OK, let me be the first 2004 TAR post:

Happy New Year!

And another Happy New Year!

Thanks for posting that - I've been in love with him since The Patriot, exacerbated by Harry Potter, now I must. See. Peter. Pan! Is he evil in this, or not? If not, I hope I can handle it.

Dougintx - congrats on moving to NYC. I fondly remember you letting me cut in the TKTS line during TARCon weekend!

I just got a TiVo - very excited! I'll be all ready for Survivor and TAR without tapes!

Question - I'm going to Providence, RI for a week, anyone familiar with the city? I won't have a lot of free time, but ideas for restaurants and/or things to do in the evening would be great!

I like that place, too, Cubbie. They have fabulous $6 lunches -- I leave with change from a $10 bill and a doggie bag. They weren't open on Christmas, though. The restaurants that were open were in a cluster, closest to the movies. It was almost as though they'd negotiated it with the theater, or talked among themselves and realized that there was enough business to call in their staffs.

Oh, yeah -- Happy New Year, folks.

Happy New Year, all!!! I hope everybody's had a fantastic holiday season, and here's to a TAR-rific (oh, UGH, that's bad-- sorry.) 2004!!!

Happy New Year everybody! 2003 rocked, which means 2004 will be unbelievable in terms of "awesome."

Yes, a Happy New Year to all. Hopefully no one is too hungover. ;)

My New Year's Day was just about perfect -- didn't get out of bed until 4 PM. Depressing, though, was that it was about as dark at 4 PM as it is at my usual rising time of 6 AM. Oh, well, that'll change soon enough and then I'll be griping about the sun in my eyes. Happy New Year, y'all!

I got out of bed at about 11 am yesterday, and then my friends and I went on a Subway tour (double chicken, double cheese, nothing else: mmm...). After that we went back to my boyfriend's house and had a 5 hour nap and woke up in time for a supper of cheese pizza. Mmm, cheese....

I see I'm not the only one who spent New Year's Day watching World Idol.

Any body interested in a TARCon in Cincinnati?

No...I don't know of an air date for the TAR 5 finale, but, I thought this would be a fun idea.

Soooo...if anyone is interested, please email or post here.

BTW, I live in the NE part of Cincy--- in Loveland, home of Lil of Survivor fame...but don't get me started on that show.

Ryan Malcolm 4-eva!!! (Kidding-- I'm more of an Alexander fan, meself. HEE.)

In other words: No, you most definitely were not. Christmas, too. That 2-part horror show of a queso-fest was freaking AWESOME.

Happy 2004 everyone!

re: Jason Isaccs He plays two parts - Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. As Captain Hook he is deliciously evil.

If you're familiar with the original stage productions of Peter Pan, as well as the Disney animated movie, then this is true to the original casting plans of the author, James Matthew Barrie. Mr. Darling and Captain Hook are supposed to be so closely intertwined that it is difficult to tell them apart. That is the great thing about the characters, the representation they make of the "grown up" world the kids are trying hard to avoid.

Also, I just learned that the royalties from Peter Pan go the Great Ormond Street Hospital. In 1987 (50 years after Barrie's death), when normally royalty rights would have expired, by a special act of Parliament, royalties were allowed to continue going to the hospital in perpetuity. Quite cool.

Hello -- just butting in for a moment to tell lofty ideas that there is a fabulous little pizzeria in Providence called Caserta, home of the famous Wimpy Skippy. It's sort of like a calzone, but not. They make the dough into a circle, then stuff it with spinach, fold it, and bake it. When it's partway done, they open it up, add pepperoni and cheese, and bake it again (open this time). When it's all done, they fold it up and put it on your plate. I saw it on the Food Network and had to try it when I was in Providence over New Year's, and it was GREAT. If you're not into the spinach-calzone thing, they also have the best pizza I've ever tasted.

Have fun!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy New Year and say thanks for all the advice. Christmas went off without a hitch. We took the boy to a tree trimming party on Christmas Eve, came home and put together a puzzle. I finally convinced him that he had to get into his pjs and get into bed or else Santa would not come. Because we kept him up so late (it was after 1am when he fell to sleep) he slept through the night and wasn't up until after 9am, allowing us to get all the presents in order and still get a full night's rest. Rather than sending him outside I sent him to his grandmother's house in the afternoon to play with his cousins and he came home tired and ready to go to bed. Didn't even have to use the brandy.

Oh, I meant to mention that if lofty ideas is looking for fancy, Al Forno is very, very good indeed. Sadly, it's also quite crowded as it is an institution at this point. Mediterraneo's on Federal Hill is good, too; less expensive, but also not quite as culinarily exciting as is Al Forno. Rustina, that Skippy thing sounds delish. Makes me want to take a ride down to Providence some time soon....

Kept it for yourselves, eh, rlb? Smart move.

I'm glad it went so well!

I would think that a Wimpy Skippy might be a hamburger. The bill would come on Tuesdays, of course.

Lofty ideas, another kind of fancy but very good restaurant in Providence is Camille's on Mansion Hill. I'm in Providence on business alot and I've taken clients there a number of times. The food is great as is the atmosphere. And if you are a wine lover they have an outstanding wine list.

Thanks for the restaurant ideas, Rustina, Hildy and rlb8031. Pizza was mentioned by one of my colleagues today, so I'll push for trying Caserta tomorrow and one or two of the other suggestions before we leave. We went to the mall last night (Cheesecake Factory - cliche, I know, but we were tired and their food is always good) and visited a pretty good but overpriced trendy bistro tonight near our hotel.

I'm enjoying Providence very much!

M. Darcy - thanks for the info, Peter Pan is at the top of my "to see" list!

Boom.

Coolio. I know what I'm buying for MA's day!

Rustina just linked your t-shirt over in the Bachelorette boards, Glark. Pretty schweet.

Who's your model?

And notice, it's TARTubey on the shirt! That's super sweet! Yaaaay!

Any cat lovers out there have any advice for introducing 2 cats? I recently got a male cat from the pound, and my current cat, a female, ain't happy about it. Right now he's secluded in a spare room, but when I've tried to introduce them, the female goes nuts and tries to attack him. She's normally the sweetest, nicest cat in the world, and I thought she'd like some company, as I'm not home that much. But she's not welcoming him w/ open paws as I thought she would.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Eight years and counting of two cats introduced in adulthood. Get some Nature's Miracle and pray.

And, Glark, why isn't that shirt available in the store?

I introduced two cats to each other about a year ago. Honestly? I just had to deal with the catfights (hee.) and let them get it out of their system. It took a few days till they weren't hissing all the time, but now they're the bestest of friends (well, they still fight occasionally).

Best part? The older cat (Chandler) had been my pet for a few years and was completely declawed (f&b) when I introduced him to his baby sister, Phoebe. They fought a lot at first, but since he never "clawed" her, she never learned to use her claws when she was fighting. They just smack each other (and me, sometimes) when they're upset, but I've never had to worry about them drawing blood.

My family had (has, but I'm not there...) two (male) cats, a year apart in age. After we'd had the first cat for a year or so, we decided to get another - the second was a kitten still at the time. At first, we left the kitten in the cat carrier so they could see each other without causing bodily harm. At first, there was a lot of hissing from the older one, and some fights, but they learned to get along (although the older one has always been more dominant). They continue to get along for the most part, with the occasional fights (more of a 'teenage siblings squabling'-type thing than a 'death match').

As for introduction suggestions - try for more neutral locations/settings, and for gradually increasing periods of time. Your first cat probably feels the new one's invading her territory, so having the new guy approach her favourite sleeping spot, etc probably isn't the best idea. Feeding them from separate bowls in the same room might be an idea, although if she's an aggressive type she might try to steal his food and precipitate a fight. If they're similar in size, you might have to let them go at each other a few times (provided there's no blood flowing, their eyeballs remain intact, etc) to settle the pecking order. good luck!

I've gone through that twice. Not fun.

There are purists who think the seclusion should take a week or two or four. I'm not one of them. I keep the new cat in a room by her/himself for 2-3 days (with litter and food, of course), only going in occasionally, and lavishing attention on the resident cat. When I get fed up with the arrangement (it's a good thing my parents didn't name me Patience, because the irony would be unbearable), I open the door and let them fight it out. No blood, no problem.

I do two other things, though: First, I keep the separate litter box and food station for a few weeks. That seems to diffuse the tension somewhat. Second, I buy the new cat something of his/her own -- a basket with a new blanket, a cat tree, whatever. Just something that doesn't have the scent of the resident cat and the recently deceased cat whose slot the new cat is taking. And I don't worry about whether or not they become friends. Eventually they do, but there's not a whole lot a human can do to hasten that.

One product I hear about occasionally is called Feliway. It's a spray with feline pheromones, and you can also get a plug-in diffuser for it. Supposedly it keeps them calm in stressful situations.

When Cat #2 died, Cat #3, who'd been brought in to fill the long-hair slot sadly vacated by Cat #1, went into deep mourning, crying constantly. And I thought she'd hated #2. So even if they're not getting along famously, I do think they like having another cat around.

Good luck!

The only time that we had to introduce a new cat, we just put an extra litterbox in an area that the old cats couldn't block the new one away from, and set the new food bowl down about six feet away from the others. Then we let them sort it out between themselves. But we do have a large enough house, with a fairly open floorplan, so they all could establish their own territories. I do have a friend, though, who swears by dabbing tuna juice on the backs of both/all of the cats. She says that the mutual grooming that this generally inspires goes a long way toward defusing any serious wrangling.

macaddict, that shirt is going to be handled the same way the "Teacher, Mother, Secret Lover" shirt was: he'll be announcing when he's taking pre-orders, then will have the shirts made up to fill the orders, and that'll be the end. Something about reducing the amount of inventory storage space he needs. Anyway, check the first page of the Store Comments thread in A/B/F for details.

Now, I have a question for the assembled wisdom that is this Meet Market. Since I've cut way back on my smoking (down from over a pack a day to under half-a pack) and switched from commercial cigarettes to roll-your-owns made with non-additive tobacco, my sense of taste is getting a lot more sensitive. Therein lies the problem. Is there a toothpaste out there anywhere that has a mild, even bland, flavor, preferably not mint? I've got about eight different kinds in the bathroom right now, and I hate them all; the mint flavor in them is just simply overwhelming, especially first thing in the morning. I've also tried the Crest Cinnamon-that's even worse. The Crest Citrus Burst Whitening gel is, so far, the one I can stand the best, but I really don't like it. I don't care what other properties it supposedly has (sensitive teeth, stain removing, whitening, whatever...) as long as it doesn't leave me feeling like I need to have a ciggie just to kill the taste.

Rabrab, congrats on cutting down!
I don't know if you've tried this kind of toothpaste: it's not minty, but it's baking-soda-y. Which might be the greater of the evils, in some's opinion. Tom's of Maine toothpastes, I think, tend to have a milder flavour then most, and I believe that there is a baking-soda type--probably the original flavour. You can usually find them in the health food section. Maybe worth checking out, anyway.

I was just going to suggest Tom's of Maine as an option. In addition to having mild flavors, I think they also make an orange-flavored toothpaste, which might be marketed for kids but which would still be, you know, a toothpaste. I met Tom himself a couple of times, and he really is very determined to put out the best quality product that meets the parameters of his beliefs (excellent natural ingredients, no animal testing).

Rabrab, all of the baking soda toothpastes have a less minty flavor but I found that they require some getting used to. As a kid I used to have to brush with straight baking soda (don't ask) so I find them to be okay, but I have a lot of friends and relatives that find them to be very bitter. If you can brush with baking soda, the baking soda toothpastes are okay.

My other suggestion is that you try any of the toothpastes that are marketed to kids. They tend to have bubble gum, cherry, orange flavors and the like. Don't know if any of those are better or worse than the mint, but they tend to market the fact that flavors that are less strong and more palatable.

Thanks for your replies everyone.

Maybe I'm just being a wuss and I need to toughen up and let them fight it out. It's hard for me to let them go at it so badly. The first time I introduced them, I thought the current cat was gonna take the new cat's head off. So after that, I backed off, and took it real slow. The new cat has its own everything now, including litter box, food & water bowls, toys, and its own room.

It has been a week though, and the current cat has calmed down a lot. Not completely, but enough that I'm not too worried about her doing major damage to the new guy. It's funny because she's pretty small - 7 or 8 pounds and the new guy is big - maybe 12 pounds. But when she attacks, he runs from her like she's a lion or something.

I said if I get a male cat I'd name him Phil, but the SPCA named him Connor, and I really like that, and I think that's what it's gonna stay.

I would think this would make them want to eat each other, but I may try this if I get desperate.

Chandler & Phoebe, erinjsnark? Cute.

Hee, Smokey and Shayna were like that. When he moved in he was 8 weeks old and she was an adult cat. Eventually he grew bigger then her but he never realized it. She was always the dominent cat.

I love Tom's of Maine toothpaste. I've used it for years now. Rabrab there is a cinnamon flavor, as well as the flavors the others talked about. I like the Spearmint flavor the best, it's very light so you may even be able to handle a mint in that line if you want a minty flavor. The packaging says that once you get used to Tom's, other "normal" toothpastes will be overwhelming and too sugary, and I've definitely found that to be so!

My wife loves Tom's of Maine. I can't stand it.

It definetely took some getting used to the more chalky texture. Now I'm a convert, though.

Hmm, I'll have to give the toothpaste another chance myself. I've been using Tom's of Maine mouthwashes for years -- I love the cinnamon flavor. I don't see the point in mouthwashes or toothpastes with a lot of sugar or sugar substitutes, and I'm somewhat allergic to mint, so it might warrant making a switch.

oooh! I have to chime in, simply because I'm pretty much addicted to ToM's gingermint toothpaste. I absolutely love the taste of it. Ginger in a toothpaste is simply wonderful. Comes in baking soda and non baking soda.

Ack. The only thing I like ginger in is Gilligan's Island. :)

But, but but---No gingersnap cookies? No crystallized ginger candy?
Hmmmm.
Scratches head, tries to imagine a world without ginger (and I don't mean Tina Louise.)
Fails.

Well, considering the general consensus here, I'll be picking up some Tom's of Maine toothpaste at Whole Foods this afternoon. It sounds like the hard part will be deciding what flavor to get. Thanks, all.

I'd just like to chime in and express dismay over this whole tooth whitening phenomena in the US (I'm assuming other countries aren't as obsessed - well, maybe Canada).

Up until about 4-5 years ago, people would comment about how white my teeth were. I just brush normally, but I don't drink coffee or soda, and very little wine, and I guess they're just naturally white. With the prevalence of people having their teeth whitened, I haven't had any white teeth remarks. And my teeth haven't suddenly become yellow, it's just that the bar has been raised by all the fake white teeth. This must be how someone with beautiful natural blonde hair feels with all the dyers that abound.

I've tried that Tom's toothpaste at my boyfriend's house. I didn't have a problem with it being chalky, and probably will buy it the next time I run out of my Colgate.

I agree, iMissEthan-- it's a pretty ridiculous trend. Plus, along with this annoying phenomenon has apparently come either (1) the need to lie about whitening (I guess tooth whitening is the perm/hair color of the new millenium?) or (2) a rabid suspicion that everyone is in fact doing it.

Case in point: When I went to the dentist last month, the hygeinist asked me if I'd had my teeth whitened. I told her (truthfully) "Um, I used those Crest Whitestrips thingies for 2 weeks like a year and a half ago..." To which she replied conspiratorially, "Seriously, where did you get them done?" When I repeated my previous answer, she actually snorted and dropped a completely skeptical "Oooooookaaaaaay..." on me before snitting away. Not kidding.

The hell?? First of all, you've seen my teeth, iMissEthan-- far from blinding, they're NORMAL. But more importantly, what the hell was my dentist's freaking assistant doing trying to "out" me as a closeted tooth whitener?!? It's time to stop the madness, people. Really.

This was hilarious! Those teeth whitening stripy-things kind of scare me. Remind me of the craze for nose-strips by Biore. You know what I mean--"rip off and SEE your blackhead gunk!" I think I tried those once and felt like I duct-taped my nose. Plus, duct-tape is cheaper.

Anyway, in my neck of the woods (Canada), tooth-whitening doesn't seem to be quite the craze as these reports evidence it as being in the States. Still, I feel your pain, iMissEthan. I felt like that when suddenly everyone started going to tanning beds and stuff. My naturally tanned skin started looking downright ghostly. *sniff*

I love the teeth-whitening strips. But I used to have yellow teeth despite doing all the right things, dentally speaking, and I was quite self-conscious about them. Now, I just look like a generic coffee-drinker.

My dentist recommended I try them, by the way. He says it saves people a lot of money compared to having it done in his office, and he thinks most people are like me -- pleased to have some improvement, not looking for blinding whiteness. He has a 3-month wait for appointments, so I guess he doesn't care about losing money from that procedure.

What bugs me about these stupid trends is that even when the trend goes away, it's just sort of expected that you'll continue doing it and add whatever the next trend is to your 'beauty' routine as well....

It's insane ...

Do you guys have the New Aquafresh with foaming action? My dentist gave me a free sample. First of all, foaming? I am not washing the floor here. Plus, there is a huge warning about making sure kids don't swallow it. Just how bad would that be? Is it toxic? Finally, I think someone took the word PASTE too seriously. It is supposed to be orange flavoured. But it tastes like, well, paste.

Back to your regularly scheduled discussion.

The use of the word 'foaming' makes me think of sitcom 'wacky hijinks' - you know, the exploding wash machine - not what I want coming from my mouth. It would be hard to rival the taste of the fluoride pastes at the dentist's - no matter what flavour it's supposed to be, it's still vulgar.

Regarding the warning label, I think that's on most tubes of toothpaste theses days (at least, it's on mine) - if kids get too much fluoride by eating toothpaste, it can have unpleasant effects - I think turning their developping teeth grey, or something along those lines.