Rob D

I work in a office where we have separate equipment to be used for every department. I have a few co-workers that continually "borrow" equipment without asking as they either break their equipment or misplace it. I don't mind them borrowing the equipment, just want to be asked as it's often needed for my own work. Their response is "it was sitting on a shelf, so it wasn't being used" even if the shelf was holding that experiment or just the fact that I put my equipment away. I've tried to talk to them, talk to the boss, have stern talking, nothing seems to help. Is there something I'm missing without putting everything in a lock-box day and night? (which isn't quite allowed at work due to security reasons)

Long story short, have a friend who's newly claimed them-self as transgender. No problems with this, likes to go by ze/hir/him/hirs which is fine, no problem. Only real problem is that they are still going by their old non-gender neutral name, which confuses some older friends to break the habit. Question is how to try to calm them down when someone uses odd regionally gender-neutral terms. For instance, in Balitmore using hon or honey is genderal neutral for both genders. Using Sweetie/sweetheart in the south/southern states or darling in some of the similar states is considered gender-neutral by it's users, but throws hir off the deep end whenever some old lady uses it (of course also not knowing to use a "gender neutral" term as ze wears no sign). Any suggestions on how to try to help explain that if someone uses these terms, it's not non-gender neutral?

Looking for a new phone, these seem to be the top three choices offered by sprint right now, any suggestions would be great!

I asked this once, but only got a "smart" answer from one person and no real advise...

I'm looking for a few opinions on the pros and cons to no walking during a Graduate Ceremony. Although I value my education, the way the department has treated their students has left me with a very bitter taste in my mouth. To add, as part of the Ceremony one has to be "hooded." This is more the hesitation as this is meant to be a "honor" ceremony, and my adviser passed away as of a year ago. His "replacement" is not willing to hood, and if I do I will need someone outside my department to hood me.

I can't decide if I don't want to walk because of the fact that I don't care about the ceremony that much (didn't walk for undergrad) or if it is because of the political downfalls of the school that I am in, and to that end should walk anyways. Any opinion or story of Didn't do it and Did/did not regret it would be appreciated.

Please no comments about how a Graduate Degree is a joke and should be taken lightly, that's what someone gave me, and It wasn't appreciated.

I don't care of it's wireless or not, but I'd love to have a Keyboard/Mouse that I could connect to 3 computers at once, and use some sort of a button on the mouse to switch between the 3 computers... I'm getting tired of having to use 3 separate ones on my desk when I'm multitasking

I have a bank account with Bank of America with a few Hundred dollars in it. I haven't been able to use the account due to the simple fact that I moved away from the area where they do business for grad school. It's been sitting for about two years not doing much at all. Is it better to just go ahead and close the checking account and get the few dollars out of it, or wait a year and see if I will be moving back to a area where they do business. I'm tempted to drop them and get a Chase account (which serves the north east as well). but I'm still up in debate.

One of our mutual friends has gotten engaged recentally, I suspect due to some "insecurity"... but I tried to use it as a innocent way to go "what if" to my girlfriend of a year and a half to try to see what she likes. I wasn't planning to ask for another year, but I basically got: It has to be store bought from an expensive jewlry store, at least 2 carrots, 18k white gold.... Nothing else will be acceptable.

I'm all for spending money on my girl, bought her tickets and travel to NY to see a Broadway show twice, and have no problem with that, but I feel like something is wrong when I make 12k a year, and the ring she is demanding is 7k or more. Which is sad as she has a small hand, and it'll look bad...

What's wrong with Cubic Zerconia, the only people that can tell (in my experience) are jewlers. Most people can't tell. At least with this economy, isn't it better to have something than not get anything at all?

Here's something that I've found interesting. I asked a question to "yahoo" a few weeks back about my friend who got a breast reduction from a DD to a A cup to impress a boy, realized she didn't get the attention she used to get and got implants back to a C/D cup, and plans to go in later to get to a DD as she couldn't fully fill them back up(she started this when she was 16, she's now 19; parents paid for it all).

The thing I found the more curious about his was that people were ok with her getting the reduction, even though that it was for cosmetic purposes. She had no back pain, breasts were not huge compared to body/weight, actually could have lost a few pounds to get them down a cup, etc. But, almost everyone objected to her getting the implants after wards.

Personally, I think the parents should be shot for approving either of the surgeries, but I question how one is "better" than the other in regards to the fact that both are "cosmetic surgery." Strangely, the implants are safer to get done, spare the fact that she had stitches that were not fully healed.

Any thoughts to why they are looked at in such separate light when in reality, both are used for cosmetic purposes these days, and both have merit for real medical issues (breast cancer survivors sometimes get them to feel more like a woman if the breast had to be removed).

To make a very long story short:

Girl I know from high school (15-16) wants to get a reduction from DD's to A's because she thinks a boy she likes will go out with her if she was flat chested. Convinces parents and doctors to do this due to her "back hurting." A few months after it being done, she realizes she isn't getting the normal "attention" she had been getting before and decides she made a mistake. She then convinces her parents to pay for her to get implants to put her back to just about where she was before and about a year... year and a half later she's back to her old size.

Sadly, this isn't the only female I know who's gotten a reduction due to a boy and then later put plastic in (now, if she was 40 and got a lift with a boost, that would be a different story). Does this make any sense to anyone on both why she did this and why her parents allowed this when they don't make more than 60k a year. Though, they didn't have to pay for the reduction, just the implants. Insurance for Post Office workers is apparently good enough to get it done without much out of pocket.

I have a sizable shot glass collection, I'm debating weather its worth to take off all of the price tag stickers or leave them on as a "record" of how much things cost and such.

So, I believe that a close friend of mine needs a smaller bra size, and can't figure out how to get it into her head that she needs to be re-fit. She's convinced that she needs and wears a 38DD/DDD sized bra. I've measured her before (don't ask how much convincing that took), and with i've found she's a 36C. Now, I'm all for wearing what's confortable, and maybe that's part of it... but I find it odd when the days she dosen't wear a push-up to the top band she looks like she's not wearing a bra (they're not holding anything down) and even with a push-up, she can fit her phone and I-pod nano (2nd generation) in her bra without it causing her bra to ****. Now, if it was a razor, sure, but it's one of those 1.5" thick phones and she puts one in each of her cups, not in the cleave. So, 1. Am I crazy to think that she needs to be re-sized and wear a small cup at least, if not band. 2. Any thoughts to convince her that she needs to help he puppies by wearing something more size specific? I've even tried to get her to go to victora's seceret, but she refuses to let those "old ladies touch my ladies" even with her current bra on.

I am planning to go off on a trip soon, and so far I can only seem to find a Kindel or Sony pocket reader as a possiable method for a seperate device to read pdf's on. I'd like to find something that wasn't more than thirty or forty bucks, dosen't need to be fancy, just somethign simple. I was thinking of and i-touch, as I also need a new mp3 player, but I keep hearing it's too small to read...

I'll probably end up just using my laptop and pray I can find a place to charge it at the airport.

This question derives from a girl I know who had breast surgery when she was 17. She had DD's, 5'0" and was 50 pounds overweight. Although she told the doctor and her parents she had back problems, in confidence she told me she really didn't have any problems other than after her 6-8 hour vido game sessions, which still happens due to her posture. The majority of her reasoning was that she wanted to wear smaller tops (XS) like some of her anneroxic friends were wearing as she though this would make her more popular with a certain boy. I told her at the time that if she got off the couch and started loosing the excess weight, she'd loose two cup sizes. She is now (at 19) Looking to find the money to get her breast enhanced back to her orginal size as the doctor basically had them removed (A Cup) for insurance purposes. Sadly, the doctor was suposto to leave at least a Lifted B, but that's a different story. It didn't take more than a week before she started to buy push-up bras because she was missing a major part of her body. Sadly, she looks out of balance now even with people who don't know her.

On the same token, I have know a few girls who get breast enhancement surgery on the premice that they think they will become "hotter" and it will bost their confidence, and end up being in the same spot and wanting more surgery. Though, I have found that this is happening less than it has before.

Sadly, through my look at yahoo and other news groups, There's many a woman who have had reduction surgery or others and have "changed their mind" or have had bad experiences.

Now, I'm all for freedom of choice with things, but I tend to wonder if the ability to have "safe" surgeries in both breast enhancement, reductions, liposucitons, etc. are not good for socieity as a whole. I am all for people getting a surgery that will help them out, enhance things, etc. but I wonder if there should be an waiting list for thigns that are not goign to put someone's life in jeopardy. For instance, having a psychological exam on emotional health before you can get cosmetic surgery done and a waiting period of 6 months to a year or so. Something on the same lines of a tatoo's rule of thumb. You want to to have the idea on paper at least 6 months, if after that time you still want it, it's likely you are making the choice that is best.

This question derives from a girl I know who had breast surgery when she was 17. She had DD's, 5'0" and was 50 pounds overweight. Although she told the doctor and her parents she had back problems, in confidence she told me she really didn't have any problems other than after her 6-8 hour vido game sessions, which still happens due to her posture. The majority of her reasoning was that she wanted to wear smaller tops (XS) like some of her anneroxic friends were wearing as she though this would make her more popular with a certain boy. I told her at the time that if she got off the couch and started loosing the excess weight, she'd loose two cup sizes. She is now (at 19) Looking to find the money to get her breast enhanced back to her orginal size as the doctor basically had them removed (A Cup) for insurance purposes. Sadly, the doctor was suposto to leave at least a Lifted B, but that's a different story.

On the same token, I have know a few girls who get breast enhancement surgery on the premice that they think they will become "hotter" and it will bost their confidence, and end up being in the same spot and wanting more surgery.

Sadly, through my look at yahoo and other news groups, There's many a woman who has done this surgery or others and have "changed their mind" or have had bad experiences.

Now, I'm all for freedom of choice with things, but I tend to wonder if the ability to have "safe" surgeries in both breast enhancement, reductions, liposucitons, etc. are not good for socieity as a whole. I am all for people getting a surgery that will help them out, enhance things, etc. but I wonder if there should be an waiting list for thigns that are not goign to put someone's life in jeopardy. For instance, having a psychological exam on emotional health before you can get cosmetic surgery done and a waiting period of 6 months to a year or so. Something on the same lines of a tatoo's rule of thumb. You want to to have the idea on paper at least 6 months, if after that time you still want it, it's likely you are making the choice.

I'm asking this in as serious as possiable: I have become aware of at least 12 women that I personally know that have gotten surgery under the premice that they were having back pains, but with talking to them... the real reason is that they just wanted to be able to wear smaller tank-tops, and found it unfair their annorexic friends can wear children's clothing and they can't. 3 of them have allready regeretted the decision and are looking for breast enlargement surgery, and 4 had the surgery done before they were 18...

Does anyone else see something wrong with this? I'm all for the medical reason of having a GG cup and needing a reduction, but only one had DD, most have D's and went to A's... But with the complications that (Most ) women have, I don't see the point. Then again, I'm not a fan of most breast enlargement surgeries either...

I've allowed windows media player 12 access to pictures, and when I hit play it'll show pictures as if it's a slide show. Does anyone know how to slow this down as I'd like it to change every 15 or so seconds and it changes every 2-3 seconds.

I'm looking for a good way to back-up my files without breaking the bank. I have around a terabyte of information, and it'll expand to around two-three by the time I graduate from school next year. I'm looking at both having an offsite way or an on site way, but neither seem to be ideal due to space restrictions. Is there any suggestions on how to back-up this much informaiton in a semi-permenant way? I've looked at Mozy, but due to their slow upload rate and clogging up the computer they don't seem ideal for what I need to do.

I have a program that needs the firewire port, but is not 64 bit compatiable. I've gotten it installed on xp emulator, but the emulaor dose not seem to have a way to get the firewire drive connected. any idea on how to link these two things together?

Long story short... I was given a cheap tv by my ex in july, received some appliances from my ex-fiace's mom to help my apartment in november, and was given a television for Christmas from my ex-fiance, of which I received during thanksgiving break when I went back to school (it was purchased in august). Now... She did some things, that that included both lying about her current fiances, the fact she dropped out of college, and she was cheating on me (extra time from dropping out). I broke it off, and she now wants the stuff back, including the appliances her mom gave me... She is saying it's partially because she still owes 95% of the tv (couldn't pay for it and has all ready lapsed payments) and hasn't explained the other, wanting me to go out of my way and ask off for work so she can pick up the stuff on a certain day in a half hour window...

question is should I giver her any of this stuff back?

I have had a plan to go to vegas for about 4 months now, and I got hit by about 1100 in car repars, and we leave in the next two weeks... I was looking for suggestions on cheap things to do both in:

what to do and

cheap places to eat...

I still thinking I'll spend a couple hundread bucks, but I'm looking at making the trip a quite bit cheaper now... no reason to return the tickets...