based on a true story. this really happened to me!
"Gaaaah! I just threw the Sportsgirl 40's Floral Dress (100% viscose)
in the washing machine and it came out all horribly shrunken, like a
tight top, or a dress for a four year old! Why oh why did this happen?"
the solution is to relax. the clothing's fibers that is - a little bit of fabric softener, baby shampoo, or conditioner (all those things that usually clog the breathability of athletic apparel) added to water. give your poor, tragic garment a quick bath and a good stretch. with synthetics like rayon/viscose, it may be a little tougher to stretch than cotton and wool because the cloth fibers have a tendency to bunch up tightly - what i thought was weight gain was due partly to eating too much, but also my trendy h&m clothes shrinking in the humidity of hong kong. while it may be traumatic to see when first emerging from the wash, your favorite clothes can stretch out to the right size over time through natural wear...so relax and try to stretch the garment to a wearable size.
if you've learned your mistake too well and are afraid to re-immerse, stretching vis a vis a cooler iron works. and yes, using your body as an iron to stretch works too.
however, sometimes in a moment of madness, we think we can get away with washing silk...if you want to stretch gently, lay the garment down on a piece of paper with an outline of the proper size drawn upon it. then, you can use weights to slowly pull the garment to the desired dimensions.
sometimes it's not worth the effort to let it go...
1. grab your speaker phone and dial the number - if you don't know a number, get human will help you find one...and they have an app for that!
2. when the customer service rep introduces themselves, repeat their name: it's polite, and it will help you remember in case you need to follow up on a less than effective call
3. make it easy to follow up on your order: have your order number ready and what you'd like to remedy the issue. if you're not sure what will make you feel better, ask what your options are!
4. remain calm if it doesn't go your way - remember these are people who are paid to care but probably don't. use the secret code phrase "can i speak to your supervisor/manager?": you probably are both frustrated by the lack of remedy.
5. if the supervisor/manager is equally ridiculous, try to avoid swearing at them while you hang up...and write an email: written complaints are a lot harder to ignore and create accountability.
take on that meter maid. there's a lot more to this, and i'd love to help -
but today i learned something excited while contesting at nyc parking ticket.
first this is not just your usual expired meter ticket. i already paid that one (incurred the same day of awesomeness) and i noticed that the meter maid had given me a chance by noting the 1st observed time and a 2nd observation...all in all a 10 minute grace period which deserves respect.
nooooo...this is about a "no-standing'" ticket where the "officer" scanned my plate from a block away. now, is that even possible? while i felt like a sucker standing there while she filled out the rest of the ticket (with visions of peeling away from the curb), i now feel empowered after learning that you are allowed to stop in a no-standing zone if you are expeditiously loading. now where was my fair chance when i accidentally parked in the zone before realizing that i had found the traffic department's golden ticket spot?
basic research online will tell you everything you need to know - it takes about 15 minutes to really settle into a mattress...so kick off your shoes and roll around - nobody will judge you and i got props from the saleslady for outlasting all the crazy customers lured in by pressure sales. there are four major brands: simmons, sealy's/stearns and foster, serta, tempurpedic - most make coil/innerspring mattresses with differing levels of foam or memory foam content (except for tempurpedic). try them at a store and if you really can't convince yourself to buy it from that nice salesperson, or want to punish a pushy one, purchase it from mattresshotlineexpress.com because 1800mattress is owned by sleepys!
warranties and comfort guarantees are all reassuring, but are rendered irrelevant if you actually take the time to make sure you're getting the right mattress in the first place - here's a few tips:
the husband perspective - go to a showroom and sleep on the beds in succession. they are usually arranged by price so start with the cheapest and sleep your way up until you can't tell a comfort difference from the one before.
having basic criteria will make it easier to navigate a showroom - every retailer is going to have a different style name for your mattress model (googling mattress comparables on the the model your researching will help you price shop. i particularly like the mattressexpert.typepad.com). each retailer may carry only a few products wihin a particular line from each of the four major brands; basically there's the entry level line ($200 for a twin, $500 for a queen, $800 for a king not including delivery which is usually $100), and a midpriced range which you should aim for for about $200-$300 more, and a sucker/morbidly obese/chronic pain line...sound familiar? it should because that's what you'll get at ikea! at any retailer, make sure you aren't getting the impulse entry level model - it's usually the one advertised in the flyer and is only about $50-$100 less...they are perfect examples of why you can tell if you hate a mattress in under 5 minutes.
so why not ikea? because there's no thrill of the hunt. so if you have the energy and drive to save $100-$150, wait for a department store sale (and max out on coupons - and don't be afraid to ask what's going on sale...a lot of stores do pre-sale in advance!) or for the truly fearless, go to sleepy's with a competitor's price which they will match or beat at 20% less (again, research your comparables online!) or for the truly bold, just walk in and brazenly offer them about 50% off the tag price. the real trick is to not hvae buyer's remorse...yes there's always a chance that you could have saved an extra $100 but let it go...after sleeping on the perfect bed, you won't remember in a week!
sooooo..... additional peanut gallery advice: my husband is a light sleeper who prefers his side, i am a back/side sleeps-like-the-dead sleeper but will wake up more cranky if she doesn't get a good night's rest. so i'll let you decide who's the better half. to put it another way - it's the difference between sleeping on the beach and sleeping on a layer of feathers. we compromised by looking for a bed that feels like a layer of feathers on the beach. despite the imagery i'm sure this evokes, such things actually exist if you consider that most showroom models are 'broken in' and will arrive firmer than expected and most pillowtops will get smooshed down over time. can't tell? compare these pictures - the tighter woven cover even looks more rigid!
we needed a king mattress only (no box spring - raymour and flannigan and sleepy's allow for a $300 price drop, other stores like macy's can only order in sets. BEWARE not using a box spring will void the manufacturer's warranty). so not taking my father's advice about buying two twins (really, what does he know about making the bed convenience) because my husband and i tend to huddle together in the crack rather than sleep on opposite ends. some people opt for a split box spring which is essentially two twin box springs underneath your king mattress for easier removal, but it is about $100 more (also available for queen size but harder to find).
i grew up on mattresses that were practical and firm, slept on boarding school beds (get to school early so you can steal an extra stained 3" mattress) with a plank of wooden underneath, and paid my dues to those rubberizd monsters in college. i can also sleep standing up. my only back pain was from sitting on my fat ass, and went away with exercise. my husband has arthritis in his back from aggressive tennis playing (vis a vis an ambitious father...these were the michael chang years) and runs a little hot. combined we weigh about 300 pounds (you do the math, but just know pregnant i will outweigh him).
ruling out the tempurpedic (too hot), serta (the coils are not insulated so they make a racket and will bounce the other person), and stearns and foster (uses an imap system limits sales staff discretion with pricing). that left us with a simmons classic (entry level). so why didn't we go for the mid-range? because i'm cheap and the aestetic design differences (padded layer around circumference of mattress, grip handles) weren't worth the extra $300 - i mean, that's almost halfway towards another bed (and saves me the hassle of haggling a warranty).
the author, not heeding her own advice, bleached and henna-ed her hair
13 months ago.
she is trying to make the best out of the situation.
this is more of a patience game then anything. and the simple answer is water. drink lots of it...hair is essentially excrement. and hot water will destroy hair (a lesson from my male Italian roommate - learned after he walked in on me in the shower....and closed the door 30 seconds later).
here's a simple method (pick and choose steps as you prefer. long hair is more of an aggregate thing)
* wet hair in lukewarm water. we have the benefit of having an antiquated heating system - picture me huddled in one corner of the shower only submerging the very ends of my hair, and slowly inching into the water as it slowly warms up)
* scrub shampoo only into the roots of the hair, and rinse with warm water. it's really only the scalp that creates grease, and you are trying to cleanse the scalp without over cleaning the strands of hair. the suds will soap through the rest of your head. also, try to pick a shampoo that has the right amount of lather - over bubbliness is a response to consumers who associate suds with cleanse, but it's really unnecessary. i like cream shampoos (with oil...gasp!) but it's not ideal for thin, softer hair.
* condition...a little goes a long way. concentrate on the tips of the hair - the secret is to use cool or even cold water - and avoid greasiness of that layer that will not only give you zits, but will also tempt you to washing your hair more than you need to.
* use a smoother. again, a little at a time. moroccan/argan oil is wonderful for ethnic and coarse hair like mine. but there are lots of options - light weight mouses for example can be added in when hair is wet and allowed to air dry.
* style when damp. blow drying the crap out of your hair is probably the worst thing you can do. try plaits, braids, and buns for differing levels of dramatic curl. or it can be as simple as parting your hair on a slant to get that face-framing sweep without cutting bangs. and if you can't resist, bangs don't have to be the death knell for long hair enthusiasts...a blunter, thicker bang will actually grow out much better than whispy fringe.
* talk to your hair cutter/stylist/barber. tell them you are growing your hair out!! if you really feel like a trim is a waste of money, cheat on your stylist with a student hair cut or a discount chain - BUT tell them you want a trim, specify length in inches and forbid them from trying anything experimental or new. now is not the time to play it cool - you've already invested a lot of time and energy into your mane.
beginning with useful things:
give up on veggies, focus on two plants that compliment the cooking kitchen - italian or french.
top to bottom: thyme, organic basil
no worrying about insects or constant care, mother nature can take care of these until the winter.
david austin roses
roses can be a daring adventure but not if you plan correctly. buy them from a reputable place - they will know which are best and hardy enough for your climate zone, what's best for your purposes (hedges, climbing, or ground cover) and may have a 1 year guarantee!
the hardest part is picking a location - the right soil will be loose enough for the short roots of roses and can be tilled easily. it will also get plenty of sun, plenty of light...and plenty of deer??
i love going to reunions - the atmosphere of awkwardness, pubescent glances, but don't forget the giddiness! i dumped an entire plate of food on my best friend.
so here's some tips to maximize those few hours before everyone gets too drunk too fast and realizes that they aren't as young as they used to be:
* always bring a friend. probably someone who has a similar goal in mind (there are a few competing ones: mate hunting, ex-shunning, networking, aggressive networking, or like us, just ensuring our progeny have a fighting chance of surviving the admissions process).
* eat, yes. especially like me, if you can't drink and they won't give you a discount on the ticket, resist the impulse to be fabulously tardy and go early to make sure you can eat something without having to talk to people with a mouth full of food.
* look happy. or your picture will never be in the alumni magazine. diversity is a plus.
* practice a pleasant smile. you will need to glue it to your face while walking around with unfocused eyes.
* say hello to everyone. think you'll recognize most people 15 years out? but that doesn't mean you get a pass, no no no. let's leave the drama behind, and greet everyone. after all, isn't it nice to leave high school behind you? and you can always make fun of the ones who were freaked out by your non-bitchiness/new-found straightness later!
so sorry to hold you captive (my squeamish friends all seem to find my
glee strange)
but hopefully you are here because you care about furry
animals and need help with keeping your home yours.
*** spoiler alert ***
we caught a mouse in this couch. it had grabbed an ant trap and was gnawing on it inside.
yes. inside the couch.
the next day we caught another mouse. then two months later we caught two more.
so four, maybe five, total mice.
BEGIN ADVENTURE:
enter mouse. you see the telltale signs - either a nest, droppings or the fleeing tail.
#1: a: you do nothing.
OR b: you move/ burn down the house.
OR c: you vomit in your mouth while you clean up the turds, then go get mickey. go to #2.
#2: a: you think that the only good mouse is a dead mouse. buy kill traps.
OR b: you see the mouse as a tourist that just needs a point in the right direction. go to #3.
#3: a: you seal off any cracks in your house that are more than 1/4 inch in size and clean up clutter. but then you think, hey we're all god's creatures and decide to co-habitate. your adventure ends.
OR b: you seal cracks, tidy up and decide to prevent future guests. go to #4.
#4: a: in order to get to the sighting area, you have to traverse the jungle into a room that gives you the heebeejeebies. buy a kill trap.
OR b: in order to get to the sighting area, you walk in, turn on the light, and open the treasure chest (ie. kitchen drawer). buy a sticky trap and go to #5.
#5: a: you hear a noise! it's probably around 10pm. go to #6.
OR b:you don't hear a noise, but it's around 10pm, so you go check. go to #6.
OR c: you may or may not have heard a noise, but decide to go sleep for 12 hours. go to #7.
#6: a: you find an active mouse! it's making a shuffling noise. you grab a large yogurt container (or a disposable container with cover that is big enough to fit the entire sticky trap in). you put your thick gloves on (sharp teeth! ick factor!) and place the mouse in. you pour some vegetable oil on the surface of the sticky trap, close the lid, and observe the mouse eating the oil and working itself free. go to a wooded area more than 1 mile away, remove the lid of the container, and your adventure ends!
OR b:you find an active mouse, but it's not making any noise because it's pretty stuck. maybe because two sticky traps have sandwiched it. now taking a deep breath - and not pulling apart too hard - you add a little more oil to separate the extra trap. you have the option of delving in with your finger tip to free the tail (only the tail! the mouse can free the rest of itself). go to a wooded area more than 1 mile away, remove the lid of the container, and your adventure ends!
OR c: you find a mouse that has been trapped for a while and is not well. go to #7.
#7: you find a dehydrated mouse that may have gnawed on its own legs in an effort to escape. this is the worst because it probably won't survive even if you released it. it's up to you what you think is more humane - but if you think that you won't be able to check the trap frequently, it may be kinder to go with the kill trap. i include bait/cage traps as kill traps, but there is no guarantee that you won't end up with a badly maimed mouse. i imagine that it would be hardest to throw a still living thing into the trash.
my extended family lives in the bay area and my cousin were hoping
to have a day for catching up and not shopping (sprinkles not
included). please find an itinerary for a leisurely tourof stanford below:
12:15 pm - meet up @ stanford shopping mall for a quick bite to eat
1:30 pm - park in lot @ cantor arts center on stanford campus (off the palm drive)
2:00 pm - rodin tour starts in the main entrance lobby and lasts about an hour and 15 minutes
3:40 pm - walk through the rest of the museum
5:30 pm - dinner and light shopping @ university ave
2. to make it official for the celebration of my best friend's (irish) husband's birthday, print one online in order to avoid high cost (as witty as i try to be, my bff and i are the only ones who will continue to wear the shirt) AND have the shirt done in time (we
spent too much time bantering back & forth: "making people happy
since 1978"; "face of an angel, body of a porn star").
google-ing
"mall t-shirt printing" didn't get me to that wonderful kiosk that
dispenses your photograph on giant buttons, key chains and magazine
covers BUT i did find that (generic yet reliable) staples prints t-shirts on sale for $7.99 with free shipping!
it's the same upload platform as vista print, which was twice as much
(as was snapfish whose required registration made me click away).
all these companies can only print one picture centered on the back and/or front. but one picture doesn't mean one image. i was able to upload two images without using a scanner! simply upload the
first and click the add image button as many times as you want. you may
have to screw with the sizing/cropping but that's really the appeal. just keep in mind: positioning of
the picture in relation to your chest (ugh, don't stare at my boob
region) and of the words so that they are legible in relation to the
colors of the background and positioning on the shirt. if all else
fails, keep checking the large preview and take screen snapshots (shift + alt + 4) to compare.
realizing that this has to be an enticing t-shirt that other people would understand,
i saved $5 opting for a front only image (hate it when people ask me to
turn around) and a neutral slogan that was personally meaningful to my
bff and her husband. it's oscar wilde from a picture of dorian gray -
and i made sure to check the reference of the quote to avoid
embarrassment (it's about the beauty according to wikipedia - my source
for movie spoilers and universal truths on books. i've read all of the
game of thrones books...online.)
dress for success: 1 jason wu for target skirt + 2
hasbeens for h&m swedish red clogs (optional: 1 pair black anklets)
+ 1 consignment top from buffalo exchange (h&m press sample no
less!) = happy hipster hunting!
1. be on a mission. don't go on a weekend. IKEA is open late night so no excuses. this is not a fun filled day of perusing - research what you're looking for before hand and bring notes - there's guaranteed to be spotty cell coverage and overwhelming options.
2. bring lots of fluids. any trip to IKEA is hard on the body and the husband - water will buy you time.
3. identify the style: KIVIK, KARLSTAD, EKTORP, KLIPPAN and the secretive TIDAFORS. compare the armrest to sofa cushion angle (ie. is the goal to lie down without breaking your neck to watch tv or do you want to make guests sit up properly and not spill crumbs on your floor), supportiveness of back cushions, and fabric colors. each style comes in a few models - loveseat for two, three-seater sofa, and chaise to make into a l- or u-shaped couch.
4. compare prices. here's a hint - all styles are priced the same: whether blekinge white or tullinge gray-brown...so a sofa in cotton = $399; tweed = $499; and prominent display model = $599.
5. get a deal on a unusual cover color - the tranas are 80% off in store but light tan was out of stock, so we grabbed a cheery cherry red cotton to alternate with our practical tweed sofa cover.
6. use your 15% off of IKEA sofas (ie. a giftcard of $15 off every $100 you spend - including covers) to purchase the second cover right away. you have to pick up your giftcard from customer service but you can use it that day!
ex. KIVIK sofa: $350
+ dansbo dark gray cover: $149
= $499 and a $75 gift card
+ ingebo red sofa cover: $49
= $499 total spent on KIVIK sofa and two covers + $26 gift card balance
ex. KIVIK sofa: $350
+ ingebo red sofa cover: $49
=$399 and a $60 gift card
+ dansbo dark gray cover: $149
= $489 total spent on KIVIK sofa and two covers + no need to ever go to IKEA again!
buying a car is like shopping for groceries or clothes...the question is do you really need it? my husband resistant to taking the bus and we have zero cars, so we needed at least one. we have driven enough cars and judged our friends' cars enough to know just enough car for the next 7 years = 4 doors, fuel economy, reliability, decent acceleration and a trunk. once our price point was set (ie. less than my brother spent), the cars seem to line themselves up - car companies do like to compete with each other. we also bought a copy of consumer reports because this month's was the best and worst new cars of 2012.
they're all the same to me
a quick perusal of my consumer reports, and at the mid-range price we've set, all cars are the same. they all have four doors, drive straight, consume gas (because let's be honest, hybrids still runs on gas) and have an option to make a sedan trunk into a hatchback. doesn't it make sense that when one car company finds commercial success with a particular model, other companies will try to replicate it (with small detail changes)? nobody is really re-inventing the wheel, and even as a child, i didn't like the modern sleek designs when i first saw at the auto show at the javits center twenty years ago.
so what kind of car? i try not to be a brand whore but i like european cars. german = luxurious interiors at the cost of electronics reliability (and i'm not talking about the stereo).germanesque + reliability = lexus. i was able to find a 2011 lexus ct 200h but despite it's sleek hybrid appeal, the narrowness of the interior made me feel like a small man with a giant ego. plus price hunting didn't help because of high demand by a large supply of smallish male lawyers in the tri-state area. so despite my devotion to lexus and their reputation for outstanding customer service (a service associate in santa monica replaced my sister's rx300 transmission for free. including labor and parts. that's $7k. on a car 2 years out of warranty. because he made a few phone calls to corporate), i thought i'd check out their crunchy granola sister's prius.
the king of hybrids
the problem with priuses/prii is that they are like shopping for paper towels. it takes like fifteen minutes of standing around in the aisle trying to compare prints, quantity, size, and '#-ply' of paper towel just to figure out which is the cheapest paper towel to not waste. at this point, we had narrowed our search to deal breakers - we needed a sun roof and leather. i was willing to compromise on power everything: less acceleration, manual seat adjustment (annoying because we are two drivers sharing one car and i'm not the same height as my husband). the prius v was an obvious no because i am not going to drive a minivan until i have three large children. the prius c was tempting because it starts at under $20k but even in a non-electric hue, i felt like a teenage boy driving a scion...fully loaded comes in over $25k, has psychedelic blue lighting, stiff faux leather...and makes me feel like a mom borrowing her son's car.
at this point, i had corned myself into the prius which only comes in 'leatherette' (ie. SofTex)in the fourth generation - basically two levels up from the basic/rental car model. the lovely new country toyota dealership in westport claims they spearheaded the leatherette movement, but they were willing to install leather seats into a 2011 (at the fair price of $1500). sadly, they could not cut a sun roof int a car...and it wouldn't be the cool moon roof that solar powers your a/c (only available in 2012 models - third and fourth generation, but why not fifth? maybe because at that point you are paying $35k for a prius!). i may have ended up with a 2011 with leather seats from a kit and no sun roof because i hate the flip screen on the 2012 prius mainly because yes, i still listen to cd's and want to be able to insert them into the front of my stereo flawlessly for my 1990's listening pleasure. ANDi don't like rotating/breakable/flipping parts unless we are talking about my cell phone c. 2002 - aka the text machine.
sadly, my simplistic 2011 prius without nav or fuss was gone...and to be honest, i am not a fan of the sky reflecting sea glass green hue. not a fan of driving a car people can't see coming even though this is based on anecdotal advice of a 4'11" late teenage female asian driver who had her honda prelude totaled no less than 7 times...once almost by my mother. being an asian female driver, i don't trust other drivers. i want good brakes or at least the ability to steer out of an accident.
used vs. new
since the prii post-2011 were not pricing out well, we dove into the bottom of the barrel and tried a used prius with moderate mileage - but even the at under $20k, the used models didn't give me the feeling of bang for my buck...the interior just feels used (by an army of small kicking children).
so why fixate on a prius when a used car is still a green choice?friends have told me to look at a used acura or audi; my mind reminisces about having a used lexus rx300 or rx350h; my eyes are starting to eye the camry xle hybrid. but having set my mind on a price range, it is easy to compare and eliminate - i can get all of the above (except the camry xle) but they are at the high end of my range, have high mileage, and are outside of warranty. and while a used luxury car means someone else has already eaten the depreciation, repairs will be more expensive unless i can stick comparable honda/vw/toyota parts in.
beep beep, it's love - buy a nicer used car from a different dealership.
find a vehicle you love at first sight. they are luxury goods - the value is not really for the parts (i'm pretty confident i could build a car if i had a guide with pictures), but in the brand reputation and image. so when the cars seem to be interchangeable, and shopping for them started feeling like buying socks, we found our vw gti...and there was nothing to complain about.
buyers remorse
there's no coupons or price adjustments with cars - make sure before you deposit that you have already negotiated the price. and i was warned that 'sales events' are run by third parties to generate revenue and not necessarily the best deal. since we were buying a non-hassle priced car, we could only try to negotiate on the dealer's conveyance fee - which is barred by statute in most states. in our exploration of toyota dealerships in ct, they give freebies (ex. car washes for life, loaners, oil changes) to add a perception of value for the fee.
we paid a premium on our fee because we bought it from an affluent town; like shopping for vintage clothes, if something is truly one of a kind and you want it, grab it. the seller has already decided how much they want for it and are not going to negotiate much. and you can use the internet to see if you can find it somewhere else, but my searches on ebay, carfax, and autofinder only justified my choice - it was the best price for a comparable car, that vw with autobahn package are few and far between, lowest mileage, and had been purchased most recently (ie. more time on the manufacturer's warranty). the carfax also verified that it was a single owner used car and i was able to track the depreciation by looking at different models through kelley blue book value or edmonds.
finally to complete my due diligence (this is a lot of money), i go to the library and look at 2011 consumer reports - i want to read about my car model and find the truth to these rumblings of unreliability i hear about vw! the vw gti was re-designed in 2010 which affects re-sale value, but there's no clear reliability data on a car that's less than 3 years old. i've stuck a timing belt and new transmission into a luxury car with a 50/50 success rate - the audi a6 lasted another 2 years, the lexus rx300 is supposed to be good for another 10 years/80k miles. these reliability issues are getting me down - enter the subaru.
how long is this really going to last me
there's nothing like looking at a three-pack of undershirts at costco to put things into perspective. it's a safe purchase - all three will probably fit exactly the same, they're cheap, everyone's grabbing them...and at the end of the day, it's just an undershirt that you're going to treat like garbage in two years. like subarus! so after my husband saw one at the gas station (and made me ask the mommy driving it if she liked it), we test drove the 2012 subaru impreza, consumer reports car of the year - but in hatchback version. the super relaxed sales staff (he let us test drive it alone. i may have stopped to run an errand - i am checking for practicality!), the upscale/mercedes-esque camelia red peal hue, and awd at that mpg and price were tempting. but the overall feel of the leather interior and dashboard - plus i hit my head on the side of the car TWICE - was 'affordable'. and sadly, the 3 month waitlist didn't create demand for me - remember they're all the same to me and having a car put into production for me didn't seem as green as buying a used car with decent fuel economy.
it had been a fun experience shopping for a prius and settling on a vw gti, and then comparing it to a subaru impreza (and not it's sporty sister the brz3). the prius reminded me that i'm not too old to enjoy driving, and i didn't need to get into the brz to know i don't want it (tokyo drift much?). so whether i'll regret not having awd when i'm trapped at the bottom of my driveway, the gti's desirability for right now make it worth the risk - a whole summer of sun roof and easy city parking (it's 8" shorter than an impreza). and with a strong and stable resale value, maybe next year i can get a used 2012 impreza even if i don't have to trade my gti in to someone who wants to grow up from a brz3. the vw gti is the perfect car to pick up my things (ie. groceries, family, teddy bears with places to go) and then zoom them home...pleasurably.
i guess my days of "making friends" on the bus are over.
hard boiled eggs take more than a minute (minute eggs surprisingly are just raw eggs)...but less than 114 minutes (ie. the running time of hope floats). to avoid eggs on fire, place eggs in a saucepan covered with cold water; bring to a boil and cover; remove from heat and let sit for 12 minutes. a perfectly hard boiled egg will spin evenly (and not wobble).a perfectly respectable boiled egg will sit in the water until you're ready to eat it.
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