IrishFire

I get sick whenever it's wet outside. OUTSIDE. It's only 35% of relative humidity inside, which is very low. The landlord has been in the attic and found nothing. I have a gadget that claims to find moisture behind walls, and I've also found nothing.

I only get sick in my room, and only when it's wet out. What gives? Wouldn't I find something wet if it were mold?

There's a sweet, abused child who loved gardening in containers on his porch, but had all of his plants die when abusive parent got custody for a few months before the courts reversed their decision and put him back with the stable parent.

He was devastated that his plants died, and won't take part in raising new ones. Who could blame him? His black-thumb, garden-killing parent is trying to get him back into it by gardening *around* him. I think some super fast growing food might show him that he *can* see the fruits of his labor, even in an unpredictable situation, but the greens that grow in 25 days tend to bolt and do poorly in Hawaii's 70-80 degree winter weather. Any suggestions for super fast veggies that can be grown easily on a warm and humid porch? Note that bugs and moist soil diseases are prevalent in Hawaii and the garden-killing parent is likely to murder anything remotely complicated.

Thank you so much! I'm no relation, but the kid is a sweetheart and his first garden was his pride and joy and really gave the kid some confidence. I'd love to invest in seeing him grow again.

I use plenty of garlic in my cooking, and I've never had it stay spicy before when I wanted it savory and mellow, but last night I cooked it with a bunch of other spices, lemon, and white wine on large blue marlin steaks, covered in the oven at 325 degrees for just under 30 min. (I didn't want the marlin to dry out, but I wanted it to cook through!)

The garlic was terribly spicy, and didn't blend well with the other flavors. Does anyone know at what temp garlic loses that spiciness? Thank you!

I live in a tornado area and I'm moving into a third-floor apartment. There is no interior hallway, no 24-hour community building.

My parents are a (typically) 15 minute drive away, and have a nice big brick house with a basement. In bad weather or bad traffic, this could go up to 30 min. We get tornado watches OFTEN, but will usually get additional cautionary information if the storm is going to be especially bad or is expected to spawn more tornadoes.

Once it's a tornado warning, when is it too late to drive to shelter? How far is too far? There is also a flimsy-looking but large walmart and another 24-hour store that are only 5-10 minutes away by car.

I bought a sampler pack of 105 teabags from a highly recommended Etsy seller with sky-high ratings. The tea is here, in tea bags and very finely cut.

If I steep for a short time, remove the teabag, and drink it as soon as it's cool enough to drink, it's delicious. It's chopped so fine that quite a bit of the leaf dust settles out of the bag, however. If I steep it for a short brew time, remove the teabag, and then continue to let it steep and cool as I work it gets terribly bitter anyway! There's too much tea dust that continues to brew! Is there a fix for this?

I consider myself a proficient googler, but I'm coming up blank! Within 1-2 hours of closing the door on a room, the temperature in that room drops from 68 to 40-48, depending on the temperature and wind outside. The crawlspace and attic do not appear to be insulated. Help? The house is slated to be torn down in a couple of years (my lease is only for one, of course) so the otherwise helpful landlord isn't too interested in putting money into the home.

My most demanding bandwidth need is streaming: I watch netflix and hulu. AT&T and comcast are the service providers of note in my area. No torrenting, but I don't have cable: I want reliable netflix access without slowdowns and interruptions happening very often. Which package can I get away with?

Many thanks!

my phone is broken and I'd like a refurb 2G. What am I missing out on over a 3Gs? Will I miss out on new apps? I mostly use the phone for phone things, games, and most importantly, the email and calendar. Thanks!

I bit the bullet and got a gamefly subscription yesterday. I, ahem, only need games for a single day if you get my drift. I can rent games locally for $1.50-3, but local places are missing some key titles I'm interested in . . . hence the gamefly account!

Sadly, the titles I want are all low availability or worse. I have nightmarish paranoia that I'll pay for the whole month subscription without getting one of my four or five low-availability titles. How likely is that to happen? How long should I wait for a single game to ship before giving up and adding a high availability game that I didn't subscribe to the service for, or canceling altogether?

And how will I know if something has shipped?

Thanks for your input; I'm clearly new to this game!

Love My Fitness Coach, love Gold's Gym, enjoy Wii Fit Plus and DDR . . . hate EA Sports Active! When I read reviews online I think everyone must be playing a different game than I did. My friends don't like it either--not one bit! The workout is good, but the fun is nonexistant, the on-screen character doesn't follow my motions well, and the endless tutorials are irksome.

Did anyone out there find EA Sports Active ho-hum, but gain interest when they tacked on More Workouts? I feel compelled to try any and all fitness titles, but if I dislike the original, is this a lost cause?

I love fitness games, but I get bored! I have Wii Fit Plus, My Fitness Coach, Gold's Gym, EA Sports Active (which I do not care for!), and DDR. (And Daisy Fuentes Pilates, but that's not a fitness program--that's a joke!)

My Fitness Coach 2 advertises meal plans and use of the balance board, neither of which I find overly exciting. What else has changed from My Fitness Coach 1? I'm not usually an early adopter, but I'm so bored with my workout routine right now, and the price fits neatly into my budget.

Is it amazing? Is it a worthy sequel to its predecessor? There aren't any reviews online yet, so your input is appreciated!

I've previously been relatively fit, but pain from an auto injury has gotten in the way. It's subsiding, and I need the endorphins to get me through the wretched winter months, so I'm back at it.

I did half an hour on the elliptical yesterday and it felt great, but my legs were wobbling on the stairs afterward. I doubt I can do the same today! I have access to a gym. I have a bunch of fitness games, but they aren't the same intensity. What kick-butt cardio can I do tonight for the endorphin rush that won't antagonize the same muscles?

I used to do a boxing program I loved on the wii that's intense, but I haven't been able to play it--all that rotating of the torso has aggravated my back lately.

DVDs and computer programs are also something I can use, but I hate DVDs. Hate them. With a deep and irrational passion.

Outdoor activities are absolutely not an option presently, or I'd just go out and skate. Running is also not an option. Never has been. :-P

Thanks for your help!

In the next year, I'll get my degree, (hopefully) a kicking job, and my very first car that I'll spend over $2k on.

I'm a small person, and it's just me. I sometimes have one other passenger, almost never more than that. If safety weren't an issue, I'd be delighted with a two-seater.

I'd feel absolutely absurd and irresponsible driving something huge, but have you seen what negligent idiots are driving these days? Huge, deadly deathmobiles with a side of I-drive-while-texting DEATH.

Oops, my paranoia is showing.

Really, though, the utility-vehicles-that-shall-not-be-named tend to drive right up and over the safety features on smaller cars, crushing the unsuspecting environmentally responsible driver from above. So, um, how do I find myself a sensible car that will stand up to a redlight-running idiot with four tons of steel on his or her side? Or do I give up this silly notion and drive a minivan that seats myself and my six invisible friends because it's the safest thing on the market?

Actually, now that I think about it, are tanks street-legal? Can a civilian buy one?

I've only had my pelvis broken by one idiot driver, but given what I see on the roads, I'm optimistic that it's only a matter of time before someone else decides it's a good day to endanger innocent drivers in responsibly small cars.

I didn't really have the budget to swap out all of my BPA plastic bottles for $15 stainless steel ones, but mom got me a couple of $5 stainless steel bottles from Tuesday Morning. Made in China, "design for living" brand. Why can't these things go in the dishwasher? Does it have to do with the colored outside?

If I get this little gadget within 2 feet of any computer, speakers, TV, or even another phone, the speakers on those things buzz and hiss. What in the world is my phone emitting, and how do I make it stop??

It's jailbroken with redsn0w on 3.0.1, and I believe I have wifi, bluetooth, SSH, edge, and 3G all turned off. I find SBSprefs harder to navigate than good 'ol bossprefs, though, so I'm not sure. It's only mercifully quiet if I stick it in the center of the room alone or put it in airplane mode. This thing is first and foremost a phone, so I'd rather not do that!

I know sometimes the wrong flu strain jumps the pond, or mutates overmuch on its way over here, but in a year like this one, when we know the major strains quite well, how many vaccinated persons catch it anyway?

I got both shots because I'm high-risk and nurses literally call me to urge me to come in. Two close coworkers have h1n1, though, which makes me wonder. If the risk is low, I'm tempted to volunteer for infant or flu patient care, because there's so little vaccine in this area.

Thank you for your concern re: the economy and the big three, but I'm only investigating environmental impacts right now.

I drive a 1991 oldsmobile about 200 miles per month. I know cars over ten years old tend to be smoggers, but what's the equivalent damage of junking and recycling this one and manufacturing a new car? I can't financially upgrade yet, but I'm curious for the future. I would imagine it takes quite a bit of oil, machinery, chemicals and resources to make each new vehicle!

I also know that smaller cars are mostly better for the environment in both use and production, but have you seen what the other americans are driving, and how? Yikes! I feel I need more than a small amount of shielding between me and the SUV drivers who are "50% more likely to be involved in an accident because they feel safe." *shudder*

Thanks for your help. Opinions are great, but I'm addicted to data. Cheerio!

I used to eat all the time. I mean it: breakfast, a granola bar on the way to work, a bag of cucumbers, a bag of sliced bell peppers, a bag of baked cheetos, a bag of nuts, two sticks of string cheese, three dove chocolates, and then lunch!

They've changed the rules at work and I'm not doing very well. I'm tired. I'm hungry. I'm less productive and overly cranky.

Fortunately, they just relaxed them a super-smidgen to allow colored drinks. I know just drinking sugar all day won't make me any happier, so I bought some super expensive ($1 per 80 calories? Eww!) whey protein without all the artificial crap in it. I'm hoping this will save my job! I'd hate to quit over cheetos.

Now then. This stuff is uh . . . interesting. And by interesting, I mean not. I'm used to just portioning my already convenient crap and taking it to work along with a liter of water. I drink about a liter at work, or a third of that if we're so busy I can't even drink water. And I mean BUSY. I used to pop some almonds in my mouth as I walked by the foodstuffs, then chew as I was repairing or lifting and moving something. I've never done foods that slow me down, and couldn't do drinks that slow me down, either!

I have some dietary restrictions: no wheat, no eggs, no potatoes, I hate cabbage, and although I don't mind a *little* sugar, I hate for it to be a major portion of what I eat--or drink--all day, every day. What are some nice things I can mix up to drink at work that won't weigh me down or slow me down but will keep me up and going?

I'm currently working a grunt job with new and less-than-reasonable management. I perform at my best when I'm constantly nibbling, but now we don't even have time for breaks! We're allowed water only. I know sugar dissolves clear, but I don't want to do that to my body. Is there a protein type that will dissolve clear, or some other foodstuff I can get away with?

I don't do fake sugars of any kind, and I don't do wheat or potatoes. All yuck. I couldn't find anything that said whether whey protein dissolves clear, but I'd be surprised.

C'mon, people. Opinions are everywhere. Where's the SCIENCE? Science, for the purpose of this question, is peer-reviewed and doesn't have links to fabulous products at the bottom.

I'm female. At my current activity level of four mostly easy exercise days per week, I have no concerns about weight gain. I don't need to look like I can break a man in half, either, but I'd like to be sure I'm getting everything I can out of my workouts, and I'd like to really know whether more protein is a good thing or a bad thing!

I *think* I've gained back most of my muscle mass after I was off of my feet with a broken pelvis for a while, but there's still plenty of pain and I wonder if perhaps I'm short-changing my yoga, walking, abs, and general aerobics/cardio. (With just a pinch of arm-toning, for vanity! I'm pretty sure working my arms does nothing for my spine!) I couldn't care less about weight loss, so stuff it! I want to be healthy and stronger, and looking good naturally follows behind those things.

Soooo . . . protein! Good? Bad? Misunderstood? Bring it!