costa Rica in terms of violent crime/theft? My partner and I are planning to visit in February, and I'm reading wildly contradictory reports of the danger levels for tourists thereCosta Rica looks beautiful and I'd love to take a decent ($700) camera to take pics of the the amazing jungle/wildlife. Some of the threads I've read about it describe it as the safest place in Central America, and others describe it as a very dangerous place where kidnappings/marching to ATMs at gunpoint are common, serious assaults to tourists are regular, etc. Would it be foolish to walk around with cameras or are locals used to seeing this? We don't speak any Spanish (English/German), but my partner could take the next six weeks to do an intensive course. What are your experiences of the safety levels and threats to visitors? Any helpful hints/tips on keeping safe? My partner is extremely risk averse so getting them to go somewhere they perceive to be hazardous with me in the first place is a majorly big deal. Thanks in advance for any advice you might have!
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Why Die Hard is the best Christmas movie ever.
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I'm on the hunt for cheap but semi-fancy appetizer recipes.I've read Bittman's article on 101 Appetizers, and searched through the old AskMe threads, but I'm looking for recipes that are inexpensive to make but delicious and seem fancy. This is for our Christmas dinner - we are serving ham, two salads, green beans, scalloped potatoes, and rolls. The other appetizers are shrimp cocktail and a veggie plate. Dessert is a giant cookie platter. There will be 13 people eating, and one is a vegan. We would like to keep this last appetizer inexpensive and delicious, but we have no ideas. Help!
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How can I have guaranteed, perfectly ripe avocados?If you go to almost any Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, they will open an avocado in front of you and make perfect guacamole. The avocado is always perfectly ripe: it's soft but not gooey, and it contains no brown or stringy filaments. When I buy avocados at the store, 75% of the time they're gross when I open them, even if I buy them underripe and wait for them to ripen. What are the restaurants doing?
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I have a problem with my little sister's baby daddy. He's racist, bigoted, irresponsible, and I can see that he's a bad person for my sister and their child. It's driving me crazy, and being around him is breaking my heart. What can/should I do? Warning: some derogatory language within.I know some people are going to say "butt out" and I will accept those answers, but hear me out first. The story: My sister, Kate, is an incredibly bright, if not a little misguided, 22-year-old woman. Before she met this dude, she was enrolled in biochemistry pre-med program at a decent local college, happy and young, etc. Enter, this dude. We'll call him Pete. They met while she was in college. She got pregnant shortly after they met, and upon deciding to have the baby, she dropped out of college and he moved into my parents' house with her. This was two years ago. Baby will be two in January. Over the last two years of getting to know him, it's become quite clear that he is an unsavory character. A few examples, but keep in mind that there are many examples and I'm just telling you those that are the most salient to me: -Over the summer, we were all at a relative's wedding having drinks. Pete starts telling a story about how he was driving along and got pulled over. He's complaining about "profiling" (he is a young white male, by the way) on the police officer's part and how the officer was giving him a hard time. And as we're listening to the story, none of it makes sense, so we start saying so. He then reveals that the police officer saw him receiving a large amount of cash (this is in a relatively high crime neighborhood) on a street corner, and that when he was pulled over, he had neither his driver's license with him nor did he have insurance for the car. -About a month ago, my sister posts on her Facebook wall something innocuous, and someone commented "Fag". I'm pretty outspoken about these things and said something like "wow, who still says that word? how offensive." Enter Peter, who not only defends this person but says that he uses this word all the time as "a joke". He also says that he goes to gay bars all the time and laughs when guys hit on him. The next time we saw him, he was wearing this "Straight" shirt. -My husband and I hosted Thankgiving this year, and my entire immediate family was there. Before dessert, at around 6pm, my sister said she had to go because Pete had to work that night (thanks, Black friday!) and since he'd been drinking all day, he couldn't drive himself home. If he had not been drinking all day (he specifically said earlier that night that he started drinking at 11am that day with his friends), he could have driven home himself and my sister could have stayed for dessert/games and gotten a ride home from Mom and Dad. - Another Thanksgiving thing: at the dinner table, a car drove by with a particularly loud muffler and Pete starts going off about "these people" can buy rims from "Paco" down the street and other nonsense. At that point, since it was my house, I shut him down by just saying "Stop, we aren't going to talk about that anymore." He was like "it was just a joke" and mostly stopped at that point, but it was clear he thought I was being oversensitive. - Today, we all met up to celebrate Christmas. Again, at the dinner table, I was joking around with my nephew (from another sister) and teaching him how to say "toot" (the cutesy word for fart, 'natch). Pete steps in and explains that the older day, his friend dropped a quarter on the ground and Pete exclaimed "Jew! Jew!" at his friend. OF COURSE my niece was there with them, and he joked about how funny it was that she started to repeat "Jew! Jew!" back to him. Then, my niece started to say this word at the dinner table! I've mentioned my displeasure at his behavior to my mom on several occasions, and she tends to say things like "he's just joking" and making excuses for his behavior. Recently she's gone as far as admit that his behavior is wrong but that "that's how your father was, too," which is a bad excuse. I haven't mentioned it at all to my sister because I don't think she would react well, and I don't want to hurt her or make her feel uncomfortable. I also recognize that my sister is an adult and can make her own decisions, although I really worry that she feels trapped with him (I was once in a relationship where I felt trapped and yeah, it sucks). I fully realize that the correct answer is probably "butt-out." But is that really it? Can I reach out to my sister and say "Hey listen, I realize that you may not have a problem and if you're totally happy, cool, but know that we are all supporting you if you want to get out of this relationship and that it's an OK thing to do." I feel incredibly selfish about this, but I get so shocked and saddened every time I see my family that I've seriously considered giving an ultimatum to my parents that I won't be there if he's there. I also long for the day when my husband and I move out of the area so I can just "step away" from the situation and really admit that it's out of my control. I think I need some tough love, or maybe some solutions I haven't thought of yet. What say you, Metafilter?
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Camel Dressage Just what it says on the tin. (sytp)
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In The Public Domain Review, John Glassie reviews one of Athanasius Kircher's greatest works, Mundus Subterraneus (Underground World), …intended to lay out before the eyes of the curious reader all that is rare, exotic, and portentous contained in the fecund womb of Nature.
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I would like to install raised/tiled flooring in the new electronics lab I am outfitting. (So its easy to string new cables of all sorts around the lab with no mess or moving furniture around). I can afford the enterprise tiles I have found on the net so far. Can anyone think of a creative way to implement it without breaking the bank? I would be very happy.
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I am looking for the title of a nineteenth centry short story that goes: a man and a woman (acquainted but unconnected) inadvertently get lost or delayed together on an excursion and have to stay out overnight (sleeping separately). When they return, everyone is scandalised and propriety forces them to marry, which both resent, and blame each other for. But they fall passionately in love as soon as they are married. I thought this was by Guy de Maupassant, but I have searched all his stories and cannot find it.
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Can you recommend fantastic, classical music released in the last five years or so?About ten years ago, I was a classical music fiend. I owned at least six different recordings of Brahms's 4th symphony, played in a well-respected college orchestra, and studied music theory. However, nowadays, I'll hear something knock-out familiar in the background of a movie, and I'll have to look it up before I realize it's Beethoven's 7th. For shame. This Christmas, I'd like to treat myself to a couple CDs to indulge my latent love of classical. Ten years ago, I loved Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Liszt, Shostakovich. I loved Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, Bach's Mass in B minor. I'm looking for wonderful recordings: symphonies, concertos, or chamber music. I'm open to anything, except perhaps opera. While I'm familiar with so many works (or used to be!), I'd be so grateful for recommendations of newer recordings that are celebrated as wonderful examples. Help me regain my classical groove!
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