I'm a twenty-four year old biologist recently graduated from Kansas State University and still looking for work. My research interests are primarily in the realm of molecular genetics, specifically mutagenesis and the genetic basis of cancers.
Apparently I've managed to get a decent hold on the whole relationship mess as my girlfriend and I are relatively happy and living together after dating for approximately five years.
E-mail: belgand [at] planetfortress [dot] com
Gender: Male
Location: Kansas, USA
Occupation: Biology student
Age: 24
Member Since: October 18, 2003
Answers: 29
Last Update: February 26, 2004
Visitors: 3689
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If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast to a cat and drop it? My first friend said that the cat would eat the toast. My 2nd friend wanted to know what kind of toast: rye, or sourdough, and when I said it was regular white bread, she bit me. I said that the cat and toast would be sucked into a rift in the space-time continuum and the world would end. Who is right? (link)
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This is addressed in more detail here
Ultimately though the problem is not one of science, but mathematics and some science. The Annals of Improbable Research found that cats tend to land on their feet when dropped on their back... unless the drop distance is exceptionally short.
So having established that a cat will not always land on its feet we turn to the issue of the buttered toast. The folk-wisdom nature of this notwithstanding this is still an issue of probability. Surely buttered toast falls buttered side-up sometimes? It is merely much more probable that it does not since it has been proven that bad things are more probable than good things. Thus instead of being a perfect 1:1 ratio it becomes skewed in favor of the butter side.
It is therefore not necessary for either the cat to land on its feet nor the toast to fall butter side down. Thus, the cat/toast array must implode.
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I've heard that some babysitters take classes at local hospitals or community centers. What do they teach you? Are they worth it? Does it matter where you go to take them? (link)
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Being certified in CPR is a relatively painless procedure that can be very helpful should you ever need it, regardless of whether or not it pertains to babysitting. I've been certified at various times in my life and I reccomend it to everyone.
Ultimately taking courses such as these will make you seem more responsible to parents, which is always a good thing. You're no longer just some punk kid looking to make some spare cash by lounging around someone else's house for the night, but a responsible person who has taken the necessary time to become properly acquainted with skills that might be necessary. Even if the classes aren't the best (and I do suggest trying to find good ones) it will help with marketing your skills and putting parents at ease.
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Should I go out and buy really nice pans for cooking, or will the k-mart specials do it? (link)
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It really depends on what you're looking at specifically. I suggest doing some research into what sort of pans you might be interested in and why the features are there (i.e. copper bottoms conduct heat well, but are often coated with another metal since copper isn't very practical alone). Compare the features and price to what you can spend and what you expect to get out of them.
If you have the money, the interest, and know what you're getting then I suggest getting the best pans you can reasonably afford and take good care of them. They should last you a lifetime with proper use.
Myself? I'm 22 and finishing college before moving on to grad school. I'm using cheap $40 or so for a 5-piece set pans and they do their job well enough even if they aren't the best. They'll last until I have the money to buy something better.
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Lately I developed a liking towards a guy friend in my dorm. Every time it was just the two of us together, or just the two of us and perhaps one other close friend, he would act very solicitous towards me--he would do small things such as put his arm around my shoulder, hold my books for me, etc. I have also had many wonderful conversations with him in his room and elsewhere. So I was hopeful until this week, when I found out that he has asked another girl to a date event and has feelings towards her. Now I wonder if he felt something towards me but was discouraged by my inaptitude in flirting--I have difficulty playing that whole game of hinting and whatnot. It's a foreign language to me. (link)
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If it really seems like he's interested only in this other girl you may have missed the boat for now. Otherwise, don't mess around with the flirting. It's obvious that you're interested in him and trying to send him vague signals just isn't good for anyone. Guys are often very intimidated by that sort of thing and don't know whether women are interested in them or not. It likely has nothing to do with your abilities to flirt so much as everyone's inability to tell precisely what someone else is thinking.
The only way to be certain is to ask him out. Try something safe and only slightly more date-ish at first. I don't know your relationship so it's hard to suggest, but if you start things slowly and move towards a relationship from there the chances of overshooting the level of comfort and hurting your friendship will be lessened. If he isn't interested in that sort of relationship with you he'll probably notice and be able to let you down easily that he isn't interested in that.
Ultimately though the only way to deal with relationships is to be direct and honest about how you feel. This is important in all stages of a relationship, including those before it even starts.
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What's the worst that could happen if I dont see a doctor about an ingrown toenail? (link)
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Definitely see a doctor about it before it gets too bad. If it's not quite bad yet you may be able to use an over-the-counter medication to help with it. Ultimately though it can get seriously infected and in the worst-case scenario gangrenous and will need to be amputated. Even the more likely results are pretty bad. I've had a number of unpleasantly pus-filled ingrown toenails before. Things that filled with pus each day and hurt terribly. At one time the ingrown portion actually grew up forming a channel in the skin with a small pillar of nail sticking up through it.
So yeah, see a doctor about it if it's getting bad or gets worse or try an over-the-counter medication if it's just in the early stages.
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My friends and I sometimes make ourselves throw up like if we eat a really big meal and don't want to get fat from it. It's not bad, we're not anorexic or anything, and I know a ton of people who do it. But this one girl at our school found out and is like freaking out about it... how do we let her know it's okay? (link)
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Not only is it a terrible thing that really is quite serious with many serious consequences, but... well... it's not a really good way to go about weight loss either. Yes, you'll be depriving your body of nutrients, but by the time you are able to actually throw up a good deal of the sugars and carbohydrates and such will have been absorbed into your body. You'll just be hurting yourself and depriving your body of what it actually needs.
You should seriously seek help if you don't think you'll be able to stop on your own. If it really isn't a big deal then ask a professional about it. Surely they'll tell you that you're not at all bulemic and it's ok because other people do it.
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Everybody in my school has already had like 10 boy/girl friends... I've had none. Thats right... zip, zero, zilch! They all say how great it is to be hooked up, and they always have someone to dance with at activity nite. I have nobody!
Sincerely,
BoyCrazy (link)
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As everyone else has already said you don't need a boyfriend.
You're also not a freak for not having one. I started dating my girlfriend of close to four years when I was 19 and it's been the only actual relationship for either of us. A friend of mine is a sophmore in college and has never had a "girlfriend". Other friends have dated one or two people and are likewise in their early twenties. Most people didn't have a girlfriend of boyfriend in high shool and if they did there was maybe one or two if it was more than some two week fling.
You'll probably find someone later on in life, but it's really not a big deal.
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Okay, so i REALLY like this guy. But I don't think he would like me back. I'm in 8th grade and i've never gone on a date or "gone out" with anyone before. If I asked out any guy in the school they'd probably rush me to the hospital or ask me if I was joking. I dunno, maybe i just have low self esteem. But the guy I like is pretty quiet and really smart. Please don't tell me to just go for it, cause if he said no, it would haunt me forever!! (i'm sort of a drama queen. shut up.) So I guess my question is: How can you tell if a guy likes you/would go out with you without actually asking him? (link)
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8th grade seems a little young to be honest. I'm sure you're very mature and such, but the truth is that very few relationships start and last for any length of time in middle school. Sorry.
My suggestion is to try and become better friends with him. Get to know him and maybe in a year or two it might be a better time to go after him. When you do, just do it. I know, it's not the answer you want, but it's the only one that really works. Trust me, no one is going to care that much if it doesn't pan out and it probably stands a good chance of doing just that (maybe it's just me, but most guys are pretty accepting and will probably readily go out at least once with a girl that asks them out unless they're some sort of too cool for thier own good Mr. Popularity type). Just be honest and true and treat it like ripping off a band-aid. It might sting a bit, but it'll be over and a lot better than worrying over it.
Still, try to become better friends first. It's been the first step before a relationship for pretty much every single person I know right now.
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Okay, there are a couple of guys that I like, and I've never had a boyfriend before (I'm a junior in high school). I keep getting hints from other people that they like me, but I just don't have any clue whether or not they like me, and I really am getting tired of trying to listen to people who have no clue what they're talking about when they say that someone likes me. Any suggestions on how I can figure it out for myself without asking them straight out or asking their friends or mine?
(link)
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Sorry, but the only way to really do this correctly is to just ask him out. Messing around with this "Does he like me? Are there little signs?" crap is one of the biggest problems with relationships today. Honestly nobody will care if you ask him out and he's not interested. It might sting for a moment, but it'll over then. Besides, it's quite possible that he does. Just be honest with people and expect honesty in return. Don't try to constantly guess at hidden meanings and send vague signals. It's not good for anyone.
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