I used to feel bad about holding people up because I slow down a lot on snowy/icy roads. Then someone said to me, "Think of it this way: you're keeping THEM from getting into an accident, so don't feel bad." I've definitely had cars pass me in annoyance ... and then I pass by them further down the road, and they're stuck in a ditch.

:grouphug: I'm really sorry to hear that. Someday I am sure that he will be so grateful for the love and care you gave him.

I would not get a water softener system where I had to pay someone to someone change the filters for me indefinitely. We have a water softener, and DH and I change the filter (he could do it himself, but it's a little easier if I help). I think they're going to overcharge you a lot for filter changes and water testing that you could do yourself at a fraction of the cost with a different system.

We shouldn't encourage people to be miserly with "likes", lest they run out!

I'm leaning towards making a sausage, potato, cabbage dish using some apple-sage field roast sausages (impulse purchase at Costco--thank you excellent return policy in case I don't like them ... did that clause even make any sense?)

Re: holiday Well, it is Susan B. Anthony Day today ...

Honestly, I wouldn't. I don't think that the noodles would reheat well--they could either dry out in the freezer or be too soggy if re-nuked. We like to eat soups with rice noodles, so we have the broth ready in the freezer and make fresh noodles each time.

:grouphug: I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope that he will be able to find a new job soon.

I'm not going to repeat the great suggestions previous posters have made, but here's one I haven't seen yet: quality music recordings to add to our library (not el cheapo Naxos or Mad About ... recordings) tickets to see high-quality performances--plays, symphony concerts, ballets, operas ... whatever is available many colleges/ universities will issue you a library card for a yearly fee (totally worth it IMHO)

At least she's figuring it out now! On Facebook, a friend who is going back to school to finish her BA shared an anecdote that made my jaw drop. Another student was giving a presentation and apologized that her handout (which was an outline of her presentation) lacked Roman numerals because she couldn't find the key for them on her keyboard.

I always thought red velvet cake was pretty regrettable (my way of describing food that you realize isn't worth the calories after you've finished eating it) ... until I had it at a pretty high-end restaurant in the south. They were celebrating being open however many years, and they were giving them out for free. I never would have ordered it given my past experiences, but oh my, it was divine

I recently stumbled onto the "Warrior Eli is a Hoax" blog/Facebook page--so I have sometimes wondered if some of the more dramatic situations are fictional. The aforementioned blog exposes more extreme cases--like ones exploiting fake illnesses to get donations (it's mind-boggling how much work some of these people have put into their online personas), but it has made me wonder if there are more benign cases out there, even on regular message boards like this one. (full disclosure: I joined a couple years ago and posted sporadically, took a break for about a year, and restarted recently (posting more than I used to!))

Ugh, so sorry to hear about the uncertainty. Just to be safe, I guess I'd look for another rental--but I think Catwoman's suggestion is really worth a try.

I live out in the country, so it's often cheaper to use Amazon once I factor in the cost of gas and time (plus iwth kids errands just take longer). You do have to check buying bulk foods; sometimes it's a great deal and other times it's astronomically expensive. I also buy some cleaning products in bulk if I want specific brands that are hard to find or siginificantly more expensive in stores. I do subscribe and save for overnight diapers (we have found that only one brand works, and the Amazon subscribe and save is about the sale price in regular stores--except that I don't have to keep an eye out for the sales to stock up, nor do I have to figure out where to store it). Since I have Prime, I also send birthday presents straight to the recipient's house--no need to go out shopping, pack it up, or go to the post office!

We normally eat a lot of vegetables, but I've found that having our CSA share in the summer forces us to eat a greater variety of vegetables, which I think is good--and I don't know that I'd buy such a variety on my own at a farmer's market. Otherwise, we'd mainly eat salad and roasted broccoli/cauliflower/carrots (also likely because out-of-season stuff is more expensive and less tasty outside the growing season). I do some farmer's market shopping for fruit, but the #1 reason I always do a CSA share is to get fresh, organic sweet corn. At least in our area, it's mainly available through CSA shares since it's labor-intensive to grow, and CSAs offer it because there's a demand for it from their members.

Yeah, I had forgotten about this. I struggled quite a bit my first year in grad school and had a number of B grades, which were considered below average. A C definitely would have raised eyebrows.

I enjoy knowing that people like my posts, and I likewise enjoy seeing what posts other people like.

I'm assuming it's a mass email, so I'd feel fine ignoring it.

UrbanSue, what is frying cheese? I don't think I've ever heard of it, but it sounds intriguing.

Can I just say that I am, unfortunately, not surprised at all that it's come to this? One of these days, colleges and universities are going have incoming students sign waivers regarding grades. Some students will go to huge lengths to get their grades changed, appealing to department chairs, deans, you name it. I found that most were deterred when I told them that a re-grade of a paper could mean that the grade stayed the same, went up, or went down (if I found an error or problem I had missed the first time around. But there are always a few who are very persistent (and insistent). Makes me kind of glad I don't teach college students anymore ...

We're having leftover farro risotto (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/farro-risotto-recipe/index.html --but minus the last four ingredients because we didn't have any of those things on hand), topped with steamed broccoli and poached egg.

I'd also go with passwords on the phone and charging him the tickets and perhaps add charging 25% more than it would have cost him if he had been following the rules

Figure out how much milk you'll allow her to drink each day. Once she's reached the daily limit, try gradually watering down the milk? (That's what my SIL did to wean her DS off of his nightly bottle of milk)

I applied to doctoral programs in music, and my visits (after being accepted) were paid for by the schools. I think it's pretty common for departments to have a few days when they bring in all their accepted students--ours had talks by faculty and grad students, and there was time to meet individually with professors (the current grad students always like the free food involved in this :) I don't think that masters or professional programs will generally pay for you to visit.

Re: granola recipe I really like this recipe--I sub agave for the honey and leave out the sesame (personal preference). Since it uses applesauce, it has a lot less oil than most recipes: http://fakeginger.com/2010/04/07/applesauce-granola/ I skip the warming step and find that dumping everything into a bowl and mixing works just fine.