I'm looking for unique gifts/souvenirs from California for my sisters and girlfriend (all in their 20s) and for my parents. I'm traveling the length of the state so almost any location would work. I would prefer to spend $50 or less on each gift but I have some flexibility. Local/unique items or something specific to California would be perfect! Food can work but must be nonperishable as I have lots of driving to do.
posted by Imago to travel & transportation at 11:34 PM - 2 answers

How does an extreme introvert find a suitable career path? [more inside]
posted by Selena777 to work & money at 11:31 PM - 2 answers

Destinations for memorial day weekend trip north of Chicago with a 75 lb dog? [more inside]
posted by b_alex_a to travel & transportation at 10:00 PM - 2 answers

Double-cat-penis-question: About 2 weeks ago my 6-9 month old neutered male cat started humping his favorite stuffed turtle. Now he's humping everything but sometimes farting too and having, um, anal squeezing. Is there a medical issue? Should I have him double-checked for neuterage? This gets a little gross. [more inside]
posted by MonsieurBon to pets & animals at 9:20 PM - 14 answers

What exactly should I say during salary negeotations when I am changing jobs within the same company? [more inside]
posted by MadMadam to work & money at 8:28 PM - 7 answers

I'd like to find more music like the song "What You Feel" from the episode "Once More, With Feeling" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. [more inside]
posted by johnofjack to media & arts at 8:27 PM - 4 answers

Can anyone tell me which institution offered the first computer science degree in Australia and when that was? My Google hand is not working.
posted by mattoxic to computers & internet at 8:18 PM - 3 answers

Aside from the dangers to your teeth, is it dangerous to eat ice? [more inside]
posted by princeoftheair to health & fitness at 8:05 PM - 11 answers

What does the Latin genus name of the Mexican Burrowing Python, "Loxocemus" mean? In particular, what does the "-cemus" part mean? [more inside]
posted by The otter lady to writing & language at 7:56 PM - 4 answers

How would explain and draw the solution to this physics problem re: packages dropped from an airplane (projectile motion/falling objects)? [more inside]
posted by sunnychef88 to science & nature at 7:30 PM - 12 answers

Plants vs. Zombies Zen Garden iPad filter. My obsessed hoarder mathematician spouse's cherished plants are not happy, and apparently nothing can be done to make them happy, and Crazy Dave will not sell her any new ones. [more inside]
posted by feral_goldfish to computers & internet at 7:25 PM - 7 answers

What advanced technologies have been developed but shelved due to various concerns? [more inside]
posted by Query to technology at 7:12 PM - 23 answers

My mom was a victim of robbery. I am feeling immense victim-blaming and frustration. How can I alter my attitude and what can I best do to help my mom through this? [more inside]
posted by rainygrl716 to human relations at 6:57 PM - 8 answers

How do I learn to feel safe around my family? [more inside]
posted by anonymous to human relations at 6:43 PM - 13 answers

Has anyone ever used septic seep to help with their leach field
posted by madsdad to home & garden at 6:04 PM - 0 answers

We've been together for the past 15 years. My wife recently discovered that she in fact does not love me. It's making me feel very weak - we've started therapy, but i'm looking for ways to cope between sessions, and also come to terms with the fact that we may separate. Long story follows. [more inside]
posted by anonymous to human relations at 6:02 PM - 12 answers

Are there any good documentaries, books, or other media that portray the logistics of how businesses go from startup to large company? When I say logistics, I mean everything from finding and leasing real estate to hiring employees to accounting systems to inventory management to computer backup -- all the grittiest of the nitty details of how the large trains are made to run on time, for the first time, by a growing organization? I want to see how the infrastructure is built that makes large organizations work.
posted by shivohum to work & money at 5:58 PM - 2 answers

I'm in okay shape, but fitness and athleticism don't come naturally to me at all. Gyms are weird and stressful. Any advice on the best way to think about and develop a good workout routine? [more inside]
posted by whymog to health & fitness at 5:28 PM - 14 answers

I am looking for memoirs written by Americans who grew up overseas. [more inside]
posted by kingfishers catch fire to writing & language at 5:24 PM - 5 answers

Mr. Sadtomato and I are going Regina, Saskatchewan for just two nights this weekend. Please tell us where to have the best breakfast and the best lunch on Saturday. [more inside]
posted by sadtomato to travel & transportation at 5:23 PM - 2 answers

I'm interested in studying all things wine related but what stops me is the desire for a second child sooner than later. How can I study wine while pregnant? Odd question but could use some help in understanding. [more inside]
posted by grablife365 to food & drink at 5:19 PM - 11 answers

What diet book would you recommend that includes low cost, pre-made meal plans with shopping lists included? [more inside]
posted by magnoliasouth to health & fitness at 5:16 PM - 1 answer

I need to fix up my family's two Macbooks for the first time in three years. What needs to be done? [more inside]
posted by Comic Sans-Culotte to computers & internet at 4:59 PM - 8 answers

A friend of mine wants to make a career change. Friend is physically fit, courageous, intelligent and enjoys helping people. Can you help me brainstorm some more options? [more inside]
posted by OsoMeaty to work & money at 4:44 PM - 8 answers

Should we ask our new neighbor to lay off smoking in her bedroom, or just do our best to ignore it? [more inside]
posted by sarcasticah to human relations at 4:41 PM - 20 answers

I injured my knee somehow. I don't know how. I just remember noticing one day that it really hurt. What the heck did I do to it? [more inside]
posted by prunes to health & fitness at 4:40 PM - 5 answers

Moving out of my apartment and I have a few questions on how to handle the last month of rent and the security deposit. [more inside]
posted by Diskeater to human relations at 4:26 PM - 4 answers

I'm trying to convince my wife to attend marriage counselling with me, but I'm having a hard time doing so. Her opinion of marriage counselling (based on what she's read online) is that it's a waste of money and that a marriage counsellor would "only tell us what we already know." When I've pointed out that a marriage counsellor is there to help facilitate communication, her response has been "if we need a facilitator to help us communicate we're fucked anyway." Reasons for needing counselling + bonus snowflakery inside. Apologies; it turned into a bit of a mind-dumpy wall of text. [more inside]
posted by anonymous to human relations at 4:12 PM - 17 answers

Livejournal is failing me. Help find a replacement? (snowflakes inside) [more inside]
posted by Trexsock to computers & internet at 4:04 PM - 12 answers

I'll phrase this in a way to avoid legal problems or simple unfairness. I've noticed that certain foods and drinks I buy from The Big Store differ from the same items when I buy them from a Small Store. The items are the same brand with same description on packaging. But they just seem different in how they taste, feel, or spoil. Any insights on how and why this happens? [more inside]
posted by ErikH2000 to food & drink at 3:57 PM - 13 answers

Park Rose area of Portland. 2 cats, we are new to the city need a vet we can trust and who likes kitties, any success stories?
posted by Freedomboy to pets & animals at 3:42 PM - 6 answers

Am I going to be stranded in Denmark by my American credit cards?! [more inside]
posted by Andrhia to travel & transportation at 3:04 PM - 20 answers

PlotFilter: I'm researching heat waves in the 1970s (with the sweet spot being between 1972-1976) that would have led to fatalities in the Washington, DC area. [more inside]
posted by ilikecookies to grab bag at 3:00 PM - 6 answers

Help me set up a simple 100% caching forward proxy for my home. I dicked around with squid and then apache+mod_proxy/mod_cache yesterday afternoon, and while they proxy beautifully, they don't seem to have much cache hit even on static content- almost or completely 0% cache hit. [more inside]
posted by hincandenza to computers & internet at 2:49 PM - 5 answers

Husband has taken his dream job which requires us to move back to Louisiana. I was initially enthusiastic about the move which would also put me back in my office. But, now I'm getting discouraged and concerned that we're moving a third world country and our toddler and new baby on the way will suffer. Help me get some perspective. [more inside]
posted by Leezie to grab bag at 2:48 PM - 17 answers

What can I do to clean up cat piss and stop a tom from coming in and spraying? Tell me about products you can buy in the UK which work. [more inside]
posted by Helga-woo to pets & animals at 2:44 PM - 3 answers

Anyone have an idea what FdjLmAi.exe is? [more inside]
posted by edgeways to computers & internet at 2:16 PM - 5 answers

Looking to buy a used minivan and need recommendations and resource suggestions. If anyone reading this is currently driving a minivan and would like to mention what they like or dislike about it, I'd love your input and recommendations. Also, is there a site that charts what the most reliable, low-maintenance fuel efficient models were, from years 2006-2011? [more inside]
posted by zarq to shopping at 2:06 PM - 8 answers

My sister received a dream job offer but for one thing - the man who will be her direct supervisor was definitely looking at her boobs both times she went into the office for the interviews. [more inside]
posted by pluot to human relations at 2:03 PM - 27 answers

How many Crown Attorneys are there in Ottawa & Montreal? [more inside]
posted by DorothySmith to education at 1:48 PM - 5 answers

I recently bought another 1TB HDD, so I now have two 1TB HDDs (Both western digital; caviar black) and an Intel SSD (operating system). The new HDD, after one day of use has gone bad. S.M.A.R.T has detected errors, I ran the western digital tool and that also detected errors. I was warned to backup my drive, so I tried to last night but after 2 hours I gave up to re-do it tomorrow (tons of files). I stopped the backup properly and shutdown. Now this morning I'm trying to get all 830gigs of my files off of the new bad drive, back onto my original storage hdd before the new drive goes completely bad and I lose all of my important files. The windows restore and backup program is giving me error code: 0x8007045D near the start of the backup. I/O device error. I've checked the destination HDD and it returned no errors (both with the western didgital tool and using chkdsk). I need to fix this problem quick before my new drive totally fails.
posted by johnx to computers & internet at 1:46 PM - 4 answers

How can I stop receiving other people's email that have the same name as me? [more inside]
posted by matty to computers & internet at 1:36 PM - 24 answers

How much will my transmission cost to fix? Left to its own devices, how much longer will it last? Any advice for a mechanical laywoman? [more inside]
posted by dissolvedgirl22 to travel & transportation at 1:28 PM - 5 answers

Fifteen years later, Calexico's The Black Light has finally clicked with me in a big way. I absolutely love the guitar sound in Gypsy's Curse. Does this sound have a name, and where can I find more of it? [more inside]
posted by entropicamericana to media & arts at 1:18 PM - 18 answers

Why is my iPhone dialing a number repeatedly? [more inside]
posted by LonnieK to technology at 1:14 PM - 0 answers

Bicycle question: which should I choose? [more inside]
posted by Vindaloo to sports, hobbies, & recreation at 12:58 PM - 10 answers

Usable scrap wood left over from a home project. What can I build with it? [more inside]
posted by chrisfromthelc to sports, hobbies, & recreation at 12:32 PM - 10 answers

I am considering changing from contact lenses that last one month to daily disposable lenses. Is there anything that I should know? Looking for pros and cons, particularly from anyone who has made this switch. [more inside]
posted by blurker to health & fitness at 12:31 PM - 16 answers

For my job: I told a customer I'd try my best to find a specific pair of sunglasses, model/brand, but I'm having trouble doing that. What sunglasses does Agent Coulson wear in 'The Avengers'? Picture link inside [more inside]
posted by JamesBlakeAV to clothing, beauty, & fashion at 12:26 PM - 9 answers

Someone I dated years ago obsessively visits my blogs and leaves messages. The messages aren't threatening, but they're starting to annoy me. Can I do anything about it? Should I? [more inside]
posted by anonymous to human relations at 12:02 PM - 21 answers

Old feuds, new friends, ultimatums and a sticky social situation. How do I navigate this stupid fight that precedes me? [more inside]
posted by anonymous to human relations at 12:00 PM - 23 answers

Hot hacks. I'm in Arizona. It's supposed to be 108 degrees here today. Our a/c went out and won't be fixed for at least another 24-48 hours. Help us survive with dignity. [more inside]
posted by Sassyfras to home & garden at 11:59 AM - 28 answers

Best way to turn a wooden box into an herb garden? [more inside]
posted by changeling to science & nature at 11:42 AM - 4 answers

What are good examples of City/Country/Place nicknames that natives never use? [more inside]
posted by Betelgeuse to society & culture at 11:23 AM - 83 answers

What is a good online storage solution for huge amounts of data, high privacy settings, and streaming online videos for multiple users? [more inside]
posted by banannafish to computers & internet at 10:48 AM - 7 answers

How to deal with a clogged foundation drain that's flooding my alley? [more inside]
posted by zvs to home & garden at 10:44 AM - 7 answers

My email address being used by someone on bn.com (Barnes and Noble)... [more inside]
posted by littleredwagon to shopping at 10:42 AM - 29 answers

A "free apartment locator service" won't stop calling my cell phone. Legal (U.S.) and logistical questions inside. [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone to law & government at 10:37 AM - 10 answers

Should I just let my zombie Yahoo! account alone? [more inside]
posted by morganw to computers & internet at 10:35 AM - 2 answers

Asking for a friend: I have a 31 in inseam, 31 inch waist, 41 inch hips, and 24 in thighs (all circumferences). At what brick-and-mortar stores in Chicago can I buy nondescript men's slacks? In the past (fashionistas avert your eyes) I've mostly bought pleated pants several sizes too large and just belted them in. If possible I'd like to avoid that this time around.
posted by newtux to clothing, beauty, & fashion at 10:25 AM - 7 answers