?

The other night my friend was on vent and his mic cut out, and since then we've not been able to hear him speak. The only sounds that come from his mic are feedback and static. We're completely stuck with how to fix this. It's not the headset because he's just bought a new one after the problem emerged, and he's tried using the front and rear mic ports on his PC.

Sound drivers have been reinstalled and it's exactly the same. He can hear me perfectly fine. We've tried using both Skype and Ventrilo.

What could be the problem? Any advice welcome, thanks.

If it can be repaired, of course. Cheers.

My credit history sucks due to university misadventures with overdrafts and a student credit card (paying for it big time now, but I understand money a lot more now that I'm a grown up...), but I'm looking for a credit card to help build my credit score by having a bit of credit available. Haven't set a foot wrong in a few years, but there are still two defaults on my credit file from a few years ago. I already have one with Capital One, which I use regularly and pay off in full (very low credit limit), but would like an additional one to use very occasionally, and to be there "just in case". With such a huge APR, I'll be mainly keeping it in a drawer and not memorising my PIN! I'm unlikely to be given a card with more than a £500 limit in the near future, but recent problems with my car have prompted card shopping. Might be a good idea to see if I can get a bit of extra credit for any desperate future repairs, since I need to have my car running for family reasons.

Looking for opinions on Aqua's card services, and whether they have the option to go completely paper-free, like with my Capital One card? Currently living with parents so not keen on getting lectured on credit cards after the university situation, plus I'm sick of getting post that I don't need to read, like bank statements (I view them all online many times a month). Also, insert hippy comment on trees being needlessly cut down. I know they have an online system, but is it a decent service to use too? How have you found their customer service in general?

Anything I use on a card like this would be repaid in full or at least MOSTLY (depending on usage) on payday.

Any advice from existing customers more than welcome. Lectures on being good with money less so. Had a lot of professional advice which has kept me in the clear for around three years now :)

I was on mirtazapine for well over a year, up until the end of July last year. Things were going well, then over the past few weeks things have started falling apart again and I ended up in hospital on Sunday night after doing something very stupid.

Went to see my GP today to discuss all of this and he insisted I go back on ADs. I told him I do not want to do this, since last time I gained about 6st and had horrendous problems concentrating (even though they did their job). He's now prescribed me Paroxetine.

Got back from the pharmacy, opened the box and there was no leaflet in there to explain anything. I've researched online and I've really not liked what I've read at all. Apparently this drug is more likely to cause weight gain than some other ADs, which is the thing that frightens me the most. I already have an eating disorder to deal with, so any further weight gain is only going to fuel it. I already have to deal with snide comments from people I care about because of my weight. They don't know I starve and throw up all the time, but you would never think I did from looking at me because I'm so big. I've not been able to lose the weight I gained from being on ADs last time.

On the flipside, I don't want to end up suicidal again. I want to just live a normal life and get on with it.

Anyone in here been in a similar situation and can offer me any advice? My head is a mess at the moment, I've no idea what to do. Anyone had any experience with this particular AD? What would you do if you were me?

Thanks in advance.

Just got my car through its MOT, and normally the certificate is a green portrait A4 sheet. This year I was given a plain sheet of A4, landscape, black print, but with all the necessary details on it.

Seemed a little weird, so I asked the garage owner and they said the format of them had changed or something... Is this actually right? Doesn't particularly look like a proper vehicle document. I've used this garage for the past few years, no problems with them before, and they've always issued the green certs in the past.

I've decided it's time to start looking for a new car. I'm interested in either the 115 or 130bhp models. I want something quicker and a bit better on fuel than my current car, and hours on AutoTrader have got me interested.

A few questions:

If you own/have owned one of these, how did you find it generally? What sorts of problems/niggles do I need to look out for? What sort of mileage should I be looking for as a maximum on a 1999-2001 model? Anything else you think would be useful to me?

Thanks in advance!

I fell in love with mead on a recent trip to Poland, but I can't seem to find it over here anywhere. Would prefer not to order online as I'd have difficulty in receiving the parcel.

Help? :c

Hello my lovelies!

I've recently embarked upon a huge mission to lose 60 kilos (I'm *THAT* overweight), and I've already lost 10 kilos through a better diet and more exercise. Things are going really well, I'm really motivated and really confident that I can do it!

My only concern is how my skin will be affected, for example: will I be left with "bingo wings" or a flabby belly or loose skin as a result of this? I'm losing weight at about a kilo (2.2lb) a week, and this thought has just popped into my mind. If I keep my skin moisturised, eat the right foods and go to the gym three times a week (as I am now), am I likely to have this problem? I've seen people have this weird overhang of fat on their arms, bellies and knees, and this honestly frightens me.

Any advice welcome! Thanks for reading :)

Just something I heard about, was wondering how true this is. If so, how?

I've been on Mirtazapine for anxiety and depression for about 20 months, during which time it's helped me get over the suicidal and overly anxious feelings, but it's completely ruining my life. It's so difficult to get out of bed in the mornings, and I've been late for work so many times that I'm on a final warning. I've had so many absences due to feeling too awful to drag myself out of bed and into work, and I'm currently in disciplinary proceedings for this one too.

I'm constantly searching for food when I'm on it too, which has made me gain 6st in the time I've been on it, which by anyone's standards is a hell of a lot. This weight gain has lowered my self esteem again, and especially over the past three months has brought my old bulimic tendencies to the surface. When I take this drug, I can vastly overeat. I can easily eat three meals a day, and sometimes a HUGE snack of about 3000kcal in the evening, and whatever I eat at my desk in work. I get anxious and need to purge to get rid of it every single time I eat. Most times I get this feeling of accomplishment after I do it, it's weird but strangely pleasant.

In the past four weeks or so, I've lost nearly a stone (14lb) due to this behaviour (which I won't complain about), but I've not actually taken my medication for nearly three weeks now. Apart from the occasional "brain zaps", I've found life MUCH easier - I can get up at a decent hour, I've not been late for work, I'm MUCH more lively, I have more energy, I find it much easier to focus in work because the meds don't give me "brain fog" and make me feel retarded (and therefore anxious because I feel retarded). I get about 4-5hrs sleep a night, which feels like enough, and without the meds, I have been getting through 500kcal a day, on average. It's also easier to move around - I can walk around town all day now, as opposed to my limbs and joints severely aching a few minutes in (which I never let on to). I feel like a normal person.

I know it's probably bad to quit meds outright like this (I was on 45mg Mirtazapine and 75mg Quetiapine a day), but these things were ruining my life even more. I'm sick of being told to "Stick with it," because I will end up actually making an effort to kill myself if I keep gaining weight like this. I'm sick of being the fat girl in the group, so a friend and I made a "Gym pact" which we intend to uphold!

I'm a nice girl (I daresay). I used to be popular. I want to look good, have friends and do fun things without my weight and physical ability affecting me. I don't want my mum to look at me and feel disappointed because I'm so fat now. I don't want to look in the mirror and hate what I see. I just want to be everything I was before this most recent depressive episode occurred.

So I guess my question is, has anyone else here just stopped with the ADs? Mirtazapine in particular? If you started feeling bad again, after how long was it? If you can give me any more information (preferably based on experience) I'd be very grateful for it. Thanks!

I'm seriously panicking now. I had my implant removed several weeks ago, and bled slightly after it was removed, then had nothing for about five weeks. I came on yesterday really heavy, and my period pains are so bad that I've been sick twice. Today I've had to leave work because it's so bad. I've already soaked seven large pads, and I got through more yesterday.

Has anyone else had this after your implant was removed? My periods were heavy before, but nothing like this. They were terrible for half a day, then they'd sort themselves out.

If I'm just being stupid and panicking too much then please tell me so, I'm just worried at the sheer amount... Thanks.

I'm going to Poland on Monday and flying with LOT. I booked my tickets through Expedia, and couldn't find anything about being charged to take a suitcase as hold baggage. The only thing I could find was in relation to "excess baggage", then I got horribly confused. Expedia didn't list any charges for this airline.

Is baggage already included in the price of the tickets, or am I going to be stung for £40 when I get to the airport? My case shouldn't be more than 15kg, but I need to be sure of any expected charges. I should have researched this earlier but with me being an over-excited buffoon, I've only just thought of it and need to budget.

Maybe I'm just being a noob.

Any advice welcome, thanks!

In a couple of weeks I'm going to Warsaw to visit some friends, and whilst I'm there I'd like to get a good feel for the city and explore a bit. If you've been there, do you have any recommendations for things to see and do? Restaurant and pub recommendations also very welcome :))

Thanks!

An hour or so ago, a friend in the Netherlands transferred some money from her account to mine in the UK, I've never accepted an international money transfer before so I'm unsure of how long it will be until the funds will become available to me. She's done this before with a friend in another country and it took only a few hours.

What are peoples' experiences with international transfers? Thanks in advance!

...when you have few friends, and few opportunities to meet people when your friends aren't around?

I'm getting pretty lonely, and wouldn't mind a new man/woman (preferably a woman) in my life, and despite my previous queen bee/socialite status, following a period of severe depression and anxiety disorder, how do you meet people, without resorting to potentially dangerous dating ads? I've completely forgotten how to function since I got with my bastard of an ex. I live near East Manchester/North East Cheshire. I'm to anxious to go out for "a drink" alone, so I've no idea what to do. None of my friends will come to the local lesbian bars etc with me :/

Any reasonable advice is more than welcome, thanks in advance!

How long were you on the waiting list for? Would be especially interested to hear from people in Greater Manchester.

I know it's going to be a long wait (been on the list a month already), and they wouldn't give me an estimate as to how long I'd be waiting.

Thanks x

I'm going tomorrow with a few mates, has anyone been? How was it?

And I'm still alive. No Jesus wandering around either. Rapture fail, or do we have to wait for the US to get to 6pm?

I overslept and missed the wedding, but managed to watch the newlyweds go out onto the balcony and felt a little surge of pride somehow :) Just the sheer amount of people that came bearing flags, and the number of younger people that showed up made me feel like people actually valued this moment, not just the old Royalists, the country as a whole generally seems to have be getting involved (apart from the miserable few who can't be happy for the royal couple).

Did the wedding make you feel (even slightly) proud to be British?

A few years ago, I bleached my hair and used Directions dyes to achieve a really awesome bright red colour, but because it's only a temporary dye, it was hard work to keep this colour up, and in the end I just gave up and dyed it over dark brown a few months later.

I'm considering bleaching it again (even though bleaching scares the crap out of me!), then using a permanent dye such as Schwarzkopf Live's Hypnotic Red or Red Passion. I've used Red Passion many times in the past, and for a few weeks it looks good (though nowhere near as bright as I'd like it!), then it fades and looks a bit iffy. I like this brand because my hair feels really healthy after I've used it.

I'm a little unsure of using a permanent dye over bleach (if I give my hair a bit of time to settle down after bleaching), but I really want to achieve hair as red as a fire engine without having to go over the colour every week! I suppose it'd be best to go to a salon, but I really don't have that kind of money (or time), and like to do things myself :)

Anyone here with permanent bright red hair - how did you achieve it? My natural colour is dark blonde/light brown, though I've not seen this colour for god knows how many years. I last coloured it (with Red Passsion) about 3 months ago, so it's fading and I'm getting some pretty epic roots.

Any tips and advice are more than welcome!