veramarie32

I have an antique hand-hammered copper pitcher that has a very pleasant patina but also a minor amount of verdigris around the base. I don't want to end up with a shiny copper pitcher because I like the darkened patina, but I would like to remove the verdigris. Is there a way to do this? Thanks!

I need to replace the clasp on a hand-knotted necklace, but the ends are tied directly onto the clasp, so I have no way of re-attaching another clasp without completely re-stringing the entire thing.

I have some other hand-knotted necklaces in which the clasp is attached by a metal crimper that attaches to the clasp and clamps shut over the knot at the end of the bead strand, thus holding it in place. That way, I could attach it without restringing. Does anyone know what these are called or where I can find them?

I'm hoping someone can direct me to the "perfect" Caribbean hotel/resort for a romantic anniversary trip. I don't want a high-rise, ultra-flashy place, but I also don't want a bare-bones place either. Something moderately luxurious and with a private, secluded feel (but yet a decent number of amenities) would be perfect.

These are my criteria:

Oceanfront/beachfront rooms--not just something with a distant ocean view, but a place where your room actually directly overlooks the beach; ideally one that you can walk straight out onto the beach.

Good food. Preferrably a choice of two or three onsite restaurants, or nice off-site restaurants within walking distance.

Moderate luxury--that is, I want to stay in a classy place without spending amazing sums of money. Max price we can afford would be around $400 per night (possibly a bit more if it's all-inclusive). We're going in October, so that's fortunately low season and should help us get more bang for our buck.

One thing . . . it can't be in Jamaica. I have too many fond memories there, mostly associated with an ex, so it's not somewhere I'd feel comfortable bringing my husband!

Thank you for any recommendations!

I love the Creamy Italian dressing that they have at Roly Poly! Anyone know if it's a specific brand, or if it's a house recipe? I'd love to find it.

Anyone know why the Italian word for sandwiches is so badly butchered in America? Here, the word is treated as a singular form; thus, you get people ordering "a panini" at restaurants, or talking about the "great paninis" they had somewhere. Even so-called Italian restaurants, who should have done at least 5 minutes' worth of research on the subject, make this mistake.

Anyone who has taken so much as a day or two worth of Italian language courses (or has cracked open an Italian dictionary) knows that the word "panini" is PLURAL and is translated as "sandwiches." The "i" at the end is the common indicator for a plural word in Italian. The singular form for sandwich is "panino."

So when you say "a panini," you are, in effect, saying "a sandwiches." To put an English plural "s" on the end of "panini" makes it even more nonsensical. "Sandwicheses?" Honestly.

Can anyone explain who is responsible for this error that has now, sadly, become very common?

What is up with this urban myth that as long as you don't have a fever, you can't be contagious? This is so maddening! I don't know how many times I've been to gatherings, and people will bring their coughing, drippy-nosed kids and say, "Well, he/she doesn't have a fever." And then two days later, like clockwork, my kids who were running around with them get exactly the same symptoms. They never get a fever. Then I get the same thing, and I never get a fever.

So if we can all give each other colds without ever having a fever, doesn't that mean that you CAN be contagious without a fever?

I have a relatively new (3 year old) 3-bulb light fixture. Lately, I have had problems with bulbs in one particular socket burning out very quickly. It's rated for 100-watt bulbs, but I've been using 75-watts. At one point I even switched to expensive compact flourescent bulbs, but the one in that particular socket burned out within a week, as did the second one I installed in its place. Bulbs in the other sockets seem so far to have a normal lifespan.

What is a likely cause for this, and how can I fix it? The fixture was just expensive enough that I don't want to replace it, but not quite valuable enough to warrant having it repaired professionally. I'm hoping there is some easy, obvious fix that I can do myself. Thanks!