Monica Lynn

Eating ice cream with a fork ... or ... Eating soup for breakfast?

help, we are having a party and running out of booze, within 10 mns the only thing left will be a bottle of pinnacle atomic hots vodka. what can we do with this?! mixer suggestions? shots only? thanks!

I am involved with a community theatre production where we have two actors playing brothers, but one is light-skinned black and the other is ghostly white. Is there any way to get around this? Could we amend the script to just make them friends or neighbors instead of brothers, or would the publisher not allow such a drastic change? Is blackface "kosher" these days or is it considered racist? What about giving the black actor peach skin color makeup? My actors are okay with any of these options, but can anyone give me some guidance as to what would be most appropriate and least offensive for an audience?

I would really like to involve my half-siblings in my wedding party. They will be 14 and 16 at the time of the wedding. I don't want to treat them differently from each other - should I make them both "junior" bridesmaid/groomsman, or full bridesmaid/groomsman? Every time I see a reference to junior anything the suggested age is up to 12 or up to 14, so they are at sort of an in-between age. Also, I am trying to think of ways to include them in more pre-wedding festivities. They won't be able to come to the bachelor(ette) parties, can't toast champagne in the limo (our mother would kill me), can't come to the after party, etc. Any suggestions for things I can do to ensure they have some fun with this? Also, they will be the only people their age there, so do you think it will even be fun for them? I kind of wonder if I should even bother - if this would be more trouble than it's worth.

My husband had a vaesectomy. We were told it worked but I have heard so many stories of the procedure not working and their wives getting pregnant anuway... I have an IUD which causes side effects so I'd like to get it taken out but only if its safe ... what are the odds his vaesectomy didn't work?

My fiance and I are trying to have a relatively small reception. We are doing it the traditional way with my parents paying, and they are trying to pay off their mortgage and retire so they don't have much money to spend on the wedding. I'm looking for a polite way to request that people only bring dates if it's someone they are in a serious relationship with. We can only afford a certain number of plates at the reception, and I'd rather the plates go to OUR friends and family instead of random people that our single friends just met. Is there a polite way to put this on the invitation? Is it maybe something I should just ask them personally instead of including on the invitation? Is it terrible etiquette to ask this at all and I have to just let them bring anyone they want? Thanks :)

My boyfriend declared a prank war on me by dumping a bucket of cold water on me in the shower. So now it's on. I need some good ideas for pranks, but with some exceptions:

I can't do anything that would damage our apartment. We live together and I know he wouldn't clean up the mess so I would get stuck cleaning it up. So it can't be too messy.

I also can't screw with him at work - we are both professionals so work pranks are off limits.

Also, I love him. I don't want to damage anything he owns, I don't want to hurt him, so nothing really really bad or dangerous, just goofy and fun.

Thanks!

Okay. So my boyfriend's ex wife is a psycho and won't stop emailing him about bullshit, trying to get more money even though she isn't entitled to any and knows it, claiming he owed her for taxes then won't send any documentation, etc. Anyway, we just want her to go away. He's already changed his email address and phone number but she knows where he works and where we live, so she won't stop.

My first question is whether there is legally any way to make her go away. A restraining order would not work because we live in different states, and we just want no contact, we aren't worried about her showing up on our doorstep from the other coast anyway.

My second question is how we can "legally" piss her off as punishment. I know things like posing as her on Craigslist could get you arrested, and I don't want to spend any $ so subscribing to magazines won't work. But are there any free ways to just annoy her until she agrees to leave us alone?

Thanks :)

I'm trying to figure out my BMR and I need to know which Harris-Benedict fitness level I fit into. I tried looking into it, but I can't find any descriptions that are more specific than the standard language (Sedentary = little or no exercise ... Lightly Active = light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)

I do go to the gym and/or run around the neighborhood, but I want to add those calories in separately each day because I am trying to be as exact as possible. I have an armband that tracks my exact calories burned running. So I'm trying to figure out the number I need to start with *before* I add in the calories I know I burned.

Based on this info can anyone tell me which category I fit into?

-every morning I do about 10 minutes of exercise - gentle things like stretching, lunges, leg lifts, crunches, and yoga or occasionally I'll do a 10-minute hip hop video.

-I have a sedentary job for the most part, but do have to get up to walk to other people's offices once in a while.

-My office is a 2-block walk to and from the parking garage. I park on the 3rd or 4th floor and always take the stairs.

-I spend about 30-60 minutes doing housework each day (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc)

Should I start with the sedentary number or the light activity number? Thanks!

I'm looking for a bar showing the Cotto vs. Maragrito 2 fight on Saturday night. I live near Reading, PA - also near the "larger" PA cities of Lancaster, Phoenixville, Downingtown, & West Chester. Will go as far as Harrisburg or King of Prussia if necessary. Will only travel to Philadelphia if it's the ONLY place airing it, but will consider Philly if anyone can tell me a place that's definitely airing the fight. I've already called around to a dozen well known sports bars in this area with no luck. Help?!?

We have a cheap little TV in our bedroom that does not have a sleep timer. We like to fall asleep with the TV on, but it always wakes us up in the middle of the night, so the lack of a sleep timer is a problem. I can't seem to find any products that are JUST a "sleep timer" that can be added to it or anything but maybe I missed it so I figured I would ask Y!A - does anyone know of anything?

To those who believe in a god or gods - will you read Richard Dawkins' book "The God Delusion" with an open mind? I'm not asking you to change your position on religion or become an atheist or change your belief or anything, I'm just you to read it. Educate yourself about atheism. Many atheists have read the bible, torah, quaran, and other holy books to educate themselves about religions they don't believe in. This book is a great summary of all the arguments against religion, and I'd be curious to see what theists have to say about it.

Would you be willing to read the book? If so, I'd love to stay in touch to hear your opinions after you've read it. If not, will you tell me why you aren't willing to read it?

This weekend, my car was hit while parked in a parking lot. Nobody left a note or anything, which makes it a hit and run. The damage is extensive so I had to make a claim with my insurance co (it's unfair enough that I have to pay the deductible for something that's not my fault, I shouldn't have to pay even more). When I asked "this won't make my rate go up, will it?" they told me they will have to wait and see! This is so unfair, it wasn't my fault, I wasn't even THERE and they might raise my rates. I have 2 other claims in recent years, one from 2009 that was not at all my fault and the other from 2008 that was split 40-60 (or something, i don't know the exact % but i was less at fault that the other driver but still deemed at fault which was bs, but i digress). I have State Farm. Does anyone have experience with them and know if they will raise my rate over this? I'm so angry right now!

This isn't necessarily a question about religion, but I'm asking this in the religion section mostly because I want the opinion of other athiests / agnostics / skeptics.

I recently went to a friend's wedding. He and his new wife are very religious, had the ceremony in a church, fine, whatever. Their day, their choice, I'll still go and support them and wish them well. Nobody is making me pray or anything.

However, at the reception, I sat down at my table to find my "wedding favor." Now for those who haven't been to many weddings, this is normally a box of chocolates or a candle or some goofy crap like that. However, the favor at this wedding was a donation made to a church *in my name.*

Now, I realize that a favor is exactly that - they are doing me a favor and I shouldn't EXPECT a gift or anything. However, I am completely opposed to any and all organized religion and, even though it's not my money, I don't want my name attached to a dollar amount that is going towards advancing any organized religion.

Do I just let this go? Is it totally inappropriate to say something? May I contact the church and ask that my name be removed from the donation? I don't know what to do. It kind of pisses me off - I really would rather have gotten no favor at all than have gotten this.

They seem like the exact same store, "designer clothing for less" stores, but they're owned by the same company. So that doesn't make any sense, they would just call every store the same name if they were the same. Am I missing something? Does one have something the other doesn't? Is one more "upscale"? Any idea?

So, my boyfriend and I moved in together a few months ago. We discussed finances and determined how much we can each afford in rent and bills each month. The amount he said he can afford is about half of what I said (so, he is paying 1/3 of the rent/bills and I am paying 2/3).

I was okay with this because I thought his amount was lower than mine b/c he has some health problems and may pay more for insurance and medicine than me, and maybe his car insurance is more than mine, etc. But now that we are living together, it has become abundantly clear to me that the reason he "can't afford" to pay more in rent is becaue he buys SO MUCH ****. He is addicted to Amazon.com and I swear there is a package on my doorstep like 5-6 days a week. Yes a lot of it is necessary stuff, but some is ridiculous. Like recently he decided to start up a cactus-growing habit, what? He recently insisted on getting a new $300 juicer which he grew tired of after two weeks, so he returned it and replaced it with a $300 blender, even though we already have a blender. He always goes out to lunch, whereas I pack my lunches unless I have a meeting or something. And he just bought a ton of new clothes even though he knows he is going to outgrow them in a few months because he is trying to lose 40lbs. I, on the other hand, barely ever treat myself to nice, new things, at least not very expensive things. And I haven't even bought myself new clothes in over a year because I have more than enough!

Now my question is - is it appropriate for me to discuss the fact that I don't think it's fair he gets to pay less in rent so that he can fuel his shopping addiction? Can I ask him to start splitting rent evenly with me? Or, since we already discussed how much we each could afford and chose an apartment based on the sum of those amounts, am I stuck with what we agreed on? For what it's worth, I only earn a little bit more than him ($2,000/year).

Thanks!

Okay. So I'm not as bad as the people on the show, but I definitely do own about 3x more crap than I need/use. I recently moved in with my boyfriend, who is getting extremely stressed out by all my stuff, some of which is still in the boxes in the middle of rooms because there is nowhere to unpack and put it. But I can't seem to bring myself to just get rid of it. Below are some of my main problems, and I was hoping someone who either studied this kind of thing or has been through it could give me some guidance. This is a serious question - I'm an intelligent person with a great career and I know this is something I legitimately need help with - so serious answers only please!

1. Everything has sentimental value: I have tons of things I can't bring myself to throw away because I associate them with a memory or person. Like, I have this big bulky desk lamp from like 1975 that I refuse to replace because it's one of the only things I have left that I received from my now-deceased uncle. I have a lot of my deceased grandmothers' jewelry, which I will never wear, but don't want to part with because I feel they would be disappointed in me (which is weird because I don't even believe in an afterlife). I also still have all my sorority t-shirts from college, which I will never wear again, but they remind me of fun times I had, and I associate the memory with the shirt and feel like getting rid of the shirt would be like losing a memory.

2. Everything has a use: I hold on to broken pieces of jewelry, gift bags and wrapping paper, cords and cables that aren't connected to anything, boxes of nails and screws, etc. I'm not using them now, but I might need them again someday. So it makes sense to me to hold on to them, instead of having to waste money re-buying something that I already have.

3. Everything has value: This one is mostly applicable to things like clothes, shoes, DVDs, etc. I have TONS of things that I never ever use/watch/wear, and haven't in years. But I can't bring myself to even donate them because I feel like, why donate when I can get $5 for it on eBay? So I waste my Sunday afternoons/evenings listing all kinds of stuff on eBay, and a lot of it doesn't even sell, and when it does it's for so little money that it's like why did I waste my day on this? But I can't stop, I am convinced I should keep trying to get money for these items even though it comes with the price of losing half my weekend. Granted I have made like $80 selling stuff since we moved in July 31, so that is just motivation for me to keep trying.

If anyone can help me tackle any or all of these problems, I am all ears, and am open to any and all advice. Thanks! <3

I know eating breakfast is good for you and important and all that, but I have to be at work early and I'm not a morning person so I usually just skipped it. Recently I started making sure I made time for breakfast every day. I used to just have a cup of coffee in the morning and I was good to go, I wasn't even hungry until lunch. Now, I just have something small like a waffle or a sausage biscuit, and by 10am, I'm ready to eat my desk. I read somewhere that it has something to do with simple sugars, and metabolizing the carbs makes your body crave more food sooner, or something like that? Anybody with experience in diet & nutrition have any suggestions for healthy breakfasts that will also keep me full until lunchtime? Keep in mind I am usually in a rush in the morning so I don't have time to cook something extravagant, so the easier the better.

So I just got home from work and noticed that my ball pooped in his water bowl. I have been gone for more than 10 hours and I don't know if he drank any of the water. If so, could this be bad for him? What are the odds he could get sick? Or does he have enough instinct to know that he shouldn't have drank the unclean water? Any answers would be appreciated, I'm worried :(

I haven't even been a Comcast customer for a full month, and already they have 1) rescheduled my installation appointment for a week later without my permission, 2) told me that my internet is "just slow right now" in my area and i "just have to deal with it," 3) left the help chat room while we were in the middle of troubleshooting a DVR problem, and 4) forced me to do the same troubleshoot 2x even though it didn't work the first time. The techs who came to our house were very nice but the people on the phone and in the help chat room are awful. Seriously, are they this obnoxious to everyone or am I just unlucky???