John K

I am looking at acoustic pianos right now because we are outgrowing the digital one we have relied on for the last couple years. On investigating a grand recently, I noticed that the una corda pedal creaks. I realize that the pedal shifts all the hammers to one side but am curious whether it should be absolutely smooth or whether some creak is acceptable. Does this indicate a need for major service?

The piano is a 35+ y.o. Kawai grand. The original owner is selling it and admits that it has been minimally cared for (aside from being in a climate-controlled environment) for the last 2 decades. They have tuned it only when they moved and I assume it has never been regulated.

The action seems otherwise quite favorable.

My employer has a policy that employees cannot provide references for other current or former employees. They only want HR to provide references (which would be only dates of employment).

I understand that they don't want anyone else providing an official company reference. However, can they prevent an employee from providing a professional or personal reference? It seems to be contrary to our right of free association.

My son is taking piano lessons and is presently using a digital piano (sampled, weighted but only 32-note polyphony). His instructor is advising we get a conventional piano but I am at a loss where to put it. The digital piano is next to a little-used door but placing a full piano there will force us to make it a never-used door.

The only place where it would not be an obstruction is right next to (not in front of) a south-facing window and over a heat register. I can close the blind nearest to it when the sunlight falls in its direction and put a deflector over the register. Will that be enough to protect the piano?

I recently bought some quinoa flour for variety and to enhance nutrition. I also bought gluten since quinoa is gluten-free and that is not a concern in my household. I hoped that I could just exchange quinoa flour for wheat flor, add a little gluten and bake as before but my recipes so far seem to come out too thin. Any suggestions on what I might be lacking?

Thanks.

There is a dog that was very friendly until a few months ago. However, now it barks at me even when I am in my own yard.

Any suggestions how to re-friend the dog?

When my neighbor moved in, he had the friendliest black Lab. A few months ago, however, she started barking at me and chasing me into my own yard. She'll run out after me when I go to get the mail, retrieve trash cans or anything else takes me out there. Around the time of the change, the neighbor's father-in-law moved in and another dog came into their house (the new dog is usually inside).

Any ideas?

My 8 year-old desktop hard drive is starting to behave a little quirky as far as file management goes. The current NTFS partition is 5-6 years old. None of my files seem corrupt but I cannot move or delete some files. I already ran CHKDSK and it did not fix the problem. My first reaction is that it's just NTFS that has gone bad and if I reformat, everything should be peachy again. But given the age of the drive, I'm wondering whether a low-level format to lower capacity (no worries about lost capacity thanks to a much larger USB drive) will extend its life.

My in-laws are having a major anniversary next month and they want a family portrait. There will be about 30 people in the shot and they want to blow it up to 20 inches. I have a Nikon F1 available which is well equipped. Someone may be able to borrow a D90, which kind of confuses the matter. Both digital and film have issues scaling to 20" as far as I know.

Would you advise the D90 (if available) or the film camera (which is definitely available)? If film, I will need a stock that is fine grain and faithfully reproduces flesh tones; could you also recommend a good film to accomplish this?

I have a freestanding range in my kitchen that is positioned between countertops. If I adjust the feet of the stove for maximum height, the cooking surface is still about 1.5" below the counter. For a short-term solution, I got a 2x4 at Home Depot and placed lengths underneath the feet. I am concerned that the 2x4s may slip if I pull the range out for maintenance or if there is an earthquake. Is there anything that will securely attach to the feet to prevent that from being a problem?

Last time I traveled, most people went through the standard metal detector only and a few were selected for enhanced searches (wand, pat down). The coverage on backscatter devices seems to indicate that everyone will be forced to submit to the scan or suffer a pat-down in consequence. Is that correct or do you have to be selected for the scan as before?

I have horizontal blinds on all my windows (2" white-painted wood - they came with the house) but I also have some glass doors that have no covering whatever. Something tells me vertical blinds would be a stylistic nightmare but curtains don't quite seem right, either. Maybe I'm just not picturing the right kind of curtains? Are there photos online someplace of how an interior designer tackled the problem?

I just applied new redwood siding to a section of wall and want to paint it ASAP, but since winter is upon us, we have cool temperatures and varying degrees of moisture for the next few months. Since the siding is primed, would it be safe to just leave it until the warmer months?

I'm buying a house that is a remodel-in-progress (nearly finished, thankfully). The previous owner put a vanity in one bathroom that features a drawer at its base. Unfortunately, the main cabinet interior is no longer low enough to allow a standard "P" trap. They left the trap crooked and gave up.

Is there a shallow-type trap that I could use instead? I'd rather not resort to cutting the bottom of the main cabinet as any leaks would go straight into the drawer beneath. Bottle traps are expensive and may not be legal here.

I just had an offer on a house accepted so I'll be in escrow very shortly. Once that happens, I will be watching interest rates closely for the best time to lock. What I'd like to know is whether I should do that before the bailout passes or after?

Thanks.

it seems to be a conflict of interest giving my financial details to the seller. i'm concerned they would try to squeeze everything they can out of me rather than engage in honest negotiation. (I also find it somewhat insulting since at 20% down and credit in the high 7s I'm in better financial shape than they)

any wells fargo or countrywide lenders out there want to address this?

I'm buying a car from a private party. However, they had it financed through the dealer (manufacturer's affiliate). The finance co promised to guide us through the transaction.

Three weeks ago I wrote a check to the finance co (they're supposed to reimburse the surplus to the seller). They cashed it and the money was out of my account on the 17th.

The finance co is supposed to send the title to me so I can have the seller sign off and I can take possession of the car. However, there is still nothing.

I am anxious b/c I put out money but still don't have legal ownership. I'm not sure what happens if it gets damaged or stolen in the meantime.

The seller is also anxious b/c they want it off their hands.

I would think the finance co should be anxious b/c they are in a financial transaction with someone (me) with whom they have no contract. But apparently, they see no rush in the matter.

Any insights or ideas?

My RE agent was using the term "good bones" while we toured properties last weekend. I think it reflects well on the property but it conjures an image similar to "skeletons in the closet."

I am taking a rather bold approach toward the housing market right now. The typical house in my target market segment is currently listing for 400-450k. (The long-term value - if the last 5 years never occurred - is more like 350k) Many of them are REOs where the banks foreclosed on loans of 550k.

I am pre-approved for a 350k purchase price (includes my down payment). The bank certified me as a cash buyer.

When I make an offer, should I:

1) offer the full 350 and let the seller know it's as good as gold, but there's no more gold than that

2) offer the full 350 and say nothing more - only decline if they counter higher

3) offer less than 350. If the counter too high, make a final of 350.

4) Your ideas?

Since the mint is changing the printing process and style of the $100, it's getting more technically advanced, so I presume every geek out there with an iPhone, PS3, HD-DVD, etc. is going to want one to show off.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070826/ap_on_go_ca_st...

Of course, I'm not advocating counterfeiting. The only way to get a $100 bill is to have $100 to exchange for one.

I did not initially understand many facets of the faith I was raised in. Nevertheless, I occasionally engaged in debate with others regarding various points of Christianity. One person in particular explained a basis for one tenet of his faith and in so doing suddenly caused me to understand my own much better. It was a pivotal point in my walk.

What was your experience?