Ask MetaFilter

Looking for the name of an alternative (and possibly traditional) calendar, one that functions as a way to record important anniversaries and birthdays and other notable days. It doesn't record a specific day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, and so on), however, because that changes ever year. People generally receive these as a keepsake, and always in paper form. It's craft is significant compared to a regular office/home calendar. I don't remember what they are called, and I can't search for one until I find out. [more inside]
posted by captainsohler at 10:40 AM - 3 answers

Looking for reviews of Ancestry's DNA test, specifically focused on finding relatives. [more inside]
posted by cozenedindigo at 8:47 AM - 18 answers

I was born in Novi, but left when I was two, and haven't been back. There are several counties with open Section 8 waitlists. Deadline: tomorrow. Please help this Portland/Seattle native choose which counties I can survive a year in without wanting to kill myself. [more inside]
posted by t(h)om(as) at 3:11 PM - 18 answers

This is an admittedly silly question and one I don't think is going to be easy to answer but I'm wondering about the vocal "shredding" (I think this is what one might call it) that occurs, among many other places I'm sure, in Brandi Carlile songs and how the hell you get your voice to do that. [more inside]
posted by Smearcase at 2:49 PM - 6 answers

I'm looking for a nice venue to host an overnight birthday party this weekend for about 40 people. There are no Airbnb's left that will do an event for under $2k so I'm asking the hivemind now.
posted by senterstyle at 12:05 PM - 3 answers

I am trying to think of good ideas for a birthday gift for my sister. She will be 54. Her hobbies are cooking, nature photography and outdoor recreation She also runs and does other exercise regularly. She has a dog that she spoils. We live in the desert southwest. She works at a sporting goods store, so she already gets great deals on gear for outdoor recreation. My budget is up to $100.
posted by maurreen at 12:02 PM - 14 answers

I live in Illinois and work for a manufacturer that does have federal contracts. We are offered free physicals annually which includes blood and urine testing. It was published on the company website that "this is not a drug test". Can my employee test me for drugs anyway and if positive ( yes I smoked a tiny bit of weed a week ago), be fired as a result? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:52 PM - 7 answers

Our baby is due in 2 weeks and we've been trying to settle on a name for 9 months! Please help! [more inside]
posted by zonem at 11:05 PM - 58 answers

OK, I cannot believe I am using a question for this but it bothers me at least once week. You go to a public bathroom. A nice, clean. well-maintained public bathroom. The toilet has a weird cloudy clump of what looks like dissolved toilet paper. But it’s like shredded. [more inside]
posted by mmf at 3:22 PM - 15 answers

Help me think aloud around a bathroom sign my boss just installed. She asked what I thought so I told her; I'm not crazy about it, here's why, but that's just me. It's one of these "mermaid/cenetaur/whatever, just wash your hands" signs. [more inside]
posted by Iteki at 10:58 PM - 56 answers

I can't seem to find this online essay, written by an employee of the Cabbage Patch doll hospital, anywhere. [more inside]
posted by Acheman at 6:53 AM - 3 answers

My toddler has a distinctive way of folding his fingers while waving goodbye that I have been told my husband's late grandfather, who baby never met, used to do. Can there really be a genetic cause for such an insignificant thing? If not, what can account for this? [more inside]
posted by ficbot at 7:30 PM - 11 answers

Short version: Wife has nervous habits that I think might hurt her job search. Do I tell her? [more inside]
posted by Thorzdad at 8:55 AM - 35 answers

After nearly 3 years away, we’re moving back (from DC) to NYC…but our lives are totally different. Help us decide where to live. [more inside]
posted by CiaoMela at 7:53 AM - 10 answers

I have a printer that has the capability to print on A3/Tabloid sized paper. I am looking for interesting posters/infographics/other things that I could print. The resolution should be high enough to look good on A3 paper. I am interested in math, (global) history, maps, science, but I welcome all suggestions, even for completely unrelated topics.
posted by blub at 3:37 AM - 9 answers

I enjoy dreaming but I almost always spend a significant portion of my dream-time involved in terribly stressful scenarios involving toilets that have no doors, are disgustingly filthy or overflowing, are lacking toilet paper or non-functional in any number of other horrifying ways. How can I stop this? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:55 AM - 32 answers

I've hit an incredibly rough time in my life, and it's came to a point where I really want to go back home and heal, but that'd mean leaving my job and my life in DC. I'm not sure if that's a good idea. [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 8:07 AM - 37 answers

I've gone to restaurants that clearly don't change their menus often and their menus were printed on extremely heavy, supple paper. Not laminated in any way, but so flexible that it resisted creases or even tears. I have no idea what this paper is, but I'd like to print on it. Ideally A4 size but normal 8.5x11 will work in a pinch. Could you suggest a place to find this sort of paper and (better yet) a service online that I can use to print with it?
posted by arnicae at 10:34 PM - 6 answers

It's possible I'll get a job offer in the next few weeks for a company in SF's SoMa neighborhood. I'm in Chicago now, and I'm trying to understand a neighborhood that would be a good fit. [more inside]
posted by j810c at 1:47 PM - 17 answers

A historical fiction scenario: The year is circa 1895. A man is in Edinburgh when his mother and sister die, suddenly, in London. I assume he could be notified within a day by telegraph, but could he travel by train in time to attend the funeral? [more inside]
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:33 PM - 5 answers