Steph

I am a 25 year old woman who has started doing cardio and lifting five to six days a week for the past month. Prior to this, I had very little experience with physical fitness.

I am a very level headed individual normally, however I have been experiencing insane mood swings at the drop of a hat. I am very easily angered, and the aggression lasts until I go to sleep at night. Sometimes I get depressed because I'm so angry which begins to wreak havoc on my self esteem. My progress weigh ins, which should be positive and a source of pride, fail to get me excited or happy. When I'm at the gym I feel fine - only occasionally do I feel like I have a short fuse when I think my workout buddy is being a butt-head. Usually on my drive home some bozo will cut me off or not use his blinker and it will set me off into a bad mood for the remainder of the day.

So what gives? I've been looking into this on Google, but it seems to be nearly impossible to find in women. Most women report that they will be crabby until they work out, then will be fine for the remainder of the day. I hate how I'm treating my loved ones right now.... What can I do to get this aggression in check?

I was recently hired as an after school program supervisor for 35 children. I absolutely love my job and am quickly bonding with my new students, however I'm having an exceptionally difficult time with a 5th grade boy named "James".

James is a good kid whenever he's one on one with an adult. He can have a bit of a snarky attitude on occasion without any warning or reason. When adding other kids into the mix, James becomes a nightmare of a discipline issue. He'll swear, hit, spit, and destroy anything he can. What's so severe about this is that it can happen at any time, without any provocation. One minute he's an angel, and the next he's threatening to kill other students or me.

I've spoken on an individual basis with his mother, and she has told me that he is severely emotionally disabled and also suffers from ADHD. While I've taken several courses in child psych and education, I can't follow what exactly is the problem. I'm trying to say this as nicely as possible, but it honestly seems like the only problem James has is a lack of discipline. I feel like things are only getting worse because he's been branded as emotionally unstable and therefore isn't disciplined as regularly or consistently by the role models in his life. I feel like it's not fair to discipline James any differently (less harshly) than the other kids, but others around me are telling to take it easy on him and to ignore his threats of violence. If I ignore it, what do you figure will happen when he's an adult and threatens to kill someone?

I've tried finding resources online, and now I'm reaching out to the Y!A community to see if someone can help. Thanks.

Phillip is a healthy, 15 year old, medium hair cat that I have raised since he was 8 weeks old. We're inseparable, and I can't imagine leaving him behind. When I moved to Argentina for a year (about 6 years ago now - wow), Phillip wouldn't sleep anywhere else but my room in my parents home. His health began to deteriorate, but immediately bounced back when I returned. This, paired with several similar experiences, have convinced me that Phillip will be better off moving with me to Colorado instead of finding another home for him in Michigan.

I'll be moving a month from tomorrow, and I'll be calling the vet today. Phillip is not a fan of car rides, so I figured a light sedative for the 20 hour drive would be best while he stays inside a soft animal carrier with plenty of ventilation and he'll be able to see me the entire time.

The main thing I'm concerned about at this point would be how the change in elevation could possibly effect his health. Is there anything in particular I should be concerned about, or will he be able to adapt to changes in altitude much like I will? I figure that ensuring he has plenty of water, wholesome food, lots of attention, and a bit of catnip about three times a week to aid in his digestion would be best. I won't be working immediately after my arrival, so I'll be able to stay with him during the day to make sure he doesn't get any more stressed from being left alone after moving so far into a strange house.

Furthermore, does anyone have any advice or stories regarding moving with a cat long distance that could be helpful? I really appreciate it, and so does Phillip. ;) His happiness and comfort is of the utmost importance to me.

I am moving from Northern Michigan to a city just outside of Boulder in about two months. I'm excited to get out there and begin my new life, but I want to make sure I'm financially secure before I leave. I will be living with my boyfriend in an apartment or small house.

I'm in my mid twenties, so I don't have a house to sell or kids to take care of. My only concern is a fifteen year old cat that will be making the drive with me, but I figured a trip to the vet for some sedatives would calm both our nerves. I won't be taking any furniture with me. My plan so far is to pack up my little hatchback and make my journey (it's in the shop getting a check up and repairs right now to ensure I'll make it). The trip will put me at about $150.

I've asked a few friends and family members how much money I should have set aside, and I've gotten many numbers. How many months worth of rent should I go out with? Above and beyond rent, what's a good number to shoot for in terms of emergency funds? I have a credit card to put any emergency purchases on. I will be applying for several jobs before I arrive, but I probably won't begin work until about a week after I've moved.

Are there any experienced movers that know a good rule of thumb to follow regarding savings? I'm trying my hardest to be thrifty with this move, but I realize moving across the country is a pricey task. Thanks everyone!

I'm moving from a small town in the lower peninsula of Michigan to the outskirts of Denver, Colorado. While I'm anxious to get going and move as soon as possible, I want to make sure that I will have enough money to make ends meet. I've searched the internet for a cost calculator that could give me rough numbers regarding moving and saving, but nothing has really helped me out.

I plan to move everything I have in my hatchback since I don't have any furniture or appliances that need to be moved. I have a ball park number as to how much that will cost me, but I'm curious how much I should have saved up before I leave. How many months worth of rent should I have? Am I safe with four months worth?

Any and all advice is welcome. I appreciate your input. ;)

I met "Sarah" several months ago, but only started hanging out with her about 2 months ago. She's a nice girl and is interested in the same things I am, but I'm having a problem finding alone time anymore.

Whenever I invite Sarah over, I really don't know when she'll be leaving. A little while back she asked if she could come over for a bit one evening because she was feeling nervous about some guy she had met and ended up staying for nearly two days. The majority of that time, she was asleep on my couch in my living room where I most of my time. I asked her two nights ago to drop by and check on my cat while I was over at my boyfriend's house for the night. I came back the following evening with my boyfriend, and she was still there. I was feeling very sick and wanted to go to bed, so I didn't make a big deal about it, especially seeing as she told me she was getting ready to head out. However, when I woke up this morning, she was still on my couch clicking away on her laptop. She left this morning because she had to be at work within an hour.

I live by myself in a very small one bedroom apartment with my cat, and while I wouldn't invite her over if I didn't want her there, I feel it's a bit excessive. What can I say or do without coming off as rude? This has got to stop if we're going to remain friends.

I have an old Inspiron E1505 that I current run XP Media Center on. I'm sick of the garbage associated with Media Center edition, so I have decided to put XP Pro on it instead.

I have a ridiculous amount of fragmented system files from an old operating system left over from a botched reformat, and I want them gone because I'm down to 300 MB of hard drive space.

I know how to do a proper reformat by wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling from the CD, but my onboard CD-ROM crapped out a while back. When I re-install, I have to use an external CD-ROM and I don't have the option to boot from it because my computer is dated.

Is there any way to delete EVERYTHING off of my hard drive and start over and still get an OS on here without my onboard CD-ROM? I don't want to format and end up with a clean computer and no way to put XP Pro on it. Input? Suggestions? I appreciate it. :)

I'm running with an old Inspiron E1505. I had to reformat the laptop earlier this year. Because my on board CD/DVD ROM does work, I had to use an external USB CD ROM. After reformating, I had multiple operating systems on the machine. I have deleted the prompt to chose which OS to use, but it's still on the system.

I have over 30 GB of potential space on this laptop, but it says that I have 8GB of space remaining, which indicates that I haven't done this right....

I'm willing to delete EVERYTHING and reinstall XP Pro (I have Media Center right now... not quite worth the hassle). I just need to know how to do it with an external cd/rom... and I want to make sure it's the only OS on the system!

Thanks so much!

I have a laptop, and my OS is Windows XP Media Center Edition. A month or so back, I reformated my computer. Even though I'm well versed in Windows XP, the reformat didn't go smoothly because I had to use an external CD ROM. After a few tries, I was able to successfully reformat, but I still had the route in my DOS menu to go to my old OS, but if I tried to pull up anything from it, it would say that nothing was found. As a side question, is there a good website that will walk you step by step through a reformat to avoid having multiple OS' on your hard drive at once?

Now I'm not able to automatically download any of the service packs or security updates provided by Microsoft via my toolbar. I went online and downloaded Windows Installer 3.1, and that didn't help. I downloaded service pack 1 from the Microsoft website and tried to install in manually, and that failed too. Why isn't this working? Any ideas?

I've had a lot of problems with Media Center Edition, and I'm thinking I want to just reformat one last time and switch to XP Pro...

I have a laptop with XP Media Edition, and I was easily able to adjust my computer to boot without the log-in prompt or screen. I'm trying to format my boyfriend's Dell so that he doesn't have the prompt to sign in when he boots. Previously, he had the XP log-in screen come up and he was able to get rid of that, but now the traditional Windows NT window prompts him to sign in instead. By the looks of things, we are not able to get rid of the sign in window. Is it possible with XP Pro to boot the computer and go straight to desktop without needing to sign in?

I am trying to set up a wireless network in my home. I have a Motorola Surfboard 5101 DSL Modem that Charter provided me when I began service, and I want to connect my new Netgear WGR614 (v7) so that I can have wireless internet in my house.

Although I have installed the router correctly, the internet light blinks and I am reduced to 'little or no connectivity'. I called Charter to see if my router and modem combo was incompatible. They said no, but instead told me that the type of service I pay for does not allow wireless. I have been told that I need to upgrade in order for me to set-up a wireless network.

Are these guys yanking my chain? Isn't internet just... the internet? Or can these types of companies keep me from setting up a wireless network with a click of a button?

At the beginning of the month, my parking brake light was coming on while I was driving and when the lever was fully depressed. I took it in, and they determined that it was because I was low on brake fluid. They also discovered that there was a crack, and I was leaking brake fluid. I got that fixed, and the light stopped coming on while I was driving. My pedal brakes were acting strange, and it required about double the pressure to get it to stop, but I figured that it would go away after a few days.

Now NONE of my brakes work at all. When I press the break pedal, it makes a sighing sound. There is no resistance and the pedal will actually hit the floor board. Normally when I press the brake pedal, it only needs to be pressed down about a quarter of the way for a typical stop. Before I had my car serviced, I didn't have any problems with my brakes.

I'm upset that I dumped that much money at the shop and ended up with a bigger problem than I had before. Does anyone know what might be wrong? Is it possible that they drained my brake fluid and never replaced it?

Thanks so much.

My 24 year old, live in boyfriend gets depressed evey year around the same time because of the changing seasons. It's become so severe that it is affecting our once loving, devoted relationship. However, this time seems different. His depression is tearing me apart, and I don't know what I can do for him. Last night he told me that nothing makes him happy anymore; not even our relationship. He said he feels trapped in his rut.

This is a recent development (the past month and a half or so), and last week we had sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. His mood was considerably better during that week.

I have read up on light therapy and I think I will end up getting him one. At this point though, I need to know how to handle this. I don't know what I can tell him to reassure him that everything is going to be okay. How do I handle him?

Thanks for looking into this post. :)

My final exam for my creative theory class explores the phenomenon that is traditionally called writer's block. I am looking for some different perspectives in the subject.

Please know that the writer's block I am describing to you does not apply only to writers. I believe that it can occur in orators, sculptors, painters, dancers, and philosophers as well as writers. With that in mind:

1. What is writer's block to you?

2. What techniques do you use to overcome the block?

Thanks, everyone. Your feedback with help me greatly.

My friend "Kyle" is going into the Marines and will be shipped out tomorrow. Tonight he will have a party.

Kyle was my first boyfriend back in high school and I would like to bring him a very small gift, like something he would be able to draw inspiration from or use but he can also put away and it won't take up much space.

He used to be big into religion, but I'm not really sure if he still is. I would like to maybe get him a small cross pendant on a necklace, but I'm afraid I might be coming on too strong with religion. All I can say is that I remember how soothed he used to be by religion and if he still is, then there is no better placed to be soothed then at boot camp!

Is the necklace a good idea? Do you have any ideas? Thanks!

Thanks for coming here to help. :)

I am 20 years old and I recently got out of a serious relationship with a very good man. Unfortunately things didn't work so well in the end. Tomorrow I am going out with "Anthony" (who is 25) on our first single date. A group of our friends went out a few days ago to go bowling and things went very well. At the end of the night he kissed me on the cheek.

Our original plans were to go on a hike but it's going to rain, so we need backup. Neither Anthony or myself are shy people AT ALL, but when it comes to the opposite sex we've always relied on the other person to make the first move (after that it's never been a problem). We would also like to get to know each other so it's got to be a place where we can talk. Can you help?

And are there any tips to perhaps lead to a first kiss? I'm pretty nervous, and I would like to make the first move but I'm not sure how.

I am a 19 year old full time student at a local university as well as a 30 hour per week employee at a small restaurant (non-corporate) in the mall.

I was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor not too long ago. Due to the treatment I have been recieving, my immune system is essentially shutting down. I have doctors appointments that I must keep weekly to insure my health stays intact. I am also getting sick on a regular basis which hinders me from working so much.

Today I called my boss (who also owns this restaurant) from the doctor's office and explained to her that I had several tests I had to undergo because yet again, I have fallen ill. She said she is 'concerned' about the amount of work I am missing. (MAYBE once every three weeks I have to call in). I notify her of my doctor's appointments so that we can work something out ahead of time.

(will be continued)

I am a college student without much beauty knowledge to speak of. As noted, I am on a budget but I'm still looking for some skin softening or toning solutions. Perhaps a home remedy?

I am a very pale person, and I do realize that many of these issues would go away with sun exposure and a slight tan, but the sun and I have a nasty track record (along with me getting a few cases of skin cancer). Any help is greatly appreciated! :)

My biggest problem areas are my arms and legs. My arms get bumpy and red like they're cold even when they aren't. These bumps aren't zits. I already have tried many lotions. My legs look constantly razor burned, even after lotion.

Any help is greatly appreciated! :)