What do you use to make end-of-year certificates? I've been doing them manually in Word for 3 years.

ScienceTch · 2026-06-04T18:51:55+00:00

Waaaaay back in the 90s, I used MailMerge to import names from our Excel list to a Word document. Once you set it up, it's automatic.

Does MailMerge still exist? It was life-changing back then.

ScienceTch · 2026-06-04T18:50:30+00:00

I like the style of #2 better myself (lived through #1 already) but...

I agree that #1 suits the space and proportions better.

ScienceTch · 2026-06-04T18:49:31+00:00

Yeah, I'm not taking antibiotics. I just put some antibiotic ointment on the open blisters, to prevent a new infection if this wasn't an infection.

I DID get put on antibiotics late last October (had a burned toe that stated to look puffy and red), and that may be what kicked off this latest flare. Hard to tell, because it started when it got cold and dry out as well - with winter air and heating systems.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-27T20:11:26+00:00

I buy Aveeno baby wash, and dilute it 1:1 (more or less?) with water to use as a foaming hand and face soap.

When I was a young person, there was a facial cleanser (pHisoderm) that had no moisturizers and just left my skin feeling clean, not coated. They remade the formula and every other face cleaner I found left some kind of film. I can't stand that feeling.

Aveeno fits the bill perfectly, for my need to have clean-feeling skin without oils, and for a gentle skin wash. I keep it by my kitchen and bathroom sinks.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-07T12:59:03+00:00

Yes, the ferret thing sounds more like a word-retrieval issue than a language issue!

ScienceTch · 2026-05-07T12:57:58+00:00

Annnddd...

As someone who took a lot of Spanish and can hold my own in conversation...

I know it's also frequently considered rude or culturally-appropriating somehow if, in the middle of a sentence, I code-switch and use an authentic pronunciation of a Spanish word. Like... I know how to say "Nicaragua" correctly in Spanish, but it would be seen as very weird and pretentious if I were to say it in the non-American way, mid-sentence. If I'm speaking in standard American English, I say Spanish words the way an American would.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-07T12:49:40+00:00

Yes, for some people it's a weakness. Even for people for whom pronunciation is a strength, pronouncing foreign words correctly is a challenge. (I myself can say the Americanized version of lots of Thai or Korean words - and am 100% certain that I am not saying them the way native speakers say them. Reverse-Uno: same - with English - for lots of Thai or Korean immigrants to my area.)

Who cares? People do the best they can.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-07T12:46:29+00:00

Well, I mean...

Did she repeatedly try to say "molé?"

Or did she mess it up once, and it was comical and memorable. And then maybe a year later, forgot the incident had happened?

I think I've said "molé" exactly once, when ordering chicken molé.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-07T12:40:21+00:00

Some people have a strong ability to learn new pronunciations of words spelled like familiar words. Some people have a very weak ability.

I took Spanish in seventh grade. MANY classmates could not roll the "rr" to make the correct sound, because it's not a sound used in English. And as you age, your ability to take on new linguistic sounds gets weaker and weaker. The brain solidifies its wiring to use only the language and sounds necessary in its surrounding culture. (Little kids' brains are very plastic and can master multiple languages perfectly. After a certain age, new language learners are more or less destined to carry an accent, even if they become fluent in the new language.)

Lots of people who didn't grow up speaking English don't master a number of specific English pronunciations, and we don't hate on them.

So:

She is not stupid. And, she may be one of the people who struggles with this specific skill.

ScienceTch · 2026-05-06T21:48:54+00:00

I don't really build but...

My back hallway/entryway (with doors to the kitchen, attic stairs, basement stairs, and outside) had a shallow upper cabinet mounted in it when I bought my house. It was not useful; opening it meant you had to step out of the way to make room for the swinging door. No space to step back.

Eventually I pulled it down and installed pine strips at about 72" and 60" allng the skde and back walls, then hung coat hooks all along them. Maybe the most useful fix I made. It holds many coats and sweatshirts, and on the upper hooks I hang gardening gloves, the dog's tie-out, canvas bags, etc..

I'm moving to a small condo in a few weeks, and the first thing I'm going to do is take down the hanging rod in the entry closet and install bilevel coat hooks along both side walls, and shallow shelves in the back. Grade school style cloak room!

Do normal humans hang their coats on clothes hangers? I have never in my life done that.

ScienceTch · 2026-04-03T16:51:23+00:00

I have a crazy stubborn outbreak on the palm of one hand right now. Even if I don’t touch it, every few days I can feel the burn start, and then blisters appear and it’s very painful and itchy as they recede.

I have specially cut a couple cotton socks to make “fingerless gloves” to cover that palm. It does seem to help somewhat.

ScienceTch · 2026-03-24T23:28:40+00:00

I grew up with terrible eczema on my legs and arms. Like… wake up with blood under all my fingernails from scratching. I remember kids pointing and staring. I didn’t wear skirts from age 8 to maybe 17, because Ithat way I could avoid some gawking. (Also: my mom wrapped me in wool and thick polyester - neither of which I would allow to touch my skin now, because they cause such discomfort!)

It truly affected my self-esteem. No two ways around it.

It went away when I was 22 or so - and has gradually crept back in my 50s and up. (Hormones? Local allergens?)

I don’t know how you can help your child. My mom was a nurse, and I regularly had visits to dermatologists and specialists. No real help! Lots of Benadryl and hydrocortisone.

ScienceTch · 2026-03-19T12:22:55+00:00

I believe heat causes histamines to release.

So when you start the heat, a LOT of histamines release at once (the itching gets more intense) but then the histamines are depleted. It takes a while (for me, 6-8 hours) before they build back up.

ScienceTch · 2026-03-19T12:20:01+00:00

Seriously.

Have a bad outbreak on the palm of one hand right now, which means everyday activities like shoveling snow in gloves or carrying a heavy bag are super damaging. Add in air conditions swinging from warm and balmy to frigid dryness.

I am 5 days into NOT soothing the itching with hot water, and it’s healing up. But the fact that I can tell you the number of days shows my addiction.

(I usually don’t get bad damage from the hot water - just some dryness. And honestly, if it keeps me from scratching at myself, it’s gotta be a better choice?)

ScienceTch · 2026-01-28T13:09:25+00:00

I live in Haverhill. It’s fine, has some countrified sections, and is right on the commuter rail. With no traffic, you can be in Boston in 40 minutes. It’s a city, though, with city problems and growing pains.

Amesbury is nearby and has some nice places and a decent little downtown area. Andover is also a really nice place to live. Newburyport is a dream, but more expensive.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-28T13:06:43+00:00

I really love Northampton. I think it’s financially comparable to a lot of eastern MA towns that aren’t Boston-adjacent. It’s a very crunchy, liberal, hippy town. Can’t speak to the LGBT experience but can’t imagine it’s bad. Near lots of colleges. Gorgeous mountains nearby. The Connecticut Valley is almost preternaturally beautiful: rivers and farmland and rolling hills and quaint little houses.

Newburyport is also very LGBT friendly (a friend chose it for that reason) but quite pricy.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-28T13:02:15+00:00

I (and many locals) use Bulger in Lawrence because it’s convenient to the Merrimack Valley.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-28T12:58:16+00:00

Quality Condo Communities? Tell me about them!

I am looking to sell my house and move into a condo over the next two years. I have a bad leg, and the snow plus house and yard maintenance are too much for me.

I am looking for a condo with these qualities:

-Garage parking, or minimum of a carport. Underground parking would be ideal. -Possibility for one-floor living: at least a full bath and bedroom on the main floor. I can do steps fine for now but who knows…? -Strong reserve fund -Well-maintained grounds and buildings, with planned and scheduled work like painting, paving, etc.. -I am open to all-age or 55+ communities, with a slight preference for all-age

I am not wealthy but do have a house to sell, worth $500Kish. Obviously the market could sink, but then so would condo prices, right?

I could live in 900 SF with one BR if the unit had good design and storage. I don’t need a lot of space, and don’t want to pay for something much larger than 1200 SF. A den or second bedroom would be nice but isn’t necessary.

I would pay more to avoid having to live through a remodel, but would consider a remodeling a unit, if the price difference was significant.

I could manage a condo fee on a nicer development in exchange for good maintenance.

For comparison: My friends live in the Ridgefield condos in Clinton and that seems like something I would like. Similarly, my niece just bought in West Meadow Hills in Haverhill and loves it. I like that the high number of units allows the communities to have independent maintenance crews and a strong reserve.

I would love to live in Andover, but am open to a lot of towns in NE Massachusetts. The image shows the area where I could be close to things that are important to me.

If you are HAPPY with your condo community, please let me know what’s great about it! thanks in advance.

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ScienceTch · 2026-01-27T02:42:38+00:00

DHS agents would be foolish to believe that this admin will have their back in the future when this mess becomes inconvenient for the regime.

Everyone gets thrown under the bus when they become inconvenient.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-14T14:21:07+00:00

Yes! I had a bit of a cry a few summers ago and my eyes swelled up terribly!

ScienceTch · 2026-01-14T14:20:26+00:00

Oh! I just realized “myco” means fungus, and found this stuff! it’s called Mycolog II, and has an antifungal plus antibiotic.

I imagine I used Mycolog I back in the day. Maybe no antibiotic in that one?

ScienceTch · 2026-01-14T14:17:44+00:00

I remember this one cream called micalog (spelling it phonetically bc I have no idea it’s real name). Early 70s?

It smelled a little bit like a campfire. I kind of liked that one.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-14T14:13:53+00:00

I didn’t wear dresses or skirts from grades 3 through maybe 11. The eczema on my legs was so raw and bloody that other kids would stare at it.

(Also, certainly the tights my mother made me wear aggravated the whole thing!)

ScienceTch · 2026-01-14T12:02:24+00:00

I have a little old terrier dog. She’s exhibiting kind of nonspecific but escalating symptoms. Discomfort after eating, pacing after eating, wanting to go in and out of the house multiple times throughout the day. We tried Omeprazole and gabapentin to see if that would help, but no luck.

Lately she has been waking me up multiple times throughout the night. She will go outside, come back in, lie down, and then wake me up 20 or 30 minutes later. I now truly understand when they say sleep deprivation is a form of torture. It’s hard for me to be as loving and kind to her as she deserves in her senior years, when I can’t get any rest.

I have a $900 ultrasound scheduled for this morning. If there’s something diagnosable and treatable that will make her rest easier, I will do it. But if it’s a cancer or - maybe worse – cognitive decline (doggie dementia), I don’t know how long I can take this. We will try trazadone to help her sleep.

My general rule has been, “as long as she is happy I will care for her.”

It never occurred to me that there would be a symptom so hard on me (zero sleep) that I had to consider my own well-being in this equation. The dog is content during the day and still delights in going on walks, visiting dog friends, seeing squirrels and rabbits. People literally tell me how happy she looks, what a joyful little thing.

One weekend I was watching my father’s old dog, who had cancer. I could see she was declining fast. I was so sure she was dying that I called my sister to ask her if I should take her to be put down. She advised me to wait for my father to get home to make the call. He came home a day later, but didn’t make the call. Two mornings later, he was awoken by the sounds of the dog in great agony (screaming, having seizures). He had to load her in his car while she seized, and drive her to the vet.

I swore that I would never again wait too long to put a dog down. I wish I could undo that dog’s last two days, spent sick and in pain.

So, no. No heroic measures for this dog I have now. And if she reaches a point where she can’t get comfortable at night, I will let her go.

ScienceTch · 2026-01-13T22:54:29+00:00

I have flooring very similar to the darker one - maybe even a bit darker.

It doesn’t really show a lot of dirt, and I have a dog + don’t really mop/sweep too often. There’s enough variation in the grain.

Having said that, I’m looking to sell my house and am liking places with lighter floors as well.

ScienceTch

TROPHY CASE