Most Favorited Questions in the Past 30 Days (24 hours, 7 days, 12 months, all time)
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I should have done this years ago!
I'm looking for suggestions for changes in your life or home or work or whatever that seemed like small things but ended up being really impactful. Some examples within. [more inside]
Best places on the web for deep distraction
What are the best sites for straight up hours of distraction while I wait for news that makes me very anxious? Where are your internet happy places? [more inside]
Albums to be at home to
I'm looking for instrumental albums (not playlists) that are your go to for when you're just bopping around the house. The ones you like so much that you put them on all the time as a soundtrack for living. For example, in my house growing up, Thomas Newman's film score for Little Women was nearly always in the stereo. I've also used Time Out by the Dave Brubeck quartet in a similar way, and an album with "The Moldau" and other works by Smetana. [more inside]
Sketching 101
I've recently taken up sketching and I'm looking for recommendations for good resources - books, videos, blogs - anything. [more inside]
Recommendations for slightly-nicer-than-cheap things!
Suppose you're someone for whom money has always been short, and you've generally lived a pretty low-frills lifestyle. Not broke, but pretty frugal, i.e. few name-brand pantry items, downmarket tech, clothes bought at discount outlets. Now you've started coming into just a bit more money. Nothing too serious, but enough that you can afford to treat yourself to nicer things once in a while. What kinds of everyday things is it worth spending just a bit more to buy? [more inside]
Entry-Level Freelance Writing Gigs?
I need to take a baby step into kickstarting a writing career. Help me find easy cheeseball things to start on and get my feet wet again. [more inside]
Requesting non-leafy, low-carb, cold salad recipes (or like)
Basically during weekdays my schedule is such that I don't spend much time at home, I just walk through the door at night, shower, and go to sleep. This makes dinner/supper annoying because I don't want to chow down on anything too heavy or flavorful immediately before sleeping. If "light on the stomach" works as a description I'll probably like it. [more inside]
sweets for summer snackin
I'm looking for summer dessert ideas that are elegant in their simplicity. Something a bit unexpected, maybe just a smidge on the fancy side – but not too fussy or overdone. (This is for an upcoming potluck.) [more inside]
How can I stop feeling hopeless and conflicted about the doomed future?
As someone who comes from a conservation background, seeing and feeling all the current and impending impacts of climate change are inducing panic, fear, and hopelessness in me. Seeing the backwards thinking of our (US) right-wing politicians regarding the topic, among many other hot-button issues that concern me, is making me question everything I'm doing and has gotten me feeling nihilistic. How can I remain more balanced? [more inside]
Looking for Low-Stress/No-Stress Puzzle-Adventure Games for PC
I am looking for PC games similar to Eastshade. (Think: Myst, but not nearly as challenging.) I have searched the Google Machine, Steam Machine, and YouTube Machine, and while the results are sorta-related, the search algorithms aren't really paying attention to what I am looking for... [more inside]
What to play on a Switch
My wife gave me a Nintendo Switch for my birthday! Yay!! I have little experience with video games. What should I play? Low-violence games good. I like puzzles and narrative. [more inside]
Mary Oliver: favorite poem that is NOT "Wild Geese"
What is your favorite Mary Oliver poem that is not "Wild Geese"? [more inside]
Books on taking life from "okay" to "good".
My daily life is at a 4/10. I want to get to a 6/10. All the self-help books seem to say "you're at a 2/10, you have major problems and if you just remove the negative you'll be happy." That's not connecting with me or working for me, so while I'm reading them and putting what I can into practice they're not quite what I'm looking for. Are there books about starting from an okay place and getting to a better place? [more inside]
What are the basic knowledge blocks of skincare?
I recently put some effort into learning the Curly Girl method and related info about caring for curly hair. The basic knowledge blocks have been more useful than specific advice, product recs, etc. (Examples inside.) What's the equivalent for skincare? [more inside]
Give me your best smart mutual pining, please
I am feeling some kind of Mood right now and I only want to read novels in which the protagonists are HARDCORE PINING. Like, "Oh god I've just realised I've fallen in love with you but for some reason I can't tell you (and also can't seem to tell that YOU are in love with ME!)". Difficulty: I am so tired of outdated male/female power dynamics. Other snowflake details inside - recommend me, Metafilter! [more inside]
The Best Hummus Recipe
It's that time of year when no cook recipes rule. [more inside]
How to make writing a hobby when you have nothing to say?
I'm not sure what to write about. [more inside]
Best Bento Box Bonanza
I own this bento box, and almost every day I work I pack my own lunch. I make cold sliced steaks and little fried karaage chicken bits, or sandwiches, and usually pair it with a potato salad and some veggies. So far so good, but I can tell that I'm gonna get bored of the usual sooner rather than later, and I don't want to waste money going to the deli too much. SO I am appealing to the hive mind for good bento dishes, as many as possible so that I can cook things on my days off and the morning before I go to work pack my bento and have something really yummy for lunch. Difficulty level: NO DAIRY WHATSOEVER everything else is cool though. [more inside]
Looking for more bands like Metric
I love the band Metric. Who else sounds like them? [more inside]
What are good resources for learning about data science?
I would like to learn more about data science to use it in my freelance marketing work. Do you have any recommendations for good resources I could use to do this? [more inside]