Mr. Quark

I have a sometimes girlfriend and sometimes good friend whom I have known for a few years. When it comes to giving gifts around birthdays and such, she gives me really thoughtful things that show she has put time and caring into selection and they always touch me. I try to reciprocate and think I do a good job with it. Here is the problem.

I make a lot more money than she does. I pick out things that I think she will like and generally don't worry much about the cost, but I don't get super extravagant. She can't afford to buy gifts that are as expensive as the ones I can and I don't want her to feel badly about that. To me it really is the thought and knowing someone well enough to choose gifts they like that matters, rather than dollar for dollar reciprocation.

So, should I make an effort to find things for her that are less expensive all the time, or just go ahead and give her the gifts that feel right whatever they are?

I want a wireless router that I can plug into my ISP provided DSL box (my ISP uses PPPoE) that has at least one output 10 baseT or faster hardwire port. The kicker is that I want to be able to configure this puppy from a Mac running Mac OS 10.3.9 (set up the encryption, tell it my ISP password and account and other PPPoE settings and any firewall optoins woudl be a bonus!). Airport Extreme does not appear to fit this bill (read below for details). Are there other brands, such as a Linksys or NetGear router that come with MacOS friendly config tools. I am willing to puzzle through command line configuration such as a terminal window that commands the router via Cisco's IOS, though a GUI tool save me an hour of puzzling and relearning is preferable.

I foolishly ran out and plunked down ~$200 on Apple's Airport Extreme, but the config software appears to want 10.4 or later. So much for plug-n-play!

Does VGBV have a special meaning on Yahoo Answers? What does it mean?

Background: I received best answer from the asker for a question (yay, me!) and the askers only comment was the cryptic acronym "VGBV". I checked a general acronym dictionary and a few internet acronym dictionaries....the closest I found was VBG (Very Big Grin) but this would have to be a huge typo for them to have meant that.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Auhjp...

(Could be other milks too but I have little experience with them.)

Most if not all of us in the western world have experienced coughing or gunk in our trachea/throats after drinking milk. In my case (and a few others I know) if I already have a cold a glass of milk can turn a little tickle into an hour or so of hacking and coughing.

Lots of pediatricians see babies and children with constant ear infections get well when they go off of milk.

What is the **mechanism** that makes this happen? Does it thicken phlegm? Cause you to produce more, or produce it in different places in your respiratory tract?

I found one site that claims a study showing this effect does not exist (but then fails give a reference!) I admit this is anecdotal, but it is SO pervasive that I think it is anecdotal in the same way that "diet can impact acne in puberty" is anecdotal.

Someone has been voting for a lot of my answers in the last couple of days. Some of these have been unresolved ties for weeks! Is it just a coincidence or have I collected a fan who recognizes my style and is systematically going through my answers looking for ones to vote on?