Lil

I was friends with "Tom" for over a year before we realized we had feelings for each other & agreed to start a relationship, even though it's long-distance. He was a fantastic friend, but since we started dating it's like he's become a whole different person.

When I try to talk, 7/10 times he will interrupt & talk over me.

We set up dates & times to talk, but he's forgotten on several occasions & said "You should have reminded me."

I don't have a problem with pot, but he does it so much it's started to interfere with his life.

I asked if we should exchange Xmas gifts this year, & said if we didn't it was ok. He insisted on yes, so I made & purchased thoughtful gifts I sent & he loved. That was over a month ago, & I haven't gotten anything - it's not the gift, it's just the fact that he makes HOURS of time for his gaming hobby & pot, but can't bother to take 30 minutes to send me even a measly card. When I brought it up, politely, he just said "I'm such an @$$hole, I'm sorry!" but in the end does nothing about it.

I thought maybe he doesn't want to be in a relationship, but he calls and texts me a lot saying how much he misses me, he can't wait to see me again, & how he's so hopeful for our future together. He's still decent & great in other ways, but I just don't know if it's worth it - I feel like he's not putting any effort in or doesn't care enough to. When I try to talk about it he just insults himself, which isn't necessary. Should I consider saying goodbye?

Before I get into it - my dog has a vet appointment in about 2 hours so I can get this checked out by a professional, I was just wondering if anyone had this problem before and what it was.

Yesterday I noticed my 11 year-old dachshund was lethargic and tired. He peed and pooped fine, but when he ate and drank, it was slow and labored (normally he is a fast eater). While checking him out for any visible problems, I rubbed his neck and he whimpered. I checked his mouth but could not see far enough down the inside of his throat to find anything. His throat is not swollen outside, however. He is NOT vomiting, gagging, choking, sneezing, or sniffling, nor is there any type of discharge. He is still lethargic, but is begging me for belly rubs heheh. Any thoughts as to what could be the problem? I'll let you all know anyway after the vet checks him out.

I'm from the East coast and have never been to Washington state before. Based on recommendations and research, I'm considering moving there but I need more information. I'd prefer Seattle or Redmond, but I am very open to other suggestions. Where are the best / cheapest places to rent, where are the jobs, etc? I don't care about nightlife, I am not a partier. I do not have a degree / trade certificate yet, so cheap living is the most important thing to consider, with hopefully a college or culinary school within commuting distance. Can anyone please give me some advice?

At my job at a convenience store, there are many cameras, obviously. There are a few "blackout" spots though where there are supposedly no cameras. A few days ago, a man came into our store and sexually assaulted a woman before running off. That same day, my coworker discovered her cell phone was stolen from her purse. The police came to check the cameras to get an ID on the sexual assault perp, but the camera's angle did not reach far enough, so they collected what they could and left. Also, since no one came forward about my coworker's phone, my boss told everyone that there are "hidden" cameras to which no one has access except the head of corporate security, who only visits stores to check the "hidden camera footage" when he is specially requested. He is the only one who has access to the footage, and refuses to tell ANYONE where the secret cameras are, or even let them see the footage he collects (because then they'd be able to discover where they are). My question is, is that legal? Shouldn't employees and customers have the right to know where the cameras are and where they are being filmed? Also, if there really were hidden cameras, wouldn't it be illegal to hide this footage / deny access from the police? Thanks for your help. Are my bosses just trying to instill fear in us so that the person who took the phone will come forward?

Every few months or so, I get dreams about being struck by lightning. I can't think of anything that would link these dreams together or why they keep happening. It always happened like this : I'd be standing in front of a window, then I'd look up and see lightning barreling down towards me. I wouldn't be able to move or make noise or anything until the very LAST second, when I hop backwards and the lightning strikes the floor instead, usually not leaving a mark. I've had this dream (set in various places) a few times a year for the past few years.

Today however, I had a dream I was moving old lamps and TVs out of my sister's and my apartment, and it was snowing outside, but suddenly a lightning bolt came down, illuminating the clouds around it with a lot of light, and STRUCK me. I flew probably about 30 feet before landing, barely conscious, and my sister ran over. I woke up out of breath and shaking. What do these dreams mean? Why was this one the first one in which I was actually hit? I am frightened of lightning in real life, but more so in these dreams that seem to happen every few months. None of the dream dictionaries I've looked at seem to make sense. This isn't urgent or anything, just bizarre. Anyone else experience this? Thanks in advance for all the advice / comments / etc.!

I recently purchased a 2003 Grand Marquis LS from my Great Uncle. It only has about 80k miles on it. The car is in great shape, except for when trying to put the Passenger-side window up using the driver-side control panel, it doesn't work, the locks unlock and lock, or sometimes the car even stutters a little bit. Today it started raining, and I forgot about the quirk and tried to put the window up. I was going downhill at about 50 miles an hour, and the car stalled completely. I was still able to apply brake pressure and to signal a turn into a parking lot. I tried to restart it, but it didn't work. My Dad came by and tried to help jumpstart it, but it still didn't start, leading me to believe that it's not the battery. Also, the interior lights, signals and remote locking device still work. My Dad thinks it might be a blown fuse, but checking online forums makes me think it's also possible it's the alternator. Is there anyone who might be able to help me? It's at the mechanic's overnight, but I figured I might get a good idea of what it could be now. Thanks in advance for your help!

I am 24, almost 25 years old. I have been in a few serious relationships, but nothing that even came close to an engagement or moving in together or anything. I was heavyset when I was younger, so I didn't attract a lot of guys. I worked full-time for the past 5 years, as well as went to college intermittently, took care of my house, and helped raise my nephew, but now I am in a PT job with FT college. I found time for relationships in my busy schedule, but they never really worked out. I got annoyed when guys would just assume I would pay for everything since I had a FT job, or sometimes we just drifted apart. I have never felt dependent upon a man to make my life happy - I have a good family and lots of hobbies.

My sister, however, has always been desperate for a man, including sleeping around, getting knocked up, and becoming crazy dependent on all sorts of crazy men for her own happiness. I recently found out that I may have Endometriosis, which affects fertility, among other things, so it is highly unlikely I will ever have children (I'm fine with this). I am also still a virgin - I never found the "right guy" that I wouldn't regret losing it to, so I figured I'd wait till I was married, so that is another reason I don't have a man. My dad and stepmother, however, figured for some reason that since my sister constantly wants to be set up with people, that they should do the same for me. They found a man who sings Karaoke at their local club every Thursday night, and my sister said he looks like a cross between Hagrid from Harry Potter and The Dude from The Big Lebowski. They really, really want to set me up with him, but there are a couple problems.

A) I despise my stepmother. She is a meddling gold-digger with two lazy kids and an IQ of 10. I don't trust her judgment.

B) I don't feel like dating. I see guys in the grocery store or wherever and think, "He's cute," but I have no urge to date.

C) I don't like having to explain my still being a virgin, nor my Endometriosis. I wouldn't know when to bring these up - I don't want him to get attached only to find out I am not interested in sex in the near future, plus I have a messed up uterus.

I also feel kind of embarrassed, like they think I am lonely and can't find a man. I find it difficult to tell people to butt out of my business - I already casually mentioned to my stepmother that I am not interested in dating, then all of a sudden 3 weeks later she keeps trying to find me men. What do you think?

Last night, someone dropped a kitten on the side of the road in front of my house and sped off. He was too quick for me to catch the license plate. The kitten immediately started yowling, so my mother and I took it up on our lawn, fed it, watered it, and provided a crate for it to sleep in. We already own an old cat (she is 13 years old) who is not friendly with other animals. As much as we wish we could keep it, it is not a possibility. If we leave her for a second she becomes upset, cries and claws at the screen doors and climbs the screened windows to come inside and follow us. We live on a very quiet road in the mountains, so there isn't a real risk of her getting hit or anything if she stays outside, but it is unfair to the cat to have to stay outside all the time when it seems like all she wants is to come in and have someone pet her. She is extremely affectionate, follows me and my mother around, really sweet and crazy adorable! She would be adopted in a heartbeat, but here's the catch - the only animal shelter is over an hour away, and they refuse to take the cat unless we give them $100, which is kind of rough right now because money is tight. No one I know can take it, either. My mother wants to drop it off at PetSmart, which is only 30 minutes away, saying she found it in the parking lot and maybe a customer lost it, but I don't know what they would do for it and I feel uncomfortable defrauding a store. Would the ends (a home for a kitten) justify the means (lying to PetSmart)? Any other suggestions? I'm providing for the kitten in the meantime but it's unfair to her not to find her a forever home!

I adopted a long-haired dachshund from a neglectful home some time ago. He had not had his shots in at least 2 years, was almost 10 lbs. overweight (at least they never forgot to feed him), had mats in his fur so bad they had to be cut off, a collar that was well on its way to becoming embedded in his neck, his nails were so long they were curled and growing into the pads of his feet (making it difficult and painful for him to walk), and when I picked him up, he had been tied up in freezing rain for at least 4 hours, with no shelter and less than 1 foot of chain between his behind and the post. All these problems were rectified as soon as I adopted him - he is now a healthier weight (still working on those last two pounds, but vet is not overly concerned), clean, happy, and well-taken care of.

There is still one problem, however, that I have not been able to fix. His teeth. He has a lot of plaque, and his gums are in bad condition. I followed the exact plans my veterinarian gave me for his dental care, but unfortunately, it didn't do any good. Now, I have to have 3 of his teeth removed, as well as blood work, urine analysis, and the cleaning, which they estimated at about $1,400. I do not make a lot of money (I go to college and work full-time), and it would take me more than a year to save up enough to get his teeth fixed. I asked about financial plans, but they were unwilling to help me, and said the full amount had to be paid at the time of the procedure. I am also moving in 2 months, so this does not help my financial situation, either. I do not want to beg for money, but I know there are some websites that allow people to anonymously make donations towards a person's pet's vet care. I was also considering asking the SPCA, but I doubt they would be willing to help me just get my dog's teeth fixed for free or cheap, that's not what they're there for. Does anyone else have any suggestions as to how I can get my dog's teeth fixed? Bad dental hygiene is linked to heart problems, and I also don't want my dog's teeth and gums to get any worse. Any serious suggestions are greatly, greatly appreciated!

I can't remember what movie this is from, but basically the scene happens as follows...

Someone almost gets hit by an object or person, but it misses... then, they say, "Woah ho ho!" and a second later they get hit with something / by someone. I can't remember if it's from a movie or TV show, I've tried google but nothing really comes up. Anyone know what it's from?

Just something I always wondered - and it's impossible to know for sure, but - how do dogs feel about their collars? When I take my dog's collar off, he seems to get a little antsy, but the only time I take it off is for when I groom or bathe him (neither of which is a traumatic experience). When I shake his collar to jingle the tags, he bolts over to me and jumps on my lap. Is it possible he actually likes his collar, or is it just something familiar he doesn't like to be without? Like when we wear a piece of jewelry every day, then the one day we don't, we feel somewhat naked? Speculations and experience are absolutely welcome, it was just something I have heard other dog owners have experienced, and something I always wondered about. Thanks in advance!

I saw a picture online of these roses made entirely out of bacon. My roommate's birthday is tomorrow, and I wanted to make a few with her breakfast. It looks like they are just strips of bacon wrapped around a stick, then cooked, but I wanted to be sure. I can't find the recipe on any cooking sites, nor Google. Any help is appreciated!

I have had a Long-Haired Dachshund for 2 years - I rescued him from abusive, neglectful owners who had him tied outside in 10 degree weather for hours and considered that "care." When I adopted him, he was very, very needy and anxious, but after a few months he became happy and confident, and remains so to this day!... Except for one thing. He licks. Constantly. It does not matter who it is or how long he has known them, he will find their ankle or elbow or face or even feet, and lick like he's trying to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop! When he is being pet, he'll stop sometimes, but most of the time he just keeps right on licking as you scratch behind his ears or rub his belly. Is this a sign of affection, or does he just want attention? Could he still have residual problems from his previous owners that are manifested by him licking people? Or does he just love us that much?

I've had a Goliath Bird-Eater tarantula for about 3 months now. My brother gave me his Mexican Red-Knee after he and his wife had a baby - he knew I had wanted one since I was five (I'm 23 now). Then about a month later, he bought me a Goliath Bird-Eater. She is approximately 3 or 4 years old, past Spiderling age. I was surprised to say the least, but I did the best I could by reading various tarantula care books. There are still a few unanswered questions, however. She has a very good appetite and eats loaded crickets, but hovers above her water dish quite often. This is irritating when I want to replace her water as I don't want to mess with her. I read that this is because the tank is not humid enough, but I mist the cage (not too much) and the hygrometer is at about 70 - 80%. Also, she does not hide in her log, though it is big enough for her. Why not? Could it be related to the fact that she also does not burrow in her substrate? I used the recommended soft bark and dry moss (for humidity), and it is several inches deep, but she does not even seem to attempt. I've heard mixed "facts" about whether or not they do this - any info? Thanks for everything!

I've had irregular periods for a few years now, but so far it was only that I would skip a month or two, then get a normal period. Lately, though, I did not have my period for almost 3 months, then very, very, very light for a week or two, then suddenly I've had heavy, unstoppable bleeding for almost 3 weeks. There are heavy clots and I go through "Super" size in about one and a half, sometimes two and a half hours. I do not feel drained or overly exhausted, but also do not have any of the usual period symptoms (bloating, cramping). So - just bleeding, really, but a lot. I scheduled an appointment with a gyno (my first time going :P ) in a few days. Should I be worried? What kinds of information should I give her? I am not sexually active, don't stick anything "foreign" up there (besides tampons - no douches), I am not bulimic / anorexic, and have no diseases or illnesses that I am aware of. Any advice?

On World of Warcraft, I want to have different characters on different Realms. How can I make a completely new character and place her on a different Realm? Whenever I go to character creation, it never asks what Realm I want or anything, just goes straight to creation. Help?

About a year ago I found some pretty cool bookends at a TJ Maxx in Florida... I went back to buy them, but they were long gone. They were some kind of silver metal, and there were 3 separate designs... One looked like a hand giving the "peace" sign, another hand looked like a "thumb up," and the last was the hand signal someone would give for "OK." These were the only bookends cheesy enough to decorate my room, and now I can't find them! No eBay, no Google, no Amazon, nothing! I even tried TJ Maxx online! Anyone have any idea what I'm talking about and/or where I could get them? Thanks!

I've been working with a man for the past 4 months, and for the past 3 have had romantic feelings for him. Here's the problem: he's one of my bosses. He's sweet, funny, hard-working, and has a great smile. About 3 weeks ago, we starting hanging out. I mentioned to him that I was going to look for a computer, and he immediately jumped in that he would like to help me... and he did! He even went so far as to set everything up for me, including putting the table together and installing the programs I wanted, so I treated him to lunch, and we had a lot of fun.

He comes over to my house at least 3 times a week now, and has spent the night almost every occasion (he lets me take the bed and he sleeps on the floor of my room, refusing to take the couch in the living room or my bed, even though I offer every time). We already discussed that we can't mention at work that we're "fraternizing" (his word), but we continue to go out to dinner, see movies, etc. We've been professional at work, too: I treat him as my boss and he treats me as his employee, so I know we can both seperate business and pleasure. He wants to hang out tomorrow night into Sunday, insisting he's going to take me out to dinner and a movie, but here's another catch: whenever he comes over, he tends to play an online MMORPG, and while we both enjoy the game, I feel that maybe he's just using me for my computer right now since he won't have his for another month. We still go out, but sometimes it's irritating to watch him play the game while I just sit on my bum. He tries to get me to play while he's over, too, but sparingly, and after watching him do so for 3 hours I don't particularly feel like it anyway. When he mentioned he was getting his computer soon, I joked and said, "So we'll never see you again after that, huh?" referring to our job, but he said, "No, after that you and can actually go hang out and do things." But he's the one who doesn't seem to want to go do something else, which is confusing. I'll offer things in his interest like museums and such, but he always declines. I mean - he's made no romantic moves, but always wants to hang out and apparently still wants to even after he won't need my computer. My friends say it's because I haven't made any moves either, and he's probably just as nervous as me (especially with a large age gap, as well as the work issue). What is on this guy's mind? Should I tell him my feelings, and if so, how?

I've been working for a retail store for several months now, but for the past 2 have had feelings for my boss. He is kind, happy, hard-working, and we share some important interests. The thing is is that A) Like I said, he is one of my bosses and B) He is 17 years older than me! I am in my early 20's and he is in his late 30's. But that doesn't matter. I just want to know if I have a chance. We work in different departments, but have contact here and there throughout the day. Sometimes we'll talk, usually about common interests like TV shows we like, music, etc. I've kept my feelings secret from him, but can't help but give a big grin whenever I see him.

I'm trying to show him in little ways I care - when he was sick I made him homemade soup and brought it to work, and when he thanked me he got close to my ear. I heard he was spending Thanksgiving alone, so I offered to bring him dinner, but he said no. The day after Thanksgiving, I was teasing a little about how he missed some awesome food, but he looked down and said that he just didn't like anyone going out of their way for him. So - yeah - conflicting much? Grr! Any advice?

The other day, when I was smiling the biggest, sweetest smile I could (I guess you could call it a "more-than-a-co-worker" or a "serious" smile), he returned it and we made eye contact for a few seconds until I looked down, blushing. When I looked back up as he was leaving he was still smiling and we made eye contact until he was gone. He also gave me a compliment on my music tastes, which sounds normal, but there was something in his voice that was - I don't know how to explain it - I felt it was more personal or something. His tone had gotten deeper and he was less flippant than just some normal compliment. We made deep eye contact again when I gave him a real "Thank you" with the normal "serious" smile.

Maybe I'm just overreacting because I'm seeing what I want to see? Ugh! Frustrating! How can I tell if he likes me back, how can I tell him I like him, or what should I do? My feelings get stronger for this man every day!

Thanks for all your advice, hahaha!