Nataly

I've thought about getting two cats, but think this might be tricky... Part of the reason the staff member took Princess out of the refuge was because she was getting harassed by the other cats... She is apparently much happier alone now, and she is an aloof/independent cat-type, so I'd have to be careful what breed I get so I don't get an energetic attention-seeker who is incompatible with her... She grew up with a Persian and she got along nicely with him, but he has already been adopted. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

"cat-staff" "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Ok, I can't argue with that... Pay off as much as you can now, and pay off the rest in monthly installments. If the OP can lower the amount to $5000 and pay $250 - $300 per month, his total debt will be paid off in about a year and a half (or earlier if a second lump sum can be paid at any point in time). "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Princess

Here is a picture... Look at those eyes and tell me you haven't fallen in love with her a little... (I am sounding like a nut. I realise that.) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

That $5500 IS my savings. I have a pension, but I still have to work to afford anything other than cat food. I could last maybe a year that way, but anymore would be tough. Pssssst... When you have debt, you don't have savings... Pay the debt. Debt is crippling not only financially, but it's bad for your psyche as well. It's holding you back from moving on with your life... The debt is a whole bunch of anger and upset and anxiety and stress and guilt and negative energy... Even if you get the stuff you want, that debt will keep dragging you down until you are rid of it... So get rid of it. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Adopt her now!

Ok, I have been debating the pros and cons of getting a cat... I decided a long time ago that I would not own a pet unless I was certain I could care for it properly. I am in the process of getting a bigger place (currently in a 1-bed appartment) which will be ideal for a cat - 4-floors, 3 bedrooms, and even some outdoor space. So I thought, fuck it... I've waited a long time, there is no way I will ever financially rationalise owning a pet, and the reality is that you either want a pet or you don't - if you really want it, you will find a way to make it work; if you don't you will be a jerk and abandon it at the first sign that it's a bit of hassle... I wanted to wait until I have actually moved, but last week I saw an ad for a cat that is in cage, in a refuge... I called about her, and got more of her story... Her owner passed away and the cat was left to fend for itself in the street. She was found in a bad state and nursed back to health, but she was unhappy in the refuge (the other cats were mean to her ). So one of the workers has temporarily taken the cat in her own home, but cannot keep her forever because her hubby is allergic. The cat is 2 years old and a very quiet and friendly cat. My question is this... Do you think it would be a trauma for her to stay with me in my small appartment and then move with me to the bigger house 1-2 months down the line?? Or are older cats not so bothered because they get more attached to their owners than a particular place?? Or something else I haven't considered?? I have explained the situation fully to the people at the refuge. They seem to think as long as I love the cat and look after her, she will cope just fine with the move. But I would like some more opinions from people who have experience in cat-rescues/adoption/moving. Yes, I know I could get another cat. But there is something about this cat... Can't stop thinking about this cute little fur-ball... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I recently did an advanced rider course and they made us do continuous figure 8's in first gear (no throttle and no brakes)... Shows just how tight you can make those turns by counter steering, leaning your body, taking your bum off the seat... They made us do the same thing whilst kneeling on the seat, and also with both legs on one side of the bike (then both legs on the other side of the bike). I found it particularly challenging/scary on my R6. I did manage. .. Boy did my U-turns improve on the way home, though

+1 for ratcheting torque wrenches that click

I didn't think you were dismissing the entire thread... I was merely pointing out that a bit of ass-chewing is sometimes a sign that you shouldn't begin a conversation by sticking your arse out "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Sweet!! Really enjoying House Of The Rising Sun and almost certainly wouldn't have thought about it on my own - thanks

I should mention: acoustic guitar And just to specify: Zep, those are great songs, but too hard!!!! Well, maybe the first is ok - am trying it now

I have asked this before, but I find people's responses change as they listen to new music, et cetera... I'm kind of running out of ideas for new guitar songs to learn. I am googling and I occasionally find a really good tune to start playing... Would still like some ideas from some of the guitar players (or guitar fans!) on here to change things up a bit

The thing is, effective communication is an art-form... I have been posting on here for a number of years now, and one thing I'm still learning is that the way you present your arguments will hugely impact how friendly (or not) the responses will be. When you solicit advice (as the OP did), you have to be able to either present your arguments in a way that nobody can disagree with you (difficult, to say the least), or else be responsive to the advice you receive... Now, some advice will not be worth much, but you asked for it, so a polite "I hadn't thought of that" can be better at keeping the conversation on a constructive level than: "that is the dumbest thing I ever heard" (even though it may well be the dumbest thing you ever heard - nobody was required to pass an IQ test in order to become a member of DZ.com...) One thing that consistently gets everyone to "gang-up" against you is a refusal to at least consider a different point of view... Especially when most other people share one point of view and you doggedly stick to your guns. Now, you may be 100% correct, and they may be 100% wrong, however failure to at least listen to the majority does not yield very good results. I know this because I am a stubborn person and sometimes it takes me too long to realise I am fighting a losing battle (when the goal was not even to fight in the first place). There is nothing wrong with saying "I do not agree with your point of view, but thank you for sharing it." Or simply: "ok, we will agree to disagree" and moving on, if you have exhausted the argument. (I'm not very good at doing this, but when I do actually try it, I find stepping back actually helps me to really consider the others' point of view - so much so that my perspective has sometimes actually changed/broadened in the end.) To me, the goal of any good discussion is not to have a winning argument and a losing argument, but to pick the brains of other people in an effort to learn. If I come away learning something, I cannot feel like the discussion was a failure, even if my arguments proved to be erroneous, misguided, misinformed or even just plain wrong. I am not the type of person who needs to be "correct" all the time - I prefer to devellop a topic of conversation and be open to broadening my understanding of things. Some people on here just need to WIN, and for this they need to make you out to be a loser. So be it. There will always be noise to filter out... But even this noise can be telling/instructive. There you go. To the OP: take some of the advice onboard, ignore some, disagree with some, and laugh here and there... Just don't be riding in on a high horse and miss the fact that conversations are a two-way street... If people are ganging up on you, perhaps it's worth considering whether your approach is flawed... Ie: drop some of the attitude and sarcasm and see if you don't get better responses... My .02 cents. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So funny!!! Thanks Lisa!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Perception. Judging by you responses it seems you still do not get it. People reacted to your question exactly the same way as the store did... This should tell you that you are: a) dealing with a bunch of morons, or b) not asking the question in the right way. I think "b" is more likely. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Does your concept apply to females as well? Sadly, no... I think there really are some poor unfortunate women who have never discovered the joys of self-pleasure... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

This thread has just reminded me that at the tender age of 16, the biggest drama in my life, ever, was the horrible picture that the photographer chose of me to put on the graduating class of '98 poster that would adorn the high school walls FOREVER... Funny thing is: this is the first time I have thought about it since 1998!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Paint that bit white, but leave the bricks alone - they are gorgeous! Yes, I am serious. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Peeing in the shower is like men and masturbating... 95% of men are masturbators, and the rest are liars. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So basically, this guy would bang just about everyone... Well, I can be removed from that list because I'm just a plain Canadian. Damn. I am so sad to no longer be part of such an exclusive club... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

But you are the one who made the link between "discount" and "reserve repack"... Put the two together, and I get "free reserve repack." And that sounds like you are asking the rigger to work for free. This is what the lady thought, this is what a lot of posters here thought, this is even what I thought initially. Plus you immediately start the thread with "free reserve repack" right in the title!! No matter how many times you explain it, the first reaction sticks. And the first reaction is that it is not reasonable to ask for a free reserve repack. So again, your approach was flawed. In my opinion. You would have had a better reaction had *you* approached the matter differently. Again, just my opinion. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Metaphorically put yourself in their position and attempt to see things from their point of view before complaining too hard. Okay... There is a customer in front of me who has happily spent over $7000 with me in the last couple of months and hasn't requested any form of discount. He has come back to purchase an item to the value of $1500. He is requesting a $60 discount. What a self-centered individual trying to take the food out of my mouth. Be gone fool!! Well I completely understand where you're coming from now. I should have done that before, put myself in the shoes of that poor business owner. "$60 discount" = reasonable request "Free reserve repack" = unreasonable request Same thing, different reactions. Asking before = more negotiating power Asking after = zero negotiating power Timing and perception... Timing and perception... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You're missing the point. Timing and perception are everything. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss