Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with outdoor

How would you make the most of 3.5 days in Patong, Phuket?

gttommy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:19:07 -0800

How would you make the most of 3.5 days in Patong, Phuket? From what I read there is so many things to do at relatively affordable prices in Patong (scuba diving, bungee jumping, quad biking, horse polo, shooting, kickboxing, island tours, massages, etc, etc!). I would like some recommendations as to which place to go, where to go, when to go, and in what sequence, for 3.5 days.

Who: 4 male adults
Interests: food, outdoors, socialising, nightlife

What would you do?

Many many thanks!

Use a freestanding grill in an outdoor kitchen island?

monkeybutt — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:10:08 -0800

Use a freestanding grill in an outdoor kitchen island? We are in the process of designing an outdoor kitchen area on a budget. Readymade drop-in stainless grills are a fortune....thousands of dollars. Now I fully realize that these things are *designed* to be used within an enclosure and have the appropriate insulation around their bases to prevent problems (read: fires).....

However, if one were so inclined (and careful) would it be possible to repurpose a freestanding grill as a built-in? My thinking would involve creating a shelf out of firebrick, which would sit on a foundation of cinderblocks. The surround of the gril would be likewise framed in firebrick and given an appropriate amount of space from the sides/back to prevent any buildup of heat (this would be tested beforehand with the operating grill). The remainder of the island will be covered in 1" ceramic tile.

Does anybody have any experience or technical insights on such an endeavour? For sure there are other considerations: the underside of the freestanding grill might include some features that require open air returns to feed the burners, etc etc.... But I'm thinking i could save a couple thousand dollars on this if i could engineer an island that was both safe and pretty.

Thoughts?

Can I justify taking my cat back from my parents?

Hactar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:17:30 -0800

Can I move my cat from a house and supervised outdoor walks to a Brooklyn apparment? I adopted a stray and perhaps feral cat when I was living in rural Ohio. When I moved to Brooklyn, I left her with my parents. The condition was that she was to become an indoor cat, but my parents had the bright idea of allowing her out under supervised conditions. She isn't leashed, but she is watched whenever she is outside. They live in the suburbs, but off the beaten track and near the woods. She's a rather good hunter who has finally mastered the trick of not killing anything she catches.

To complicate matters, my parents have three dogs who she gets along with quite well. (I've been sent pictures of her sleeping curled up in the legs of the sleeping german shepard.)

I'm living in a decent apparment in Brooklyn with two roommates and a cat-friendly landlady. Both roommates are ok with a cat, although I think that one is more enthusiastic about the idea than the other. However, if I moved her here, she'd be indoor only and without the other animals she's used to. She'd get much more human attention- I don't think my parents play with her at all.

So, do you think I can move her here? It's not a safety issue, I trust my parents to take good care of her. I just miss my cat. Or should I give up and look into adopting a cat who's not tied to the outdoors and three dogs?

From what I've read, it's possible to make her indoors, but I don't want an unhappy indoor cat who's longing for the outdoor area and larger indoor area.

get my matrimony on, under the stars but OUTTA THE RAIN.

mittenbex — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:24:30 -0800

What can I expect to pay for a tent, dance floor! and tables/chairs for an outdoor wedding on Long Island? Someone here must have experience with this. I'm thinking it's going to be 75-100 guests.

Anyone have any idea/personal experience and willing to share what you paid -- better yet, vendor recommendations?

Where's a good meadow near L.A.?

drjimmy11 — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:04:20 -0800

Where's a good meadow near Los Angeles? I'm looking for your basic pleasant-for-a-picnic type of meadow. i don't want to actually have a picnic, but I want to shoot photos or video of people pretending to have a picnic.

The catch is that L.A. is in a desert, and even most places you see listed as nice picnic spots will be very un-photogenic- devoid of flowers, color, trees and even pleasant-looking grass.

I'm influenced by French new-wavey type films (thanks to a previous AskMe) and what I'm looking for is similar to the locations seen in the trailer for Le Bonheur. (in an ideal world my spot would be a little more colorful than what's in the trailer, but that film captures the spirit of what I want.)

My requirements are:
ideally within a 2-3 hour drive of L.A.
not overrun with people, but not impossible to reach carrying basic film/photo equipment.

Suggestions with photos online greatly appreciated! Thanks!

What's the best way to carry all my stuff outside when I work out?

melodykramer — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:33:38 -0800

What's the best way to carry keys, water, mp3 player, and wallet when you're working out outside? Do you have a favorite fanny pack (how...not chic) or have you come up with some alternative arrangement? Would you please share? I've decided to try to run around Philadelphia and start exercising outside. Except I keep my wallet and keys and phone and iPod in my pocket -- and carry my water -- and everything jangles about like a bell ringer at Christmas.

I was wondering if there's a brand of belt pack or backpack that works especially well with people doing things like running, skipping, and running stairs. The belt packs I encounter on the street are particularly hideous -- and I'm looking for practical, not aesthetic -- but I'm not even sure those belt packs stay put should their owners decide to race around a track.

So...how do you secure your stuff? Thank you.

What softbox/lights and an external outdoor battery would you recommend to an amateur photographer?

bostonhill — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:48:27 -0800

[Photography & Lighting] What softbox/lights and an external outdoor battery would you recommend to an amateur photographer? I've always wanted to shoot at some outside locations where there is no light so I figure a softbox/fill with an external batter of some 30 minutes or so would help me out but I don't know much about this area of photography and lighting.

Any tips are highly appreciated in advance.

Outdoor Career Idea

jschu — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:08:09 -0800

I want a career that will allow me to be outdoors. What certification, degree, or job should I pursue? Last May I graduated with a degree in International Studies from a large Texas university. Since then I have been trying to figure out what kind of career I should pursue. I have applied to countless jobs with very little success. Part of the reason for this is that I don't know exactly what I want to do.

I have come to realize that what I do not want to do is sit at a desk and stare at a computer screen all day. I am happiest outdoors and active. The best part about my current retail job is that I'm constantly on my feet, moving about; I'm in great shape and have a ton of energy. I simply cannot fathom sitting on my butt 8 hours a day, then running on a treadmill for 30 minutes at this point in my life.

What kind of career or job can you suggest that will allow me to be outdoors and active? I am tentatively looking into going back to school to study Forestry or Natural Resource Management. Are there viable careers connected to these disciplines (and are they what I'm looking for)? Is Outdoor Education something that can be a long-term career?

Any pointers would be much appreciated.

Where is there a large outdoor staircase in the SF bay area, similar to the Spanish Steps in Rome?

Ekidnagrrl17 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:16:29 -0800

Where is there a large outdoor staircase in the SF bay area, similar to the Spanish Steps in Rome? Needed for wedding proposal I have decided to ask my partner to marry me. We both are not really into the whole "smoogly-boogly" love-y dove-y thing, so I want my proposal to be a bit funny. We have been together for almost 6 years and we are not the traditional couple which is why it is important for me (as a woman) to be the one doing the proposing.
I want to jokingly reenact this retched advertisement that he hates . So I need to find a Roman-Spanish-Steps-esque outdoor staircase in the bay area. Ideally there needs to be space for our friends to hide (especially the friends with the video cameras) and there needs to be a reason I am taking him there!

Flipping with Flipper

Xurando — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:57:13 -0800

NaNoWriMo Novel filter: What's it actually like to swim with dolphins in the wild in non-contrived encounters. Not interested in pros or cons of swimming with these mammals, just in what the experience is like. (previously)

I'm going to New Zealand- tell me everything!!

drjimmy11 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:01:59 -0800

I'm going to New Zealand- tell me everything!! Please tell me everything and anything that will help me have a cool, exciting, adventure in New Zealand. I'm flying into Auckland 12/26/08, leaving 1/12/09, and have only a vague plan so far.

About me: From Los Angeles, early 30s, have traveled to UK and Europe but that's about it. I'm a writer and plan to incorporate experiences from this trip into a semi-memoir/travel narrative/fiction hybrid kind of thing I want to write. I enjoy outdoorsy stuff, music, film and cultural stuff, and just chilling someplace quiet. I am not a tremendous fan of traveling by myself, but that is what I'm stuck with in this case- anything that would help me meet locals and have someone to talk to besides myself would be greatly appreciated. I am a "pescatarian" so no lamb, but do love good seadfood.

My original goal was to take this boat trip to NZ's sub-antarctic islands. I was put on a waitlist and haven't heard back, so that seems out. My plan now is to rent a car in Auckland and drive south, exploring along the way. I'll then take a boat to Stewart Island and hopefully hike the 3-day Rakiura Track, then drive back north.

So, I have many many questions:
1) What are the cool things I absolutely need to do in the big cities, Auckland and Christchurch?
2) Accommodations: I'm told it may be crowded during the high season- will I be ok just reserving a hotel in Auckland and booking as I go- or will I regret not booking everything in advance? I am not totally adverse to hostels, but would prefer a cheap-to-moderate, clean hotel at this point in my life.
3) New Year's Eve: Anything especially cool I should do?
4) "Farm stays" This concept intrigues me. Are there any in particular that are highly recommended? Are there any that are more vegetarian friendly, ie they wont ask me to hack the head off of anything or watch as they do? (I'm also considering stopping at Stonehaven homestay in Blenheim, since by all reports it seems to be the best thing ever, and I wouldn't mind exploring the wine country a bit.
5) the south island and the Southern Alps. The south island seems to be overflowing with natural beauty- is there any one thing I just can't miss? (love LOTR books but would prefer to forget the movies, so dont really need to see where they were filmed)
6) Stewart island- anything in particular I need to know about hiking and getting in/out? Do I need to reserve accommodations for the night I get there? I have read up on the hut system along the tracks, but will it be so crowded in summer that I should bring a tent in anticipation of them not having room? How badly will I regret it if I don't bring a stove and choose to just eat cold food for 3 days? I do have the (amusingly named to an American) "Tramping in New Zealand," and it does have a list of necesssary equipment. But what one thing will I regret not bringing? And what stuff i should I try to bring over from the US, and what should I buy/rent there?
7) If I go around quoting "Flight of the Conchords," will people find it amusing, or is everyone sick of it by now?

Whew. That is a lot. Sorry.

Plants on my Balcony

barrakuda — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:16:08 -0800

What should I plant on my balcony? So I have two balconies in my new apartment, both come with two huge built-in concrete plant thingies. What should I plant?

In terms of the first balcony, I'm looking for decorative plants that would look good (hopefully green) all year round. I like all sorts of ivies, i love lavender (although not sure it would not turn grey and ugly at some point of the years) - can you suggest anything else? Links to pictures of goodlooking plants greatly appreciated.

In terms of the second balcony, I was thinking about perhaps growing some herbs (of the non-smokable variety), not sure however if the climate (Germany) would allow for a year long production? What are some herbs that would keep well year round? Rosemary perhaps?

Please give me your suggestions and any general tips, comments, hacks, views on successfully planting on the balcony. Thanks.

Non-soggy wallpapering outdoors in a soggy climate?

carbide — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:53:25 -0800

I'm looking to make outdoor wallpaper for a temporary-but-not-super-short-term installation. Anything from flypostering advice to more pricey suggestions would be very much appreciated, adhesive to printing to paper. Oh yeah, and it's for Ireland in the autumn/winter. We're working on making an outdoor installation, to last as close as possible to 6 weeks - it needn't be pristine at all but the print should not run, and it does need to be somehow removable, and we can't do it repeatedly as we won't be on site.

The surfaces will vary, but assume brick/render/concrete/stone...in Ireland, midlands, in November. The surfaces will be in an archway open to the elements on both sides, and it will be raining and the rain isn't considerate enough to just come vertically.

A1 or A0 sheets or a roll would be good. It's a big area so tiny sheets would be incredibly frustrating.

With flypostering, what kind of printing, paper and adhesive makes for the best results? What lasts, what doesn't work?

How are posters removed, and is there a way to do it without damaging the surface?

Is there a commercial method that would work well for this? We definitely don't have a limitless budget but it's not exactly running off photocopier scams either, so it would be good to know of options.

Any and all advice would be great, and I can clarify anything I've left out.

Bouncy wall, no problems?

muscat — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:47:41 -0800

I'm looking for a big, isolated concrete or asphalt lot in San Francisco that butts up against a tallish brick wall. I want to be able to bounce hard rubber lacrosse balls off of this wall for hours at a time and never be bothered by anyone. Anyone know of a place like this?

Balcony privacy

dead_ — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:34:14 -0800

I'm looking for an outdoor shade/blind to use on my balcony. So I'm trying to find a specific product but am just having no luck at all. Perhaps you've seen such a thing? Let me tell you exactly what I'm looking for...

My apartment has a small, 8'x8' balcony and I'd like to hang a shade or blind on one of those 8' sides to give myself a little privacy. It needs to be all-weather, and I'd like to get something that is brown or tan colored. I've seen such things on other people's balconies before, and some look to be made from bamboo or a similar type of material that still allows some light through. That would be ideal for me because it would fit with the decor of the unit.

Any idea where I can find a product like this?

A week's worth of cat questions

any portmanteau in a storm — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:07:06 -0800

We've had our cats for a year-and-a-half now. Things have been great. Things have also been very stable for the cats and that is about to change majorly in a couple of months. With that in mind help answer some of my (many) cat questions. OK, we're moving back home with our 2 2-year-old cats. First off, this requires us being in an airplane for 2-3 hours. Are the cats better off going in soft carriers in the cabin or a hard carrier in the hold? Some recommendations for specific carriers would be great.

I'd imagine that having to live in a new house will be stressful for them. What behaviours can I expect and what can I do to make them more comfortable with their new surroundings?

Hair is going to be a bigger issue at home. I've read about the furminator (not least on askme) but my wife is skeptical. Does it do the job and is it worth the money?

Can we train our cats to use the toilet? If so, any tips? This might just be wishful thinking on our part.

Otherwise they have been fine with a shared litterbox (just a standard plastic litterbox) using clumping litter but there is dust and litter tracked around the area (even with a tracking pad). Are we better off changing to crystals/corn/sawdust/etc and getting a fancy litterbox?

Up to now they've lived in an apartment, only going out when we've taken them to the vet. At home there'll be a backyard. I'd like to let them experience the outside world, am I crazy for this? We live on a busy side-street. Should I let them outside at all? Only when supervised and on a harness? Give them free reign?

What else am I missing here?

Washboards FTW

SirStan — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 06:53:01 -0800

Local Knowledge: Looking for an application that can tell me if a road is paved/dirt/unmaintained. I enjoy biking moderate distances (20-50 miles), but living in Vermont its common to come upon a dirt road. I try to scout out nice loops on Google Earth, but sometimes end up picking a connector road that is 5 miles of washboard dirt. My 700x23c tires aren't exactly setup for this, and while I could buy more appropriate cross tires, I would rather just avoid dirt.

So mefites -- Is there some way, or some application that works similar to any other mapping application, but will tell me a road is dirt?

Outdoor beer spot with character in Vallejo or American Canyon California?

tonci — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:36:59 -0800

Best place for outdoor seating late afternoon drinks around Vallejo or American Canyon California? I'm living in New York and heading to the Bay Area and my chance to see some friends means finding a halfway point which would be somewhere around there. Atmosphere and quality of beer is most important; views and child friendliness are big plusses.

500,000 trees on a golf course?! No way.

sir_rubixalot — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 00:31:43 -0800

There's apparently a golf course near San Jose, CA., well it actually may be closer to Milpitas, but it supposedly has half a million trees. I can't seem to find anything about it or if it even exists. This information is coming from my father who played at this course many years ago (maybe 10-20). Any other recommendations for great golf courses near San Jose also appreciated.

Male Cat Afraid of Dominant Female Cat

alleycatd — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 21:48:34 -0800

My male cat is afraid to use his outdoor house because my dominant female cat has claimed it. How do I get him to re-claim his house? How do I get her to relinquish control of the house? Background Info:

Male Cat: My male cat was a stray and is approximately 6 years old. I've had him for over 2 years. He is timid and skiddish but loves to cuddle. He is neutered.

Female Cat: My female cat was also a stray and is approximately 2 years old. She is affectionate and full of energy. I've had her for approx 1 year. She is spayed.

Both cats are primarily outdoor cats.

The frontyard and enclosed front porch is the territory of my female cat and she is dominant there. The backyard and the inside of the house used to be the territory of my male cat. He used to be dominant in his territory.

A few months ago I made the mistake of letting the female cat spend more time inside of the house. She suddenly decided that the inside of the house and the backyard were now her territories. She also decided that she was going to be the dominant cat in those territories.

Her personality has changed. She used to be very friendly and walk the neighborhood with several of my neighbors cats and play with the neighborhood children. Now she is obsessed with being inside the house and patrolling her territory.

My cats used to stalk each other and play fight in both the front and backyard. Now my male cat acts terrified of my female cat. He runs away whenever he sees her.

I have two outside bungalow style cat houses in the backyard. My male cat and his neighborhood buddy (she's female) usually use them in the Fall through Early Spring. It's important for my male cat to have access to the houses because we have frequent windstorms and rain October - March.

My female cat has a "katkabin" (which she has never used) in the front yard and a cat bed (which she frequents) inside of our covered porch in the front yard. She now uses both her bed in the front yard and both houses in the backyard.

I've sprayed down the cat houses with enzyme spray. I've petted my male cat and placed his scent inside both of the houses. I even moved the houses to different locations in the backyard. My male cat seems very interested in the houses when my female cat isn't around, but as soon as she shows up he runs away again.

I need advice on how to help my male cat stand up for himself and claim his space. Thanks in advance.

Wedding venue ideas?

ghastlyfop — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:00:36 -0800

Please help me find a wedding venue! I'm trying to seek out a nice, unusual outdoor location for my wedding next year - preferably near a body of water and in upstate New York but we're open to the entire northeast. We're also on a budget, so it needs to be on the affordable side. Does anybody have any suggestions? My fiance will kill me if I don't offer up some ideas, and I have no idea where to start.

How to get myself employed in NGC, Discovery, BBC documentary crews

Anonymous — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:07:43 -0800

How can a Indian software engineer join documentary/photography crew of National Geographic, Discovery, BBC, PBS or other similar production houses? What kind of jobs are available in these organizations? Are there similar jobs (outside of the documentary business) that can take me to such places and pay for it? Low salary not an issue. (work colleagues read MeFi, hence anonymous, hence a bit lengthy, so pls bear with me).
I am a 29 year old Computer Engineer working in software development for the past 7 years (underutilised from my perspective because I am hardly motivated -- just going thru the motions, but on par for my firm), and over the last 4-5 years I have gradually come to a firm conclusion that I don't want to continue any corporate job that requires me to sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours, enclosed in a dull cell and work for the man. Currently I am dragging along in a VeryBigDeal MNC Computer Inc. in India with good pay, have absolutely no desire to continue in it or in this industry, married, no kids (no plans for the next 3-4 years), no debt, no mortgage, no long-term commitments. Only wife and old parents (without retirals) to support. I've already secured a small house in India, and our daily survival expenses are v.moderate, just about 3 meals (touchwood, no big medicals). I also have some small savings that I can fall back on to go without a steady pay for a year or so. But other than that I am not flu$h in any way. I don't have any other investments, stocks etc. Wifey is a Science graduate, can work something on the side based on where I land up.

The challenge :
The ideal place where I envision myself giving my 250% is in documentaries. Outdoors, in the lap-of-nature, with a filming-crew, under the ocean, on the Arctic ice-sheet, in the midst of Amazon rainforest, on the Tibetan plains, anywhere in Africa et al. I actually cried watching the absolutely stunning beauty of the March of the Penguins. Documentaries are the only thing I care to watch on TV and everytime I wonder, well, these guys must be needing some porters/helpers/assistants to carry their equipment around, take care of trip details, to pitch the tent while they are busy shooting that billion-dollar pic? Can I be that man? I am an amateur photographer myself, and have basic knowledge of film-making from the interwebs, but I don't fancy any chances against the professionals who've been at this game for far too long (atleast not right away, maybe 10-15 years from now). But I think I can be a good assistant and a valuable crew member to teams who do these jobs. Do these people need a tripod-carrying-assistants with a thing for photography ? Is there any forum of professionals who are looking to work in India and need help in researching a particular topic/region before they visit here so that I can get my feet wet while I am at my desk job and gain some street-cred?

And I am not just a couch-happy viewer. I am an adventure freak as well, as far as they go in India. I like to trek, hike, take long walks, have bungee-jumped, skydived (in US), slept overnight out in the open on Goa's beach etc. This is not to boast but just to show that I have that streak in me. I guess for most MeFiites this is just normal, but really in India I am called a nature-wilderness guy, and I am happy with it. Infact I am not even looking at just jobs in geo-societies. Any of those wild-dangerous jobs (working the North-Sea, bridge construction crews, anything that they show on MegaStructures and Frontlines of Construction and similar)..the whacky jobs. Anything outdoors, requiring a fair bit of travel that takes me to stunning places... I am game.

I have already looked into things like WWOOF (visa restriction, short-term, age < 30 years) and other backpacking options, but i get a feeling that most of them really look like short-term odd jobs for single college students, while couchsurfing that country. also, my republic of india passport is not very embassy friendly in many places. in that respect i envy you europeans. however, i am open to even that route (get visa etc.), provided i see a way of stringing together a series of such odd jobs and come out top with some cash at the end of the month to send home to my parents. i don't mind doing short bursts of high-paying jobs mixed with long gaps of minimum or no wage. i guess i'd love it./small>

A real problem I face is that there are v.few people doing such things in India and none that I know of to approach and seek guidance. It's even difficult to google the credits of a "Wild India" Discovery documentary(Aamir Bashir, Samara Chopra, Jasdeep Punna, Avinash Singh, I am looking at you). I guess the NGC office in India is mainly an admin office that takes care of mktg & mag. distribution. There is no one in my circle with a arts/film/social-sciences background. We are all bloody engineers and doctors here.

In order to 'get there from here', I am ready to 'pay my dues' doing low-end menial jobs at these organizations, short-term unpaid-internships, side-assignments, stipends-while-training, etc. to prove to them that though I don't have the academic background, I am willing to put whatever it takes. Infact I think I’d enjoy even that, if it happens to be NGC, Discovery. Do they need people to watch their archives, for hours on endlessly, and....I don’t know like take notes, categorise, place/mark them for specific target audiences etc ?? Do their sales/marketing dept. needs people who can place the right content, customize it across their many media properties? I guess that could be a good first step to take.

I don’t know how the production side of it goes? Sometimes I see a single person appearing in many titles of credits (eg:John Paul Davidson - Himalaya with Palin). Do they first secure a grant from BBC or whoever and then go filming, or is it just that they do the complete thing on their own and then try to sell the rights? I am asking as it may probably impact whether I should be looking at jobs in telecast channels or with individual documentary makers and photographers like Mr.Davidson. Then sometimes I see credits ending with "produced by i stylus for Discovery"(unGoogleable btw) , which suggest presence of small production companies who might be later selling their work to BBC, NGC. Again, I want to know such individuals and companies, who are preferably working in India, or any country where I can just show up and 'take it from there'. If it helps, I have my own film & digital SLR camera(Nikon N80, D70s), let's say if a BigDeal photographer/documentarian requires an assistant with some pay for 6 months with no upfront costs -- maybe I can fit in there?

I’ve thought about joining one of the wilderness tour operators, but again, I don’t have any experience whatsoever as a guide or such high-end places, and I don’t know what is the best way to proceed here.

I even have an idea or two on topics for documentaries right here in India, which NGC and the likes haven't tackled yet. I can work alongside someone (grad film-students who want to shoot their final project?) who have heir own budgets/grants, and be a host to them in India. But I guess without any experience or 'portfolio' nobody is going to take me seriously on this one

Also related: If you know of any jobs in India similar to show-up on the deck for crab-fishing, I might be interested in them.

As far as other skills go: I was a straight 'A' student, good at maths/logic/languages, good communication and team skills, a fairly decent knowledge of various cultures, basic photography skills, can survive on most kind of outside food, no allergies, any water that the locals drink(no Misty Blue ColdMineral for me), have been to US a couple of times, so I have a good feel of US-culture, a good sense of humour, and good presentation skills.

Basically help me chart my way out of the office environs and out in the open, under the vast blue sky.

Any help, any info, any contacts for networking or further guidance, no matter how small or irrelevant you think, please post it. It will only help me. You can reach me at helpmejoinNGC@gmail.com if you have any queries.

Looking for modern / retro outdoor fireplace ideas.

gingembre — Wed, 09 May 2007 06:29:51 -0800

Fireplace Filter: I am looking for outdoor fireplace ideas. I like the old 60's metal "cone" type fireplace (in orange!), but i can't find a good way to search for those; I'm not sure what they are called and my google skillz aren't helping. Could I make one myself? I really don't want a firepit because i need the smoke drawn up and away. And I loathe the look of chimineas. There does not seem to be a wealth of ideas on the web about diy (and budget) outdoor fireplaces. It seems like a simple idea to make, but i know there are issues with fireboxes, bricks, codes (although building codes are not a big deal here). And does anyone know what those 60's metal fireplaces are called? I'd just buy one of those if i could.

My cat won't stop demanding to be let out. Ever.

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:53:02 -0800

Help me break my cat's spirit. I love my wittole kitty, but he's realized that he's my prisoner and he makes vocal protests continually. He loudly, but eloquently, makes original and compelling catlanguage arguments. He's very smart and expressive, this one. Sometimes he bumrushes the open door and sometimes he takes a swipe at my ankles, especially in cases where I bring him back inside after an escape.

I have let him outside (our front door faces an essentially unfenced back yard) under my supervision, for visits, because I am a softie. He loves to eat grass and catch tossed mulch chips and roll around in the sunlit dirt. He has a field day. He's easy to catch, though once he did get out of sight long enough to be gone for two days. That terrified me. When inside, I play with him, with feathertoys and laser pointers, but possibly not often enough.

He and his brother were feral kittens, and the trap-and-spay agency we adopted them from 4 years ago was very clear and insistent that they be indoor-only cats. I am behind this because I've lost to the great outdoors 3 out of 4 previous cats. His little brother has almost no expressed desire to go outside.

The meowing and nagging is nearing constance. Anytime I'm in the living room at all. I have tried pushing him away when he comes yelling "HEY! FREE MEEE!" with my hand on his nose, or with my foot. I have tried keeping a spray bottle by the door and squirting him, but it just makes him indignant; nothing sways him from his cause. I want to stop feeling hassled! It's making me resent him! My partner would like to build an outdoor pen for them, but I'm concerned this will only exacerbate the problem.

How can I subdue the feline insurgency?

How do I keep things from growing in my couch?

jjbb — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:37:15 -0800

How do I prevent or treat mold, or any other kind of growth, on a couch in a screened in porch? I'm a college student and I have a couple couches on my front porch. The porch is screened in, but when it's rainy and windy, they can get a little wet. Is there anything I can spray them with to keep them from getting nasty?