HectorJr's advice column

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Q: Is there a way to convert some of my .wma files and some of my .mp3 files into .wav files?

I want to do so to customise my messenger with my personal sounds.

Go to google and type in Audacity. Find the program and install it for free. Open the program, then open up any of those files you want with that program. Under file, theres a button that says convert to .wav and it does it automatically. I'm pretty sure you can't (easily) convert things to .mp3. Hope that helped.

Q: My hard drive got erased for the third time (yuck) and every time, I wasn't able to deauthorize my computer (to play purchased music) Also, my friend's computer is authorized, whcih stinks cause I don't talk to her anymore.

Is there a way to deauthorize my "other" computers (say, from before the hard drive got erased) or can I just make a new account (with the same credit card number?)

Thanks, any help is much appreciated!!

I would suggest calling up Apple and talking to them about it. There is almost definately no way to do that by yourself, so if you explain the situation to them, I don't see why they wouldn't help you out. Good luck.

Q: there is this guy that i've known since kindergarten and we went out for 3 months last year...and i still really like him but he just wants to be friends right now. any ideas on what i should do?

Listen - hopefully you will tell this to other people and others will read this too. If a guy wants to be friends with you, thats a good thing. That is what you should do! If you can get to the point where you are both best friends, then things will almost always fall into place and work out into a relationship.

If one person confesses they like the other and try to build a relationship on that just because, then it always ends up being a flop. Wouldn't it make sence that you should be really good friends and know a lot about each other and not only like them a lot, but just want to be with them and have a good time no matter what? So just stay friends with him and get to know him and let him learn about you. That is honestly the best thing you could do. It worked for me. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: i sent a message to someone by accident. is there a way to delete it before they can read it? thankss

No. Once it's sent they get it even if you delete it from your records.

Q: A question to call my own.

So, I have problems with being the one left behind. In my social life, since I started high school and continuing to today, I have always been the friend not called. When I show up somewhere, I get hugs and backslaps and people all come and hang out with me. But in order to show up, I have to find out about it by hearsay.

Example, a friend of mine has a party with his parents every year. Huge party at his little place. Most of my old friends know about this place and get invited, but I didnt find out about it until tonight, while everyone else has been planning the trip to go for about a week. I talked to him today (he came in town for ACL, for those of you who know what that is) and he told me about the party and asked if I was going to be there. But he didnt call me to tell me he was having a party to begin with.

This has been the story of my social life for forever. Like I said, I hang out with people and I have a bunch of guys and girls I get along with very well, but if I dissapeared into my own room for a month, some wouldnt come looking for me until Id been gone a few weeks, others might not notice at all.

I just dont understand how all these people I hang out with and call my friends, who treat me like a sibling when Im around, completely forget I exist once Im out of the room. I mean, Ive made a habit now of just finding out things on my own because if I find out myself, everyone welcomes me to attend. But they just dont tell me themselves.

Opinions? Advice? Anyone faced a situation like this before? I mean, Ive gotten used to it enough, I didnt think it bothered me anymore. Guess it still does a bit. I just wish I was at least sometimes one of the people who was called and told to tell others, instead of one of the people who found out second hand.

I feel that way. Don't let it get to you, really. It seems like a big deal, but it really isn't. One of the reasons I'm in that situation is because I can get along with everyone pretty well (I go to an all guys school). So I could hang out with guys on the football team and chess team and track team and band.

But anyways, don't be afraid to ask somebody. For months I would expect calls and not know about parties or people doing things until I heard about it Monday morning eating breakfast in the cafeteria. It upset me.

So ask somebody middle/end of the school week if they are doing anything over the weekend. Just ask: hey do you wanna do something?; we should make plans for this weekend; etc. It is not easy to do, at least for me, but it does work. Oh yeah, also, invite people to do things. Like to go to your house, a party, movie, whatever you can think of - that way they remember you next time they plan something.

So don't let those kind of things get to you, really. Things will get better. Find a few close friends that you see a lot and can talk to a lot and just go from there. It doesn't have to be a big party. Just going to the movies with one other person works too. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q:
okay so i like this guy and his birthday is coming up this week, and we're pretty good friends. he's turning fourteen and likes soccer & golf, what should i get him or make him? we're not going out..at least not yet so it has to be friendly but special :) kthx for your help

ps. i need to get him something because my birthday's comming up after his and he said he'd get me something.

Thanks for dropping one in my inbox, feel free to do so at any other time.

Try soccer jersey, like from Italy or England, whatever other team he might like. You could get him a soccer ball and on the white parts take a black sharpie and write down inside jokes. Get him a nice card thanking him for your friendship, and then get him another for his birthday. Give him a picture of yourself, even if it's not a school one or anything special. If you think you're up for it, a poem would make him smile too. Guys secretly like that stuff. Hope that helped.

Q: could i be pregnant?

Advicenators is not a pregnancy test. Go get one and find out for yourself because nobody here, even if you threw in every detail, would be able to give you a definite answer.

Q: hello. i wish to become a peditrician. i was just wondering what courses are needed to accomplish this. thank you.

You are going to want to go to a four year college. After that, you can apply for a medical school, which also lasts four years. Then you can take your residency, which is basically working in a hospital for three years. Residency is different depending on your field of choice, but for pediatricians its three years. So that is a total of...eleven years. Sounds about right. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: I'm only 2weeks pregnant. I'm a young expecting mom, But I have a great way to work this out.
I'm living with my boyfriend (He has a job & goes to college) and getting help from my parents and my boyfriends parents. Its all working out pretty good.
I clean houses as a little job, right now. My boyfriend doesn't want me to have a real job.
I'm already picking out names, and going to baby stores looking clothes, you know. Its early but its fun to hangout with my friends.
But I'm afraid of being a bad mom to this child.
What will this child think when it may find out I didn't want the them at first, That i needed help to raise them from my parents?
I should be able to raise a baby, I took the chances of getting pregnant by having sex.
its my fault.

Nah. Don't be afraid of that. You have that thing that women have, the 12th sense or something [6 thru 11 they use to know what their man has been up to haha jk]. Anyways, I think it will just come naturally to you.

The first kid is usually the 'experimental' one, where you test out everything. Don't be afraid of that, you need that a lot. You will be able to raise the child, its just going to take a lot of patience, strength, and even more love. Don't focus on messing up because we are all human and its bound to happen - just learn from others and from your mistakes. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: I have start school again on Wednesday, and all the girls in my grade are starting to wear makeup and jewelry, but I am more or the sporty kind, What should I do

Don't follow the trend, be yourself, and screw everyone else. Overdoing make-up is definately worse than none at all. I'm sure most guys would rather see a girl in sweats or sports clothes than all dolled up and plasic looking. Don't pay attention to it or let it get to you. Hope that helped.

Q: This boy likes me but I only think of him as a brother. He confessed to me but what should I say to him?

Tell him exactly what you just said - brothers should be honest with each other, so you should be honest with him. Tell him how you really feel and don't worry about his reaction. Leading him on could lead to trouble. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: I just got my braces off and i have a retainer now. My orthodontist told me to wear it all the time except when im eating or brushing my teeth but i was just wondering, if i go like 4 hours without wearing it everyday, will my teeth actually shift? how many of you (with experience with retainers of course)actually wore ur retainer ALL the time?

Take it from experience - wear them as much as possible. My ortho told me to wear it all day for the first week, then just when I sleep after that. If he tells you to wear it all the time, then do so. Take it out when you brush, excersise, or eat.

I actually got really lazy and didn't take it seriously. I didn't put them in every night like I was told. Later on, my teeth started to shift again, not right away but with time. My front teeth started to seperate again. Now I regret it. While mine can be fixed, I almost got to the point of needing braces again. I got a new set of retainers after losing mine and waiting 4 months to say something. So now I wear it as much as possible and have seen great improvements. It really does help. Stick to it.

Q: Ok, there are so many sex questions going around that I'm getting really confused, so here are some that I need answers to so it can straighten everything out.
1. If the guy REALLY doesn't cum, can you get pregnant?
2. What is the big diference between pre-cum and cum? or is there no difference?
3. With a condom, what is the % of pregnancy? without a condom? with birth control? with birth control AND a condom?
4. On average, how long does it take for a guy to cum?
5. How common ARE STD's?
6. If you have sex with a carrier of an STD, will you for sure get it?

I RATE FOR ANYTHING THAT ANSWERS ANY QUESTION!

Not a big fan of these questions, but I'll do my best. Most of these things I've already seen replied to so I'll pass on what I saw.

1. Yes you still can.
2. Pre-cum has a higher concentration of sperm. There is less of it.
3. Have no idea about percentages, and they don't really matter because nothing is 100%, so even if birth control and a condom was used and had a 90% rate of not getting pregnant, then yes you could still get pregnant.
4. Depends on the guy.
5. With a person who has been around, probably very common. There are some STDs that are transferred just through contact, with or without a condom.
6. Depends. If it is a strong STD (transferred just by skin contact), then most likely. It really does depend on the people, circumstances, and the STD there is. Sorry that there is no direct answer. Hope I helped.

Q: Okay so i'm 14, and my boyfriend is 17.(he just turned it about a month ago, and i am turning 15 in November).

We are seriously crazy about each other, and if you want to say that a 14 doesn't know what love is, then i'm the next closest thing to it. We've been together for about a year (16 days shy). We want to be together forever. Yeah, you can think we're crazy, it's alright. lol. What i'd like to know is, is it normal to feel like this at an age like 14, and is it realistic that we could last forever?

I'll be honest with you: if you keep sex, alcohol and smoking/drugs out of your lives, I don't see why it wouldn't last if you both tried really hard to keep things going. Go for it. Normal to feel that way? Yes. I don't mean to bash on you just because I'm older, but I felt the same way at fourteen (yes, even thirteen), and now realize that what I felt was nowhere near to what I feel now...or what I probably will feel later on. So while feelings and maturity change, just know that the way you feel now probably won't be the same you do in two years. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: I was playing Settlers IV when I heard a loud bang, I wasn't sure where the noise came from so I continued to play the game. The music stopped but all other sounds could still be heard. When I finished playing I tried to take the disc out but the drawer would not open. We managed eventually to open it with a carefully placed paper clip. The disc had exploded inside the disc drive. Pieces everywhere! My husband had to take out the whole disc drive to retrieve the pieces. Does anyone know a way I can continue to play this game without having to buy another one, and are exploding discs a common problem? I had never heard of this before.
Thanks

Not common. Actually that's awkward. The CD could have been cracked or chipped before you put it in.

Anyways, what you could do is use a program like Limewire and search for (game title) CD Crack. Basically, if you can get a hold of a CD crack, its like a small program you install and it allows you to play the game without the need for the CD. They are tough to find. You could also Google it to see if there are any websites or discussion boards where you could request one. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: am 14 am my girlfriend said she want sex at this age but am too young what shall i do. shall i do it or not

Don't do it. You are too young. If you are not willing to deal with any possible consequences, such as pregnancy, std's, emotional problems, just to name a few, then you are not ready for it. If you are uncomfortable with it for any reason, then your answer has to be no. If she pressures you into it, then run away from her and let her find someone else to be stupid with. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: OK so flat out- heres the facts-

- my boyfriend and i have been dating for a little over a year
- hes cheated on me before (finger) a girl at a party when drunk
- he tells me he loves me
- he says he wants to marry me

im not sure if i want to be with him for THE REST OF MY LIFE THOUGH.. i told him that eventually im probably going to want to see other people just so I can know that he is the right person for me.. he flipped out and got all upset. is this wrong of me ? im only 16!!

Let him go, you are only sixteen. You really do have the rest of your life ahead of you to date and meet other people. Lets say for example, you would get married at 26, which isn't that young or too old...doesn't that leave you with 10 years of meeting guys and such?

Just because a guy says he loves you that doesn't mean anything. There is a difference between saying it and meaning it. If it's been a year then ask yourself: was it really worth it, all that you've been through? Look ahead and if you see those things happening again, then really reconsider the relationship. Talk things out with him. Don't be afraid to let him go; I've seen too many girls be afraid and stay in the relationship just because. Sort out your feelings and go from there. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: Is it true that if you drink alcohol on a regular basis- say, 2 times a week.. that ur body can handle more than someone who drinks only once every two weeks?

From what I've heard, yes. There is something called a tolerance level, which is basically how much somebody can handle. Somebody who would drink on a basis, say weekly or every so often, would be more likely to handle more before getting drunk or sick of it. There are cases where people drink often and still can't take a lot without getting sick. It depends on the person, but for the most part, the more you do drink, I think the more you get used to the effects. Can't give you first hand experience, but I'm pretty sure thats how it works. Hope that helped.

Q: So..there was this party that was happening.. my boyfriend invited me but I had to go out of state for a sports related conflict. Anyways, he told me he was going to go without me because it was one of his best friends parties.. so, reguardless, he cheated on me (not only nonstop-make out- but fingered and felt up a girl)- keep in mind he was drunk. it still questions me though- how do you get so drunk you forget about your GIRLFRIEND completely?? Should I stay with him or not? He claims it was because he was so drunk and horny, but he really does love me. TOUCH CALL. Thanks in advance.

Talk it out with him. I would forgive him, but as far as going out with him, ehh...that's your call. I wouldn't. You can still be friends, but it seems like he might need some time to think about what happend. Who is to say it won't happen again? Let him go for a bit. If after a while you feel things will get better or already have, then give it another go. So yes, forgive him, but (unless you really don't want to) call things off. By the way, what he did doesn't sound like loving you. Hope that helped and good luck.

Q: Alright for the guys and girls...

Girls what do you think the most perfect place a guy could propose would be. what would be the setting.

Guys, where do you prefer not to do it. or what do you think of the whole idea

Thx.

Preferably not with a crowd nearby; in other words, alone. It was nerve-wrecking enough asking you out, proposing is like ten times worse (not that I would know).

At night time of course, that would be a nice time.

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Feel free to ask me any questions or for an alternate way of contacting me through my inbox.

I really like giving advice, so thats why I have a column here. I've been inactive for a long time, but I'm back and will do my best to catch up. Advicenators is a great site and it is what we make it. Having my own advice column helped me learn a lot of new things, even about myself, while giving me the chance to help others along the way. Thanks.