Posts by decarswell

Well I have never had that sort of a problem but I have studied engineering so I can give you some tips on how to go about figuring out what the problem is.

First things first - washer or dryer.

How to find out - isolate!

When you are putting in your next load of laundry check all of your clothing before you put it in to determine what is damaged and what is not. As you are moving the clothing to the dryer check all of your clothing to see if any new holes have appeared. Do this again when you are removing your clothing from the dryer. The problem could be one or both.

Once you know which one(s) are causing the problem I have 2 paths I would suggest. Call the manufacturer of the bad boy and ask about similar complaints and problems with the model. Call up someone who either repairs this sort of machine or who sells them (ideally both). Ask them if they have heard of similar problems (I'd bet my money they have) and what fixes for these problems have been in the past. I have a feeling you could start off by calling someone who deals with washers and dryers and get a pretty good idea on how to narrow down the problem quickly.

If you're worried about the detergent then trying different ones was a good idea. I would suggest calling the detergent manufacturer as well to see what they have to say about it.

Finally you could search online to see if people have had similar problems in some sort of laundry enthusiast forum out there.

My guess? You've got something in your washer that is tearing your clothes a little each time they get pushed around. Perhaps a little metal thing that has come a bit loose.

- Dave

I'm going to stick to responding to Andie's post because there is just way too much going on in the replies for me to begin poking in at the moment. Although, keep it going. I like it, you guys are making some very interesting points back and forth and allowing me to question my own thoughts on this whole subject! :D

Has women's Liberation gone too far in the favour of women?

I think it has to a small degree in some areas. To elaborate on those areas I'd have to give it some further thought. I do feel that there are still a whole lot of areas where it has yet to truly break ground. For that reason I feel that while its pushing too far ahead in some parts its really necessary to achieve absolute equality.

But are men now affraid to be men if they want to be, scared to speak up for fear of recrimination.

Totally! Men are afraid to be men. This is related to feminism but not a result of it. As I see it, we have views coming from our parents which have been evolving with each subsequent generation. Feminism is trying to push the view that men and women are equals and should be treated as such. Society seems to be gradually accepting this.

Many men have father figures who don't agree with this. They raise their sons under such views (whether it is intentionally or unintentionally told to them through words and actions of their father figure towards females - especially the mother) and then these sons are eventually cast into the world. They are clever enough to see that their views are not the norm so they are afraid to be themselves.

I feel that this only accounts for a small % of people though. I think its much more common that this fear that men (and women!) have of speaking up is rooted in self confidence/worth/image issues. I think that many parents are unhealthy individuals which pass these problems on to the children without realizing it. It also lies in how we are taught, or not, to accept the views of others. If we all felt confidently that our opinions were worth hearing we would be able to voice them. Then we'd be able to listen to others and accept that their thoughts are just that, theirs. We don't need to take it personally and be hurt every time someone opens their mouth. We don't need to worry when we open ours.

Also, we're afraid to be men because we're unsure of what women want us to be. Feminism has been pushing the idea that women can be what they want to be. That is great. But now that women don't need us to provide for them what do they want from us? A lot will reply that they want someone who is sweet, genuine and funny (or list some other characteristics here). Now, when men use this information and go out into the real world trying to find a woman their experience is generally this - if they act like a nice, accepting, sweet guy they won't make many women attracted to them. This confuses guys a lot and makes them afraid to be men. It makes it hard for a man to define what a man really is. Isn't a man what a woman wants? So if she says she wants this, then why doesn't that make her attracted to me?

They have become the butt of many jokes all you have to do is watch tv in many programmes they are portrayed as the idiot. 

I don't like this stereotype. But then again when women are moody doesn't the television like to make jokes about it being that time of the month? Don't they enjoy teasing women for spending so much time getting ready (when guys don't like waiting but do, oh so, love the results)? The male idiot is a stereotype that most people can associate with. I think it comes from the power tripping males who got their way before there was a lot more equality that allowed them to be called down. Perhaps feminism even makes this stereotype possible by showing that guys are reproachable. Maybe this is the result of feminism?

Alongside Homer though you have Ned who was a great, albeit slightly odd religious fanatic, role model for his family. He loved and cared for them. I don't like the idea that kids grow up assuming dad makes mistakes day in day out though.

The justice system: some 90% of women are now guaranteed to get custody of the kids, the house, car and a large chunk of his pay check.

Don't like this one bit. But this is my personal view. I have to agree with Georgian that the legal system will lag behind until it catches up. And will then lag behind again.

A very large % of violence in the home is actually against men, but does not hit the headlines the way it does for women.

There are meek women and there are meek men. Both will accept abuse. I think that it'd be us better to teach people to have confidence enough in themselves to walk away from negative situations where abuse is present.

I imagine, but do not know, that in general there is more abuse towards women. This is because of old views that prevail and the fact that guys are in general larger. I think that more light should be shed on the converse abuse though.

Have we now displaced men from any position in our society?

No. We haven't. Men are still capably in their positions. In fact I think that feminism has done men a service here. I personally like children and love working with them. I know many men who also feel this way. If it wasn't for feminism displacing gender roles it wouldn't have been a) as likely that I would be who I now am (which is awesome, btw) and b) as likely that I could work in the childcare field without being labeled as some sort of derogatory slang. In fact many guys still will do that to me. Screw them.

Basic equality aside is it now time for women to stop the want, want, want, give, give, give me! and to start giving back to men the respect we demand they give us.

I agree with this comment in part. I feel that equality should prevail in all facets of life. Look girls, if you want to be treated equally take it all. Expect to pay for your share of costs on dates and in relationships. I expect to do my half of the chores. I do think the respect is present though.

Has societies attitude towards men contributed to the massive increase over the years in violent crime against children and women.

Anything I have to say about this would be a shot in the dark. The stuff I have commented on is stuff I've given thought to over the past few years and discussed with others. I've no thoughts on this one at the moment. My instinct says - no way Jose. Its more likely to have allowed men to justify it as such.

I would say that the rise in crime rates probably has more to do with the way the children are being raised (the ones who grew up to perpetrate these crimes).

Are we building a hatred untold against women with our give us half the cake but we take the lot attitude.

Andie could you explain that one a bit further? What do you mean by "We take the lot"?

Chivalry - it's not dead. It's evolving and adapting. Personally, I look at it like this - I am chivalrous by assuming that you are a strong capable woman who can provide for herself. I don't put you down or put you in a category/label just because you have breasts (I will also not do that to guys with moobs). Traditional chivalry has been dying off but in its place new forms are emerging. In this case when I decide I want to pay for a woman it is not out of chivalry or a sense of obligation but a show of my care for that person, the same as I will buy drinks for my friends at the bar because I like them.

P.S. - Girls, it is so, so, oh so, attractive to find a woman who has her life together and can provide for herself. Its something I look for. I don't want a woman who expects me to provide. I want an equal partner with whom I will decide on the roles we have in our relationship. I doubt either of us would ever play one role completely without the others participation.

Whew, that was a long one. Enjoy.

- Dave

Not sure if this has been said yet but Stone Angel by Margaret Atwood. I'm a big fan of reading and love books, but this one was just atrocious. I only made it through half of it in the end, before tossing it away and picking up coles notes (it was a grade 12 english read for me. I loved the other books I read in english class over the years).

Think about it this way... you're going on the date right? That means that there is a part of him that finds you attractive and that wants to get to know you. He finds you attractive. Keep thinking that in your mind over and over. Be confident that one, two or five pimples aren't going to make him change his mind about how amazing a person you are and how pretty you look when you believe in yourself.

While I don't have any advice on how to help with the breakout I can guarantee you that he won't notice it as much, or care about it as much, if you don't make it an issue. Be confident, be yourself. The break out only becomes an issue if you let it, and you can control that. Hope this isn't too late!

Thanks for sharing that. It was well written and quite awesome.

From the sounds of things you're looking for both nutritional and monetary advice. So I'll give you a little of both. I think you're looking fairly good in regards to nutrition. I'm not exactly sure what you are able to eat as a pescatarian so it's tough for me to make suggestions in regards to substitutions but I have an idea in regards to your choice of peppers. Have you considered celery or cucumber in place of peppers? The cost for peppers where I am is much higher than the cost of either cucumbers or celery. This might be a nice way to save money.

For fruit you're good staying away from berries if you want to avoid escalating costs. It seems the moment your fruit is in berry form it becomes worth an extra 2 bucks.

I know it's a bit expensive, but if you were to buy some oil in bulk it might help with preparing some food. You can find cheap canola oil in large quantities (cheap in this case is relative to the cost of other oils). Perhaps even cheap generic vegetable oil, but then the health benefits become a bit questionable to me.

My final bit of advice is to search "One Dollar Diet Project" on google. It is about 2 people who spent a month eating on only a dollar a day each. You may find their recipes useful (although they may not be within what you can eat. You can always substitute!).

I hope everything works out for you and that this late night advice was more coherent than it seemed while writing it.

Awesome! And I agree. You've given me a good reason to enjoy wine tonight. :D

They make a huge impact on the first impression. On the first impression you have little else to go by, I mean, you have a few words, perhaps a handshake (or the much preferable High Five). What else do you have to go on?

Now, I've dated girls I didn't find attractive when I first met them, since they grew on me (and actually did a lot to change what I find attractive because of being who they were). Personality can play a role in the longer run.

By the way, Fortius has some very good advice in his first post.

Also, you can't replace confidence. Confident women are attractive. It shows in the way they hold themselves and the way they deal with people. It shines through and I personally want to talk to those strong women to see what it is that makes them awesome and so confident.

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My posts aren't spam. I love this movie a lot and it's small scale so I'm trying to bring it some more exposure. What's wrong with promoting something I like on a forum I've taken to lurking on since I returned to school? Take a look, I used to post a lot more, especially during the summer when I had the spare time.

My rooommate's cat "Buttons" is the most adorable cat. She's really affectionate and is a lot more like a dog than a cat. She's got one little issue though. She whines when she's hungry. Unless she's asleep.

So we have to feed her at night because if we don't she keeps us up all night with her whining. If she's awake, right now she's asleep still, and has been all day as far as I know, she'll let you know she's hungry by meowing. Over and over and over. You can here her out in the hall when she's home alone. She meows all night long until you give her food. Sometimes it starts at 3 in the afternoon. The squirt bottle is my best friends those days. She also makes it extremly difficult to study during exam period, since I want to stay at my computer and she wants to stay in my lap. It's cute though. Water squirtingly cute...

I think that this comic relates pretty well to this thread:

http://www.xkcd.com/513/

It deals with unrequited romance and is safe to read anywhere.

I'm not saying that attraction and love cannot grow out of mutual friendship I'm merely using the comic as a means to say what I think often happens with unrequited feelings.

Thanks for the responses!

I think I should clarify a bit. I've done ballroom dancing lessons in the past and I can still dance a little of the waltz, lots of the rhumba and a bit of the tango. I've taken swing dance lessons for the last 9 weeks so I can dance that fairly well too. I've done some salsa in the past and its lots of fun too.

I know how to do these dances, I just want to do them in the nightclub setting instead of in the practice hall. I just was looking for a different scene to do the dances in only to find that there is no real dancing going on in the places I went to.

But, I do think that the theme dancing nights are a fantastic idea and I'll look into them and see if I can find something going on!

Also, I've been to gay clubs in vancouver, and the guys didn't really grind on me at all, although I did get full on groped when I was proving a point. Honestly, they just wanted the opportunity to feel me up.

I'm glad, and disappointed, to know that crotch grinding isn't a new phenomenon. I'll watch that video when I've got some time.

Thanks again!

It's the greatest thing that's yet to have happened

Imagine knowing me.

Original Post by kathygator:

Original Post by r4eboxer:

the chocolate popcorn we sell is a chocolate and caramel mix. It IS to die for. The regular flavors are very good too.

 Yes but is it made with real boyscouts?

We can dream Kathy, we can dream.

Jessicasbc - I'm studying to be an engineer, I'm in my 4th year. I'm not doing it for more than 10, at most. Hopefully less.

Personally, I like engineering but it's not that fulfilling for me. I enjoy it and am going to use it to pay off loans and do some travelling, but when it comes down to it I'm going to continue distance education after school so that I can eventually do something that makes me really happy: working with children. Maybe I'll get tired of that too eventually? I'm willing to accept that I can change back and forth and as long as I'm willing to learn and try something new I'll always have options and choices.

So no, having a big career is not important to me. What is important to me is that I'm happy, challenged and most of all fulfilled by the work I do.