Archive for the ‘rando’ Category

The Vine: December 4, 2009

Friday, December 4th, 2009

Keep those holiday-themed Ask The Reader requests coming, folks — 'tis the season to suffer giver's block, so let your fellow TNeers help out.

*****

Dear Sars,

I have a dilemma and I'm hoping Vine readers might be able to help. My in-laws are IMPOSSIBLE to find Christmas gifts for. They are extremely wealthy and my MIL pretty much shops for a living. They have everything they could need. Quaint homemade stuff and gifts to charity don't really fly with them (without saying so, they've pretty much made it clear that those things don't count).

(more…)

The Vine: November 13, 2009

Friday, November 13th, 2009

rocketmanHi Sars,

I am hoping your savvy and knowledgeable Vine readers can help me find out about this little guy (picture at right).  I took this pic, and another one on the mall in Washington DC, in front of the Capitol building.  I took another one at the roundabout in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a friend sent me a pic from NYC at East Houston and Bleecker.  I am trying to figure out what he is all about, but I don't even know what to put into Google Images to begin to get info.

Want info on my Mystery Man

Dear Mystery,

I've never seen that guy.  I don't think it's actually related to the Toynbee tiles, but it's probably a similar style of graffiti or culture jamming.  You may want to Google a string of all the locations, and terms like "rocket" or "mystery man," and see if anyone on Flickr has posted a photo along with information.

Readers?

The Vine: October 21, 2009

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Sarah:

I've just been referred to you for help.

Can you please help me identify the Woody Allen film in which a particular scene appears? Here goes. In an attempt to become/seem less Jewish, Woody throws bologna and a loaf of white bread into his cart while touring a supermarket. Many thanks. The scene and my inability to place it have been haunting me for about a week now.

Thanks again.

Marion

Dear Marion,

Do you mean the scene in Annie Hall where he's horrified when Annie orders a corned beef on white with mayo and pickle? Googling didn't turn up anything else.

Readers?

(more…)

The Vine: October 16, 2009

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Hi, Sars,

I'm writing to ask what you think about some advice given by a fellow advice column writer, Lucinda Rosenfeld over at XX. A recent column of hers has caused quite a bit of controversy.

Long story short: the letter writer claimed to have been drugged at a bar after she was left behind by friends. She woke up in the ER, and these same friends refused to come visit her and were "angry" about having to pick her up from the ER in the morning. Rosenfeld seems to disbelieve that she was drugged, and said that friends are not obligated to visit you in the ER late at night.

(more…)

The Vine: September 16, 2009

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Dear Sars,

Here's one that you've never answered: what should I do with my journals?

I have a bunch that I've written in for the past decade and was storing them in the basement. I decided to go through them today to see if there's anything worth saving and then shred the rest (or, likely, all of it). But…I don't know, some of it was interesting to me and surprising so many years later. In the end, I really didn't want to shred them.

(more…)

The Vine: August 12, 2009

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Hi, Sarah –

I've found the perfect job opportunity — a museum curatorial and research assistant position in a musical subject area. I have a BM in music and a BA in theater, curatorial/research summer positions at two museums, library cataloguing experience, a passion for the subject, lots of geeky research and classification expertise, and lots of volunteer/hobby work that relates to the subject. It's so perfect for me it hurts.

The problem is that I lack the requested three professional references. I can give one good one (former library supervisor and current musical coworker who forwarded me the job posting) and one okay one (current choir director for paid soloist position), and then I fall apart.

(more…)

The Vine: July 10, 2009

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Hi, Sars. I have a question for your readers about pasta-makers.

I have a manual, hand-crank, metal pasta-maker and…it's broken. I feed dough in, and it gets stuck in the rollers, rather than emerging from the machine as, well, sheets of pasta.

The thing is, I can't figure out how to get it fixed. I went to my local culinary store, and they told me to find a metal fabricator, but that didn't really help. I don't need to forge any new pieces, I just need to realign the ones that are there so the blasted thing works again.

(more…)

The Vine: May 20, 2008

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Sars,

Help me. Please. I need to know what to do about my sister. I'm scared for her, and in the meantime, she's driving me nuts.

The background: she's in her mid-twenties; she's always had a conflicted relationship with my mother (my sister was a difficult adolescent; my mom was depressed in those days; the two of them are very, very alike); she started dating at fifteen and since then has had maybe a year as her longest span between serious boyfriends.

She's always been very stubborn, and very secretive about her feelings and sometimes her actions. We used to be close, but distance (I moved to the other side of the country) and her disinclination to talk about her life or feelings with me have come between us.

(more…)

The Vine: May 1, 2009

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Hello Sars,

Sometime back in 1976-1980, I had a Snoopy plush doll that was about 10" (or so) tall, and one could buy outfits for him separately. There was a motorcycle outfit, a baseball outfit, a pajamas set, etc.

I now have a daughter for whom I would love to find one of these dress-up Snoopy dolls. I tried to run a search online and all I can find are random eBay offerings. Do "they" (not even sure who they are anymore) not sell this Snoopy doll anymore?

I'm hoping that one or more of your readers can either a) let me know where to purchase a plush Snoopy doll and clothes for said doll, or b) tell me if they know for certain that that era has passed and that Snoopy dolls are no longer to be found.

My own Snoopy doll was played with to the point that he is no longer in good enough shape to handle another child's love and attention, and his clothes are long gone.

I hope someone is able to point me in the right direction!

Thank you,

Not a Peanuts nut, but loved the Snoopy doll

Dear Nuts,

My cousin had one of those dolls! I was obsessed with getting to play with it when we had holidays at their house, too (which she was pretty gracious about; thanks, Cousin H). The time frame sounds right, and I definitely remember those outfits.

As far as finding one now, if Googling a string like "Peanuts merchandise dress-up Snoopy" isn't working, it's down to eBay and your local Craigslist. It may prove pretty difficult to find intact clothes and a Snoopy who's still in good enough shape to be played with, at least at an affordable price, but you never know.

Readers?

The Vine: April 1, 2009

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Dear Sars,

I want to end a friendship without creating any animosity or ill feelings. I have been friends outside of work with someone I work fairly closely with, both in physical proximity and a lot of our day-to-day work involves each other. Due to a few events over the last few months I have come to realise she is not someone I want to be socialising with outside of a work setting, however I don't want any awkwardness to arise.

I'll give a bit of background so you can get an idea of how I have landed myself at the bottom of this hole I have been digging for over a year.

(more…)