Pointless Advice topic

I used to put Diamanda Galás albums on repeat, turn 'em up all the way, and leave for a couple days.

Get them a pair of slippers, thick ones to cut down on the noise.

Is it wrong to have no shame? Let me be more clear. I've really been into self improvement lately. I go to the gym regularly, work on my personality etc...

Anyway, at work, I have a cubicle tucked away in the corner of the room. The only way to see what I'm up to is to pass by me. Every hour I get up and do crunches and pushups. I told my friendly coworkers along my row (who don't even work in my department) and they are cool with it, but anytime someone else passes by while I am doing it, I get a little embarrassed but keep at it.

Should I continue or stop at this job where I sit on my butt all day?

Keep going it. I too work at a cude and I do anything i can to keep active

Keep at it.

Who cares what people think?

The only people I care what they think are those that I actually care about. Every one else can laugh or suck it or whatever. No reason to bother with those others and their opinions.

I agree to a certain extent. But - you should care if your employer (like your supervisor, I mean)takes issue with it. If your supervisor approaches you and says it's unprofessional, I'd knock it off and find another place to do it. Like it or not, there's a time and a place for everything, and sometimes you have to conform to the situation around you. It doesn't mean you're selling yourself out or giving your soul away. It just means you're acting in a way that's appropriate to the environment you're in.

you should just give the kid some huge fluffy noise-reducing slippers. you´ll be the generous lady from downstairs instead of the bitch who complained about a little kid!

That's actually quite a good idea. They might even see the funny side. Maybe!

Forget the slippers.

Give him some of these to play with.

Problem solved. Problem staying solved.

No because now there's screeching and screaming while he runs around frantically. Problem worsened.

We had upstairs neighbors that used to let their kids throw trash off of their balcony, mostly beer and soda cans, but sometimes newspaper, vegetable and soup cans, a chunks of wood or broken plastic things, just random junk. It would all land on and around our patio (we were ground level). I was always having to clean it up. Then we got in trouble for our "mess" and tried to explain it was the people upstairs but the landlord wasn't hearing me.

First method I resorted to was collecting it all in a bag as soon as it happened and going up and, knocking on their door, and giving it back to them. the lady didn't speak english and didn't seem to understand and it kept happening.

One late evening my friend and I were sitting there and junk just starts raining down, so we walk out into the grass outside my little wall surrounding my patio and there are the little kids on the deck, ages three and four maybe, just tossing all kinds of stuff off and giggling. The parents are inside doing who knows what, but the back door to the deck is wide open, so we start picking up the stuff the kids are dropping and throwing it up aiming it through the door into their living room. Kids keep droping things. We keep throwing it back into their house. Other neighbors come out and start laughing. It turns into a bit of a show and game. The parents finally come out with this look of "what the hell?! Throwing garbage in our house???" they see their kids tossing it off, they see us there aimed and ready with more things to throw back in through the door. They see all the neighbors out chuckling. Pick their kids up and go straight in. Shut the door.

Next day they come down and clean up the whole mess on the ground.

Kids never threw garbage off the deck again.

But not for very long.

How do I explain the concept of Too Provocative to a seven year old without having to explain concepts of sexuality she is unable to grasp yet?

Everything I can think of would only make her like the idea of wearing all these skimpy cloths; you will look too pretty, it is too grown up et cetera.

I'm not big on "Because I said so." I like to help them understand the why's of things.

I could just take them all away, but I'd rather her agree to it and learn something.

Say you need to wash them first, and then say the machine caught fire and burned them all, after you burn them all.

That's perfect!

Or tell her the other girl has scabies so the clothes need to be thrown out, and hope she doesn't start a neighborhood rumor.

hahahhahhahahhaahhaahh

Wear them yourself so she doesn't want to anymore.

A 7-year-old knows that looking "slutty" is bad even if she doesn't know what a slut is.

Substitute "trampy" as needed.

Just say that they are inappropriate for her. Teaching her negative terms as to why they are inappropriate can hurt her in the long run.

I used the word "trashy" instead of slutty or trampy. I don't want to give her a future complex about her sexuality.

We talked about the ways boys look at her and that it is perfectly okay to want boys to think you are pretty, but, the way you present yourself will determine whether they JUST think you are a pretty "thing" or if they think you are not only pretty but also smart and, overall, a human being and person with feelings.

She said we can pick out outfits together and if I think one isn't appropriate that she will let me help her pick one she likes that is appropriate.

As a Father, it is my responsibility - nay, duty - to give my daughter a future complex about her sexuality.

I teach 7 and 8 year old girls at my church and i'm consistently surprised at some of the risque clothes they wear.

My friend was telling me about the pastors wife at her church-

one sunday during his sermon she was watching him unable to rest his eyes anywhere in the congregation and so she got up and interrupted- standing in her own spot in the pew, gave all the ladies in the audience a kind but stern scolding about how they were dressed and modesty. That her poor husband had nowhere to even lay his eyes due to all the short skirts and low tight tops and she was watching him up there squirm about it while trying to give a sermon on the love of god. That it wasn't fair to him or any of the men in the congregation.

I guess at the picnic after over half the women were in different outfits, some of them with new tags as though they had ran to the nearest store really fast.

I thought it was a pretty amusing story.

In Romania, you don't get to enter a church in a short skirt or without something that covers your shoulders. Cleavages seem to only be allowed at weddings and baptisms.

It really is hard today teaching your daughters the appropriate way to dress without messing up their views on themselves. I have been pretty lucky with Haily. I have always been a pretty conservative dresser. I always go with, more is better and leave a little to the imagination. You don't want to show everything. I didn't say this to Haily, this is just how I go about my dressing. Also , I have teenage boys and they are always having their friends over. I'm always careful to not dress pro active in front of them. My one girlfriend has sizzle double d's and with her teenage boys and their friends, she isn't too careful. She always wears lowcut shirts and tanks that reveal lots of coverage. I just don't think it's appropriate.

Uh oh. Hope the feminists don't find this thread. Y'all are gonna get it.

I'm one of the feminists, Alecia.

I've nothing against skimpy clothing, in fact I am not a particularly modest dresser. I'm a big fan of my own cleavage with jewelry hanging all over it. As well, it is quite possible to be provocative with your manor without showing any skin at all. But I know exactly what I am doing and why I am doing it when I dress like that.

Little girls need to understand things (and not be little anymore) before they can present themselves in certain ways and be able to still demand being treated respectfully.

I used to consider myself a feminist. As recently as 2 weeks ago. But I just can't relate to some of them anymore. I'm a guy so I will "never understand". Yeah, whatever. I still think women should be allowed to have the same pay and rights as men, but that's all I can muster anymore. It's so easy to focus on what you don't have, and just as easy to forget all the advantages you have.

I know I am just nitpicking by saying this, as your meaning was mostly clear...

It is not a matter of women being allowed anything. Women are adults, the law should afford and entitle, not allow, them equal opportunity to pursue everything a man, an adult, can pursue and be able to be rewarded based on their merit, not their sex.

I only point out your word usage because it is important to take notice of the language we have in our heads and the programming of what that language means.

Consciously rearranging ones own words can bring quite a bit of prejudice to light one didn't realise they were helping to push.

Good point. One thing I am terrible at is being aware that what I say could mean something other than what I mean by it.

I'm glad you didn't take that the wrong way and think I was being angry or something.

Like I said, your meaning was clear, even if the word choice wasn't the best it could have been. There is a reason legal documents are so particular in their language, so it seems it should be important to be particular in our own when discussing ethical things.

The word allow, allowing is something you do for child who's reasoning has not developed yet.

I think if people like Susan B. and friends had protested, but waited to be allowed to vote, instead of taking what they were entitled to as adults, we might be living in a different world.

I kinda just don't like that word in general.

It always irritated me when James would ask my permission to do something. Took me a while to get him to understand that I would never give nor forbid permission. I would like my opinion and feelings considered, but that is all.

Plus, I am too defiant for my own good.

What did you want women to have two weeks ago?

Two weeks ago I was more tolerant of rude behavior from women in reaction to me trying to be on their side.

Well that was pretty dumb. Don't you agree?

Lately I find Facebook to be a giant cocktease. All these beautiful women I used to know. Tell, I do I get so it's not weird to ask if they want to hang out? Because it usually is weird, no matter how close they live to me.

HI GUYS!! I missed you all. I'm trying to get my life packed up ; I'm moving Sept 30 and it's coming FAST. Much like many of my lovers. I guess I'm doing SOMEthing right!!

Nah. Well, I don't know.

Oops that first I was meant to be a how.

I'm not sure how that works. What I don't get is that if you're adding everybody you know --friends, family, coworkers, classmates you never speak to-- then adding somebody doesn't mean anything. So if you talk to someone on facebook it can be like seeing a stranger on the street and stopping them, saying hello and how are you and them being alarmed because they don't really know you.

I think the thing to do is figure out everyone's Facebook Kung Fu. People have different styles. Some people only add people they like, some are after that super high friends count.. I only add people I don't know in real life, with few exceptions. Some people use facebook in a sort of professional manner. I'm not savvy on any of it, but I think a poke is not just a poke anymore than a punch is just a punch, that one must use the tool that best fits the style they are up against. If some girl added you and only has 50 or so friends added than she added you for a reason, so with her you might be able to just say Sup.

Facebook seems to want me to sort my friends into categories, such as Friend, Close Friend, Family Member et cetera.

The categories I want to sort them into would be more like:

-Real Life Close Friends Whom's Statuses I can Solemnly Make Old Jokes On That Are No Longer Really Even Funny But Will Weird Out The Rest of The People Who Commented

-Obligatory Friends Added Due To Mutual Close Friends Or Family Members But Whom I Do Not Really Have Any Obligation To Comment To

-Family Members Who Are Restricted From Seeing Anything I Post

-Family Members Whom I Will Hide The Statuses Of To Keep My Sanity In Tact as Much As Possible

-Family Members I Get Along Well With

-People With Whom I wish To keep In Contact In Case of Some Disaster Or Major Thing But Whom I Cannot Be Bothered And/Or It Is a Hassle To Keep Track Of whether They Moved Or changed Their Number

-Internet Friends Who Keep Me Entertained And Feeling Better About The State Of Life In General After All Of the Above Is Said And Done

I think the whole category thing is pretty ridiculous really. Especially the listing of family members. For one thing, my own mom is not on FB, But I have my mother-in-law and my step-mother-in-law both asking me to name them as my mother.

And as far as the listing family members thing goes, I know dang well who I am related to and the people I am related to know who they are, what reason on earth do I have to announce it to everyone else? Am I going to forget that so and so is my nephews half sisters mother? If anyone is that interested but doesn't want to ask then I guess they can spend all the time creeping around that it takes to figure out who my second cousin by marriage and my great uncle on the paternal side are, I have no reason to list that stuff.

This is not for you, the user, or for the use of other users. It's for you, the (potential) consumer. This is a strategic marketing tool implemented by Facebook used to direct certain advertisements at you. Pretty much all of Facebook is designed for that very purpose.

Fixed.

Cult Mums and Dads, babygirl has got a terrible dribble rash on her neck, it's like an eczema type rash. Anyone got any tips to help soothe and/or prevent it?

Just do your best to keep it dry until it heals and keep it cleaned so she doesn't get an infection. The only thing worse than a moisture rash is an infected one. (okay, there are things worse than that, but that is not pleasant at all)

It has been so long since I had a little baby- I think calendula balm is helpful for healing? And because it would be oil based it would keep the moisture off of the skin.

Calendula balm is the best thing. I've been applying it over my scratches and they're healing nicely. We use it for a lot of things in my family and it really helps.

Anthony had this problem as an infant because he had really bad reflux for the first several months of his life (as in he nearly required surgery, and would have if he hadn't grown out of it by the 14th month or so. He only had 30% stomach motility). We used something over the counter and glycerin based at first, I think, but the pediatrician ended up giving us some sort of prescription ointment that made all the difference for him. I can't remember what it was called, but I *do* remember that the active ingredient was specifically to prevent candida (yeast). That, and about 8 million bibs and cloth diapers that we kept in rotation (baby, washer, dryer, baby, etc).

Thanks Ladies! I have some of that calendula oil, I'll give it a go.
Alecia, I got prescribed some hydrocortisone, but Lucy has actually broken the skin in some places so I can't use it until iy's healed. Catch 22!