My lawyer did an awesome job for me on a case. He's late 30s/early 40s, male. Need ideas for a "thank you" gift. Catch: we live in Springfield, IL so lots of more "urban" upscale options are nil. [more inside]
posted by arniec at 3:32 PM - 21 answers

My daugter, age 22, is in trouble a long, long way from home (Burlington, VT; her mom and I are in middle GA) with the family car. She had an accident, her fault. Nobody was hurt, thank heavens, but she was arrested (for the record, not DUI) and the car was towed off and impounded. It is pretty badly damaged and not driveable. There's no other car to use. The disabled one is running up a $50 per day impound fee which I need to stop as soon as I can. Probably I should just give it to a junkyard and let them haul it off, but I've got no notion how to arrange that. More important, what can I do from here to help my girl? Can I find her an attorney by remote control somehow? What else should I be thinking about? Ideas and advice? I would be very grateful!
posted by jfuller at 3:29 PM - 31 answers

I found this wet sponge-like thing in my air conditioning unit. What is it? [more inside]
posted by jcatus at 2:23 PM - 4 answers

After years of academia & the endemic rootlessness that comes with it, I have finally gotten myself a Permanent Job (yay!!) which means, among many things, that I can finally consolidate my book diaspora into one place. I've a huge number of books which are both physical and digital. Here's the problem: I want my library space to reflect both. Any suggestions? Details below. [more inside]
posted by idlethink at 9:35 AM - 10 answers

I live in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and have noticed that, over the past several months, a sizable number of clothing donation boxes have appeared on sidewalks and in little disused nooks of urban space. There are three on my block alone that have sprung up, seemingly overnight, within the last couple months. What's going on? [more inside]
posted by Dr. Wu at 8:26 AM - 7 answers

I need some help coming up with a super cool, creative way to tell my new 13 yr old daughter about her upcoming birthday present, a weekend in NYC... [more inside]
posted by pearlybob at 6:49 PM - 15 answers

Recommendations for good bachelor party "activity"-type places in NYC. Not looking for debauchery—right now, we're considering something like Brooklyn Bowl and/or Barcade. Thinking along those lines or pool/darts, that sort of thing, but also interested in other ideas. Manhattan or Brooklyn. [more inside]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 2:40 PM - 8 answers

Can I find a replacement part for this Canon A2000 or repair it some other way? [more inside]
posted by villafoyager at 1:32 PM - 10 answers

I have some old, seemingly useless clothing. How do I decide what is worth donating and what should just be thrown away? [more inside]
posted by insectosaurus at 8:56 AM - 31 answers

Please help me name a new website for discussing business ideas. [more inside]
posted by pete_22 at 6:08 AM - 14 answers

Does anyone know when the Apple iPhone 5GS will be available? Thanks.
posted by jbenben at 4:40 PM - 4 answers

Hi all-- I'm writing an essay that began as one about keening and the times I've been reduced to wordless cries of grief. Now it's sprawling all over the place and I'm also talking about wordlessness in general (including references to people like Meredith Monk who often sing and emote without words), and also the speech act (when it doesn't matter what is said but that it is said). I don't know how much I'll pare it down, but in the meantime I wanted to crowdsource some ideas. Does anything come to mind when you think of wordlessness, especially in the context of grief? Are there any words (from any cultures) that mean "that which cannot be expressed in words?" (Aside from more general terms like "unable to be articulated" and such.)
posted by mermaidcafe at 8:35 AM - 15 answers

An earlier poster mentioned this attitude in a thread on boredom and it prompted me finally to post a question that's been simmering a while. I'm super-boring, but not bored -- it doesn't bother me when I'm on my own, but I'm starting to get a complex about it, vis a vis other people. Help me to have any interest, any interest at all! (Or to feel better about not having any.) Novel inside. [more inside]
posted by like_a_friend at 9:14 AM - 34 answers

So basically everything is boring. I'm not talking about depression here- I am familiar with my own depressive symptoms and I'm not experiencing them. I'm content, pleasureable things give me pleasure, I'm just bored. I mean, pleasure is nice and all, but it's not exactly stimulating. [more inside]
posted by windykites at 4:56 AM - 13 answers

Where can I buy the mp3s from Stephen Fry's wonderful Voco alarm clock? There are about a dozen hosted here, but back in 2010, Apartment Therapy claimed Voco sold a collection of 70 downloadable ones for $14.95. The Voco site isn't up any more, anyone have an idea where to buy a them?
posted by arnicae at 7:47 PM - 2 answers

You guys did a great job naming my vintage self-help blog. Now help me name an Etsy store that will focus mainly on items I picked up at school district auctions. [more inside]
posted by MsMolly at 5:23 PM - 25 answers

Where can 2 couples go for some salsa and merengue dancing in the city on Saturday night? [more inside]
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 10:52 AM - 0 answers

I just found out two days ago that I won a nationally competitive award/grant. I have a big ambitions for my career and certainly hope this is not the last, but it is the first recognition at this level. I am so pumped to do what I do. I want to always remember this moment. I usually buy a nicer-than-i-otherwise-would version of an everyday object to remind myself of very important moments in life. A 10-dollar silver ring that i wear everyday; a pen, etc. But this time I am out of ideas. What can I do/get to commemorate this moment?
posted by atetrachordofthree at 9:07 AM - 15 answers

I missed out on buying tickets to the only London gig my favourite artist is playing this year (and on top of this he hasn't toured in three years) so I ended up asking my disabled friend if she'd come with me if I paid her ticket. This meant I was able to get tickets to the already sold-out gig after the standard tickets had long gone. While booking, I also realised that the disabled seats area is a prime spot in the venue and very near the stage. Was it immoral that I would "use" my friend's disability to enable me to go see this gig (in a better spot than I could've ever hoped), albeit with her consent/blessing? [more inside]
posted by mrsh at 6:09 AM - 28 answers

How do I become a Wizard? (for party planning purposes, as opposed to real magical ones). [more inside]
posted by justalisteningman at 9:39 PM - 11 answers