Blossomo2

House cats, if left to fend for themselves, turn to hunting rodents and small birds as a food sources. Yet I've never seen a cat food manufacturer make food from these animals. Why is this? Is there a nutritional or cost reason? Or is it driven by marketing? (i.e., because human owners prefer to buy their cats food that sounds delicious based on a human palate: "tender beef slices in gravy").

The closest I've ever seen is premium raw frozen cat food made from rabbit meat. We had to buy it for our old cat who could not tolerate any kind of grain filler in her food.

I just watched Josh Groban sing the U.S. national anthem at the NBA All-Star game. He was wearing an electronic ear piece of some kind in his left ear. What does that do?

While we're on the subject, I've seen many drummers wear earpieces, too. Same thing?

Hi there! I've seen a number of questions where the asker gave a birth date and wanted to know when he/she would be married, to whom, etc.

How do these predictions work? What can a birthdate tell us about marriage prospects?

It's interesting to learn about marriage customs in other cultures, and I was curious. Thank you!

My cat, Buddy, is a master practitioner of the eastern arts. His specialty poses are "Dead Walrus" and "Zen Thanksgiving Turkey."

I have an old friend whom I've known since we were kids. She has a good heart and is fiercely loyal.

She has also become a conversation monopolizer. If we have a 60-minute phone conversation, it will be about 50-55 minutes of her talking about whatever is on her mind, in minute detail. I'm amazed at how long she can ramble without pausing for a breath or checking to see if her listener is still engaged (I've sat silent for 15 minutes at a time, and she doesn't seem to notice). If I change the subject, somehow she brings the subject back to her, and we're off to the races with a new monologue.

I am drained at the end of these calls. I have resorted to emails and instant messages and Facebook posts. Can you suggest any strategies, short of letting the friendship die? I'd be super grateful.

If you received one of these as a favor, what did you do with it afterwards?

If you've seen these given as favors, how many were left behind by guests and not taken home at all?

If married guests each get a photo keepsake, are they expected to display both of them in their homes?

Do men like receiving these?

(This is a "just curious" question. I'm not planning a wedding.)

I seriously doubt I could have sold my husband on the idea of being Prince Charming for a day. Just curious as to what other guys think.

A variation of this question gets asked every day in Weddings:

"Is 17 too young to be engaged?" The question is then followed by an explanation about how the person is "very mature" and very in love. Inevitably, there will be 20 answers saying, "YES, you're too young" and 2 or 3 saying "NO, age is not important, go for it."

Have you ever seen one of these 17-year-olds pick one of the "you're too young" answers as the Best Answer? Do they ever stop and say, "thanks for the advice, you're right, I'd better finish school, get a job, and wait a few years?"

Just curious. Thanks!

Here's the sitch. A photo is taken of three gals, who we will call Skinny Minnie, Heavy Hannah, and Obese Olivia..

Minnie is thin.

Hanna is 10-20 pounds overweight.

Olivia is severely overweight.

Is it rude for Minnie to look at the photo (with the others present) and exclaim, "OMG, I look SO fat in this picture."?

What if it were Hanna making the same statement?

Can a tiger change his stripes?

Why is it that if a women gets invited to a bachelorette party but not a wedding, she's furious....

but...

if a guy gets invited to the bachelor party but not the wedding, he's deliriously happy?

Is it because a free stripper makes up for any breach of etiquette? ;-)

Apparently, this is a popular thing to do for bachelorette parties: put the gals in matching t-shirts that denote their positions: "maid of honor," "Future Mrs. Smith," etc.

If you've received one of these, did you wear it again after the wedding?

Yes, this is a vague, abstract, and philosophical question. Please answer it anyway. :-)

...or, at least, a woman who SAYS she will reject a proposal due to an undersized diamond?

Just curious if you actually know a real live person who has this attitude.

(A) What the bride wants

or

(B) What the bridesmaids can afford?

If one of your bridesmaids could not comfortably afford the dress you wanted, would you prefer it if she asked you to consider a less expensive dress, or that she quietly backed out altogether?

In my home, it was bacon fried rice. I'm American of Japanese descent, so we ate steamed rice with many meals. Leftover rice was put in the fridge, and the next night, it thrown in a pan with some bacon fat and onions. When we got our first microwave oven in the early 80s, you could simply heat the leftover rice and have almost perfect rice the next night, too.

What facts help you make up your mind?

Do you find that the bride's use of certain buzz words or phrases affects your opinion? (e.g., "it's my day" or "I want the focus to be on me").