Saluki

After working for a big insurance company for over seven years, my sister wants to work for herself.

She is an amazing salesperson--extremely personable, persuasive, and very tenacious. She's gotten me and the rest of my family amazing deals just by haggling, and has gotten herself out of trouble countless times with her silver tongue and perseverance.

Well, she wants to put this talent to use, getting clients great deals on large purchases like cars and insurance packages, and then making commission based on how much she saves them. Is there a name for this kind of business? It must already exist, but I've never heard of it. I advised her to combine the above with consulting services, which she also loves doing.

Also, are there any other jobs that might be good for someone with this kind of talent? (Other than a lawyer--she wanted to go into law, but the market isn't good for that, and school's just too expensive.)

So I've been talking to this guy for a week, and we just met up in person on a date. He asked if he could take a picture of me on his phone, and I thought it was a little weird, but I was having a good time, so I agreed.

Now, he keeps texting me, telling me that he's using my picture as the background for his phone, and showing it to all of his friends, even random people that he happens to talk to--he's just so proud to be dating someone like me.

He keeps sending random texts about how he's the luckiest man in the world, he's thinking of me, or misses me.

It makes me rather uncomfortable... Should I be at all worried, or is this normal dating behavior for someone you've known for about a week?

Thanks for the advice.

So I met this guy who seems really great in every way... except he seems a little obsessed with me. We've gone on one date, and have been corresponding for about two weeks.

He sends a lot of messages, but I have work and night classes, so it's hard for me to respond to everything he texts/emails. And a lot of it is unnecessary to me. Like, he'll tell me he's going shopping or out running, and then start texting me what he buys, what store he's in, sending me pictures of things in the store that look interesting to him. He'll send me links to all kinds of things that made him think of me, or a bunch of links to things he likes, or just send me a text saying, "thinking of you," or "I miss you..."

Although I find it rather overwhelming, he seems angry if I don't respond quickly enough...

One time, I didn't receive a text he sent late at night (I was probably sleeping when he sent it anyway). The next morning, I sent him a reply to one of the emails he'd sent me yesterday. In response, all he wrote was, "you're still alive?!?! I sent you a text yesterday, and I was tired from work, and missing you. :("

I told him that I never received a text, and to please ask me if I received it before he got upset with me. He never responded to that, but the next day, he texted me when I had my phone off because I was in class. About an hour later, he texted me again, asking, "are you all right??"

I asked, "yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

He said, "you just didn't respond to my last text."

It was rather strange to me, especially considering I'd told him that I'd have work and class...

Anyway, he kept sending about eight to ten of these texts and emails every day (this does not include back and forth correspondence), until I felt burnt out.

I sent him a message, letting him know I couldn't keep up with all of it and could he please limit the messaging... and he got very upset, telling me that I was being unreasonable and freaking out for no reason (I was perfectly calm in my email, as far as I was concerned, and even let him know that I wasn't angry). He said that other women would love all of this attention, and that I was weird and immature for not wanting it.

I've never been in a relationship before, and have only dated someone once, so I don't have a good grasp on how often people who are dating usually correspond... I think his reaction is uncalled for, but is his amount of correspondence and expectations of me normal? Is it wrong for me to be bothered by his behavior?

Thanks in advance.

So I just graduated with a bachelor's in English, but I really want to get into the paralegal field (unfortunately, I decided this after I graduated), even if I just start as a legal secretary.

The problem is, in central Florida where I live, the entry level jobs (for both paralegals and legal secretaries) really push for a paralegal studies A.S. degree, or certificate. Some don't mind English degrees, but it's hard to even get noticed without legal training.

My local community college has an excellent ABA-approved paralegal program, and I really want to pursue it, especially since they confirmed that I'll get 21 automatic credit hours from previous courses I've taken. For the entire program (should take me a year and a half to complete), tuition will cost about $4,500.

Since I already have a bachelor's student loans are my only financial aid option. I don't owe a penny to anyone, and wouldn't have to pay for anything at all while I'm in school.

Do you think $4,500 in loans is worth it for the degree? I'll try for a different part time job to pay off as much as I can while I'm in school.

I just graduated from university with a Bachelor's degree in English. I have a lot of the skills needed to be a paralegal, but need some training in legal studies.

I can't get any financial aid, except for loans, and don't have a job right now (although I'm looking for part-time) so a certificate would be more practical.

But do employers like the fact that you have a certificate in Paralegal Studies, if that's coupled with a Bachelor's degree? Or would I be better off getting an A.S. in Paralegal Studies?

Also, how do I find decent certificate programs for Paralegal Studies (in central Florida)?

Thanks.

So I wanted to go to graduate school for a Creative Writing MFA quite desperately, but am no longer enthusiastic about the idea because I realized that I was doing it for the wrong reasons (to avoid entering the "real world" and basically force myself to write a novel).

I've done a lot of growing (I'm 22, and just got my BA in English), and feel ready to start a career. I really want to explore the legal secretary and eventually, paralegal fields, but if I go to grad school, that will be very difficult, since I'd need to work for a full assistantship.

The problem is, my mom thinks it's stupid for me to waste my intelligence, just stopping at a bachelor's degree and getting a "normal" job. I plan to continue writing and pursing art while I work, and even want to attend grad school if I feel the need after I've figured myself out, but she wants to hear none of it.

Do you think I should just go to grad school and forget it, or take some time off to try working?

Thanks for any feedback.

So there's this guy online who has a nice profile with lots of clear pictures, no spelling errors or anything, and who seems like a very decent type. He messaged me, asking, "how about a date :D"

I thought that was very sudden, but after reading some forums, I found that people were pretty split on asking for a date right away or waiting about three messages in.

So I decided to agree to get coffee with him, and asked when he was available.

He said, "anytime can I text u"

It seems too fast to me, and kind of like his language is deteriorating... Should I give him my number, insist that we talk online first, or just forget him altogether?

Is it possible to do this once you've chosen an option upon first signing up?

I have never been employed, and LI automatically asks for past jobs, of which I don't have any. I am continuing my education in the Fall, but I joined LinkedIn to help me land a job.

What's the difference between the job seeker and student accounts? Which is the best option for me?

Thanks in advance. :)

I am 22, and I usually have the worst menstrual cramps I've ever known anyone to have (if I don't take an Advil in time): extreme, crippling pain/contractions, nausea, vomiting every few minutes for several hours (from about 8:00 AM-3:00 PM), discomfort in my lower back, dizziness, weakness, the whole miserable package. I can always tell when it's coming, because I begin to feel slightly sick beforehand.

But the last time I got my period, it took me completely by surprise, because I didn't feel sick at all before it came. It was pretty painful, but I only threw up once, and managed to sleep it off by 9:30 AM! I figured that, although I took the Advil too late and couldn't keep it down, it stayed long enough to take effect (although I've never been so lucky before).

So I just got my period again, and once more, I was surprised, because I felt no pain ahead of time. It's 11:20 AM where I am, I haven't taken any Advil, and I still don't feel any pain at all. I'm very happy and excited, but could this be a cause for concern? Is it normal to just stop cramping as you get older? Gosh, please tell me it is, haha.

Thanks for any answers. :)

So I'm 22, and have very, very little experience with relationships of any kind.

I have an online dating profile, and was wondering if it would be better to say I'm interested in casual dating at the moment, instead of "looking for a relationship," even though I do eventually want a lasting relationship.

What kind of people usually date casually? Is it good for a girl who wants to find out more about her preferences before she's ready to commit to a serious relationship?

I went on a date for the first time about a month ago, and even though the guy I met was great, I eventually became very anxious: I wasn't that physically attracted to him, perhaps I'd find someone I liked even more, etc. I didn't think it was fair to him, so I told him the truth and we stopped seeing each other.

I'm seeing the disadvantage of not dating in high school, because I'm not sure what I want from a relationship, what my "type" is, and I'm not yet comfortable with intimacy on any level (dating itself, though, is great, from what I've experienced). I'm also trying to figure myself out in other areas, and part of that honestly includes indulging my curiosity and dating some guys I wouldn't consider (I think) having a long-term relationship with.

As you can see, I am quite confused at this stage in my life.

So what do you guys think? Should I be looking to date casually for a while, or would you recommend something else? Thanks in advance. :)

So guys I've never met will approach me in all kinds of places and just ask for my number. Like, I'll be at the mall, the library, a book store, grocery store, college campus... anywhere, and they'll ask me my name, chat with me a little, and then say they'd like to get to know me better and take me out.

Now, this never happened in high school. I was shy and nerdy, though I gained more confidence in 11th and 12th grade, and stopped caring (although I never showed that I cared even when I did).

All of this asking out really took off once I started college and decided that I didn't want to start dating yet.

Now, what got me asking this question was my friend's response. When guys do hit on my friend, which isn't that often, they're close friends who know her well. So when I told her about this and how odd I think the sudden change was, she said, "guys don't hit on me because I don't look like I'd... do things. No offense."

I took this to mean that she thinks I look like a slut, which was hurtful, but I really don't think I do. Even though I like fun fashion, I don't wear low-cut tops or short shorts/skirts, and never go to bars or clubs or anything. Also, guys never just cat call or ask me for sex. They ask about me and then ask for my number/a date.

So now it makes me wonder... Do guys think girls who dress up are easy? When they do think a girl looks like an "easy lay" is that how they approach them? And if that's not the reason, do you have any clue why guys ARE hitting on me so often?

I'm pretty average-looking, was 18 when this first started, am 5'1" and 97 lbs, don't really wear makeup except foundation and eyeliner on occasion, and love dressing up in girly or punkish outfits, but nothing extreme (no piercings, dyed hair, mohawks, etc.).

Also, the guys who usually approach me are black or Hispanic, though sometimes white, ranging from ghetto to goth, and I am black. My friend's white.

Here's a picture of me, and a good example of the way I typically dress:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=14241400076...

Thanks for the input, guys. :)

I need some input from you guys--and gals.

I'm going to be 22 on November 20th, and I've never had a boyfriend, never even been on a date.

It's not that no guy's ever asked me out, but they're always people I don't know and seem to have nothing in common with me, as I'm a super nerdy type who loves writing and video games (the RPG type). And I don't feel comfortable dating complete strangers.

From what I can remember, only one guy friend in the entire history of my life has said he likes me, but he wasn't my type.

I don't think I'm ugly, although the problem might be that I'm black and most of my friends are white. Here's a picture of me.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.105224659... (I usually dress more girly: bows, white stockings, dresses, etc., or kind of punk, although that's rarer nowadays)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.105224659... (Here's me a couple of weeks ago, at a friend's Halloween party :P)

I also used to be shy and reserved, but recently (about six months ago), I've come out of my shell and have been more social.

So, what do you guys think the deal is? My looks? My race? Do I just need to keep getting out and see what happens?

Thanks. :)

I'm trying to put together a fairy costume, so I ordered "elf" ears. The problem is, I'm black, so of course, the ears don't match my dark skin tone.

I found out that greasepaint is used to color latex prosthetics, but shipping is pricey on every place I looked. Where can I find this locally? Art stores?

And is there a cheaper alternative to using greasepaint?

Can I use brown face paint to color the ears and then set the paint with something?

Thanks.

I was invited to a Halloween party in which the theme is "fairy tales with a twist." For my costume, I wanted to dress up as a ghetto-fabulous fairy godmother, but I'm going to be the only black person at this party (pretty much everyone else will be white). Most of the people attending know me, and know I'm not ghetto at all, but I read this article that said that it was disrespectful and racist to dress up as "ethnic stereotypes" for Halloween, like geisha girls, or "gangstas."

So is it okay to dress up as a ghetto fairy if you're black? What would you think of a black friend (or any ethnic friend dressing in a "stereotypical way") or person at a party if they did this?

I'm going to be wearing gold heels, skinny jeans, a midriff-baring top, hoop earrings, a ton of eyeshadow and lipstick, super long press-on nails, fairy wings, a purple wig with blunt bangs (and gold antennae), and a "ghetto" wand.

Thanks. :)

Here’s the deal. I managed to get my important writing documents from my virus-ridden computer, but then the flash drive I had it on (a 4.0 GB Sandisk Cruzer Micro) got some sort of error and then said that it needed to be formatted. I tried several methods, mainly data recovery software, to retrieve the files, but nothing worked. So I finally caved and reformatted. It made the data recovery programs cooperative, but none of them came up with anything.

Is there anything a professional computer person could do that I couldn’t? If your data does not come up on these scans, is that a 100% indicator that your data’s gone forever?

I have not saved anything to the USB drive at all since the error occurred, and am willing to pay a fair amount of money to recover my files.

I just find it odd that whenever I hear about a black author, they're writing about life on the streets, slavery, or other forms of black oppression/inequality/struggle, or they write only about black people and their black lives. In other words, they always seem to gear their books toward black people (mainly African Americans) in particular (or maybe publishers only publish black authors who gear their work towards the "black community," I don't know). While I don't think there's anything wrong with doing that, I was wondering if there were any black authors that wrote sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. and had a host of characters of different races (most of them not black) and different backgrounds, where the main character could easily be changed into any other race of person and it would still be a credible book that made sense. You know, like, a Harry Potter or Twilight-type book written by a black person, with or without a black main character but with the same feel... you know, the feeling that the book wasn't geared towards any one race.

I was just wondering, because I'm a writer, and I'm black, but I don't have any interest in gearing my dark fantasy writing towards the black community (perhaps because I didn't grow up in it), but it would be cool to have some sort of insiration. I just learned about Shonda Rhimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, so I have some hope.

People talk about a cat's sense of balance and flexibility all the time, but nobody seems to address their amazing jumping abilities. Some dogs can jump impressively high, but I've never seen one jump nearly as high as a cat can, no matter how large the dog is. I'm just curious. What about a cat's design allows them to jump so high?

I'm asking because I didn't enjoy the first one at all and I'm wondering if it's even worth my time reading another one. Here are a few things to keep in mind: I like werewolves, I'm not crazy about romance, I don't enjoy nonstop action either, I like complex relationships of all types (friendships, family, etc.), I like realistically flawed characters, main characters must be active and involved, I'm not impressed by a pretty face and hot body, I am a mature reader who loves deep books but I'm also a sucker for humor, and I love a book with excellent writing.

Note: I am asking people who can actually be mature about the books, not people who've come to bash it. While I love hearing a good bashing every now and then, I really just want to know if any of the series is better. However, I do invite people who've read the books and despised it to come on board. I just ask that everyone tell me why they would or wouldn't recommend any particular book.

And I know, I know, I shouldn't skip around the series... If it's a later book, I'll try and get through the ones before it. Thanks everyone.

One of the most common arguments I've heard cat lovers (who hate dogs) use when saying why cats are better than dogs, is that cats have all of the loyalty and affection of dogs, but unlike dogs, they have minds of their own and won't follow you constantly like a dog will. You have to earn their respect. Another argument is that cats are small and can curl up on your lap/sleep in your bed. And then they say that cats have different personalities. What I don't understand is why they believe all dogs are huge, all dogs blindly obey, and all dogs are the same...

It's a plain fact that dogs are the most diverse animals on earth, in both appearance and behavior... And since I have a Chihuahua who is smaller than any of the cats in the neighborhood, he's more suited for sitting on my lap and curling up in my bed than any cat is. And I feel honored when he decides to spend time with me, because he prefers to be by himself, and can function just fine without being told what to do. The thing is, it's not just my dog. I've had five others who don't fit these stereotypes, each one with a distinct personality and set of traits, and I've had to work hard to earn their trust. I've met tons of other dogs who don't fit the stereotype either. So I don't understand why cat lovers who hate dogs come up with these assumptions. It's like saying that all humans are shy. The reason I love dogs is because whether you want to be master or be owned, have a hyper or lazy companion, have a skinny tall dog or a short fat one, or have a dog with long glamorous hair, fluffy hair, or no hair at all, there's a dog for you. No matter what you're like. Not so for cats.

But anyhow, my question is, cat lovers who hate dogs, have you really never seen a dog who isn't all of the things I've mentioned?