sascoaz

I am a professional in my early 40s. My company allows me to take a portion of my paycheck and contribute it to a 401K and/or Roth IRA which have tax advantages compared to regular non-retirement investments. The max allow contribution for the Roth is $5,000 a year and my max total contribution to the retirement funds (401K and/or Roth) is $16,000. I have recently hit that limit (max of 16,000 through contributions to both the Roth and 401K) and am looking for other ways to save for retirement with additional money that I am able to contribute.

My company's retirement benefits are not great (no fixed pension and no medical coverage - I will be on my own with whatever I can save when I leave), so I want to have quite a bit set aside (particularly given the long-term uncertainity of Social Security and Medicare). I want to be able to put as much toward retirement now while I have the extra income to do so.

I already have some other non-retirement-specific general investments (moneymarket, stock investments, etc) and I could obviously put more money into those, but I am specifically interested in other investment tools aimed specifically toward retirement and with associated tax or other related advantages to that end.

Any suggestions of other types of investments or savings options for my situation would be greatly appreciated.

I am trying to remember the name of a sci-fi show that I saw on TV about 15-20 years ago (not sure if it was a made for TV movie or a short lived series).

The story was about a young doctor (from Earth, I believe) who is sent to a planet where half the planet is in constant dark and the other half is in constant light and the societies of the two sides are in conflict. There was also some sort of parasite or creature that would get into a person's foot and then slowly work its way to the heart unless stopped.

Even though it was a sci-fi show and the doctor arrives on a spaceship, everything was a sort of Jules Verne Victorian-era retro style with the doctor having a little black bag and people traveling by horse and carriage, etc (ie: no computers and laser guns, etc).

I can't remember what it was called (or any more details about the plot). It is NOT Doctor Who and it is NOT Firefly.

I have a web-based software application that allows users to export SQL database data to Excel. One of the columns is a date/time field that includes AM or PM after the time and the various SQL formats don't put a space before the am/pm (example: 5/23/2008 11:15AM).

Some users would like to be able to sort by the date / time field in Excel. However, Excel date formats always have a space before the am/pm (ie: 11:15 AM) and as a result it does not recognize the SQL-format date and messes up the sort (even when I specifically format the cells as Date in Excel).

I tried inserting a space by hand on a few of the fields in Excel and then they sorted correctly (so that is definitely the issue), but I can't expect users to do that for 100s of rows. They also don't want to use a 24-hour format without the am/pm.

Is there any way to either have SQL format the date with a space before the am/pm or force Excel to be able to recognize the SQL date format without the space?

I have started dog-sitting for a friend who recently got a 2-year old male Vizsla from the pound. It is probably not a pure-bred, but the appearance and personality traits are dead-on.

The dog is very friendly and generally well-behaved when I am at home with it, but if I leave the house (work, store, etc) I usually come back to find things knocked over or pulled off counters and tables. I believe the dog is being disruptive to get attention and in protest of being left alone (it is a bit clingy - common for Vizslas).

I don't have much experience with Vizslas, but several websites mention that they are very sensitive dogs (emotionally) that do best with positive re-enforecement while strong negative punishments can actually make the situation worse (see link below).

My question is how do you make the dog know that misbehaving when left alone is not OK?

Vizslas:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Vizsla

Some friends and I are considering doing a week-long backpacking trip in Denali National Park next summer. We would like recommendations - from those that have backpacked there - as to what some of the better routes are.

We are looking for something around 5-7 days and 20-30 miles. A loop or other route with minimal back-tracking is preferred. Natural scenery, solitude and good campsites a plus. We are all experienced backpackers and don't mind working up a sweat, but are not looking for a death march (we are going to be on vacation, after all).

Thanks!

Some backpacking friends of mine are considering a 5-7 backpacking trip in Alaska next summer and are debating between doing the historic Chilkoot Pass out of Skagway or something in Denali National Park.

Does anybody who has backpacked (or extensively hiked) one (or hopefully both) of these areas have any preferences in terms of scenic beauty, logistics, solitude, variety of features, historic sites, and decent food/lodging/attractions nearby (for a couple of 'tourist' days when we get out)?

Thanks!

Some friends and I are looking at backpacking the historic Chilkoot Pass from Skagway to Lake Bennett. We are all experienced backpackers, but wanted to get specifics from those who have done it. Specifically...

1. What is the best time of year?

2. How bad are the bugs (and when are they worst)?

3. How crowded does the trail get?

4. How easy is it to catch the train back?

Any other recommendations, resources, major DOs and DON'Ts?

Note: I have already seen the park website and we don't want to use a guide service.

I am a historian in Arizona trying to find information on a woman named Mai Richie Reed who lived (and was probably raised) in or near the town of Wyncote around 1900-1910.

Wyncote is a small town north of Philadelphia (near Glenside and Willow Grove).

Mai was probably born around 1885-1895 and likely to a fairly well off family. I am not certain if Reed is her married or maiden name.

I am looking for information on her, her family, or possible museums or archives in that area which might have info on local family histories.

For the last year, I dog sat a young golden retriever Mon-Thu for a good friend who was assigned an out of state project with a lot of travel. It was a great dog - playful, good natured and affectionate - and I came to love her like my own.

She died suddenly and unexpectedly in an accident yesterday (while with her owner) and I have been devestated and heart-broken to an extent I would not thought possible. I can't believe how much I loved that silly dog.

But taking care of her, reminded me how nice it is to have a dog around and I think - after some time passes - I will get one of my own. I would like to get another golden - I like their personalities and appearence.

My question - for people that have been through this - is it harder or easier if the new dog is the same breed as the old? Or does gettting another of the same breed make you remember (and miss) the old one more? Is it better to wait quite a while or get a new one while you still miss the old one?

I live in Phoenix, Arizona and have been thinking about having one or two skylights (roughly 2x4 feet) added to my livingroom to get some more natural light. I would not want them to open, but would like those remote-control shades to cover them in summer.

The house is single story with a medium-pitch Spanish tile roof built in the early 1990s. The livingroom ceiling follows the roof (ie: no attic above, etc). There are no skylights now, so they would have to be put in from scratch.

Anybody had any experiences with this sort of thing? What would the cost range be? What brands of skylight are recommended (or to be avoided). Do I have to worry more about leaks, etc since they were not part of the original roof? Any special issues with having a tile roof?

Thanks!

I will be doing a backpacking trip to Glacier National Park in August and also plan to spend a couple of nights in a lodge relaxing and doing a little easy sightseeing and day hiking afterwards.

GNP is famous for its grand historic lodges. Can anyone who goes there a lot recommend the best ones. I want one of the historic ones at the park (not a modern hotel) that has good historic flavor, decent rooms, has shops and cafes nearby and is in a good location for visiting interesting parts of the park.

Ones that I am especially interested in are the Prince of Wales at Waterton Park, Glacier Park Lodge (East Glacier), Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, and the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. I would especially like to hear from people who have stayed in those.

This is tough, because I don't remember many specifics or any exact lyrics. It was done by a male country western singer about 13-15 years ago. He is telling about this short, strong-willed woman who walked all over him and left him. The gist of the chorus was that even though she was deceptively small, she knocked him over like a dynamite blast or shotgun or something like that.

I think the song mentions that she was blonde. I am not completely positive that he compares her to dynamite, but am pretty sure.

The one that I am looking for is NOT Dynamite (Little Miss Dynamite) by Brenda Lee.

Anybody know the title and artist?

Some friends and I are looking into a week-long backpacking trip into the Glacier NP backcountry this summer. We are looking for a trip of 4-6 nights that offers a good selection of classic Glacier scenery (mtn views, lakes, waterfalls, glacers) without being too much of an endurance test (we are all strong hikers, but want to be able to take our time and enjoy).

We have been looking at the Northern Circle (looks like some long rough days), Boulder Pass Trail, and the Highline. Anybody had any backpacking experience or advice on these? Other Glacier multi-day trips? General suggestions and advice on Glacer backpacking (none of us have been there before)?

I am trying to find the name and artist of a song that was kinda popular on some alternative radio stations back in the late 80s. The singer is a female and in the song she is giving a first person description of sitting in a city diner and watching the everyday actions of the people around her.

One little part that I particularly remember is a girl on the street looks in the cafe and the singer thinks she is looking at her, but than realizes the girl is only looking at her own reflection in the window glass.

What made the song stick in your mind was this constantly repeating circular beat to which the singer matched the cadence of her narrative. Can anybody tell me what song it was and who sang it? It has been driving me crazy. :)

Some friends and I have permits to do a multi-day backpacking trip along the northern coast of the Olympic National Park near Seattle (the longest undeveloped stretch of coastline in the lower 48 states).

We are all experienced backpackers, but this is our first time backpacking along an ocean coast and having to deal with tide tables, headlands, log jams, etc.

Has anybody hiked or backpacked the Cape Alava area recently?

How was it? Any important tips or suggestions that are specific to that area beyond the normal backpacking stuff? Can I wear hiking boots or will my feet be in the water much of the time?

Thanks

Sonoran-style hotdogs consist of a grilled hotdog wrapped in bacon and served in a bun with a topping of pinto beans, chopped onions, tomatoes, and peppers and a jalapeno/mayonnaise sauce. They taste as good as they are unhealthy. There are several places in Tucson that specialize in them, but I can't find a single place in the whole metro Phoenix area that even sells them.

I am considering adding an extra room onto the back of my house. The room would be roughly 12 x 12 feet with a couple of windows. It would need electrical wiring, but not plumbing. I would like to have it extend off the master bedroom into the backyard (I plan to use it as an office). The house was built in the late 90s and is wood frame with stucco exterior and a spanish tile roof.

Has anybody in the Phoenix area ever done an extension to their home of this sort? Approximately how much would such an additional room cost and how long would it take to do?

As part of setting up my Yahoo account, I must have overlooked some option checkbox for installing the Yahoo Toolbar on my browser because after my account was setup, there it was. I did not want it on my browser, so I uninstalled it using the option on the toolbar. However, ever since I have been unable to have two browser windows open at the same time. If I have one open and try to launch a new one, it simply resets the open one to my home page (causing me to lose whatever I was viewing in it). 'The Reuse Windows..' checkbox under the Advanced Options does not appear to have an impact either way. I am using Internet Explorer Version 6 on Windows XP. How do I fix this so I can have as many browser windows open as I want (like before)?!? I hate it when companies/websites try to install stuff automatically on your system.

I was recently dog sitting a young golden retriever for a friend. I had a fuzzy fleece-like blanket on my sofa and it seems to have been a magnet for the dog hairs. I have washed it several times (which did remove some hair), but there is still a lot (the dog hair is pretty long and seems to kinda get woven into the fabric). I have seen those sticky-tape rollers, but that would be a lot of work for both sides of a 5x6 foot blanket. Any dog owners have any special tricks for getting long dog hairs off blankets and furniture?

I am creating a Windows Service in Visual Studio 2003, C#, .NET version 1.1. The application compiles OK, but when I try to install it on my Windows XP PC to test it, the new service does not display in the listing of available services (Admin Tools> Services).

I have tried refreshing the list and rebooting my PC. I have installed the service with both the Installutil command and by creating a setup project. Both install approaches ran fine, gave no errors, and said the service was installed. It even shows up under the Add and Remove Programs listing... just not in the Services listing.

Anybody encountered this before and know how to fix it?