I have done a lot of performances (theatre, concerts, recitals) over the years. I don't expect a standing ovation ever. It's a nice surprise if it's given. I see it more often at youth performances, which is not surprising, given that a large percentage of the audience is made up of parents, grandparents, etc. However, there is not always a standing ovation, even for the youth. It was very rude for the cast members and their parents to complain about the lack of a standing ovation. Badly done. Wendi

I have a 1999 Camry. It's still in good shape mechanically, although it has a few quirks (windows don't always roll up or down when you try). It's pretty run-down looking, unfortunately, having taken the brunt of ds's scraping it with his bike when he was younger, etc. I'd like to save up for something newer. I'd love a Toyota FJ Cruiser. We'll see. We are making payments on dh's car still; we'd need to pay that one off first. I'm thankful he has a newer car now so we can take that on trips.

I think of Facebook as sharing things with friends/acquaintances at a get-together. If my friend pulled out dog-torture photos at a get-together and started passing them around/holding them up, I'd say, "Wow, I don't want to see that. Can you show me the guy's photo so I can see if I recognize him, without showing me the graphic part? It's too much for me." So I guess I don't see anything wrong with a comment like that on Facebook. I wouldn't unfriend the person; I'd hide the post. I don't see anything wrong with letting her know how you feel. She's free to post things or share them in person with a group, but those people are also free to react, as long as everyone is being respectful and gracious, right? She may be able to leave you out of future posts of that nature.

I'm with Garga. I realize the person has a right to post what she wants to, but if she's really a friend, she'll be open to hearing how her friend reacted. You don't demand she remove them, but let her know how upsetting it was.

It's all very conflicting and confusing. Being sedentary is incredibly dangerous. Very high intensity exercise can be very dangerous, and it seems it's hard to know who's at risk ahead of time. It seems safest to make sure you are checked out by a doctor regularly, pay attention to your body, and engage in regular moderate-intensity exercise. I lift weights 2-3 times a week, and do cardio (about an hour) 4-5 times a week. Plus I go on more leisurely shorter walks with the dog. When I do cardio, it's moderate intensity. I've also been checked out by a doctor in the past (EKG, echocardiogram, stress test). Really, though, if you look at statistics, I'm sure WAY more people die of health problems related to being sedentary than die from rowing machines or marathons. Also, sometimes people who are usually sedentary suffer heart attacks from doing bursts of strenuous activity that they weren't in condition for (shoveling snow, for example).

Yeah, I'd return them too. I have a fuchsia pair (from Nordstrom Rack), and there's never been a smell.

A dog needs lots of supervision, training, and attention. A dog left outside alone most of the time is learning a lot of bad habits, and NOT learning what he needs to learn to be a happy and enjoyed member of the family. I say this not as a dog expert, but as someone who recently adopted an 18-month-old golden retriever who had been left outside in the backyard 24/7 by the previous owner for most of his life. (Thankfully, he had been housebroken, and he is an amazingly sweet dog.) We are working hard to socialize him with people and dogs, and teach proper behavior, break bad habits, etc. With lots of littles in your house, it sounds like you're not really up for the job of training and socializing the puppy. I think he'd be better off somewhere else.

I got antibiotics and it looks and feels much better already! We did see the dog's rabies tags so no shots for me! Thanks everyone for your concern.

Yes. But my friend thinks the doctor may want me to have rabies shots because I can't prove the dog was vaccinated. We'll see. I'm at the doctor's office now.

Sunday evening, we were at the dog park with our golden. He was doing great; there were a lot of dogs there. Suddenly, a Siberian husky tried to "mount" Rory, and Rory tried to get away, growled and snapped at him. Then they were at each other, going round and round, snapping. I'm pretty sure Rory had a hold on the other dog's skin at one point, although he didn't break the skin. I stupidly panicked and tried to grab Rory's collar. The other dog bit my index finger. He wasn't trying to bite me; he was snapping at Rory. The owner was nice. The dog had his county license tag. Once my dh removed Rory from the scene, the dog was calm and nice, and I even petted him. But there's a good bit of swelling, so I'm going to see the doctor this morning. I was so stupid! I don't think I'll want to go to the dog park for a while. Wendi

:lol: That reminds me of the Stephen Wright joke about someone breaking into his house and replacing everything with exact duplicates.

Our 1-year-old golden retriever, who's only been with us two months, has an ear infection. I noticed it early, apparently, so the vet said it should be easily cleared up. :hurray: All I have to do, he said, is squirt ear cleaner into his ear, place cotton balls over the ear opening, and gently rub. Then use the cotton balls to clean his ears. Wait at least twenty minutes, and then take the antibiotic, insert the slender tube completely into his ear, and pump the medicine in. Do this every day for five days, then continue the cleaning once a week in both ears to help prevent problems. Simple, right? :huh: This dog weighs sixty pounds, and is incredibly strong when he doesn't want to do something. He's not used to lots of human handling, having been left alone in the backyard by his previous owner. The medicine is not going well. Does anyone have any tips on how to administer ear medication to an uncooperative/scared large dog? I'd love to hear them. Wendi

Adorable!

:grouphug: I'm sorry. I know you wish for your family times with them to be close and fun, and it's hard to feel so "different" in your family. You may have lots of values in common with them, but it sounds like they're not really interested in discussing other things. They're being rude if they don't ask you about your life and interests, and if they're wealthier than you, it is also rather rude to constantly talk about things they know you can't afford. You can try to think of topics of interest to all of you, and bring them up, but that's about all you can do, I guess. Wendi

Oh, for Pete's sake, she's adorable!! Congratulations! We adopted a 1-year-old golden from a rescue two months ago. He needs a lot of training, as he wasn't properly socialized, but he's a big sweetheart and we are really enjoying him.

I'm interested, too. I have a pair of Elle skinny jeans that fit me beautifully and are super comfy. However, they do stretch out too much in the rear by the end of the day.

Beautiful! Have fun! We are enjoying our new golden retriever very much.

I've been really happy with the bras I bought at Soma a couple of months ago. I recently bought another in the same style. I was measured, and the saleswoman recommended bras that would fit me well. She helped me make sure the bra was fitting right. I can't tell you how many compliments I got on how slim I am when I started wearing the new bras. (Lifting my bust up where it belongs let my long waist and hourglass shape show off much better.) The bras are more than I usually spent (around $50 each, although they do have sales/coupons a lot), but totally worth it for how much better I look in my clothes. I've been wearing some very ill-fitting bras in the past. Plus, I have lost weight and needed a totally different size.

I'm looking for some really good books about the 40s-50s in America. Not about WWII, but about what life was like in America during that time. Something engaging, either a really good nonfiction about a person or event, or possibly historical fiction. This is for my 16-year-old son. Thanks!

Just in case someone's never seen Happy Fun Ball. You young whippersnappers!

I'm friends with a marine biologist. In fact, she wrote the Apologia Marine Biology textbook. Want me to see if she's available?

I think you could see either a podiatrist or orthopedist for this. Since you like your orthopedist well enough, maybe call there and make an appointment. I went to a podiatrist for my Achilles tendonitis. I ended up taking high doses of ibuprofen for awhile, resting it as much as possible, and wearing little lift/cushion things in my shoes. I have now been problem-free for quite some time. I am careful when doing activities that put stress on that area, but so far, so good.

My mom was 24 when she had me (her youngest), and I was 29 when I had my son. My dh's mom was about 34 when he was born (he's the child of a second marriage for both parents), and dh was 33 when ds was born. My mom became a grandmother at the age of 49, when my brother married my SIL and adopted her son. At 69, she became a great-grandmother. If my ds marries and has kids, I'll be in my 50s at least. Now I feel too old. Time to go to the gym!

Sure! I had hot pink highlights last year. The non-natural colors do fade, so be prepared for that. For me, hot pink was great. It started out a bold fuchsia, then faded into lighter shades of pink. Very pretty. I'll probably do it again this year. It seems like a fun thing for the spring/summer.

One thing that makes a difference is finding knit tops (aka t-shirts) that fit a woman's body, as opposed to wearing unisex t-shirts. It doesn't have to be expensive; I've gotten plenty of tops at Target and Old Navy. (I did pick up some cute scoop-neck tees on sale from The Gap for $7 each recently, too.) Jeans that come below the waist look more modern than "Mom jeans". I wear a nice-fitting top with jeans, a pair of Toms, and sometimes a scarf or 3/4-sleeve cardigan. I just purchased a cute gray knit maxi skirt that I'm hoping to wear a lot through the spring and summer, with sandals and a cute tee. I do have some issues with fit these days. Due to my bust size, I need a large tee, but other than my bust, I could really fit a medium. So some tops have too much loose material around the middle. Also, I'm losing weight, and seem to be losing from my rear and hips, but not my belly. So jeans bag in the seat, but I can't fit into the next smaller size until I lose a little more belly. I do have a couple of pairs of skinny jeans, though - one regular dark denim, and one ankle-length bright pink. I do want to get a few more necklaces and earrings for when it's too hot for scarves. ETA: When I'm not going out, I wear yoga pants. I think they look cute! I work out (lift weights and do cardio), and feel much better about my body than I did a year ago when I wasn't working out, was heavier and wearing the same ill-fitting clothes because I didn't want to buy "fat clothes". Now I'm not at my goal size, but I do try to find flattering tops, and I have several pairs of jeans. I'm looking for some nice ponte knit pants or something similar to wear for a slightly dressier but still comfy and casual look.