eleven11eleven

I got these lights for $5 at Urban Outfitters because we're desperately in need of a lighting solution in our living room.
Now that I have them I'm not sure what to do with them! They don't really mesh well with the style in our living room, and the colors a bit off but I can totally just spray paint them (I don't like the white arm on it anyway). What do you think? Where should I place them? I was thinking on either side of the poster above the couch, but how high?

( Living room and lights )

I certainly wish I'd found this group when I first started training for my 5k 3 weeks ago. Anyway, I'm one race in, but hope to do another race the beginning of next year. A co-worker and I are running partners. We're hoping to shave time off our first race.

I dig cold air running. I love it. I don't know why. I actual fear the heat because I hate heat.

I also have a deathly fear of treadmills. I don't know if it comes from seeing too many America's Funniest Videos that end with a person careening of the edge of a treadmill only to hit their head on the coffee table or tackle the dog or if it's some weird fear that robots will take over one day and they'll know how fast and long we can run because we've programed our running stats into their little digital interfaces.

One thing I need to work on is hill running. The 5k I did had a monster hill so any tips are appreciated.

If your kid said that s/he didn't like a certain dish but it was one of your favorites, would you make it anyway and tell the kid tough luck? Make him/her an alternate meal? What?

Would your answer change if this kiddo had a LOT of meals s/he didn't like (was a picky eater), or just this one?

How would you react if your daughter came home from a party crying because she'd gotten drunk and had sex?
She's upset because she feels that she had been taken advantage of by a boy in her drunken state & is scared to see him at school in the coming days.


How would you react if your son came home from school in hysterics because a girl he had sex with at a party was claiming that he'd taken advantage of her while she was drunk?
He's upset because he says he was as drunk, if not more drunk then her at her at the time & feels that he did nothing wrong. He's scared to go to school in the coming days for fear of being beaten up.

I'd really like to start becoming more organized/scheduled with my household chores and my son's activities (naps, etc.). I think the easiest way for me to do this would be with a computer program, but I can't seem to find one that fits my needs. Ideally, it would

- Be a small window that sits on my desktop all the time
- I would be able to assign things to complete daily, weekly (every Monday or whatever), and monthly.
- If possible, set a time of day to complete the tasks
- Be free. :)

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Does anyone have any experience with furniture from Target? Is it good, is it bad, is it awful? I've been looking at their bar/buffet thingy, but apparently it's an online only-item, so I can't really see and touch it before buying (or deciding not to).
Thank you in advance.

I found an article on the internet a while back about litterbox liners for cats who like to shred.

Backstory:  My cat is a liner shredder.  I usually had to completely change out the litter and liner twice a week because he just ripped holes through it.  I started double-lining my boxes, but that hardly did anything to stop it.

I read the aforementioned that said that they switched out liners for trash compactor bags.  It's a thicker plastic and is less likely to shred under cat claws. 

And it works like MAGIC, I kid you not!  I've only found two small puncture holes near the very top of the liner.  

So yes.  Trash compactor bags instead of catbox liners!  Give it a try!

My sister just decided to stop buying canned tomatoes because BPA might be in them and it might be bad for you. She made Christmas dinner for us using Pomi strained and chopped tomatoes and was disappointed in the sharp taste of them (as I always have been). I've seen Happy Girl tomatoes recommended online, but I'm not local to San Francisco and at $7 a jar plus shipping, it's probably not an option for me.

Are you avoiding canned tomatoes? If so, what are you using instead?

Let me preface this by saying that my SIL is a lovely lady and I am not a scrooge, but she is a 330-pound compulsive overeater with a good income and I am on a tight budget (which my SIL and her husband know).

The luck of the draw decreed that it was my turn to host our extended family's Christmas get-together this year. I was happy to do it, but I expected the dinner leftovers to last us (my husband and me) until New Year. And they easily would have! Except that after dinner my SIL approached me to ask if she could doggie-bag the leftovers and take them home with her....... Her husband thought this was hilarious. As I found out afterwards, this is par-for-the-course for my SIL at other family gatherings too, as well as at all-you-can-eat restaurants where apparently she fills her purse with items from the buffet....

This was my first time hosting Christmas dinner and I didn't know to expect this. I was so taken aback by my SIL's request that all I could come up with was, "umm, I guess so". A more honest response would have been, "then my husband and I won't have a warm meal for the next week", but I've never been good at standing up to anyone. My hubby probably would have, but he wasn't there at the critical time.

So, my question: if it should fall to me again to host a family gathering and the above situation repeats, what can I possibly say to her that isn't as spineless, but without being rude? As I said before, I do like my SIL and don't want to hurt her feelings, but we just don't have the money to feed her for a week each time and she knows it, and her husband is no help. He doesn't even seem to be concerned about the health risks inherent in her weight (but that's a different matter).

Any suggestions how to deal with a repeat of this would be most appreciated!

Anyone do this is Shea's? What does it include, what are prices? I thought it could be something different for my bday, and I'm one of those planners who likes to know things months in advance (I know I'm nutty).

Anyway just wondering if it's worth it, what it really was like, if it's fun, etc. :)

Hello everyone.
Okay so I saw these lamp things at world market today and I really want to get them. I have seen them online in peoples places before too. Only problem is, I have no idea how they work...
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3597156#back This is the link to the ones I like.
It says to use with a cord kit. Im assuming that Ill be having cords going up from the outlet to the ceiling/hanging lamp. I really dont like this idea but I also cant dig into the apartment walls just to hang a lamp. Anyone have any experience with these? Or even the battery powered ones?

Trying to decide between two lenses. I'm upgrading from the Canon kit lens, and these two seem to have the most consistent reviews in my price range. I can't spend more, so please don't advise me to get a higher priced lens.

SIGMA 18-50 F2.8 MACRO EX DC CANON

TAMRON 17-50MM XR DI-II F2.8 CANON

Landscapes and people are what I shoot most. And it's the Canon XS.


I actually got the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens for Christmas, but I'm not a huge fan of it. I was planning to return it and use that to partially finance the new lens. Does it make more sense to just hold on to that one and keep my kit lens for now?

 Let's say that you are a family that values virginity before marriage.  One of your children is considering having sex, and ends up in a fight with your spouse about it.  Your spouse dies in a freak accident, around the same time that your child loses their virginity.

Now your kids are both convinced that your teenager who had sex somehow caused the death of your spouse.  How do you handle this?

Hi all! We just started an apartment hunt, and I thought I'd post here and see if you guys have any ideas. We'd be moving in either February 1st or March 1st.

What we're looking for:

- Two or more bedrooms
- A kitchen with a decent amount of counter space (we can barely move in the kitchen we have now, and we need somewhere we can cook!)
- Friendly for both dogs and cats
- A place to park...a garage would be ideal, but it's not required
- Rent between $800 and $1000, ballpark
- In the downtown area, or in the North Buffalo area

If anyone has any leads, or any recommendations on where to look (besides Craigslist) please let me know, either with a comment or a PM. Thanks! <3

Would you sign you child up to an acting and drama agency? Would age matter? Would cost matter?

ETA when I say costs I mean for head shots etc not agancy fees

Alright, ladies. It should be obvious what this post will be about - turkey stock! It is, after all, the day after shameless turkey consumption.

I've got my trusty stock method on hand, all the ingredients at the ready, but while browsing Google for any alternatives on the soup itself, I stumbled on a page of "rules." One of them said to NEVER use cooked turkey bones for turkey stock.


. . . Yet my recipe and any turkey stock recipe I've seen tells you to simply reserve the carcass after you've cooked and eaten your meal.

Thoughts? Tips? Have I been dooming myself to less flavorful turkey soup?

EDIT: Thanks for confirming my suspicions, domestics! The ALREADY COOKED turkey bones are simmering away on the stove as we speak, and my house smells so good I could just pee about it. Yay!

Domestic <3

Hi, just joined. I'm 19 and my name is Andrea. I have a two year old who I like to take pictures of and I like bird watching and taking nature walks, and I really don't know anything about cameras. My aunt got me a really basic digital camera two years ago and it gets the job done but it's gotten a bit of wear and tear along the way, I was wondering about buying a new camera. I was wanting one with a zoom lens so I could get decent pictures of wildlife and such, but I really don't know where to start. Also a camera that's rather sturdy and somewhat reasonably priced... Do you know of good books or websites about cameras, taking care of cameras, and taking pics? Do you have a favorite type of camera you could reccomend to someone like me? I really don't know where to get started but I'd like to get better at taking pictures and stuff...

I know there is google but I like asking other humans my questions. =/

You're out of town visiting family for the holidays with your kindergardner. Is it more important to get back home four days before school starts back so he can get back on his exact sleep schedule or is it more important to stay and visit awhile longer with his relatives and then have only one or two nights to get back on schedule? (he's been staying up a little later visiting and there's been lots of other kids around and he is going to bed around 930 instead of 8)

NOTE: this is the only issue, you love the family and everyone is having a wonderful time yadda yadda. Just this one thing. Important or crazy-cakes?

Your six year-old child has a habit of wandering away from where he is supposed to be. One day, he puts on his backpack and walks out of school. The police are called and everyone is looking for your child when, two hours later he is returned by the mother of another child at the same school.

Said mother says she found your child wandering the streets and asked him where he was going. He told her he left school because he didn't feel well. Apparently, she took him to her home (without notifying anyone) for those two hours before returning to the school. For the most part, he seems unharmed.

How would you react to this woman? If you feel this is kidnapping, what do you think the punishment should be? Does life in prison seem appropriate?

Inspired  by this story.

ETA: How could I forget this part? The woman claims that the reason they waited two hours was to prove how bad the security at the school was.