?

Hello! Me, my husband, and six of our friends are taking a two week trip to Japan this November. We are landing at Kansai International Airport and departing from Narita Airport. Where we are having some concern is whether or not we want to buy the JR Pass. We plan on staying in the Kyoto area for 6 days, Tokyo for 5 days, and then in between, we want to visit Hakone, Mt. Fuji, and Kanagawa. I checked how much it is to rent a vehicle for 3 days, and it's pretty reasonable, considering we'd be putting six people in it. This would allow us much more freedom than riding the shinkansen.

So, I guess what I'm asking is what would someone generally pay for tolls and how difficult is it to drive in those areas? We would be dropping the car off at Haneda Airport as soon as we get to Tokyo, which we would never attempt to drive in. I'm just wondering what parking and fees are like for someone providing their own transport, and if most lodgings offer some parking. Thank you!

I can't seem to locate any info about the effects of secondhand smoke later in life - for example, how long does it take the body to recover from being exposed to secondhand smoke for many years, what are the cancer risks from secondhand smoke on a long-term scale, etc. Any info would be greatly appreciate and best answer'd! Thank you!

I am almost finished with CandiGone, a 15 day cleanse meant to rid my body of overgrowth of candida. I am also not eating any foods that would contribute to that, such as sugar, mushrooms, yeast, wheat, etc. Should I start taking an acidophilus supplement while I am still on the cleanse, or should I wait until it is over with ... or does it matter? I know acidophilus eats the sugars that are in your body, but literally the only sugars I'm taking in right now are from a once a day Granny Smith apple. I'll try to reintroduce VERY SMALL amounts of natural occuring sugars, like agave nectar. Does anyone have any insight or thoughts? Thanks a lot!

I just tried calling my local AAA office to ask what the discount is on Cedar Point tickets if you're a AAA member, but they were closed for the weekend. Has anyone bought these discount tickets this season, and at what price? We're going on Saturday, September 19th. Thanks and have a great Labor Day weekend!

Every now and then, I run my maiden name through a myspace search because I have a lot of relatives that I don't know very well, so I like to see if they started a page. So today, I typed it in, and up popped this woman who I'd never seen before ... but the sex said "male". I clicked on it, and long story short, it is my father. All of his pictures are of him dressed as a woman.

At first, I laughed, then I cried, and now I'm not sure what to do. My dad and I aren't very close and haven't been since I was in middle school. I got married in May; he came to my wedding but was pretty distant ... he's never been rude ... he's just not very communicative and is hard to get a hold of.

I love my dad, even though he hasn't always been there for me. He looks SO HAPPY in those pictures of him as a woman, and I love it. I'm just afraid that if I somehow confront him about it, that he'll be angry or embarrassed. I look at talking to him about it as a possible tool for us to become closer ... I fear that he distances himself because he thinks I'll be judgemental or disgusted, but that's so far from the truth. I had a strong reaction at first because I had suspected something like this for a while, but forgot about it. Then to have it pop up in my face unexpectedly was a shock!

Anyway ... the way I see it, I can either befriend him on myspace along with a short note saying I love him, totally support him ... or not bring it up ... I want to be closer to my dad but I don't want to risk him being upset. He's not the type to be angry, but he is pretty defensive. Can I get some suggestions please? Thanks!

Hello, I couldn't seem to find an answer to my question, so I apologize if I missed it. But here it is.

My husband and I are very into Japanese culture and he is looking into the JET Program because he has a BA in English and we would like to be abroad for a year or two before starting a family. He is qualified for the program, but I am not (although I do know some conversational Japanese). How does the program work with someone who is married and would be bringing their spouse with them to live in Japan? Is that even allowed? Are there other programs/businesses that allow this if the JET does not?

Arigatou!

My fiance and I are leaving for Oahu in two weeks for our honeymoon. We are both HUGE fans of mazes ... so when we found out the largest in the world is in Oahu, we were psyched! Now I'm a little disappointed with the reviews. Is the hedge maze worth going through or is it crappy? I'd appreciate some feedback ... it seems like it will take a lot of time, so I want to make sure it's worth it. I've read it's a tourist trap, but like I said, we're maze enthusiasts.

Any other Oahu recommendations are welcome!

My fiance and I will be traveling to Oahu for our honeymoon next month and would like to buy an easy to use, not super expensive GPS to take with us to hike in unknown areas. We don't want anything that has a ton of different menus or options .. just something that has a "base camp" ability and is easy to input and read new waypoints. We will also be using it when we come back to the continental states for hiking in the Appalachian area, or just around our home state of Ohio. We've read lots of good reviews about Garmin's products, but we would like some more input. Thanks!

Hello! My fiance and I are having our wedding at a local park on May 31. I thought I had just about every detail down, until I thought of this - our ceremony is scheduled at 1:00 pm. As most people would, some will probably arrive early, like 12:30. Since it is a small gathering and seating will only be provided for those who need it (grandparents, etc), does anyone have any input as to where to have these people go while they're waiting for the ceremony to begin? I thought maybe have a table set up outside with some beverages, the guest book, etc. Do you think that would be appropriate? The reception is going to be held in the building we have rented in the park, but I don't want people floating around in there and getting stuck in there, making the ceremony late. Advice is appreciated!

Have a good weekend!

My fiance and I are getting married on next month on May 31. We had planned on using a family friend and the pastor who officiated my fiance's mother & stepdad's wedding a few years back, but he informed us two days ago that he won't be able to do the wedding. Now we're looking for an officiant online in the area. I've read that you are supposed to tip the officiant, but is this necessary when we're already paying anywhere from $150 to $200? I've found an officiant that is local so they won't have to drive far, and of course they're welcome to the meal we are serving.

Thank you!

I've seen a couple takes on this question, so I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. I just need a little advice from a third party.

My parents divorced when I was pretty young. They each remarried, in both situations they married people that were not fit to be parents - and I mean as the stepdad was abusive to my mom and I, and my stepmom was non-existent. All four of them argued over me until I was about 12 years old, then my mother married someone else and we moved about an hour south. Until then, I saw my dad once or twice a month. After we moved, I didn't see him from age 13 to age 21. I FINALLY contacted him online after years of searching in 2007. I discovered that he was a narcissistic, pessimistic man who had never gotten over his divorces. We stopped talking until I saw him just this past month. I want him to come to my wedding because he is my father, but he cannot even talk about my mom. I asked him if being at the wedding together would cause a problem, and he said "As long as your mother doesn't speak to me." I am a pretty non-confrontational person, so I changed the subject. I have tried to get them to call each other, to try to at least be civil on the phone beforehand, but he complains that he is "the bad guy" for not wanting to talk to my mom. My mom is willing to talk things out and wants to talk to him, in fact she is eager to! But I just can't get my dad out of this depressed and manic rut he is in. I'm afraid that something is going to happen at the wedding and I'm not sure what to do. I enjoy the company of his current girlfriend and her daughter, so I want them to come. I haven't told him that he's not walking me down the aisle yet either because it hasn't come up ... I don't know if he's expecting to or not.

So I guess I'm asking, has anyone been in this kind of situation before? The reception is informal so I'm not having assigned seating; that would just seem out of place. I'm just not sure how to go about reconciling my parents, or if I should even try.

Thank you to anyone who has read this and has some words of advice.

I need a little bit of advice from a third party. My wedding is May 31st. I asked my cousin to be my maid of honor, because we grew up together and even though we live about an hour and a half apart, we still keep in touch, and I consider her like a sister. I haven't asked her to do a lot, because she is a bridesmaid in her brother's wedding which is next week, and she works two jobs. So I was just hoping for her emotional support. I asked her what we should do for a bridal shower (because she never said anything to me or anyone that she was giving me one), and she never got back to me, so my mom and fiancé's mom planned it for me, which is April 25th.

Now here is the problem. I was already slightly upset that she hasn't asked me if I needed any help or planned a day when we could go get her dress (I told her any day is fine, I needed her to let me know when she had off work), or anything ... now my grandmother (she lives with her) told me that my cousin probably won't make it to my bridal shower because of work. My cousin has *never* come down to where I live, granted it's a little bit of a drive, but I've lived down here for ten years now. My mom and I drive up to see her and my grandma at least once every month or two. Maybe I made a mistake in choosing my maid of honor. I'm giving her a few days to see if she'll get back to me about coming to the bridal shower. I'm just feeling really hurt and not sure how to react. I don't want to make everyone on her side of the family upset if I get mad, but I don't want her to think she can just waltz all over my feelings and then get to be the maid of honor.

Also, her mother and soon-to-be sister in law probably can't make it either, and I'm going to the sister-in-law's wedding next week and I went to her bridal shower even though I barely know her. So I feel like I'm owed a little bit here.

Advice please?

Hello! My fiancé and I are planning a May 29th (a Friday) wedding. To start things off, we are a pretty laid back couple. We don't need to book a hall or anything because we plan on having the reception at his stepfather's farm. The problem is the ceremony site. We both like Squire's Castle, which is a nice "unfinished" castle in the Metroparks near Cleveland. Here are quite a few pictures of it:

http://www.deadohio.com/SquiresCastle.htm

Problem is, we live about an hour to an hour and a half away. But a positive is that a lot of my family only lives about 20 minutes away and Squire's Castle is on the way from the Castle to our reception anyway. My problem is this:

Is it too much hassle to drive from our house to the ceremony site and back again in one day? That could be 3 hours lost on the day of the wedding. I still need to get my hair done, and my dress is really poofy and would be uncomfortable to sit on. An alternative is getting a hotel room the night before for anyone who would want to, but that's extra money (and we just spent $2000 on a flight+hotel package to Hawaii!).

So I guess I'm asking if anyone has pulled off something similar to this and not been stressed out by all the driving. Thanks!!!

*sweat beads*

Hello, my fiance and I need to upgrade to a minivan and have previous experience riding in and driving the Kia Sedona. We love it and wondered what is the best trim option? There is Base, LX, and EX. The only difference stated on the website is cargo space, foldable seats, and some other negligible options. If you have the base model, is this sufficient? If you have any other things to say about the Sedona, I would appreciate them. Thanks very much!

Hi, my fiancé and I are trying to make up an itinerary for our honeymoon. For a vague idea ... we would like to land in Orlando, maybe go to Disney or Universal for a day or two (or Busch Gardens ... which is better?), make a trip up to St. Augustine because the area is lovely. Then maybe drive up to Savannah, GA (we're big "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" fans). Can anyone tell me if the beaches at St. Augustine are warm in June? I know Florida is generally warm, but I really like it hot.

It's either that or we head over to Tampa, definitely do Busch Gardens, and then make our way over to the Naples area. We both like adventure and wild activities, but we're not much for nightlife, so we're not interested in Miami.

Thank you!

Hi! My fiance and I will be traveling to Costa Rica in June for our honeymoon. We would like to stay in the Arenal region for our trip - but I can't seem to find an updated site letting me know which side of the volcano has the lava flow! All sorts of websites say it's flowing on THEIR side - but they provide no reference year or anything. Anyone been there recently and know, or can find it on the web? Thanks!

My fiancé and I would like to stay at a Sandals resort or go to the U.S. Virgin Islands for a private destination wedding + honeymoon. We are really into scuba diving, hiking, lots of nature and adventure type stuff ... but since it's our honeymoon, I'd like some romance too. Does anyone have any advice on the BEST place to stay for some great reefs and sightseeing?

I would like to buy my boyfriend a nice, but relatively inexpensive hiking backpack for Christmas. This spring he would like to go for a hiking trip somewhere in Appalachia for at least a few days. I've done some research how external frame packs are the way to go, but I'm not sure which brands are the best. He's on the tall side, so the tall packs wouldn't be overwhelming. I need something under $100. My wallet is tight this season as are a lot of people's. Even if you just have some practical advice, all is appreciated!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was browsing the TGI Friday's online menu and came across this in their low-fat/low-carb section:

SIZZLING CHICKEN & VEGETABLES

A sizzling skillet of onions & peppers together with garlic-marinated chicken breasts over melted American and Mexican cheeses. Served with a side of broccoli. NET CARBS: 17 (Cut 5 carbs by skipping the peppers and onions.)

I honestly can't believe that instead of suggesting to cut the HIGH IN FAT meat or cheese, they suggest you cut the VEGETABLES! To save on CARBS!

I wasn't really what section to put this in; since I frequent the v&v section, and it's talking about cutting veggies, I put it here.

I also know this isn't really a question, but who else finds that to be a little bizarre?

;)

I've been with my boyfriend for over two and a half years. I used to be very jealous of his ex girlfriends. I've learned to overcome that. However, through putting a couple things together in my head, I realize that he used to be friends with this girl who lives in Japan and is like a sex addict. This was a couple months before we got together (so in mid 2004). I don't think they ever met (though it's possible, I didn't ask), but this is so against his nature to be friends with someone who is so promiscuous and foul mouthed. I'm not saying he's a saint or anything but he looks down on that.

Anyway, should I bring up the fact that I found out about this friendship and ask him about it, or should I just let it go? He has a bad habit of not telling me about things until I bring them up, like how he went to a strip club, even though it was before we got together, it goes against both of our morals.

Thoughts please?