Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with suggestions

Restaurant suggestions in Vancouver

csjc — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:40:04 -0800

I'm turning 16 this weekend, and decided to get together with some friends for dinner. Problem is, I have no idea where to go. Suggest a Vancouver restaurant for five 16-18 year olds on a Sunday night? A few requirements:

-The absolute max. budget is $30 per person, preferably lower
-Some choice for vegetarians
-Preferably in either kits or downtown (gastown, maybe?)
-Cuisine/atmosphere usually described as American/Lounge would work best, I think. If you have any other suggestions, though, shoot!

I hope that there's at least somewhere out there which matches my specifications!

DC to DUX, can't be that hard, right?

parmanparman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:06:35 -0800

I moved across the country for a dream job at my alma mater, my job's funding was cut and I am now unemployed. I have no benefits and am losing my place at the end of the month. I don't have a lot of money but I have decided to make a go of Eugene, Oregon. I have applied to some temp places, but what else should I be doing as a professional fundraiser and broadcast journalist to find work and get my life together? I am over the despair but I need major help. I'll try to stay active in the thread. This has been a major heartbreak for me. It feels like I have lost a child.

Paper Topic on Iran?

howgenerica — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:14:12 -0800

What's an interesting aspect of Iranian society/ Shi'i Islam that would lend itself well to a 10 page expository essay? Nothing too controversial - my professor is Iranian. Just something interesting to write/ learn about. It has to be pretty specific. Thanks for suggestions!

Please help me make Christmas memories for my boys

FunkyHelix — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:04:55 -0800

Children and Christmas in NYC - where are all the good windows? Where should we eat dinner? And what else should we check out? Next Friday I'll be taking my 6 and 11 year old boys into NYC via train for some Christmas site-seeing. It's something my mom did and it was always a bright holiday memory. So I really want to pass it along to my two.

We're going to swing by the big tree in the morning and possibly try the ice skating. From there we want to check out the fancy Christmas windows. Which ones would you suggest visiting as being awesome/interesting/etc?

We're going to street cart it for lunch and then look for somewhere interesting for dinner. We need somewhere moderately priced, not overly kitschy, touristy, or crowded and with a patient waitstaff (6 yo is ADHD and autistic.) Not looking for something like MacDonalds. It's a sin to be in a place as awesome as NYC and then eat at a franchise fast food place. Any suggestions?

We're going to try walking past the tree light up for night time on the way back to the train station. Anywhere to get hot chocolate and decent coffee that isn't a Starbucks that you'd suggest?

Finally? Besides the tree and the windows, I'd love any other suggestion for things to check out that are kid-friendly.

Thanks ahead of time!

Book suggestions for a 19 year old

blaynerb — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:40:07 -0800

I'm looking for something new to read. I'm 19, any suggestions? For the first time in many years, I'm without a book to read. I'm a college student and need a reprieve from school work. I've looked on a lot of book websites but I'd like suggestions based on my actual preferences and I've seen a lot of successful book suggestion questions on here.

I'm in the phase where I still like some YA books but I'm not a big fan of obnoxiously angsty teenagers or messages of purity and abstinence. Some of my favorites:
Harry Potter
Eragon
Twilight
The Golden Compass

I like fantasy novels but not really science fiction, and I like action, mystery, and really need a romance aspect to keep my interest as well (sexual tension, steamy bedroom scenes, etc), unless the story is a good mystery or makes you think.

Some of these types of books I enjoyed:
The Historian
The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, The Lost Symbol
Jane Austin's books
Jane Eyre
Heart of Darkness
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Stranger in A Strange Land

Some Book I didn't like:
Chronicles of Narnia (thought I only read The Magician's Nephew)
All The Pretty Horses
Little Women

Although I sound picky, I'm pretty open-minded and try most books before discounting them.

What history / philosophy books should I read next?

crapples — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:26:05 -0800

What history / philosophy books should I ask for for Christmas? I recently read Manhunt and I loved how engaging the writing was. It was like reading a novel at times. I also love reading philosophy of religion and philosophy of politics. I'd like to read more about the civil war (especially books that focus on one set of events, like Manhunt, as opposed to books that survey the entire war), introductions to communism or marxism, maybe something really engaging about WWII (although I've already read quite a bit about that subject).

I know that's a little broad: But my parents are asking me what I want for Christmas and I'd like to give them a list of four or five books. Any suggestions that would fit somewhere with what I've described?

Suggestions for a home mill to make medium/large quantities of peanut butters?

refactored — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:54:45 -0800

Looking for a hardy mill/grinder/machine for regular home-made peanut butter making. Due to dietary requirements I'm eating a lot more nuts. Recently I had a go at making some peanut butter using a food blender. The outcome was very tasty however far too chunky and not very well mixed. I'd like to start making peanut butter more regularly to suppliment my diet and to give to family & friends.

I've been searching online for something relevant but can't seem to find anything other than some hand-cranked grain mills and coffee mills - all of which are too flimsy and small and look as though they would require a full-day's use to make a single small jar's worth.

Can someone suggest a hardy peanut butter mill/grinder/machine/maker that I can use daily/weekly that will allow me to make a few large jar-fulls in a couple of hours?

October book suggestions

CZMR — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:52:42 -0800

Woohoo, it's October! Lets get some Autumn/Halloween reading suggestions! There was this from last year and I thought it was a decent thread but hopefully we can get a few more suggestions.

I'll start off with a few -
Dracula - Bram Stoker
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski - Although the Leaves in the title doesn't relate to autumn, I kept envisioning it taking place during the fall. And not to mention it is a terrifying novel that will scare you for the Halloween season.

Looking for some good sf pulp fiction

Ritchie — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:41:34 -0800

Looking for suggestions for stories, novels, or comics in the vein of Mervyn Peake and China Mieville. I read Peake's Gormenghast novels years ago, and loved them. I've also read Perdido Street Station, and am aiming to pick up The Scar and Iron Council by Mieville.

I guess I'm looking for stories which have that unique crossover of fantasy, technology, and maybe elements of grand guignol body horror.

I'm open to stories in any format, including graphic novels and comic books. I'm even interested in non-English stories.

How to eat fried eggs.

willpie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:09:45 -0800

What are some good alternative ways to eat a fried egg? I have finally mastered the art of the over-easy fried egg. It's (unspeakably) delicious with toast, but I'm worried about getting bored. Aside from on toast, on a roll with cheese (and pork roll here in NJ), on an english muffin, and with bacon, what are some great ways to serve this deceptively simple treat?
Also, read a blog post a couple days about serving it over salad. Can anyone confirm or deny the awesomeness thereof?

Help me figure out how to make my wife's 40th birthday party be a unique & special/memorable event for both her & our guests...

foodybat — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:47:07 -0800

Throughing my wife a 40th birthday party... at a bar (in the Tampa Bay area), with our favorite band... we'll have an area for the catered food i'm bringing... but I need some other suggestions on how to make this event particularly special and unique, not only for the 50 or so guests, but also my wife. We're good friends with the band, & they will bring her on stage throughout the evening to help sing & dance and such...
I wanna make this a unique 40th b-day party.... now, we're going to have food from 3-4 restaurants, etc. I'll arrange some kind of transportation for anyone who needs it throughout the evening (don't want anyone drinking & driving of course). The party starts at around 8 ish... & goes until the place closes...around 1am ish.
Now, after that we may see our other buddy play at a different bar... i could also have, whoever is left standing, come with us to Hard Rock Casino ...

But what i'm really looking for is suggestions on how to make this party stand out & be different ... preferable at the bar... I thought about having a tattoo artist on hand... as one thought. I didn't know if it was practical to give away any party favors.... I could buy some cd's and/or shirts from the band & give them to some people... IDK....

Any others thoughts???

suggestions for celebrating my 40th birthday?

roxie110 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:36:08 -0800

suggestions for celebrating my 40th birthday in san francisco? i'm turning (*gasp*) 40 in a couple months and would love to plan something incredibly fun and distinctive to celebrate. each year i have a party at a bar, but would love to do something a bit beyond that this time. i've lived in san francisco for ages and know there are many cool places to go and things to do, but so far i haven't come up with anything that seems right. ideally the event would be accessible to a wide range of friends, and not outrageously expensive.

would welcome any and all suggestions--really!

Potter, Norrell, and....?

Doctor Suarez — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:10:49 -0800

Suggest absorbing fiction about mysterious England. This is purely a mood-driven question. I want to read more books that combine ideally British or possibly Continental European settings, the past (anywhere from sword-and-board to the 1950s), and perhaps some element of the supernatural. To give you some idea what I mean, here are the books that are close, but already read:

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Neil Stephenson's Baroque Cycle
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Shelley's Frankenstein
The Harry Potter Books (which are really close, I suppose, but a bit too youthful for me. Actually, truth be told, I haven't read them, but I made the insane decision to experience the saga from the movies and have my wife fill in the gaps.)

Okay, so I'm making you all work as literary Pandora Radio. And yes, it's somewhat similar to this question, which is an excellent start, but my peccadilloes are a touch different. Think you're up to it, chaps?

In search of gothic, darkwave, industrial, and related music.

filthy light thief — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:43:38 -0800

I host a gothic/industrial radio show, but I've taken a break as I ran out of ideas. Please suggest any suitable bands, labels, blogs, or other sources of inspiration. More details inside. I've hosted an hour-long gothic/industrial/darkwave/etc. show on the local college radio station a few times over the years, but I usually stop after a quarter or two (3-6 months). I have a few old playlists online:

* Jan. 11, 2009
* Dec. 10, 2008
* Nov. 17, 2008
* Nov 10, 2008
* Oct. 27, 2008
* Oct 19, 2008
* Oct 12, 2008

I tend to lean towards the electronic/new industrial side of things, but I like proper gothic stuff. My wife knows more of that realm, and she co-hosts, so some playlists are more into the gothic side things. Common bands include VNV Nation, Wolfsheim, Coil, Ministry, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Skinny Puppy, Projekt Pitchfork, Siouxsie / Creatures, Depeche Mode, Dead Can Dance, Cranes. Labels include Projekt, Metropolis, old Wax Trax!, random Cleopatra stuff, and more. The station has an impressive back-catalog of 1990s-era industrial and the like, but it's buried amongst indie rock from the past years, too.

Housepainters in Toronto? Suggestions?

jennyhead — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:31:30 -0800

Torontofilter: Any recommendations for indoor painting companies? I would like the inside of my condo painted nicely because I'm a control freak and know I will eff it up if I do it myself. Any suggestions for companies around Toronto who will do a good job but ideally still be cheap? Thanks MeFi.

Baby, You Can Drive Once More / 'Tis Time For Me To Hit the Store.

julthumbscrew — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:46:04 -0800

Need gift ideas for a fantastic fella who's just about to finish up a grueling one-year license suspension. A little under a year ago, our jurisdiction informed Significant Other that he was no longer at liberty to drive. If you thought that having your wheels yanked sucked at sixteen... try it in your late twenties. However, we slogged through it, he paid his debt to society and is now days away from re-licensed glory.

It's not the kind of thing that's usually celebrated... but damn it, it WAS a legitimately tough row to hoe. I'd like to give him a little present the day he gets his license back (pricey and tangible not required, heartfelt and humorous both bonuses). Suggestions?

Help me keep my nose inside a book all summer

CrazyLemonade — Sat, 16 May 2009 10:40:06 -0800

I need to compile my summer reading list ASAP. Please give me some suggestions. Two years ago I asked for some book suggestions and MeFis, as always, turned out to be great at just that. This time I'm looking for books to keep me entertained all during the summer, as I'll have a lot of free time (I'm a teacher and master's student).

I like fiction novels, long-ish, and prefer if they're recent books (as in, "not in the mood for oldish classics").

Books I've read and liked (some of them because I learned of them in here in the Green):

Middlesex
The Historian
I Know This Much Is True
The Time Traveller's Wife
The Kite Runner
Life of Pi
Pillars of the Earth (and) World without End
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Books I read and didn't like very much:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay
The Loser's Club (I think amazon suggested that one, and it sucked)

I figure whoever's read any of these recognizes them without needing the author.

I know there's already tons of questions about books here, but in this community with lots of types of readers, I'm hoping you can help a lot better than Amazon's "people who bought this, also bought this."

Got a big room. Need ideas.

skypieces — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:25:52 -0800

What would you do with a 47'x47' room to bring in revenue? I have an opportunity for a very affordable, longer-term lease on a building that has a nice-sized "conference room" in it (Dimensions: 47’x47’. Built in screen and staging available. 200-person capacity. Restrooms there too.) In the past, the room has been rented out for receptions, reunions, etc. It was not used as much as it could have been due to being in a small town. My background is in theatre and I have put on several small productions in that very room. Now I have the chance to do with it what I will. I certainly intend to stage more productions there, as well as furnish the place with tables and cater in dinners (dinner theatre, murder mysteries, etc). While I will make it generally available for rent as it has been, I want to pursue particular projects that will "pull" people in rather than simply dangling the availablity out there and hoping it is used.

Some ideas I have had for further use include:

Hosting contests (since it has screen, possibly gamers, etc)
Bringing in other theatre companies for shows
Small "concerts" that I organize
Trade shows (need to learn more about this)
Fundraisers that I organize (as opposed to just renting the room for a fundraiser)
Dances
Small film festival
Classes (acting, readers' theatre, other non-theatre topics with guest instructors)

So, if you had a room like this, in a smaller town, what would you do with it? Ideas, links to similar facilities, examples all greatly appreciated.

Slowdancing through two decades of tunes...

Sully — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:25:19 -0800

I run a Slowdance Night every few months, complete with dancecards, a mirrorball, and designated dancers (for the wallflowers). It's a fabulous time, but here's my problem. The music that hooks my nostalgia ends in the late 80's, early 90's. After that, for some reason, I kind of stopped listening to music. Thus, my playlist climaxes with a lot of 80's songs. But I've been noticing the demographic has been skewing younger the past couple of dances. Could you suggest some slowdance songs and ballads from the last two decades that I might dovetail into my established set? Thanks.

Heed the hat!

mathiu — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:31:40 -0800

What is the name of this headdress? An where could I acquire one myself?

(I'm located in Germany)

Other than Barbie Horse Adventures...

specialagentwebb — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:00:40 -0800

What are some video games where unique gameplay complements a great story? I've recently found myself running out of good video games to play, and I'm looking for some suggestions.

The games I enjoy the most seem to defy easy categorization. I like RPGs, but hate grinding. I like fighting, but stink at figuring out combos. I tend to dislike games that can be summed up in one sentence (unless it's a really impressive run-on sentence). I guess the genre that best describes my preference is adventure-puzzle-action-rpg, if it has a good storyline.

Bad: "You have to kill the (aliens/Nazis/zombies/etc)."

Good: "You play as Raz, this kid who runs away from the circus to join this summer camp for psychic warriors, but while he's there, he finds out..."

Some more about me:
-I consider Beyond Good & Evil to be the greatest game ever made. I also enjoy playing Okami, Psychonauts, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (although Warrior Within made me seethe with rage), and God of War 1 and 2. I like the story in Dreamfall, but found the gameplay a little boring and repetitive in places.
-The only Final Fantasy game I've ever completed is X (although I'm working on XII). I tried VII and VIII, but quit both before the halfway point. I know, I know. I'm a terrible excuse for a gamer. The only Zelda game I've played at all is Twilight Princess, which was fun for the little that I played.
-I have access to PS1, PS2, Xbox, Xbox360, DS, GBA, GC, Wii, and a nice PC.
-I play games to have fun; not for completion or achievement. If the mini tasks required for completion are fun (photography in BG&E, stray beads in Okami), then I'll do them.

So how about it, Hivemind? What video games should I play next?

More folk!

tdreyer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:35:31 -0800

Addicted to a new type of music filter: Recently heard Josh Turner's song "The longer the waiting (the sweeter the kiss)" and I want to find more like it. Any suggestions?

Biography suggestions?

GatorFan2000 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:32:48 -0800

What are some good biographies of James Madison? After reading the Malcolm Gladwell book, "Outliers" I decided I wanted to read a biography of each president of the United States to see what types of advantages lead to someone becoming the president of the United States. I'm about to finish American Sphinx, which is about Thomas Jefferson. Naturally, James Madison is next.

Looking for movies with stock comic characters!

rawredmeat — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:52:02 -0800

I'm directing a farce with a bunch of high-schoolers, and would love to give them some movie suggestions to look at for characters. They are pretty classic comic archetypes, but my brain is reeling a bit trying to think of all of them, and though I'd put it out to the hive mind. The only catch is that I can't really suggest any R-Rated movies, because most of them aren't old enough to watch them... I'm looking for non-R-Rated movies with these types of comic characters:
-An over-emotional young woman (cries at the drop of the hat, gets really excited about other things...)
-A very happy-go-lucky person who ends up being the mastermind of an evil plot
-A young, bright eyed all-american honeymooning couple (a la the couple in Rocky Horror)
-an overdramatic fortune teller
-the ultimate hollywood agent- a real ball buster
-a completely oblivious older woman, who is unruffled by just about anything
-a self-important high society rich woman
-an over-the-top, over dramatic Frenchman
-a totally over-extended and over worked servant

Thanks, everybody!

Morroco Travel Suggestions?

mary8nne — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:32:32 -0800

Holiday Advice: Morroco: 5 nights. Looking for recommendations for somewhere to stay / do stuff an hour or so out of Marakech. Off to Morroco / Marakech at the end of January. and we are looking for somewhere to go / stay / do outside of Marakech.

We have 5 nights. The first two are booked for Marakech, (Riad in Marakech) but we are unsure where to go for the other 3 nights.

It seems that we will also need to Hire a Car to get out of Marakech - can anyone confirm? are there public transport options?

There are a few cool looking Riads in the Atlas Mountains area but I'm not sure. We don't want to go to far out 1-2 hrs as our return flight is from Marakech at 11.30 am on the last day.

or perhaps we should hit the beach?