WomanWhoReads

It's 2009, we've all upgraded, we know our options & we explore them! But what if something made sense every year & you just couldn't do it? How long does it take you to switch to something you approve of?

I last wrote a check in 1996, haven't used the postal system in years. My neighbor asked me how I remember to put 2009 on handwritten checks - he can't. Seriously, he's only 41, and he knows how much it costs to post a card, a letter - I'll avoid him for a while!

What would it really do to the world wide web to change one word? Maybe a broken link for a week, easily repaired? For how long would you personally miss the W?

My microwave is 800W - I lost the manual when I moved to my current apartment. It has a setting to defrost Whole Poultry only, so that's no help.

I'd like to defrost two boneless chicken breasts - I plan to brown and casserole them on Saturday evening. One cookery book says defrost for 800W is 30% power. The other tells me to use 40% power. Both books recommend defrosting for 6 minutes, turning halfway through, then wait for 7 mins. I usually leave them - the chicken, not the books - wrapped in the fridge overnight, but I'd like to try a faster option if it's not unhealthy.

LOL, just for fun, I don't expect gifts, but I think disposable gifts like flowers or chocolates are always best.

My neighbour gave me a potted plant, with lots of instructions on how to care for it. Who really needs an extra weekly chore after the party is over? So I didn't water it, & it died. On her next visit, she was disappointed not to see the plant, and returned with another one & more instructions! Did you ever receive a project instead of a gift?

If I turn the tap to a slow flow, at low pressure, and interrupt the flow by putting my finger in front of it, the water flow bends at a sharp angle instead of travelling straight down.

What causes this attraction?

It seems to work counter to what I know of gravity. I thought it would take the line of least resistance, can a solid object offer less resistance than air? Is there some static charge as it comes out of the pipe?

I'm curious. Not that it means anything, but an Irish radio show recently asked listeners if they had any preferences for which side of the bed they slept on? Some felt they had a 'natural side' but others decided depending on which side the window or bathroom were nearest to. Many listeners felt that those who slept on the right were the dominant one in the relationship, and 'claimed' the right hand side of the bed. However, left-handed people felt that may not be true. They found that:

72% of women said that they sleep on the left

28% of women said that they sleep on the right

74% of men said that they sleep on the right

16% of men said that they sleep on the left

So I thought I'd ask you all. I generally sleep on the left, whatever that means! I wondered if the compass points had any effect on a decision to place yourself in one or the other position during sleep?

Almost every pregnant woman has several routine physicals on record, but there's never been one similar study of fathers? Shouldn't there be?

Unless the couple expresses health concerns, do new fathers ever routinely have a health check up, as part of an overall medical, family planning record?

There seem to be no comparable studies done at that stage of life, other than a general verbal questionnaire, or blood tests prior to the marriage.

Are men who have volunteered for any drug testing programs monitored after they father children, for example? Or who have been exposed to industrial chemicals? It seems that there are no actual records to refer to, unless they coincide with an individual corporate health program, which would be for 40-year-old men who have started their families years before that point. I'm thinking about prevention being said to be better than cures, but there is no data on paternal health at conception?

My friend knows a guy who set up her website. He's new at this, just did a course, but she's thrilled at the high hit rate displayed on the order page. Only a few orders in, but she thinks this means people are planning to order soon. Anyone who refreshes the screen increments the count by one. It's not my area, & I'm not asking for your techie secrets, but I would like to know if this effect is usually avoided by more experienced site designers, and if you think she's being too optimistic.I think he might be trying to impress her a bit too hard with a trick.

Three new friends join us for meals out regularly. We all take turns to choose an inexpensive place with friendly staff. These three turn into the worst bargain-hunters. Instead of ordering, they quiz the staff forever about prices, "Would it be cheaper without the sauce/ice cream?" & keep finding reasons to fault the servers & not tip.

We really need to find a way to explain to them that it's possible to eat out & have a good time together, & reward our servers. They each have great jobs & no children, but all this haggling is a bit of a nightmare.

It sounds brilliant. Do you think people will admit to having memory loss in time to be treated? I think many will try not to admit it until they are totally forgetful.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525115.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7423975.stm

I guess it's considered part of making a fresh start, & I realise that some nuns do this when they become nuns - for example a Jane Lynch might become Sister Teresa instead. So do priests, say Christian priests have a similar obligation?

Is it correct to assume that a "Father Edward" for example, wasn't born with that first name?

(Also, if you happen to know, does the new choice have to be a biblical name?)

It doesn't allow for summer time, always echoes reliably and over three years we've filmed it from outside & indoors. The latch doesn't move, but it sounds. Has anyone else had this happen with a mechanical door lock?

{It used to be a Hallowe'en joke, but we all take it for granted now. I say "Hey, it's getting late, the timer clicked," and my friends respond with "I guess I should hang up now, we've been talking for over an hour"}

I want to thank contributors for descriptions of anorexia I found here. I've known a colleague for 17 years who is horribly gaunt, with few teeth, but enjoys sharing vegan recipes with us, and we never once realised what his condition was.

We don't think he's a bad person, and we've always felt protective & tolerant towards him. He's more like a stray cat than a colleague, always drifting towards anyone who needed affection. We asked him today & he doesn't think of himself as ill, but he actually told us that he used to be married, and he has children and living parents in another nearby country. He's never told us about this family until now. He liked living there, but can't visit - they'd 'find him & try to control his diet'.

We don't have a clue how to encourage him to take an equal interest in himself and his own health. He takes the view that he's committed himself to a lifestyle. Yet it's hard for us to accept that he won't live as long as modern people.

Travel vouchers?

My friends are having a 1775 costume/murder mystery party based on typical English characters. Fun to play up to! None of us will hire a costume - half the fun will be in faking the accent and improvising the look. I don't have any theatrical experience, and I can't sew.

Does anyone here have any good links to images of how my character would dress? A picture's worth a thousand words to me right now. (And ten points : )

Accessories ... I thought diamanté, paint a tiny heart on my face or cleavage. High-heeled ankle boots. Wrong for the period, or a good idea?

My hair's dark & short - a neighbour says I can wear a bonnet - another says that's wrong for 1776 & I should use Hallowe'en spiderweb over a balloon to fake a wig with feathers & jewellery. Who knows?

All ideas are very welcome. I'll find some way of thanking you with points even if not the best answer, and I will add details as to how it went on the night. Thanks for any clues!

Two friends of mine were saying how much they treat penpals as family. I can't see how, or why, anyone would bother establishing a relationship with your family members over decades, and then invite an imposter and stranger to join you?

If you haven't even met someone, and don't know who they are, why would anyone invite them to be a friend? It seems to me like befriending a prison inmate. Safe, but insecure. But why would you imagine them to be trustworthy, or like you?

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Romance_scam

I really enjoyed his "Trustee from the Toolroom", and "In the Wet"; also "The Chequer Board*" (*maybe your country's edition was spelled differently?) and "The Far Country" (such an unusual view of England).

I haven't read all he's ever written, but here & now my favourite work of his is "Beyond the Black Stump".

If you've read some of his, what would be your choice?

I'm a member of a social group based in Ireland, which has links with a similar group in Britain. I thought that everyone was familiar with "One if by land, two if by sea" - and I included it in a presentation to a UK group, to introduce useful travel weblinks to potential visitors.

A visiting Yorkshire member wants me to drop it - why?

I asked him - he mumbled something about British being portrayed badly.

Why would they be offended? Should I rewrite the heading, leave out the paragraph? I think it will either be overlooked, or spark a good conversation later on. Can't I quote from a writer who wasn't resident in England before the Plague?! Should I replace my reference with some Shakespearian quote instead? I could enjoy debating it when I get there, so I have a choice. Our group is inclusive. Am I being insensitive or unfriendly in ignoring his request? I think that he's one member & I'm another : ) Rude, or sensible, to leave it in? Helpful hint, or silly of him?

Looking at a 2005 2 penny UK coin. I'm wondering what the IRB is - above the EL of "Elizabeth". Is that the name of the designer, or does it have some heraldic or historical significance? My friends don't know, we are guessing! Googling only told us that it first appeared on the fifth series of 2p coins from 1999 onwards. Would anyone know what 'IRB' signifies?

I think it's really a bad habit when a person insists on taking my order and repeating it to the waiter! Do you also prefer to give your own order? Or not?

I have a daily orders list here in Calc with headings of

Amount ordered, Custom lettering, Date, Name&Address.

I can see the total customer count by noting the final row (A863).

I can total the number of orders required:

=SUM(A2:A65)

I'd like to add a total count of custom requests. Some are blank. What I need is a count of non-blank text rows in the custom requests column (B). I've tried a mix of formulae piping one result into the other. it's slow.

Can anyone suggest a specific formula I could use?