Neerdowellian

If you are dealt a low pair in jacks-or-better poker and one card that is a jack or higher, should you discard everything but the pair and try for three of a kind? Should you discard the pair and keep the high card to try and pair it? In which case are the odds better?

Also, if you are dealt a low pair and TWO or more cards that are jacks or higher, do you keep the pair and discard all of the other cards, do you keep the highest card and discard the rest, or do you keep all cards that are jacks or higher and discard the rest? Again, where are the odds better?

Okay, so my family will be staying in Manhattan. We're going to catch a Broadway show, see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show, see the 9/11 memorial, and go skating in Central Park or Rockefeller Center (haven't decided).

I will be left with no full days available, but with a number of mornings and/or evenings free. You can see the locations where we'll be. What other relatively nearby activities or events would you recommend for a family with some younger kids?

We would be especially interested in holiday-themed attractions, but I wouldn't mind hearing about any non-touristy things that you enjoy doing there.

Thanks!

The stuff peeling off is clear, and the paint where it's coming off still looks okay though I'm sure that won't last after too much exposure to the elements. What do I do? Can a body shop do another clear coat without repainting it? I know re-painting would cost well over $1,000 and I can't swing that. Is just getting a clear coat cheaper?

We ended up with uneven amounts of four different types of glasses from our registry and just never dealt with it. I think we were waiting for the last gifts to come in before dealing with it and then didn't.

I'd like to get rid of the different types of glasses and get it down to 8 wine glasses and 8 goblets. Is there somewhere that deals in this type of scenario? Would the department store exchange them or would I look like a jackass? Do manufacturers do this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

We want to stress to our kids the importance of giving back to those less fortunate - and not coincidentally show them how lucky they are with what they have - but our kids vary in age from 4 to 10. We would prefer to involve the whole family in whatever we do, but I'm not sure that a 4 year old would be very helpful in a soup kitchen, for example.

Any suggestions on what might work for us?

Okay, here's the deal. The pre-packaged stuff that I saw at the stores were horrible. Yeah, I made it through this Halloween but I refuse to listen to the Hit Makerz versions of songs ever again.

I am putting together a collection of songs so I can build my own Halloween collection for next year. So again the question is what songs do you suggest for a Halloween mix?

I am looking for suggestions in the genres of:

Campy/Fun Halloween Songs - like Monster Mash, Witch Doctor, etc.

Classical Spooky Pieces - like Ride of the Valkyries, Phantom of the Opera Overture, etc.

TV and Film Scary Music - like Halloween theme, Twilight Zone theme, X-Files theme, etc.

Plus any others that fall outside these categories, like Dead Man's Party.

I figure you've had a couple of weeks of hearing this stuff, so please cut loose with any and all suggestions! I just ask that if it's an obscure piece that you explain what it is. (like, Funeral March of the Marionettes = Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme)

Thanks!

I can't stand the contracts, the jacked-up prices when promotional periods end, and the bad customer service. I would stick with an antenna but I can't pick up a couple of networks because they're broadcast from too far away. Does anyone have suggestions for other options than my local cable service, DirecTV, or Dish? (AT&T Uverse doesn't serve my area.) Help!

I don't need the whole clip, just a part of it. Is there a way to do this?

We have new 6' high cubicles that don't have fabric on their sides. Any ideas on what to put in the cublicle or on the cubicle wall to dampen the sound and prevent that empty hollow sound?

I have had breakfast and lunch catered, and I've had a traveling masseuse come in with a massage chair. Does anyone have any other ideas that I can use to show appreciation for my support staff? (I am not the boss, I am just another co-worker. So please, no "give them a raise" comments.) I am looking for interesting ways to say thanks, as well as add some fun and frivolity to the work environment every once in a while. Thanks!

I need to start making college visits with my child. What should I do on the visits? Should I speak with anyone in particular? Apart from touring the campus, I'm not sure where to start.

I was a huge fan of the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel, and I also loved the Harry Potter series. I liked the Laurell K. Hamilton Anita Blake series until she went completely overboard with the lycanthrope sex. The Twilight series was okay if a little too heavy on self-righteousness by Bella - ugh. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series was okay, if a little fruity. I liked the first book of the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, thought the second was okay, and can't get into the third. I like the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy though I might like the movie versions more at this point. I wasn't that fond of the Chronicles of Narnia series, nor did I much like the Dark Tower by Stephen King. Also didn't like the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman.

So what do you recommend?

The sound on my computer had been fine for a couple of years. But now, no matter what site I'm on, it sounds weird. It has a garbled, digitized quality now and nothing is intelligible. Any thoughts on what happened and especially what I can do now to fix it?

After following directions and allowing the cheesecake to cool, a toothpick inserted in the middle is coming out wet - obviously not done all the way through. Is there anything I can do to save it? Can it be baked some more or salvaged in some way?

What are the differences between service clubs? Are there others after the three I mentioned that I'm missing? Which one should I join?

Once I got it home and opened it, I found that the cream cheese had a pudding-like consistency and it was covered in this watery liquid. From the time I bought it to getting home couldn't have been more than 15 minutes. Is it bad? Is it okay? The expiration date is a couple of days away. What gives?

I want to disconnect my kids from all the electronics in their lives and go camping. They're young enough that there's not much protesting about it. But how do I go about it? I haven't been camping since I was a cub scout, and that was all handled for me. I'd like this to go well enough that we may want to try it again. How do I go about setting up a camping trip and how do I get started?

Thanks.

Either in auction format or just straight selling. I'd like to find a good site because Ebay sucks.

I have received a payment via Paypal for an invoice I issued. This is the first time I've done this. Once the person buying has paid, can they cancel the payment? Or am I safe to make the shipment immediately?