Questions you want answered.

FWIW, Target usually has a good deal on raw almonds. I've got a 2 lb jar on my desk that I go through every 2-3 weeks.

I'm not a big fan of using the fridge in the office, otherwise I'd also be in the carrots/hummus group as well.

McIrishJihad wrote:

I'm not a big fan of using the fridge in the office, otherwise I'd also be in the carrots/hummus group as well.

FWIW, I don't use the fridge for that either. I fill a small Glad plastic pot with hummus and a slightly bigger one with carrots at home every morning when I'm packing the rest of my lunch. Sure, it's slightly more labor intensive, but it also means that I have a yardstick for how much of it I eat each day.

Thanks for the GWJ Mobify tip. Site is much easier to navigate now.

mudbunny wrote:
Ghostship wrote:

And your base recipie looks good to me. Are you just looking for variety?

Yup.

Gonna go grab some carrots and celery as well to bring to work. Thanks for reminding me.

Snacking can also just be habitual rather than a result of being actually hungry. I went for the approach of just not having any snack food in the house, so if I wanted something to eat I actually had to make it. Cuts down on the grazing-style eating, where it's easy to pick up a lot of unnecessary calories. I've taken to making sure I always have a good stock of nice salad ingredients (good cherry tomatoes etc). So long as you're restrained on the dressing - I like a light drizzle of lemon and olive oil - it'll fill you up well, get you a good dose of fibre and vitamins, and actually be pretty tasty so long as you use good produce.

To second Jonman, beware trail mix. It's slightly better than packaged snacks, but it's still tremendously high calorie and very easy to graze on.

It sounds weird, but often drinking a good-sized glass of cold water can also help kill snacking urges.

So I got this VISA debit card worth 200USD through a sales reward thingie. My plan was to put that 200USD towards a gift card on Amazon France. That card would be worth around 145EUR at current exchange rates. I would then put it towards a Playstation 3. The remaining cost would of course be covered by my regular credit card.

But I can't get it to work. The Amazon T&C only says you can't combine an existing gift card with purchases in a foreign currency. So I wouldn't be able to use the gift code + buy something on Amazon UK (in GBP). And you can't use an Amazon US gift card on Amazon UK or anything. But it doesn't say anything about buying a EUR gift card with USD.

Can someone confirm that this is possible? Maybe someone here ever bought an Amazon gift card for a relative abroad?

This is more of a long shot, but does anyone know what the error code on the VISA card's website means? It's: Declined due to Block Recurring Txn logic. Google turns up nothing.

dejanzie wrote:

So I got this VISA debit card worth 200USD through a sales reward thingie. My plan was to put that 200USD towards a gift card on Amazon France. That card would be worth around 145EUR at current exchange rates. I would then put it towards a Playstation 3. The remaining cost would of course be covered by my regular credit card.

But I can't get it to work. The Amazon T&C only says you can't combine an existing gift card with purchases in a foreign currency. So I wouldn't be able to use the gift code + buy something on Amazon UK (in GBP). And you can't use an Amazon US gift card on Amazon UK or anything. But it doesn't say anything about buying a EUR gift card with USD.

Can someone confirm that this is possible? Maybe someone here ever bought an Amazon gift card for a relative abroad?

This is more of a long shot, but does anyone know what the error code on the VISA card's website means? It's: Declined due to Block Recurring Txn logic. Google turns up nothing.

Another option might be to try and sell your card on the secondary market. You might wind up with a slight loss (selling $200 USD card for $180 USD), but could probably find a buyer on eBay or another site, from a seller who would then be handling the conversion for you.

What about a PayPal transaction to yourself? Create a bogus acct (or have one of us take the card numbers), add the card to the acct, and send your real acct a payment taking funds off the card?

I think it's a little bullsh*t that your company gave you a USD card when you could really only use a EUR card in the first place :/

Can you not buy the PS3 from a physical store and have them split the transaction? Tell them to put 145EUR on the debit card and the rest on whatever other method of payment you were planning on.

I don't know how it works over there, but in the US at least there wouldn't be any issues splitting a transaction like that.

dejanzie wrote:

So I got this VISA debit card worth 200USD through a sales reward thingie. My plan was to put that 200USD towards a gift card on Amazon France. That card would be worth around 145EUR at current exchange rates. I would then put it towards a Playstation 3. The remaining cost would of course be covered by my regular credit card.

But I can't get it to work. The Amazon T&C only says you can't combine an existing gift card with purchases in a foreign currency. So I wouldn't be able to use the gift code + buy something on Amazon UK (in GBP). And you can't use an Amazon US gift card on Amazon UK or anything. But it doesn't say anything about buying a EUR gift card with USD.

Can someone confirm that this is possible? Maybe someone here ever bought an Amazon gift card for a relative abroad?

This is more of a long shot, but does anyone know what the error code on the VISA card's website means? It's: Declined due to Block Recurring Txn logic. Google turns up nothing.

Txn = transaction. Recurring payment transactions are when cardholders preauthorize merchants to charge their card at regular intervals. Don't know what that has to do with a debit card though, but it sounds like it's causing the block.

edit: perhaps a dumb question--did you need to activate the gift card before using it?

Ranger Rick wrote:
KingGorilla wrote:

Raw nuts are gross and have a terrible texture.

Oh no, no, no. Raw cashews are the butteriest yummiest thing ever!

Aren't raw cashews somehow corrosive or poisonous?

Ghostship wrote:

Aren't raw cashews somehow delicious or addicting?

FTFY

Actually, they're not really raw, they're just not roasted.

Why do some foods get spicier than others?

Case in point. My lunch today was a light pasta, Broccoli, carrots, fire roasted tomatoes with some shrimp for protein. Only the broccoli seemed to get any of the pepper on it. So I have this nice, light flavor, the BAM PEPPER!

When I make curries, it seems like cauliflower absorbs all of the spice, leaving green peppers, or mushrooms at an appropriate heat.

Broccoli and cauliflower have a lot more surface area all folded up in those little crevices than a relatively smooth carrot or green pepper does so perhaps they're just delivering more of the spicy sauce to your mouth per unit volume of vegetable.

Either way a helpful tip for eating spicy food; counter it with some dairy, this will help dull the capsaicin fairly quickly.

My mind was slightly blown when Stephen Fry explained on QI why shredded cheese tastes better than sliced cheese—something I'd always just assumed was a personal preference: much more surface area.

I just got an email from my Dad.

My Dad wrote:

If you don’t already have plans, you are invited to a Super Bowl Party at our house. Just you and me and your favorite "bad for you" food (your choice) and maybe a couple of Yuenglings.

Here are the problems... Right now, I'm not particularly comfortable at my parents' house. I'm not particularly comfortable anywhere, actually, but my parents', even moreso. I'm having a hard time letting go of a lot of the things that were said last year. Maybe I should be more understanding. Maybe I should be more forgiving. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I've also got some things going on in my headspace that I'm sure will not be helped by 4 hours with my parents (my mom is not listed, but she's not going to be doing anything else, she'll be there). Just the thought of it tweaks my anxiety up.

On the other hand, my dad doesn't really do things like this. It looks like a real attempt to patch some things up, even though I know the underlying issues are still there, and nothing of import will be discussed. If I say no without a good excuse, it's going to be rather obvious that I'm just blowing him off, and I don't really want to discourage him.

The slightly less major problems are that, I'm in the middle of a weight-loss competition at work, and really not interested in consuming "bad-for-you" food or beer right now, and I couldn't give a flying f*ck about the super bowl.

The easy answer is just to claim I've already made plans, but I haven't, and I don't like lying in general, and especially not to them. But I really don't want to go. What should I do?

Go.

I hate local sports stuff. If my dad asks, I go. We really don't have much in common but I love him and this is something that he enjoys and wants to share with me. This might be a gesture on your father's part. It could go a long way to repairing your relationship with him. And if you do go and things turn out terrible and you two continue to fight, you can sleep well knowing that you tried what you could to keep it going.

As for the food, drink a sh*t ton of water to feel full.

NSMike wrote:

What should I do?

I doubt there's a right answer as to what you SHOULD do, but it sounds like it's unlikely to be a pleasant experience for you. I would think if this is an attempt to bond or make peace then he'll be open to other more mutual suggestions that don't involve you eating food you don't want while engaging in an activity you don't enjoy in what is already an uncomfortable setting and situation.

Meanwhile if you do want an out you can always quickly make plans with us then you don't have to lie, we'll have uh...
GWJ game day for people who don't give two sh*ts about the 'big game'

... or something.

edit: Grenn is a wise man.

Grenn wrote:

Go.

I hate local sports stuff. If my dad asks, I go. We really don't have much in common but I love him and this is something that he enjoys and wants to share with me. This might be a gesture on your father's part. It could go a long way to repairing your relationship with him. And if you do go and things turn out terrible and you two continue to fight, you can sleep well knowing that you tried what you could to keep it going.

As for the food, drink a sh*t ton of water to feel full.

+1

If you go, it lets your Dad know this door is still open. It's the polite thing to do, and more significantly there won't be additional hard feelings. If this type of offer is hard for your Dad, it's not compounded by him recalling the last time he made a gesture you denied it. Likewise, you know you did the right thing. It also may help make this is just a fight in the family, not a fight that breaks the family.

Regarding the food, go full. Tell them you're trying to lose weight, and eat a bunch of rice, or some such filling, moderately healthy food first. Eat a chicken wing or something to be polite, but the game's only a few hours. If you fill up before hand, you probably won't be that hungry over the course of it.

As a guy who has some dad issues I say go. The wounds can't be mended without contact, this I know very well.

Definitely go - even if the day itself isn't ideal, it's paving the way for good things in the future.

I also wouldn't worry too much foodwise, a single big eating session won't ruin your diet.

Got a bit rambly yesterday, deleted.

I got the card working with PayPal, and PSN credit can be purchased this way. So I'll buy the PS3 on Amazon.fr with the regular credit card, and buy the games through the PSN store.

Thanks for the help guys.

Go. He's your dad.

Go.

I'll n'th the suggestion to go. What's a few hours of discomfort if it helps patch things up with your folks? Though I completely understand your loathing of football!

I get the same feeling, Mike. This may be his only way of feeling comfortable enough to try to reach out to you. If this is pushed back on him, he may not want to try again.
Go, and be glad that you tried.

Also - don't punish yourself if you eat "bad-for-you" food. Go easy on it, but in the big picture, one cheat day won't make a hell of a lot of difference.

Good luck, man.

Mike.

In my case, I have gotten some e-mails from my mom, and she has used at least one cousin as a go between. Short story, she tried to get me expelled from law school, tried to get medical information from my then doctor, and called my now wife a whore.

I made my case clear, that I need an apology that is genuine, and a promise that her outlandish behavior will end before I set foot in her presence again. Even at that point, it would be to meet up for lunch or something.

"Water under the Bridge" or "Forgive and Forget" does not work for deeply wounding, hurtful, and fear instilling issues.

I need to see change, I need to see earnest remorse and a dedication to do better.

What's it called when some fiction mixes one era with an out-of-time aesthetic? For example a futuristic film with old style clothing.

Anachronistic.

*punk, where * can be replaced with steam, diesel, and any other descriptor?

Anachronistic is close I think. I was watching Gattaca earlier, and while it's set in "the not-too-distant future" where space travel and DNA sequencing are commonplace and everything is sleek and clean, they do use old style cars, old glass/steel syringes. While they were certainly going for stylish, it's a weird mix.

To all the runners out there, is it dangerous for my Samsung Galaxy S3 when I take it jogging with me?

I'm worried about condensation. It is tucked inside an Otter Box and tucked inside my non-ventilated running sweater (it's cold here). Is the humidity under my clothes a problem for the smartphone?

ALSO: How the holy heck do I get my big-ass Android out of the Otter Box?

Ever get in a rut?
Want to play a game, can't play one.
Want to sit down for your hobby, can't start it.
Want to watch a show, can't find the one, or the the one you want you watched already.
Reading a book in the bath, maybe, but hoping to find a rewarding experience from the internet.
Put it off. Eventually have to go to bed.

Is it starting to sound close to depression?