ask karenR



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I have gone from younggrandma to just yg. Now,
I am using my real name.
I don't think anyone who knows me will have trouble figuring out who that is!


I have been gone a while dealing with things in my own life. I am back now to help once again. Do not expect answers from me that just tell you what you want to hear. Life is to short for nonsense. :)
Website: advicenators forum
E-mail: karenrickel@gmail.com
Gender: Female
Location: KANSAS
Occupation: Homemaker,EMT, ER worker, Medical assistant
Member Since: March 4, 2005
Answers: 10132
Last Update: July 29, 2022
Visitors: 575245


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i know i have dreams.. i just cant remember any of them! they are nightmares and they wake me up.. i think about them for awhile.. then i go back to sleep but when i wake up again i dont remember them anymore i just know i had a dream because i remmeber waking up.. is this weird? (link)
No it isn't weird at all. I don't usually have nightmares but I have woke up and thought i'd remember something and then the next day...nothing. So you are normal.


I want to dump my boyfriend...and yes I have my reasons. He asked me if I would go to the movies with him this Friday. And I said I would, but since then I have decided I want to dump him. I don't know what to do now though. Because I went with him to the movies last week and he thought I got mad at him there. But I didn't. His friend told me that my boyfriend was shy last week and he wanted to give me a kiss and everything but he was to shy. And he was going to this Friday. I need advice on what to do, because there is another guy that I want to go out with, when me and my boyfriend break up. I'm not sure if I want to dump my boyfriend before or after the movies. What do you think?
(link)
Save him the embarrassment and do it before you even go out. Call him today. No since in dragging it out.


14/f ok ive liked one guy and only one in my whole life.. we went out before but barely talked it was pretty stupid and now he has a g/f.. guys have asked me out and theres nothing really wrong with them.. i just cant because i always want to be open for him.. i dont want to be this way forever, always wanting him.. how am i supposed to get over it? (link)
No you really can't wait forever.You'll wake up and be 80 or something and wonder where your life went!
But, you are only 14 and have plenty of time.All the guy's your age are probably a little immature yet. So, just go out and have fun and sooner or later they will all grow up and you will get yourself a good one. Chances are at 14 him and his girlfriend aren't gonna last long.


heres my problem. whenever i start to like a guy, i get really excited about it and tell ALL of my friends. then it usually turns out that the guy doesnt like me and ive been humiliated in fron of my friends. how can i keep my love life to myself? (link)
wait until you actually have a date set up.Then, when you do....Go nuts!:)


okay, so there is this guy that won't leave me alone. i mean i wanna be friends with him, but he wants to be my girlfriend. I am really starting to hate him. i was talking to him in aim and he kept saying things like "i love you," or "okay, see ya girlfriend". i kept telling him to stop, but he WON'T! arrggggggggggggggg!
please help me b4 i kill him! (link)
Well don't kill him. That would just create a whole new set of problems.Besides you'd be trapped in a small cage and he'd be staring at you through the bars.
This guy sounds just plain weird.Maybe you should threaten him with bodily harm. If that doesn't work then tell a teacher or threaten a sexual harrassment suit.Maybe some big guy friends could give him a talking to.


O.k i'm 14/fm and live in Texas. I want a b.f. so badly, but none of the boys at my school like me cause i have braces, and i'm 5ft 2inch. I've had boyfriends, but they were'nt very much true b.f.'s. I'm always told by a friend or something that i'll never have a true b.f. that actually likes me, cause they eather say i'm not pretty enough or i'm not smart enough. My dad says i'm pretty, and i get all a's in my classes. How come guy's still don't like me. Maybe a guy could answer this question for me. Thanx lots.
Love- Lacey P.S. i give people who answer nicely 5's.True answers to please. (link)
They don't like you just because you wear braces? Thats pretty shallow, or because you're not real tall? Bone heads.
Sounds like there are just a lot of immature boy's at your school. They are still pretty young yet. They would get teased by their friends and stuff for having a girlfriend.They will be knocking on your door soon.Don't worry about it.It's not you.:)


A friend of mine is having trouble finding a date to the prom. She has even asked most of her guy friends. All of them are either taken or dead-set against going. I suggested to her kidnapping and blackmail already so please do not inform me of those options. My question is, what should she do? (link)
Just go solo. There's nothing wrong with that at all. And, she won't have to stick with one guy.


I was just wondering, I'm only a freshman, and I'm only 14 but I already have an idea of 3 colleges I want to go to, UNC chapel hill, Appalachian State, or Meredith. I was wondering, I know I have to get super good grades to get scholarships and stuff, but how do I go about getting them, and what scholarships are available, or where I can get information on how to get a scholarship. I want to start working towards getting better grades now so I can prepare for my future. If it makes any difference I want to be a teacher.
If this is confusing then sorry, I pretty much just want information on scholarships grade wise, I live in NC, but I don't think that matters. Thanks in advance. (link)
Your best bet is to get with the high school guidence counsler and ask.That's their job and they probably will be of more help to you.Can tell you everything you need to know!


How do I get my leg muscles bigger? (link)
My son has huge calf muscles.He had them before he went to high school and started on the weights. He rode his bicycle EVERYWHERE. All the time that kid was riding that bicycle. So, i'd give that a try. It had to be what did it.
If you're a girl ride, but maybe not everywhere.And stop before they get to big.
FYI: Just regular bike, not a ten speed or anything.


alright here's a good story. so i met this girl a few months ago, we hit things off really well and we started going out a bit. I was basically head over heels for her, and she liked me a lot as well. Then one day things just suddenly go to hell. I talk to her and she says she simply no longer likes me. I get extremely depressed for a while because it broke my heart. Not much later I find out that basically right after things broke off with her she hooked up with one of my best friends. He confesses this to me and I'm okay with it. Then I find out it happened multiple times, and they went pretty far with it. What would you do. (link)
to be honest there isn't a whole you CAN do.I mean you could get mad and hate them both but why bother? She said she no longer wanted you so find someone new and forget her.The best friend,well tell him you don't care to hear the details.


Okay wll i got out of a 9 month relationship that had been going on off an on for 3 years before the 9 months .. Me an the guy were engaged and everything. We broke up because i felt like i was too young and not ready to be that serious. Now its been a couple months and i have dated a couple times. And now i am feeling like i should have more - Am I really ready for this ? Or should i just chill for a little longer. If so how long? Thx guys your help is HIGHLY RATED ! (link)
I would give it a while longer. You haven't really been broke up all that long. It takes some time just to get over a person enough to relax and enjoy yourself with another. I'm not sure how long I would wait but I'd give it a couple more months at least.


What's the best way to ask your parents if you can go out on a date- I'm not talking about "boyfriends" that you have in like 7th grade, I mean HS bfs .. and how to tell your parents that you have a bf without feeling-weird and uncomfortable! Thanks (link)
Hey mom, this boy asked me out on a date, what do you think? She will probably be very excited for you! Don't feel all weird i'm sure they are expecting it. I remember worrying about it, but it wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be.My dad teased me a little about it! But really it will be fine once you get started.:)


Do I have the right to be offended..this girl considers me her BEST FRIEND [we are good friends but not BEST BEST friends]. When we leave a class, she never waits for me, unless her little other friend is absent. When that girl isn't around, she waits for me and she talks to me. I mean, I have other friends I walk with, I just find this, weird.. and awkward you know. And at lunch, whatever I say, it's usually the opposite. I don't really care, but am I wrong to be a bit.. you know.. offended? (link)
I'd be a little offended myself.You're only good enough when the other friend is not around.I'd be offended but I doubt she means to offend.She just doesn't have anyone to hang out with when her friend is gone.I guess she has no other friends. So, lets just feel sorry for her instead.:}


is the best way to get a lil tipsy without throwing up..to drink small parts a time ..and not all at once? also is eating before you drink helpful in not thorwing up..thanks (link)
Well if you eat first the food will absorb some of the alcohol so that supposedly you won't get drunk as fast. It won't keep you from throwing up.Or getting a hangover.
Drinking small parts at a time is okay if you stop after a couple of small drinks.If you drink small drinks all night long you will get just as drunk as you would with a big drink.And will barf and get a hangover just as easy too.FYI...
Drinking coffee to sober up is also a myth.So are cold showers.


How come everyone thinks im mean? all i do is tell the truth. I gues they just cant handle the truth. Do you guys appreciate it when people tell you the truth or stupid lies? I would rather know the truth not stupid lies people tell me to feel better gosh.

Whats your opinion
Ya_gots_to_luv_me :) (link)
I'd certainly feel better with the truth.
But you are right. Most people don't want to hear it.And they do think your mean.They just want someone to agree with them.


Hi my brother and his m8 ALWAYS make fun of me. Like today for example, my bro said that I'm gonna be well solid when I'm a teenager and when I said why, he said that you don't see many 10 year olds like, hunky(big and with broad shoulders)kinda. He always makes fun of my weight, and it doesnt rlly help that his friend, Marcus, always makes fun of me and I really hate them both. They KNOW that I get upset easily and use that option 2 wind me up. I just wanna end this and run away!! I'm no good here and I know that they both hate me. PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME!!! I NEED 2 GET AWAY FROM THIS!!!!!I NEED ADVICE!!!!
(link)
They don't hate you. They are young boys and that is just what they do.They are teasing you because you give them what they want when you do.You are getting all upset and wound up.That is exactly the reaction they are looking for.

Ignore them and don't let them see you are upset and their fun will be over.Then and only then will they stop. It may take a few more times, but they will move on to any easier target.


There's this guy I know, who I haven't really been friends with since I've known him. I don't NOT like him, but he went through a phase of punching me whenever he saw me, mocking my voice, and telling me to shut up a short while ago. However, he has stopped that and is being very nice to me.
A friend of mine has said that he thinks im hot, and quite a few people I know seem to think that this guy likes me.
I recently gave him my number and since then he has called me every day, sometimes more than once. I met him once and he was very friendly, but kept being very close to me.
I have no problem with this, having liked him for a short while now, but it has left me confused about his feelings for me.
Any clues? Its driving me mad...
14/f (link)
well, he wouldn't call you everyday if he didn't like you. That seems like a pretty good clue to me!


Does this sum up what is going on, or did I miss something?

(This was originally posted in response to a question about why most people here are 13 year old females.)

Hello there,

I have been trying my best to figure that one out...

Have you noticed that girls will tell their dads things that they simply can NOT bring themselves to talk to their mother about? Same thing goes for boys. There is a definate lack of Dad type creatures around these days. Failing to have that person to bounce things off of, they ask their peers.

Why? Because, quite frankly, when you are 13, practically everyone you know well enough to ask advice. Boys and girls all the same.

The difference comes in that a boy can ask his mother: "Hey Mom, what can I do to impress this girl." Mom is a girl, so she knows the answer usually. Don't EVER ask your mother what a boy likes... :-)

A boy at 13 has a number of people around of the male type, varying in ages, which he can ask most everything he would ask a dad if he were there. Pastor/teacher/martial arts instructor/mechanic/barber, etc.

We wouldn't think twice about asking someone we hardly know if we should get roses or chocolate, do we look alright, etc.

People say men don't ask for advice... That's bull. You see, we do. We will ask, get the answer and move on. I remember hearing girls talk about what their friend said they should do, and their friend's friend said this and that and the other.

Men, are very simple in such respects. We don't intentionally ask people we know will give bad advice. If we have a matter of life experience, we like to go to people who have already lived through a few more things than we have. For example: Back when I was 12, I wouldn't go seeking investment or job advice from someone 13. Try 50+ They have already done all the career stuff and if they did it right you get good advice. If however they did it wrong, you get to find out what job you do NOT want to get into. By asking our elders these things we learn something either way.

Today we all have reduced opportunities. When you are little today, you can't just hang out with adults... The news people have everyone convinced that every adult is a predator unless they are your parent. Guess what? The last figures I saw indicated that better than 80% of all child sexual abuse is committed by one or both parents.

What effect has this had? When I was about 6 my Dad went to pick up something from an equipment yard. I went with him and noticed a guy rebuilding an engine. Dad went into the office to pay, so I wandered over and started bugging this guy. By the time Dad came out, I was learning how to use a torque wrench. (The thing you use to make sure all the bolts on something are tight enough, but not too tight.)

Dad asked the guy if I was bothering him. He said not at all, so Dad left me there to learn for about 3 hours. I got a lot of that. Dad was a fair judge of character.

Now, there usually isn't a dad at all. :-( Everyone is so scared of things that kids never get a chance to talk to many people wiser than themselves.

We have ended up in a place where the only place to get advice is from our peers. People your own age usually give bad advice about almost everything. Boys, girls it doesn't matter.

Right now, on this board, there is a 13 year old female asking what she needs to do to start having sex. There are a few people who asked her to think twice, but those in her age range were less concerned with her mental health, and more concerned she get an appropriate condom.

A 14 year old, said something like "Don't wait till you get old like me, get your groove on before you get too old"

BAD ADVICE! Down! Bad Advice, no biscuit!

Adults in general aren't out to get you. It's a fact. If your Mom gives you bad advice, it isn't because she is trying to ruin your life... It is because she THINKS WHAT SHE IS TELLING YOU IS RIGHT. It doesn't make it right. Not at all. Same thing for Dads. (Though I mostly see complaints about mothers here.)

When my parents knew I was old enough to think for myself is NOT when I said I was. It was after I proved it. I thought something my parents said was unreasonable. My dad told me to put it in writing. I did my own thinking on why I felt that way. Then I started researching the idea. What I found out was that my parents were right about that. I wrote it out and handed it over. It was after that that my parents KNEW that if I looked into things for myself I would come to the right conclusion. Even if I didn't like it.

Short version: You want to be treated like a thinking, well read, intelligent and wise adult? Act like one.

Adult life is a lot easier when we spend our youth listening and learning everything we can to make smart choices.

Here's another thought: Travel. Out of this country. See how the rest of the world lives. Most people buy clothes because they are durable, not because they are "IN" (for about a week.) Guaranteed to open your mind to a whole new way of thinking.

Over a quarter million people died in the recent Tsunami... The survivors have NO PLACE at all to call home. And the current threads here are: "Should I wear a thong?" "Where do I get Like size 00 clothes, that are, like, in?" I like this boy...girl, etc."

The best thing that ever happened to me was seeing that almost everything I had been told to believe was important: Cars, clothes, trends, music, hair, team choice, etc. was completely and totally meaningless when you look at the big picture. I would have been right here asking the same kinda stuff(boy version of course) had I not had that opportunity.

Ok, this became a rant. Not against 13 year old girls. A rant against what our society tells 13 year old girls and boys is important for them to be worrying about.

Back to the topic of WHY:

Girls, let me ask you a question: How many of your girlfriends did you tell about this site?

Now tell me how many boys you told about it? Did you tell them there was a guy with 20+ years of computer experience they could ask questions for free? (I normally charge $75.00 per hour in my shop.) Did you tell them there was a place to ask questions about cars and trucks? How about model rockets? R/C cars? Paintball? Airsoft guns? Model building? Sports? Weight training? Hunting? CB radios? Computer hardware/software/networking? Car stereo? Hydraulics? Truck driving scools?

Have you told a single boy you know about any of the things that HE might be interested in?

Do I see one hand raised? Ok, so you get a boy in here and he asks a question. Wonderful! What do most of the girls do? Make fun of him, laugh at him, tell him he is stupid or he would already know and CORRECT HIS SPELLING! I am almost to the point where I have looked at every question on this site. I saw a lot of that on my way through.

What do I do when someone asks a question I don't know the answer to... I research it and post links to appropriate resources. When was the last time you did that for a question you couldn't answer? Saying something "cute" or mean as hell does not encourage the participation of teen boys. Teen boys are actually quite insecure about opening themselves up to be called stupid, or made fun of. They don't handle it well at all. It just guts them and they are never quite the same.

Here is something to consider: You have this guy, who you really like. You set up a date. You go out and buy the BEST outfit on earth. Your Mom likes this guy, so she gives you her credit card, sends you to get hair and makeup done in the BEST place in the city.

So far so good? Ok, now he shows up to take you out, and when you open the door, he bursts out laughing! Pointing and LAUGHING AT YOU!

Your new duds may be stylish, and the hair may be the latest french design but to him it is hilarious. He doesn't know anything about french fashion, or Neiman Marcus so to him you look like a hooker in a clown suit.

How BAD would you feel? Would anything ever make you COMPLETELY whole again after something like that?

Same thing if this site offers to answer questions and then the people here ridicule and belittle the askers. Boys minds work different than girls. It isn't a bad thing, it is just they way we are wired.

I got an email from someone after I answered their question. They said they quit using the site because the response they got to a very well thought out question was: "F***ing Dumb*SS!"

I reported another place this person used the same abusive response, using the abuse report feature, and this was the response:

"Moderator Response
Submitted: by FrEe2bMe
Reponse: While K**************'s response was not appropriate, if you look at their over all rating it is only a 2.21. That is why there is now a threshold where you can set who you want to recive answers from Under Profile Setting adjust it so you only recieve answers from people like 4 or higher or whatever your comfortable with. :)"

This guy, yes GUY, 15 years old didn't know that, so he will never be back.

Did anyone step up to tell this person off? Did anyone else report it? Do you even know where the abuse link is?

It is up to the majority here to decide if this is going to be Advivenators.com or Abusenators.com

Since the majority here are 13 year old girls, I ask you: Which will it be?

DangerNerd (link)
Thank you! I won't even try to answer the questions. But really, thank you. I second that.


Hi
ref: renault clio (1.4 alize)
symptoms=...engine revving without my foot on accel:
....difficult to start...once started o.k. apart from symptoms above.....pull up at trfic/lghts and
engine going from high to low revvs in quick succession....can auto/choke cause this???.....any advice please?

frustrated driver
(link)
I don't know how to tell you to fix it but it sounds like your idle is set to fast.Hope that helps little as it is.

Could be choke though since it's hard to start,I wonder if it can be disconected??? Or,maybe be rigged so you can run it manually.


i have a really close guy friend we close but we cant be nothing but friends because on long distance and i hate long distance realtionships because the never work out. ok but n-e-ways sometimes we act like lovers and sometimes like friends but even when he had a gf we did the samething because he always liked me more then his gf even though he broke up with her for me but i still didnt go out with him and like now i dont know what to do i do love this guy and like he perfect for me and all but i am really confuessed?can you plz help i wil rate! thanks! (link)
What's to be confused about.You care for the guy.
The fact's you have about long term relationships are correct though.He won't be there for the important things going on in your life because he is to far away.You won't be there for his.That doesn't usually make for lasting relationships.People want to share their lives with those they care about.So, keep that in mind and decide what you can live with.It would depend on your ages and how far away he is.
Since that isn't known thats the best I have for you. Good luck with your decision:}




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