polite tip

watch your tone.  even though you might not even realize it, you could be offending someone.  people can be really sensitive.

box tip

diaper boxes make good free temporary shelving.

cell with water damage tip

i don't have any personal experience with this myself but i hear that if you accidentally drop your cellphone in water, you can turn off your phone and toss it into a bag full of raw rice for 2 days.  the rice will draw the water out.

george foreman grill tip

wrap the food in foil and you don't have to clean the grill!  got this tip by watching costco sample staff.

eating out tip

holy cow, i can't believe i just learned this today! if you eat at a restaurant and decide to also buy something to take home, put the take out food on a separate bill. here's why: if you put it all on one tab then you'll also end up paying a tip on the take out portion. however, if you have the take out on a separate bill, well you're not going to pay a tip on it.

sl farmer's market tip

my mom says the san leandro farmer's market is back on!

whipping cream tip

cream whips better if there's a little more of it.  the instructions on the carton say to use no more than what would be needed to go higher than 1/3 of the beaters.  at first i was pouring in about 1/2 inch of cream and it took a while to whip up.  but when i put in like 1-1/2 inches, it whipped up in no time--well, like 3 minutes.

3x4 pic tip

so we have this little picture carousel that holds 6 3x4 pictures. as you know, pics these days generally come in 4x6. i used paint on the computer to make a 2 picture collage. you just decrease 2 pictures by 50% horizontally and vertically, then past them together next to each other in paint. then i uploaded that new picture into costco to print. worked out perfectly! it only took over a year to figure out how to get small pictures in there. love solving problems.

brita tip

you know those freaking brita filter pitchers?  fill the top and the water slowly trickles down and fills the bottom of the pitcher.  well i've spilled the water TWICE and created a giant puddle on the floor.  here's the tip:  before pouring water, lift the lid to make sure there's no water sitting in the top.

hayward area thrift shop tips

-thrift town san leandro:  this one is awesome.  tons of clothes for really cheap.  they've got a lot of dressing rooms to try on clothes. -thrift town fremont:  also big store with a lot of clothes and a maternity section.  i've found that most thrift stores don't have a separate maternity section. -society of saint vincent de paul fremont:  baby kids are in a giant pile which makes it impossible to find good stuff.  books are way cheap.  i got a book for 35 cents!  tons of furniture!  tables/chairs/dressers galore--more than most thrift shops -salvation army hayward:  weak sauce.  i don't know if they're just getting started but they don't have very much stuff at all.  the salvation army in oaktown is much better. -eco thrift:  huge store with tons of clothes, toys, books.  i saw 4 strollers there. -centro de servicio group:  smallish but with cheap clothes.  i got a wonder woman sweatshirt for only $2!  they've got a small room full of kid stuff but the baby clothes are in these little bins which makes it harder to find stuff.  -discovery shop:  more of a little boutique than a giant type thrift shop.  prices are a bit higher because proceeds go to helping with cancer. -hope station:  medium size thrift shop with a good selection of baby clothes.  i bought 3 long sleeve shirts for something like $1-2 each. -bargain city:  near newpark mall.  very nice store--clean and organized.  good selection of clothes for good prices. -tri-city volunteers thrift store:  there are a lot of cultural clothes.  it's a smaller shop with a small selection of baby/kid items.  there are a lot fewer clothes here compared to other shops.

reheat lasagna tip

if you're reheating a giant piece of lasagna, before throwing it in the microwave, cut it up some so the inside isn't cold.  otherwise the outside will be hot and the inside will still be refrigerated.

fortune cookie tip

fortune cookie + peanut butter = yummy

burger tip

know what's good on a burger?  cream cheese and peppers!  who knew?

marathon runner tip

just learned yesterday that hardcore marathon runners will just pee themselves while they run so they don't have to stop to use a toilet.  beware!

hammock tip

even better than a one person hammock?  a 3 person hammock!  you're more slingy in a 3 person one.  one downside is you need a super ginormous hammock stand.  the one person stand is already pretty freaking big.

other people's tips

http://cockeyed.com/lessons/figured/figured_menu01.shtml

 

http://ask.metafilter.com/158740/You-were-doing-it-wrong

corn cutter

anyone have a corn cutter?  we have this one:  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=11078893 any tips on how to use it?  do you use it when the corn is raw or when it's already cooked?  do you really need a nail to use it?

language

if you want to learn a language, don't just go "teach me [insert language here]!!"  have certain words or phrases in mind that you want to learn. 

weekend tip

Pirate Festival is this weekend--June 19 and 20 from 10-6 PM in Vallejo.  It's a free event and the people who go are fully decked out in pirate gear.  I went last year and it's a blast!  You can find parking if you get there early.  There was a recreation of a pirate ship and even a nurse who talked about medicine.  Look out for the puzzle ring booth!  I haven't seen them at any other fair.  Great place to take a ton of pictures :o)

ice cream maker tip

say you have two batches of ice cream to make in an ice cream maker.  the first batch you do ice, salt, ice salt, ice, salt, etc.  then for the second batch you can reuse the same ice, but you have to layer more salt between ice layers. 

yesterday for the 2nd batch of ice cream, i didn't add more salt and after 40 minutes, the ice cream hadn't frozen at all!  i think all the salt got dumped out when i drained it.

good habit tip

my friend's husband was taught to try everything when eating a meal.  now, even if he HATES a particular food, he will eat at least a little bit to be polite.  i don't know anyone else who does this, but isn't it magnificent?  it's so open-minded and somewhat inspiring.

 

still, there's no way i'm going to eat durian again :o)

smell tip

know what smells hella good?  the inside of a bag of m&m's.

bathtub plug tip

the plug for the bathtub isn't that great.  after a few minutes, a significant amount of water drains out of the tub, but there's an easy fix!  take a small square of saran wrap and put it between the plug and the drain.  that will slow the flow of water leaking out.  hello, longer bubble baths! 

reheating fries tip

i have a big styrofoam container of leftover red robins fries from yesterday.  to reheat leftover french fries, heat up a skillet to medium high and lay a single layer of fries in the skillet.  shake the skillet a bit and when the bottom of the fries are lightly golden brown, turn them over.  heat some more until the underside is lightly golden brown as well.  dump them on a plate and eat with honey mustard dressing! you don't have to add oil to the skillet because there's already a ton of oil from the fries themselves. super good, super fresh and way faster than reheating them in an oven.

mango tip

eat mango at night so you're not walking around with fibers stuck in your teeth all day.

flat tire tip

when you have a flat tire and you're changing a spare, put your parking brake on so you'll be able to un-lugnut your tire without it spinning around and around.

charlie horse

jolted awake with a charlie horse this morning.  instead of doing my usual "AAAAARRRRRGHHHHHHH!!!!  IT HURTS!!!  AAAAUUUGHHHHH!!!" i just started massaging my calf.  it helped!  i wasn't in pain for nearly as long as my usual charlie horses and when my leg was done cramping, i could walk rather effortlessly.  normally after i have a charlie horse i'm really limpy.

ticket tip

oh my gosh, i'm looking into buying tix for an event in san jose.  i saw two places to buy tix--ticketmaster and usastarimage.com.  for ticketmaster, they effing charge you a $10 convenience fee!  usastarimage doesn't have any fees at all. 

chinese restaurant tip

don't sit by the fish tank.  if the workers are netting out a fish, the water could splash onto you and (audible gasp!) your food.  happened twice last night.

bread tip

at andersen bakery, aka grain d'or, you can buy a half loaf of bread for just half the price of a full loaf.  usually places will charge you for more than half price for a half loaf.  their fig and pecan bread is delicious--so much better than freaking raisin bread!

reheat lasagna tip

heat oven to 350. 

poke holes all over lasagna and pour 2 tablespoons of milk in the holes. 

cover lasagna tightly with foil. 

bake for 20 minutes. 

take it out and stab it with a fork and leave it in for 10 seconds. 

take fork out and see if it's warm.

if yes, then eat right away.  if not, recover with foil and bake for 10 more minutes and if it's still not hot, 10 more minutes after that, etc.

 

last night it took 40 minutes to reheat the leftover lasagna.  for pete's sake, just microwave it.  it's just as good.

brown rice tip

if you're using a rice cooker to cook brown rice, after the little tab pops up indicating that the rice is done and is now in the warming phase, leave the top on for 15 more minutes.  that gives the rice a chance to absorb more of the water.  if you eat the rice right when the tab pops up, it's still going to be hard.  also, the ratio of brown rice to water is 1:2.5, ok?

giftcards

say you have 2 giftcards for the same place, but with different amounts.  use up the one with less money first so you'll sooner end up having to tote around just one card.  then when you get home, use a sharpie to write the new amount that's left on the card.  that way you're not left thinking, "dude, i could have sworn there were twenty more dollars on this card."

bathtub tip

i asked a random stranger what she uses to clean her bathtub floor and she said that scrubbing bubbles works great.  she just uses scrubbing bubbles and a sponge.  she said to leave the bubbles to work for about 10 minutes. 

kaboom

a homeless looking couple comes in and wants temporary passes for internet use.  neither has picture id, which they say they lost during a car explosion.

sick tip

when you have phlegm, spit it out.  don't swallow it.  if you swallow phlegm, you might have a prolonged itchy throat.

shark tip

read this in the book of secrets.  don't pee or poo in the ocean.  sharks can smell it from miles away.  if you are attacked, scream underwater, hit back, change directions while swimming.  don't play dead.  and of course don't wear jewelry because you'll look like a yummy shiny fish.  also, don't swim near fishing nets.

door stop tip

the "real" doorstop is too short for the bottom of the door.  right now there's a bowling bag by the door to prop it open if needed.  it's a bit bulky but we don't have any sand or heavy stones to fill a smaller container.  bowling bag works just fine, thank you very much.

fridge tip

if your refrigerator dies, lowes has next day delivery for in-stock fridges.

mirror tip

it's really hard to clean a mirror covered with dried goop if all you have is water and a cloth or newspaper.  once the stuff dries, it's hard and you almost have to chip away at it with a chisel.  best to clean it up right away when the "goop" is still soft and wipable.

visit tip

had a lovely visit from pt this week.  oh, he's such a delight to have over.  he paid many many compliments about the house and was ever so gracious about eating our humble food.  i especially liked how he didn't make me feel like my cooking was subpar :o)  hooray for good visiting-friends manners!

yogurt tip

best yogurt?  trader joe's maple!  you can get it in a big tub and eat it for a week. 

persimmon tip

they say you're not supposed to eat persimmon with crab because it causes abdominal pain.

bart tip

need to get from cal state east bay's oakland camps to tully's on broadway?  go downstairs and walk the underground BART passage.  you avoid all the traffic lights!

visa mastercard gift card tip

so we received a wells fargo giftcard for $60.  some was spent at food maxx and some was spent at pac n save.  i knew i had some money left on the card.  this weekend i went to the mall and tried to use the remainder of the money at hot dog on a stick.  huh.  declined.  ok.  a few minutes later i try using the card at auntie annie's and grain d'or.  declined and declined again.  wtf?  i KNOW there's money on the card!  i call the number on the back of the card and they tell me there's $1.25 remaining.  if you swipe the card for a purchase for more than the amount on the card ($1.25 in my case), it just declines the card.  later we went to trader joe's and i told them to charge $1.25 to the card and we would pay the rest on a different credit card. 

 

so the tip is:  know how much is on your gift card because it might just say "declined" and you might just throw the card away thinking you ran out of money, but in fact, you still have some amount on the card. 

spinach tip

learned this one from a new cookbook:  when you cook spinach, you can put in one handful at a time, let it wilt a little, then add another handful.  once all the spinach is in the pot, cook it for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  before, i'd put all the spinach in at once and it was too poofy.  and two bunches of spinach shrinks down to NOTHING!

carrot peeling tip

first grasp the small end of the carrot and put your peeler half way on the carrot.  peel downwards towards the large end.  when you're done peeling the large half of the carrot, grab the large end and peel the smaller half of the carrot. 

 

an unpeeled carrot is a little "grippy" so it's easier hold the small end when it still has the skin on. 

warm tip

this is kind of a "duh" tip but here it is anyway:  when it's super cold outside, put on your earflap hat, scarf and mittens while you're still inside.

heat tip

will someone please invent the cellphone that can also be used as a handwarmer?

spell tip

it's spelt genealogy, NOT geneology. 

seriousness tip

nostril flaring at the altar will crack up your spouse to be.

talking tip?

had lunch with an old friend this week.  she's got a 1 year old kid who doesn't talk very much.  they think it's because the parents and caregivers anticipate his every need so he never has to express himself with words.  she also said that boys are typically slower to speak than girls.  what do you think?  do you think that if the parents weren't so attentive that the kid would talk more?  it sounds like a reasonable theory to me.

drain tip

guess who got a bunch of hairstoppers recently?!  they're great and so much better than the daiso copper sieves i was previously using.  the copper would freaking oxidize and the holes would clog up.  now the shower has a plastic hairstopper.  oh, i'm so excited about washing my hair today.

craft show tip

the harvest festival is this weekend in san mateo.  i might go tomorrow, or i might just do my laundry. 

warmth tip

sometimes wearing the sweater is too warm and not wearing it is too cold.  in those instances, just pull your arms out of the sweater and have your head through the neck hole.  you can tie the arms around your neck for a weird looking scarf.  ah, the perfect temperature.  hurrah!

lotion tip

oooo, jergens feels pretty nice.  it's smelly though.  the paper towels here suck the moisture right out of your hands!

blender tip

have you heard of the immersion blender?  i'd seen them before but never used them.  yesterday their awesomeness factor was pointed out to me.  with the traditional blender, you put stuff in the blender and pour it into a pot and cook it.  then you have to wash the blender which is a total pain in the ass.  with the immersion blender you just stick the thing in the pot and blend from there!  that immersion blender looks a ton easier to wash than the traditional blender. 

flu shot tip

you can get a seasonal flu shot at . . . pak n save/safeway.  it costs $30.  does anyone else think it's really weird they're offering SHOTS at a supermarket?

textbooks tip

rarely can you find textbooks at a public library.  typically they're just too specialized for the general public.  try going to an academic library.

tv tip

looking for a GREAT show to watch?  try mad men.  it's super interesting and funny.  my favorite scene so far is when the mom calls her kids over and her daughter is wearing a plastic laundry bag over her head.  of course the viewer expects the mom to pull the bag over the child's head for fear of suffocation.  but instead, you get, "if i find my dresses on the floor, you're going to be in big trouble missy!"  the main dude is an ad exec on madison avenue in the 60's and . . . everyone smokes.

surfing bart tip

i've been surfing bart--that's when you're standing but not holding onto anthing.  the last two days i've avoid touching any of the handholds on the train.  the trick is to have your legs slightly spread apart and at angles.  also, bend your knees so you don't just topple over. 

flu shot tip

don't know how accurate this is but people under 50 are the most susceptible to swine flu.  the over 50 crowd have probably been exposed to enough viruses to withstand the *gasp* epidemic.

free show tip

Hey, want to see a free show?  There's "Free Night of Theater 2009!"

 

http://www.tixbayarea.org/

 

Some of the tickets aren't available until later this month but others you can certainly book now.

mooncake tip

happy mid autumn moon festival!  get the mooncakes with yolks.  they've got single yolk, double yolks and sometimes even quadruple yolks.  best flavor is white lotus seed.

eyebrows tip

the reason you shouldn't shave your eyebrows is because the skin underneath hasn't been exposed to sun and is ass white.  plus, once your brows start growing in again, it's stubbly like a beard above your eye.

parental relationship tip

just read a very interesting article about how people who have good relationships with their parents tend to have good relationships with their partners as well.  we're programmed to have a fight or flight response.  when interacting with parents, if we don't get along, we usually fight about it or get pissed and leave the situation.  same thing tends to happen with our partners:  a disagreement occurs and we either yell or avoid the unpleasant issues.  either way, problem doesn't get solved.

mask tip

according to my travel nurse, face masks work for about 10 minutes for keep out germs.  after that, the moisture from you breathing in and out actually acts as a trap for germs/bacteria/viruses.  scary, right?

vietnamese food tip

tray of cold vietnamese spring rolls costs $3, but if you go later in the afternoon, it costs $2.50.

cantaloupe tip

ripe cantaloupe has a softer "belly button" and it smells really good.

fruit tip

buy fruit on monday and let it ripen to eat on wednesday or thursday.  then buy more fruit on saturday to eat on monday or tuesday.

don't be picky tip

went to farmer's market today and wanted a cookie.  i saw there were some broken cookies so i said that i'd take one of the broken cookies.  the lady gave me 2 free broken cookies along with my 1 paid one.

sarcasm tip

don't be sarcastic when providing customer service.  it's completely rude and unprofessional. 

fruit tip

fruit is way cheaper in chinatown than it is in the supermarkets.  maybe it's the unions of supermarkets that drive costs up?

gelato versus ice cream tip

here's the difference between gelato and ice cream.  learned at naia on shattuck.   gelato is milk based, while ice cream is cream based.   i think that i like ice cream better.  gasp, i know!

earflap hat tip

i took a regular knit hat and cut out the forehead to create my new earflap hat.  now i don't have to worry about the hat brim hitting my eyes.

boil tip

when you're cooking vegetables, put in enough water so that the water doesn't all evaporate.  i recently cooked brussels sprouts and added only 3/4 inch of water.  after 10 minutes of boiling, all the water had boiled out and the bottom of the pot was completely burned.

roller coaster tip

on a metal roller coaster, try to ride in the front seats.  your head will jostle around less and your brain won't hurt.  on a wood roller coaster, the back is funner.

yeast tip

you know when recipes say to put the yeasty mix in a warm place?  well, you can put the yeasty mix on the top rack of an oven with a big bowl of HOT water on the lower rack.

whoa--aloe tip

aloe that's a couple days old kind of smells like a dirty sock.

sun tip

ow ow ow ow ow!  use sunscreen . . .

sun tip

ow ow ow ow ow!  use sunscreen . . .

aloe

please note:  raw aloe does not taste good.

sewing machine

if you ever have a chance to learn how to use a sewing machine, TAKE IT!  i so wish i knew how to use a sewing machine . . .

how to stay safe

got this amazing tip today.  when you're walking alone at night, be visibly talking to yourself and loudly.  also, twitch periodically.  no one likes to mess with crazy.  people will leave you alone and not harass you.

blending dates

i tried to use our vitamix to blend dates and walnuts.  it went for a few seconds and then just stopped.  the dates are so thick that they caked up the blades and rendered them immobile.  not good.

good book tip

get to know your librarian.  she can snag the new books and put them on hold for you if she knows what you like.  of course this is dependent on there being no previous holds for the title.

waffle tip

take a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of jam and melt them together in the microwave.  mix up the now liquid and use it as a topping on a waffle.  hella good!

cake tip

when you make a cake, don't grease the sides.  only grease the bottom.  the reason is if you grease the sides the cake batter doesn't stick to it as it's baking and the middle of the cake ends up being really high.  when you don't grease the sides the cake is able to climb up the sides and you end up with a must more even cake instead of a pitcher's mound.

frosting tip

don't use vegetable oil to make frosting.  i baked a strawberry cake today from a mix.  the box had a pic of a slice of strawberry cake with white frosting and i thought, "mm, that looks mighty tasty!"  i find a recipe for white frosting and it says to use shortening.  ok, what EXACTLY does that mean?  i look it up in the dictionary and it says butter or vegetable oil.  because veggie oil mixes easier than butter, i use it.  i add vanilla extract, almond extract and tons of powdered sugar.  but when i'm mixing, it's not smooth at all.  so then i decide to microwave it for 30 seconds which melts the sugar but for some reason the vegetable oil keeps separating out!  so it looks like icing and a blob of oil sitting on top.  i use some icing on a couple slices of cake.  it tastes good, just like regular icing but i can't manage to get over the fact that the oil is sweating out of the sugar concoction.  eventually i decide to dump it.   next time i'll use butter to make frosting.

scanner tip

not only can you use the library barcode scanner to scan the barcode, but you can also use it to scan an isbn as well.

the uglies

i think as kids you're very often taught that someone who's ugly can have a heart of gold.  that may very well be true, but keep in mind that someone's who's ugly can also be totally mean!

pasta tip

1 pound of angel hair pasta goes with 1 regular size jar of vodka sauce (or whateve sauce).

hummus tip

you can microwave hummus too!  it's good warm and served with cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red bell peppers and peeled baby carrots.  go for trader joe's mediterranean hummus.

yogurt tip

microwaved yogurt is good!  being sick, i'm afraid to eat anything cold right now.  nuked up some trader joe's apricot mango yogurt.  the fruit was all warm and gushy.  i did maybe 1/2 a cup for 30 seconds.

grocery tip

trader joe's is super crowded on a sunday afternoon.  that's apparently when lots of people decide to go shopping.  much better to try to go during a weekday as there are far fewer people.

sock tip

cut your toenails, you're going to poke holes in your socks!

sick tip

if you're sick, blow dry your hair after you wash it.

pancake tip

pour some maple syrup onto a plate and microwave it for 20 seconds or so.  then put your pancakes on top and eat.  it's so much better than cold syrup.

pissy tip

when someone is pissy, don't make him even pissier because if that happens, then both of you are going to feel worse.  the pissed off person doesn't really want any of your crap piled onto his plate.  address any important issues at a later time when said pissy person is not going to rip your face off.

sick tip?

maybe right when you get sick, take a bunch of drugs and get knocked out.  hopefully you heal up while you're sleeping.  it's no fun being sick.    and don't be like me and get all cocky and think you're better when you're honestly, really, not.  that's how you get even sicker.