backandforth

I've recently started to crochet, and while I have the basics down, I'm confused about the instructions for a piece I'm working on.

Basically, I'm to start a chain, then single crochet along that chain, then work on the opposite side. I understand what that means, but when I do my first foundation chain going through two loops, I don't get where to put my hook to go through two loops on the opposite side so that my work turns out even.

When I look at an example of the completed work, the rows all look completely uniform (almost as if it were worked in standard rows, not on the opposite side), whereas my middle row is distinctly different from all the others.

One thing I tried was going through one loop on both sides (and then continuing the rest of the piece as regular single crochet going through two loops) but the finished piece now has a middle row that looks different to the others, and the whole piece seems a bit off, even though I checked as I went along that my count was just right. Now that I think about it, I went through the front/top loop (not the back). Would it have helped to go through the back?

It's hard enough for me to go into two loops on the foundation chain to begin with (I'm still very uncoordinated as a beginner), and doing this on both sides has me stumped.

I checked out some tutorials but couldn't find any that really explain what you're supposed to do when you single crochet the opposite side, so hoping someone on here can assist. I pretty much just need to know if I need to start by going into the top, back, or bottom loop (or some combination thereof) and which loops to go through on the opposite side.

Sorry if my terminology isn't spot on, but hopefully I've been able to explain myself a little. :)

I bought a laptop while traveling in the United States and am now returning to Australia. Can I buy an Australian power cord to use instead of the US one that came with the laptop, or will I always have to use an adapter? My concern is that simply replacing the power cord will mess up the laptop due to differences in voltage in the two countries, whereas I've used an adapter for a laptop before without any problems.

I just adopted a 4 month old Mastiff cross from a family who did not train him at all. He has accidents inside and in the car even immediately upon getting back from a long walk. I tried putting a training pad over a place he had two accidents in one day, and as soon as we stepped through the door right after a three hour walk he peed right in front of me just a couple of feet from the pad. I'm pretty sure the previous family didn't even walk him outside because his paw pads were completely soft and pink the first day.

When I try to run with him to tire him out he runs in circles and bites at me. He also nipped at a neighbor's kid who started running with him and totally freaked her out, which freaked ME out, and after making sure she was physically ok was also very embarrassing for me because I had said he wan't a biter.

He's been getting better at walking on a leash (it's slack most of the time but he always walks in front of me, not beside or behind me), and he will sit but usually only with a treat. He gets very distracted by anything that moves, especially people walking by which (understandably) scares them.

Living near a carry-out restaurant people are always dropping their chicken bones on the ground and it's impossible for me to stop him in time or get him to drop, so I just have to wait for him to finish it so he at least chews it properly and pray it doesn't end up injuring him.

When leaving the house or even taking a shower I have to lock him in a spare bathroom whose door frame he ripped to shreds within an hour. I want to get him a crate but haven't found one big and strong enough for him for less than several hundred dollars. He's about 60lbs now and will probably be double that when fully grown, so addressing his separation anxiety is a huge priority.

I would use a trainer as a last resort, but hoping to first get some advice about the issues I mentioned. He has so many bad habits I don't know where to start, but I do have the patience.

I'm moving into an old two-story townhouse with no washer and dryer hookups anywhere. We can't install them in the basement because the ceilings are low and the stairs are too steep to be going up and down with piles of laundry. We could probably put them in the kitchen if we had to, but I don't like the idea of that, even if they're hidden. So I was thinking of converting a very large linen closet in the upstairs main bath to a laundry nook. It's right next to a sink and opposite the bath, so I imagine the water pipes could be connected somehow, and of course there is electricity in there. Is installing washer and dryer hookups on the second floor a really big deal? Should I just suck it up and install them on the main floor or in the basement? If you do this kind of work or have had it done, how much can I expect to pay? I know this varies a lot, so maybe just an idea of the cost of parts and estimate of hours of labor needed for a job like that.

I also have some kind of stupid questions.

1. How do I decide if I need gas or electric? The house has both, as in I have a gas range in the kitchen on the main level, and I think the radiators (on main level and second floor) are gas as well.

2. If the washer and dryer are going to be stacked on top of one another, do I have to buy the combination or can I just have both the washer and dryer be front-loading and stack them?

3. What are some things I need to know if I'm deciding between vented and ventless? Are ventless dryers higher maintenance? Do they take longer or use more energy? The washer and dryer will be about six feet away from the nearest exterior wall.

I'm not sure what other information is relevant, so if I left out something important just ask and I'll update my question. Thanks.

I recently received a 4-year college degree in the US, and now I am in a PhD program, so I know I'll be in the US for at least another 6 years. My tuition is fully paid for by the university and I receive a stipend that would cover the cost of a mortgage and my other expenses. I also have enough for a 20% down payment and closing costs for houses in my price-range. Instead of paying rent for the next 6+ years, I'd like to be able to buy a home now, and then rent it out or sell it when I leave. I tried calling a couple of local banks, but both told me that I can't get a mortgage on a student visa. Is there a general rule against approving mortgages for international students? If not, is there a specific bank someone knows of that might be able to help me out? Changing my visa status is not an option, nor is buying a home without any mortgage. I'm in PA.

I moved out of my home country for grad school, and my dad's been taking care of my dog.

A few months ago, she started to get really sick and the vet said she had pulmonary edema (fluid in her lungs) and drained her lungs. She's not going to get any better, but my dad's been taking her to have her lungs drained once a month, and he's giving her diuretics as per the vet.

Today, I found out that the vet recommended that my dog's lungs be drained weekly, but my dad's only been doing it monthly because it's $100 per visit and he doesn't think it's worth it. I offered to give him the money for it and have a friend take her to the vet every week, but he's strongly against spending $400 a month on a dog on principle, and there's nothing I can do about it being so far away.

She's a Blue Heeler mix and at least 13 years old already (she was already fully 1.5 yrs when we adopted her from a shelter). Since we've had her, she's lived a good life with a big yard to run in and long daily walks in the park.... Right now she can't even make it up the street.

I appreciate that my dad's taking her to the vet at all, but if she's not getting the treatment as frequently as she needs it, then she must be in so much pain most of the time. Would it be awful of me to ask my dad to have her put down, or is that doing the right thing? Should I push my dad to take her for weekly treatments? I'm almost certain he'll stand his ground and it will just cause a rift between us, when we don't have such a great relationship to begin with. I feel awful that my poor dog is suffering.

I saw an ad on craigslist for a house, and it said that all utilities were included. When I signed the lease, I saw that water, gas, electricity, gardening, etc. were paid by the landlord, and that all other utilities (in my mind: phone, cable, internet) were to be paid by the tenant. But what I didn't notice until too late was that "trash" wasn't on there, and so I had to get the service put into my name. The landlord refused to pay for it, saying that it wasn't on the lease, which is what I signed, and I realize that. But given other things he's done, I know now that he did this on purpose to trick me into paying that utility, which is about $30 a month where I live and that's as low as it gets.

I've since moved out of the house and have to sue him for my security deposit, which he never refunded. I'm doing this through small claims so there will be no attorney involved. I've been getting some free legal advice, but so far been mislead many times to the point I think I could get a better answer on here than through them. So my question is this: Can I also sue him for basically tricking me into paying for the trash service? I mean, I don't think it was that stupid of me to miss that the lease said "trash" when other things like water and electricity were on there. Do you think a judge would agree that the landlord was being misleading? I don't have the original ad that said that utilities were included, because it was on craigslist, and the ad has long since been taken down.

I know $30 a month isn't too much money, but over the course of a year long lease it really adds up. Still, I don't want to sound like a (litigious) idiot in front of a judge. Thoughts?

I have a Mac, and downloaded Paintbrush. I'm usually pretty vigilant about these things, but it seems I accidentally installed some Softonic toolbar, which is really annoying, and I can't seem to get rid of it. I've been Googling for an hour to find a solution with no joy.

Here are some things I tried:

1. Softonic Menu -> Uninstall

This just displays a help page for uninstalling for Windows or Firefox, but no instructions for Safari.

2. Tools -> Add-ons

This is a Firefox option, not a Safari option.

3. View -> Customize toolbar

There's nothing there about the Softonic toolbar.

4. Installing the Toolbar Uninstaller software

This is another Softonic program! No thank you!

5. Yelling at it

Worked about as well as usual.

I don't know if this is spamming me or not. I just want to get rid of it. And yes I bleeping hate my Mac, but I can't afford to replace it.

Please don't respond unless you actually know how to get rid of it. It's really depressing to see new Yahoo! Answers emails, and then find that they are spam or someone else with the same problem.

I'm renting a room in a house (my lease is with the landlord, not with the roommates), and moving out in a few weeks. When I first moved in, the carpets had been freshly steam cleaned and didn't have any stains, but within a week it started to discolor and smell foul, and soon after that more and more stains came out, making the carpet look really disgusting and nothing like when I first moved in. I'm very clean, and there's probably not a single spot on the carpet that was caused by me. In fact, thanks to my constantly airing out the room and vacuuming it doesn't smell as bad anymore. The carpets in the common areas are even worse, and do not respond to professional steam cleaning (they begin to discolor again within days), which a former housemate paid for 3 times in the year I've been here because it was so disgusting, and the landlord was completely unresponsive and would not do anything about it himself. I feel like if I lived here with dirty carpets for a year, I shouldn't have to pay to get them steam cleaned just so the next sucker that moves in can get scammed like I did. They need to be replaced. I know I could just take the hit and move on from this, but wondering if anyone has any other suggestions.

My neighbor is a single mom living with her 14 year old daughter. I know the mom, I know she does a lot of coke and goes out partying all weekend with one boyfriend or another, is into kinky sex (which she tapes) and all other kinds of things. The dad is sort of in the picture, but his lifestyle is not much better.

I confronted the mom on her daughter's drug use (she was smoking pot with her friends outside the building) but the mom doesn't care because "everyone does it," which she said right in front of her daughter!

The girl is doing very poorly at school, spends weekends at home unsupervised with friends of either gender, and obviously doesn't see anything wrong with what she's doing. She thinks it's perfectly normal for girls her age to drink and smoke, which is hardly surprising, because her mom does too.

I'm considering reporting the mom to Child Protective Services. I'm sure she'll know it was me, since I've confronted her in the past, and also mom and daughter get along, so it's not like I can expect either of them to be happy about my involvement.

What would you do?