Halli

We are childless and were invited to our good friend's house to celebrate their son's birthday. They were having a mixture of children and adults over. The child's grandparents had come for a visit and this was their opportunity to have a party.

We were under the impression the "party" was for the children and the adults were over to socialize. Did we err in not bringing a present for the three year old? I understand that if we had children, we would bring a present from our children to theirs but what happens when we're in different generations?

I only received presents from my parents and sibling growing up - not from other family members or family friends. And anytime there was a party, the adult guests did not bring presents as it was special enough that they came over to help celebrate.

Have things changed since I was a child?

It's been reported in the news that it's an extremely detailed 44 page report but I haven't found any links.

I'm in my 30s and I've noticed spider veins on both legs. I cycle regularly and I'm physically fit. I was told they were caused by the extra stress on your legs while cycling. What are your thoughts?

I have a recipe for a chocolate creme brulee cake. The cake is made in a bundt cake, nuts and the creme brulee is put in the middle. The recipe then says to use a chef's torch to carmelize the top.

I don't own a chef's torch so I need to find out if a bbq lighter set to high would work in a pinch. It's not a large surface area and I was told creme brulee should be done at a low temperature torch setting.

Do I need to break down and buy a torch?

I've got some hiking/cycling clothes from MEC that I hope will work but I'm unsure if I'll need snowboard pants or if I can get away buying a shell for over my layers. Don't want to invest a lot of money in this yet. I'll be on the slopes for 3 days (and will be taking a lesson).

Here's a list of my winter wardrobe. I've been warm so far winter cycling in -15C with my layers. I'm fine for headgear, mittens, scarf & socks.

base layer

-Midweight power dry long johns & long sleeved shirt, short sleeve and zipper long sleeved. Comfy, warm & moisture wicking

mid layer

-thermal hoodie

-cadence long-sleeved jersey (I usually wear one of these shirts over my base layer and under my cycling jacket and I'm toasty warm)

-fleece trek pants

-fleece trek vest

other

-Columbia down jacket

-MEC heavy fleece jacket with wind barrier

-cyclone tights and whoosh cycling jacket (great for biking but I don't think they'll be useful)

Thanks!

I'm looking for an inexpensive bike for commuting a short distance on paved pathways. It has all the features I want but I'm not familiar with bikes and if Trek is a reputable company.

I watched Doomsday and the separation of the Doctor and Rose (I thought it was a great episode although I'll miss Rose).

The next eposide was titled "The Runaway Bride". On their website, I'm seeing hints of a new companion, Martha Jones.

Was she introduced in "The Runaway Bride" or was that episode just an add in with no re-occuring characters?

It's frustrating to live in Canada where I can't find it on dvd yet and reruns are hard to track down.