Cobalt

They're looking for a large number of extras for a crowd scene. We're not a big movie town, and they don't usually do big crowds. There was only about 10 days notice, and no one in town does headshots - not like I have a huge resume anyway, just been an extra in an indie film once. So do I really need it, or just a photo with contact info attached? I've heard (in looking online) that a generic extra generally doesn't need a headshot.

I'd like to go to Europe in late August/early September. But I don't want to go to Italy (been there), Spain, or France, and my partner doesn't want to go to Germany. We're both kind of meh about the UK/Ireland.

We'll only be able to take off about 5-6 days from work, although the days are flexible (we could go Tuesday-Tuesday, for instance.)

I was thinking a location in Central or Eastern Europe - particularly if the flights are expensive, it would be better if cost of living is cheap. But I don't know where to start!

I speak some German (enough to get around) and Armenian. He speaks a tiny amount of Spanish. Neither of us has any Russian. Will my German be enough to get us around in Eastern Europe?

I'm looking for folklore about moving into a new place - it's an apartment, but I have a lawn and a crossroads handy. I'm interested in folk practices only - no neopaganism/wicca, and preferably nothing specifically religious - but any culture is welcome to answer.

I already know about burying statues underneath the foundation (not possible), using wash-water on the house floors, and putting salt or lye in the corners of the building. Anything I should hang up, or put by the door? (We have two entrances.) I'll be moving in on the Lunar New Year, too.

This is a little detail in a novel I'm writing - say it's about 1990, and in the US. A Kerala man meets an African-American woman when they're both in medical school. Do his parents (who I know are going to be angry) insist on an Indian wedding or is it more likely that they just elope?

Give me your traditions for good luck on New Year's (not lunar, the Dec 31/Jan 1st one.) Lucky food (like black beans), things to do (like kiss your partner or have coins in your pocket) - all answers appreciated.

"A reverend and a pirate share a name. What will you plant in their honour?"

It might be a pun or word-game, or it might be trivia I'm not getting. It has a cryptic crossword feel to it; the author is British. It should be a word or a phrase.

I don't have a word length (it's a riddle, not a crossword - previous riddles have been as short as a 4-letter word and as long as a 23-letter phrase). I've tried most basic plants, but I think it's a word-game I'm just not quite getting. It's also not 'privet' which I thought would be right. It's also not 'cotton'.

"A reverend and a pirate share a name. What will you plant in their honour?"

It might be a pun or word-game, or it might be trivia I'm not getting. It has a cryptic crossword feel to it; the author is British. It should be a word or a phrase.