Spamela

My belly has gotten increasing larger over the past year, even though the rest of me remains thin. My friends say I look pregnant (I'm not). I don't have gas, heartburn, water retention, diarrhea, bleeding, cramping, anemia or pain. First I went to the ob/gyn, who said I just had some small ovarian cysts that didn't explain the size of my belly. My internist said he could feel a mass up near my stomach, and was more concerned with my upper abdomen than my lower. I had a CT scan today and am waiting for results. My blood tests are all normal. My only other symptoms are fatigue (low stamina) and night sweats. I'm going to a GI specialist in a couple of days. I was diagnosed with endometriosis 20 years ago and had 2 laparoscopies. Endo has surprised me before, so I'm wondering if it can spread beyond the lower pelvis to the upper abdomen. I'm also wondering if it's possible to have colon/stomach cancer without the usual symptoms. Any other explanations would be welcome.

When l reply to an email sent to an alias (e.g. help@support.com) I want my response message to contain the alias's address (help@support.com) in the "From" field rather than my specific email address, so I can remain anonymous. Can I do that? Get I set it up so it happens automatically when someone sends a message to that alias? Thanks!

I'm looking for a reasonably priced, professional landscaper to redo my front yard. I have a small house, so it's a small project. I know there are a lot of lousy contractors out there... I'm also curious as to pricing and hourly fees. Thanks!

I regularly send out broadcast emails that contain information about specific events that recipients may want to add to their Outlook calendars. Is there a way to add a "Click to Add to My Calendar" feature so that I can provide all the info and it'll automatically add the details to their calendar? Thanks!

I have a friend who has ADHD, doesn't handle money well, and is in considerable debt. He has tried Quicken (and other software), autopay programs, Dave Ramsey, etc. but says he wants to completely turn over his finances to someone else to manage paying his bills for him.

He has spoken with a few CPAs who have told him such a service does not exist for people who don't make a lot of money (he's a sales rep, so he does OK in terms of income). Some people just create a basic budget, set up autopay of monthly bills, and pay the rest as they come in, but mentally, this is too overwhelming for him and he really needs help. Does such a service exist? If so, how does he find someone reliable and safe?

Please do not bother to list software to track budgeting (that didn't work for him). He wants a completely hands-off approach. Any ideas?

Thanks so much!

A character named Thompson or Townsend who plays the role of the man who reads the announcements to the Congress sounds really familiar to me, but I can't figure out how I know that voice. I think the actor is Ralston Hill, but I'm not sure. The credits got cut off.

My company has chosen Nokia EG1i and Samsung Blackjack as our corporate smartphone options. I'm currently using the Blackjack, but I'm not too happy with it. Would the Nokia be a better option? The BJ is slick and lightweight, but it has poor battery life, tiny keys, smaller display, etc. I'm not as familiar with the Nokia. Any differences I should be aware of? I do a lot of instant messaging, and usability and fewer keystrokes are important to me. Previously, I used a Blackberry (loved it), and a Treo 650 (loved the keyboard/screen, but it crashed often).

I checked the option so it could remember me, but it's not working. Also, is there a way to have hotmail automatically open to my Inbox instead of Home page? I used to have my hotmail inbox tied to MSN messenger so I would receive new mail alerts and not have to enter my password each time, but now I no longer have them linked (not sure what happened). Thanks!

I recently heard that phthalates in cosmetics and beauty products can cause cancer. Does anyone know which chemicals/products to avoid, which ones are safe, and how the researchers determined that makeup was the cause?

I love Philosophy's perfume Amazing Grace, but the scent only lasts about 5 minutes, and it's pretty expensive. Anyone know of a similar scent that costs less, lasts longer, and is as mild as Grace?

Aside from bars, where do single or divorced men spend their time on Saturdays and Sundays? Places in in general (like Home Depot, Best Buy, bookstores). Also, were do they go when they're trying to meet women?

Why are older dogs so prone to fatty tumors? I (mistakenly) assumed that if my dog had less fat on his body, his tumors would disappear. He's always been quite trim, but he has 2 movable, grape-like lumps that the vet said are fatty tumors. What causes them, and are there any natural treatments to make them go away? I worry because the second one arrived shortly after the first, and if I don't know what's causing them, I can't prevent them. My dog is mixed breed, short-hair, 11 years old. Thanks!

A new Trader Joe's just opened in my neighborhood. I've heard great things about it... just wondering which products I should look for in particular (e.g. Two-buck Chuck, giant bar of Belgian chocolate, etc.). Thanks!

Car dealer says the excessive vibration and bumpy ride of my 2005 Acura TL is "characteristic" of the car and there's nothing they can do to fix it. Acura corporate says the same thing. The 2007 model of the car had a fix to the problem (which they're not admitting was a problem in the first place), but they will only switch cars if I pay them $8,000. Does a lemon law apply to something that the dealer says is not a problem? Not sure what to do next... This has been going on for 18 months and I'm frustrated.

My 2005 Acura TL has a terribly bumpy ride. The vibrations are so bad, I often feel like I have a flat tire. Acura says my "performance tires" get flat when sitting, and then warm up after 5 minutes, but the problem remains. I've had the tires rotated, balanced, etc. Acura says it's "characteristic" of this car and drives like a normal TL, but I disagree. What recourse do I have? I've had the car for 1.5 years, purchased new from this dealer.

If there was a food that made your skin wrinkle sooner, made your body and clothes smell bad, stained your teeth, reduced your sense of smell & hearing, turned off people of the opposite sex, cost thousands of dollars a year, and pretty much guaranteed a cancer diagnosis, you wouldn't eat it, right?

Then why do people start smoking? I work with a lot of recent college graduates, and was surprised to see that so many of them are smokers. Their older coworkers (who kicked the habit long ago) just shake their heads & wonder...

I can understand why people who are addicted to nicotine have a difficult time quitting, but why would someone voluntarily *start* a habit they know has no positive benefits?

When I create a new Outlook email message in HTML or RTF format, it appears in Arial, but when I switch to plain text, it changes to Time Roman. Is there any way to have it use Arial for plain text messages, too?

Also, I'm constantly frustrated with formatting changes when I paste text into Outlook from MS Word. How can I make my life easier? Thanks!

When I open sites in Internet Explorer, the screens open in a smaller window (minimized), rather than using the full screen. Is there a setting I need to change?

My 2005 Acura TL starts off each day with a really bumpy ride (feels like a flat tire), yet after 10-15 minutes, the ride is smoother. The local dealer tells me it's because "flat spots" form overnight on my "performance" tires. Car only has 8K miles. Alignment is fine. Tires were rotated recently. I think the (original Michelin) tires are faulty and the dealer won't admit it. The loaner car didn't have this problem at all... Any ideas?

When I create a new Outlook email message in HTML or RTF format, it appears in Arial, but when I switch to plain text, it changes to Time Roman. Is there any way to have it use Arial for plain text messages, too? Thanks!