At work I frequently come into contact with people who are members of various at-risk populations. They often have to give me really intimate details of their lives within minutes of meeting. When first opening up to me, they'll usually pause to gauge my reaction. I respond with, "I don't judge," in my most supportive voice. But I realize this can be a loaded statement for people and easily taken the wrong way.
What short declarative statement could I use in its place?
posted by 1066
on Mar 27, 2013 -
49 answers
Blog/website tech support needed!
How can I move my newly designed Wordpress site from a subdirectory to the root, while somehow archiving the old indexhibit site which currently dwells on the root? I only have a couple of days in which to do this!
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posted by betsbillabong
on Oct 18, 2012 -
11 answers
Oh, MeFites, I could use your insight. I'm probably going to have to call things off with my girlfriend - and it's mostly because she's depressed and out of resources to deal with things, so small things are becoming huge stressors on a near-daily basis. I feel like this makes me a horrible person, but things are so fraught, I don't know what else to do. Help? [Long, full of snowflakes and sadness]
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posted by Someone Else's Story
on Sep 24, 2012 -
25 answers
My father's parents just passed away, two weeks apart exactly. How do I support my dad through this time?
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posted by dil.emma
on Aug 22, 2012 -
8 answers
About to start discussing divorce details. What do you wish you known, what would you have done differently, what do you regret, what are glad you did?
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posted by jennstra
on Aug 6, 2012 -
19 answers
I am looking for flip-flops that have nice arch support. The arch on my left foot collapses quite a bit when I walk. I want the shoes to be flip-flops, not Birkenstock-style sandals. I am male, and I live in the U.S.
posted by starkraven
on Jul 4, 2012 -
26 answers
cstross! jscalzi! Other fiction authors! What's the most efficient or author-preferred way to spend a given amount of money on his/her books?
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posted by ROU_Xenophobe
on Nov 10, 2011 -
11 answers
How do I support NPR from outside the US? I listen to a number of NPR podcasts and would like to do my bit. I've tried emailing them but have yet to get a response.
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posted by sien
on Oct 5, 2011 -
9 answers
I'm looking for support groups for soon-to-be-parents with Asperger's Syndrome. Both individuals are 20ish and haven't had a lot experience being self-sufficient, have had difficulty organizing their lives, keeping jobs, etc. They are very excited about having a child, but could use some guidance on parenting, setting up a home, etc.
posted by ms_rasclark
on Aug 8, 2011 -
4 answers
System/network/desktop admins, what tools and utilities do you keep in your virtual toolbox?
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posted by Lyn Never
on Jun 1, 2011 -
16 answers
My desk's legs are shot, and I need to prop the desk's top off the floor at regular height... as cheaply as possible.
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posted by pavane
on Apr 11, 2011 -
12 answers
IndianapolisWomensSupportFilter: My mom just left an abusive relationship in Daytona Beach, FL to live with some old friends in Indianapolis, IN and I want to get some information about what kind of support might be available in Indianapolis. As per usual, Snowflake Details inside.
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posted by ThaBombShelterSmith
on Mar 20, 2011 -
6 answers
My friend's dad just passed away. How can I help him? What can I do?
I live couple thousand miles away from where he is. Can you give me some suggestions?
Is it bad if I start compiling list of government agencies or funeral homes for them to call? What else I can do?
posted by Carius
on Jan 2, 2011 -
16 answers
A colleague is going through a divorce. He told our boss and me that his wife left him last week. I feel really sorry for him. What should I do to support him through this period?
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posted by bbyboi
on Oct 13, 2010 -
12 answers
Child support filter: Ex-husband voluntarily agreed 8 years ago to pay more than state minimum child support. Just got letter from his lawyer saying he wants to now pay state amount.
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posted by dzaz
on Aug 14, 2010 -
21 answers
My boyfriend and I are about to take The Bar Exam in less than a week. A few days ago, my boyfriend was having severe anxiety attacks and suddenly decided he'd be better off at his folks' house. We talked about it, I supported it, and he flew home that night. Now I'm alone in our house and I'm freaking out dealing with my own depression and anxiety. I know (I know, I really know) that what happened isn't his fault, and that he needs to do what is best for him, and that this doesn't mean he doesn't care about me. But my irrational me keeps feeling abandoned. I need advice on how to recontextualize the situation or something because with four days left I don't really have time or energy to spend being irrationally angry.
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posted by mishamashes
on Jul 22, 2010 -
29 answers
I'm clueless. I have an ADSL modem and two computers. Despite having both a USB and Ethernet connection, only one works at a time. Help!
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posted by csjc
on Jul 10, 2010 -
9 answers
Sadly I lost a friend to a long battle with cancer last night, her husband and teenage children are without any extended family in the area and will rely on some of us for the next while. Two things:
1 - Can you tell me of things that friends and family have done for you in similar circumstances that really helped at the time: large, small, immediately, over days, weeks, months, whatever. We'll sort out food, the pets and cleaning the house but what else can we do?
2 - Any advice on striking the right balance between giving them their space to grieve and being there to support to them?
posted by HopStopDon'tShop
on Mar 21, 2010 -
22 answers
Got my connectivity/internet issues fixed yesterday. But what was the problem? I don't understand what the tech guy told me.
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posted by mreleganza
on Mar 20, 2010 -
5 answers
My boyfriend's ex-wife is trying to get him to pay more child support. We got a letter showing how much "available income" she has to support the child; included in the calculation is a deduction for the other two children she has with her new husband. How is this possible, when her new husband--who has a larger income than either the ex-wife or my bf--is also responsible for those other two kids? I understand that the new hubbie is not responsible for the support costs of my bf's son--but shouldn't he be responsible for the care of his own kids, such that the ex-wife cannot deduct this cost from her income when determining the percentage of my bf's son's care for which she is responsible?
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posted by vegsister
on Feb 23, 2010 -
21 answers
Air Canada WTF? On Tuesday I took a trip from Laguardia Airport to Pearson Toronto to CDG, Paris on Air Canada. From Toronto to Paris, they lost one of my bags, which wouldn't be terrible except said bas contained 1) My only change of clothes for the next 2 weeks 2) My BFs extra heart medication and 3) I'm leaving for Prague in 4 days and there is still no news. Is there anyone I can call or talk to see that I actually get my stuff before I leave France? Kakfaesque detail follows.
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posted by The Whelk
on Jan 7, 2010 -
21 answers
TechFilter:
I'm part of a medium-sized IT support company and we're looking at some new helpdesk/workflow management software. What advice can you give on your setup or software you are currently working with?
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posted by de1mar
on Oct 14, 2009 -
8 answers
Desperate friend has turned to me for book suggestions on her three year old. Ideally available in Australia, but Amazon is always possible.
What are your killer books for nailing the second really difficult time in a parent's life.... the 2-3year old?
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posted by taff
on Sep 6, 2009 -
9 answers
Could someone reccomend me a lightweight/easy to use web/email based support ticket management tool?
Preferebly open source.
posted by nam3d
on Jul 7, 2009 -
12 answers
Mac OS X / Microsoft Office 2004 (Excel) crash and failed file recovery has left excel in an endless loop of restore and crash. Can anyone help me to find and delete the (unwanted) auto-saved excel sheet that is causing this problem?
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posted by urban greeting
on Dec 4, 2008 -
3 answers
I sent an almost-new laptop into the service department of a very reputable computer company for repair and they replaced the hard drive on it and threw away all my data without asking. There was nothing wrong with the hard drive. What is a reasonable request on them to make up for this?
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posted by onalark
on Jan 8, 2007 -
23 answers
