Hi Sars,

As someone who grew up on the West Coast, I’ve always liked Goretex or a
similar material when looking for a raincoat, as it keeps you dry but is a
breathable material (helpful when it’s rainy and warm.)Finding Boots can
definitely find something in the $150 price range at MEC (mec.ca) or at
camping/hiking stores (most major brands have a variety of durable rain
coats).It helps to try on the coat, to make sure that it’s going to fit
well and keep you dry!

A West Coast reader

Dear Coast,

Thanks — many other readers also mentioned MEC, and I’ve listed other ideas below.If I got it more than once, it’s asterisked.

Australian Outback oilskin
Boden
Cloudveil
Helly Hansen
Lands’ End: Women’s Lined Commuter Coat
LL Bean: H2Off DX *
LL Bean: Stowaway Rainwear Parka
Lululemon: Post-Yoga jacket
Nordstrom
REI
Sears.ca: Fen-Nelli Women’s Multi-Season Raincoat
Sierra Trading Post.com *
Travelsmith
Woolrich: Waxed Cotton Barn Coat

Visit any camping/outdoor outfitter and ask
Get a shell and layer under it
Anything with a zip-/button-out liner

Hi Sars —

Here’s my problem.When I was in middle school/early high school I had this friend named “Laura.” We stopped being friends (as people do) but both remained friends, separately, with “Jennifer.”We’ve seen each other over the years, but only ever through Jennifer.Last May, Laura and I were bridesmaids in Jennifer’s wedding.There was lots of planning pre-wedding with the bachelorette party and stuff, and we spent quite a bit of time communicating (though mostly over email).The wedding was a lot of fun, and shortly after, Laura got engaged.

Laura apparently felt that we “reconnected” through Jennifer’s wedding process, and invited me to her wedding despite the fact that I live on a different coast and Jennifer told her that there was no chance I’d be able to make it.I don’t really feel like we “reconnected” (I haven’t even spoken to her since the wedding in May) but I understand her feelings.

Long story short, I know I need to send a present, but what would be an appropriate amount to spend? She knew I wouldn’t be able to make it, yet invited me anyway, which makes me slightly frustrated that I now have to spend money on a gift.Any advice would be appreciated.

From,
Would $40 Be Okay?

Dear Roughly,

I think $40 is fine — but you make it out like this is a gift grab on Laura’s part, which I don’t think it is; it’s more a case of her thinking the two of you have a stronger bond than you do, and wanting you at her wedding, probably.

So, forget about the dollar amount for right now and cruise the wedding registry, trying to keep in mind the spirit in which the invitation was most likely extended.Look for something you know Laura would really want, or something she and her husband would definitely need, or something that she’s registered for multiples of that you can polish off.If you can complete her set of dessert plates, she’ll appreciate that, and it might not cost as much as $40.

On the other hand, if you really didn’t “reconnect” with her, there’s no real need to overthink it, either.Get her a couple salad bowls and get on with your day.

Hi Sars,

I’m thinking about getting a cat.I think I am now responsible enough to take care of a sentient being who relies on me completely.

But I’m kind of a messy person.I have learned, through living in share houses and growing up a bit, to keep the communal areas of my house reasonably clean and tidy, but my bedroom generally resembles the aftermath of an explosion at a secondhand clothing and book warehouse.I don’t eat or drink in there, so there are no secret mould experiments lying around, but the room is pretty small and it gets wicked untidy.

I don’t really have a problem living like this, I know where everything I need is located in the piles, and sometimes I experience the joy of finding a book that I haven’t finished reading, and it’s quite exciting.

I like the idea of having a cat that sleeps in my room, if it wants to, but I’m wondering what sort of trouble a cat could get up to in the chaos, which I might not find out about until it’s too late to discourage.

One of the cats I had as a kid was rescued from a burlap sack by the side of the road one rainy night, and as a result, she had issues.Her favourite thing to do was leave a perfectly art-directed, stinky little present at the end of my freshly made bed.Since my mother would never let me leave my room in the condition it’s in now, the cats never got the chance to explore a crazy mess, so I don’t know what cats would do in such an environment.

If I get a cat, will it be okay to explore the jungle that is my room, or will I have to decide whether I want to keep a tidier room, or a cat-free room?

Signed,
My Mum Says Just Clean The Damn Room

Dear Mums Always Say That,

It really depends on the cat.My bedroom more often than not looks like J. Crew and the Strand had a linty love child, which then exploded, but my cats sort of enjoy that; they like to nest in piles of sweatshirts, and for some reason, if there’s nothing on the bed but one book, Hobey will sleep on the book.

But I can’t leave a bathmat down for more than ten minutes or someone will drag it into the litterbox (don’t ask — I don’t know), I can’t have a Christmas tree because someone will try to climb it while the other someone is trying to eat it (don’t ask — I don’t know), and someone is always chewing, loudly, on the corner of a cardboard box (…WHYEEEEE?!), so…you know, they don’t pee or poo to register their displeasure with the clutter, but some cats like a museum-quality home and will drop a deuce on a sweater to make that clear.Most cats leave Christmas trees unmolested; my cats don’t.You kind of have to wait and see how the cat interacts with the environment, and make adjustments from there.

Your mother does have a point about maybe picking some stuff up off the floor; when it’s time to barf, the average cat will identify the most beloved item on the floor and speeyack on that instead of, say, the easily-wipe-able tile in the bathroom.Or so I have heard.But the majority of box-trained cats don’t really deviate from the proper receptacle unless they’re sick, old, or really salty at you for some reason, so make a minor effort to tidy up and see how it goes.

[12/21/06]

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