Ginny

I recently visited Salem, MA with my mom and we did a little self-guided tour. In the cemetery where the judge who presided over the Witch Trials is buried is a pair of men's shoes under a tree, filled with "snow." This is in September, so I was a little freaked out when I saw snow, but touched the snow and it seems fake, like granules from a silica packet or something. Anyone know if there's some kind of legend or story to go with the shoes? I can't find anything online...

I know from surfing the web that the doctors usually determine your due date based on the first day of your last period, but I know the exact date of conception (if I am in fact pregnant - still have to wait to take the test!). Would the estimated due date be exactly nine months from the date of conception, or should I still go off the first day of my last period... in which case, would the estimated due date be exactly nine months from that date?

I am looking at a ceramic tile that looks and feels very much like slate. I definitely want the 12x12" tiles for my floors, but I saw it also came in a 4x4" tile, so now I am thinking about using those for the back-splash. What do you think? Is there some kind of design "faux-pas" about matching a back-splash and a floor?

or throwing my cardboard in with my trash, to be burned at the local incinerator? (We have an incinerator in my area, not landfills.) My area does not recycle cardboard, only the most basic plastics and glass.

How do I stop feeling so overwhelmed by everything, without drugs? Positive thinking and focusing on goals isn't really working...

It's weird: the CD's hardly ever been played, has been kept in its jewel case, but has mysterious scratches on it that are deep enough to cause the music to skip. I've (obviously) tried just wiping them clean, and it didn't work. Is there a machine, tool, or process to remove the scratches?

I know some of the processes that are running are viruses, but I don't want to close the wrong things and cause further problems. Also, how do I keep them permanently closed/deleted?

Other than starting over or adding more of the base ingredient, what can I do? I made Portuguese chorizo and peppers but accidentally added some "super hot" chorizo along with the regular stuff. I tried some last night and it was way too spicy (and I can handle quite a bit of heat). How can I fix it?

Under "alright," my dictionary just says, "disputed usage."

I used to do readings, many years ago, of the spotlight-stool-and-microphone variety. I was comfortable then, even enjoyed the rush of it, though I have never been comfortable giving speeches or even speaking up in front of a class or group. Now I seem to have lost my comfort with readings. I don't know if it's because I now stand behind a podium instead of on a stool (though I am still under a spotlight), or if it's something else. Can anyone tell me why I might be having difficulty now and how I can get over this new discomfort with giving public performances? (Please don't say picture the audience naked!)

For those who took their finances into consideration before having children ONLY, please.

My husband is 35, I'm almost 26. We've been married 6 years. Seems like it's time, right? But we don't know if we're financially secure enough... but how secure is secure? So many people will argue that there's no "right amount," but how did YOU come to the decision that you were financially ready?

I've been taking anti-depressants for almost two months, and while I think they're helping a little, they're way too expensive ($100/month!). I've tried St. John's Wort and that didn't seem to help. What are some other, inexpensive ways to fight depression and anxiety? (If meditation or yoga, anything specific?)

My friend and I put a poetry chapbook together. It's 36 pages and cost $2.40/book to print. How much of a mark-up and profit margin should one expect from a chapbook? Serious answers only, please.

I'm not traditional in the least, and not far out of my teens myself, but I am struck by the sheer number of teens and young 20-somethings who suddenly are pregnant. I thought my Health class hin Canada had been pretty thorough with birth control education. Is there a lack of education on the subject here in the U.S. or is it an acceptable cultural trait here to give up your plans to go to school and have a career (or at least delay them) to have children when one is unmarried and not financially stable?

I'm not trying to be mean, I really just am concerned/confused. I would especially appreciate answers from young, unwed mothers. Thanks. :)

Doesn't matter what I'm getting (I don't want people wasting answers commenting on the tat itself), but I'd like to know where you think I should put it: on my left ankle, mirroring the one I have on my right ankle (they are completely different tattoos but will be about the same size - a little bigger than a dollar coin), or on the inside of my wrist?

Is that what I feel in the air right before or after a storm? If not, what is it called?

One of my best friends did something really awful and twisted to our other best friend. They're no longer friends because of it, but I don't know if I should still be friends with both. If I should, how do I continue to be friends with the one who did something so awful?

I'm meeting with three different home meat delivery companies over the next week. Does anyone have any positive/negative experiences with this type of service? Does anyone have any suggestions for questions I should ask each of them?

I have 10 foot ceilings on the lower level, 9 foot ceiling upstairs. I have a lovely bay area window (not a bay window, three windows on three adjacent walls in a "bay" style shape) that I'd like to highlight in addition to the high ceilings, but the house is small and I don't want it to look any smaller. What can I do, other than hanging drapes higher than the top of window?

My cat is brilliant: he can tell time. Sort of. It's great because I can let him outside, tell him to come back in an hour, and then in an hour, he's waiting by the stoop to be let in.

However, he's taken to acting like my morning alarm clock, picking and scratching at walls, laundry baskets, etc. until I get up and pay attention to him. It would be fine, if he did it on time and not a half hour to an hour before I'm really supposed to get up or on my days off. (Perhaps I should add that I get up during the week at 4:15 in the morning, so not getting to sleep in on the weekends means I can't even sleep until 7 am. I don't like waking up at 3 in the morning for no reason, either.)

Locking him out of the bedroom doesn't work - he just scratches at the door. I don't feel right about locking him up all night in another room, either.

Has anyone had a similar problem and does anyone have a solution?