Random Questions

I would say nothing and move on. I think it would make it more awkward if you said something now.

Frankly, I think a lot of Americans are too prude-y. And most of the world doesn’t circumcise (thankfully). If the baby is Indian, he probably isn’t.

https://brilliantmaps.com/male-circumcision/

It was the Dad’s decision to share a naked pic. I wouldn’t have closed the app. I simply would have moved off the photo, commenting that he’s adorable, and continued the business discussion.

Concerning XM/Sirius radio, I do not allow them to have my credit card number. I pay by check, telling them I do not have a credit card to provide; sometimes I have to pay a $2 statement fee, but did not the last couple of time. While I love XM, I do not love the price, so I call every 6 months to renew, and usually only pay $25-$30 for 5-6 months. I make a note in may calendar a week before my current subscription expires, then call to negotiate a good rate. There have been times that an agent won’t budge off the full price, so I hang up and call the next day. I have kept XM in my car for almost 9 year, and will continue with my little song and dance! We also have the ability to listen on our phones and computers, which I enjoy, especially while cooking dinner.

My son and I compare prices and compete as to which one of us got a better deal in the shortest amount of time; this after his wife just paid the full price renewal that came in the mail. After that, my son that learned from me, took over the renewal on her car!!

Another trick with auto renewals if that is all that is allowed; buy a gift card (AMEX, MasterCard, Visa) for just over the amount of your first order, or exact amount if possible. When they go to auto renew, there will not be enough money left to do so. At that point, you can decide if you want to renew, and if so, provide a different gift card and negotiate a better fee.

Some credit card companies offer a one-time (virtual) card #, so if they try to auto-renew, the card doesnt work. Problem with Sirius is that when you do go to renew, they try to charge you the full price for the past use after the previous contract expired. We did (no longer use Sirius) exactly what @snowball did.

Fwiw I listen to MSNBC on Sirius in my car and do not have the commercial problem mentioned. Usually when it goes to commercial I have time to flip through all my presets to see what else is on offer and get back to MSNBC just as it resumes programming.

Seattle: We stay at the Hyatt Olive 8. Tell them you want a room that is not blocked by the neighboring buildings. Nice pool and hot tub. Nearby restaurants. We stay when we visit S and family. Lots of restaurants within walking distance. Pacific Place is nearby as well as their anchor store Nordstrom.

I booked blind via Hotwire or Priceline. I checked better bidding and thought I’d get a nice 5* hotel from major chain, which I did. It was 50% or less than I would have gotten if I hadn’t booked blind. I rarely book blind but couldn’t stomach the regular prices so was pleased with results.

It was a short walk to Pike Street Market and also short walk to car rental hotel, where we went to get our car when ready to leave Seattle.

New question- I’m planning a family trip and want to book the plane tickets as soon as possible. My D married last year and while she has changed her name with Social Security and the DMV she hasn’t gotten a new passport. Can I book the ticket in her maiden name and have her travel on her present passport?

The passport and ticket have to match if you are traveling internationally.

Didn’t your D have to surrender her old passport to get the new one?

Technically, you are required to travel under your legal name. So if you ask the government, they will say DD needs to get a new passport.

However, every non-government web site says if the ticket and passport match names exactly, there should be no problems. The only problem could be if the passport is lost during travels.

Is this an international trip? If not, I’m not sure the passport matters, if she has the right ID for domestic flights.

It’s worth avoiding any potential hassles to just get all this done and in agreement. You never know what might happen. In the past, you could use an older passport and bring proof of the marriage. But that was then.

@momofsenior1 she hasn’t applied for a new passport yet so hasn’t surrendered old one. She has changed her name with SS and also with the DMV. The airline we are flying on doesn’t allow you to book the ticket without a passport number. If she waits on a new passport she might not get the flight. She might fly a different airline and in that case they allow the passport number to be entered at a later time. Thanks @Marilyn that is what I thought.

I would just book the ticket with the name on her current passport and worry about changing the passport after the trip.

New question - anyone have any good tips on how to quickly get wax off an apple? I like to eat/cook apples with the skin and have been told by friends I shouldn’t because of the high wax content.

My current method is to use a knife to scrape off the wax and then wash under hot water. I do get a lot of a waxy substance on the knife so I’m hopeful that my method is getting the job done.
But, it takes quite a bit of time - looking for a quicker method especially for when I’m baking and need more than one apple. I’ve tried scrubbing with a wire brush but that isn’t working for me (probably because I can’t see any results)! Also, I just broke off the handle of the brush with my latest effort.

Hmm, we routinely eat our apples—skin, wax and all. Have heard the wax is fine and inert so no harm done. Have never tried to remove the wax.

The wax is fine. The concerns are mostly about pesticides being trapped in wax and not being able to be washed off. Organic waxed apples should solve the issue.

Random question. You all probably saw that Volvo commercial with the dog running out of a wheat field - it drives me nuts. I can’t figure out the symbolism or meaning of it (other than showing that the Volvo sits 3 rows of folks nicely). Was it supposed to mean anything? Mr. thinks the family let the dog to poop, it ran out into the field, did her job, and got lost. The family was happy to see their dog again. Really? ?

Isn’t any pesticide all through the fruit, if any has been applied close to the time it’s being picked? I can’t see what the pesticide would only be trapped by the wax on the skin of the apple.

@HImom and @bunsenburner, thanks. I will continue eating the apples with the skin and not worry about the wax. Organic waxed apples would be a good idea - I hesitate only because I’ve heard they don’t last as long as the regular ones.
With my packed to capacity fridge, you have to be lucky to be able to consume fruits and veggies in the optimal window. I arrange and DH disarranges and the end result is that neither of us finds what we’re looking for.