LA Boston Gal

Best friend will be in Chicago tomorrow from the West Coast and is looking for feedback on the best sites to see in 2 days. Please send your recommendations for the best place to get Chicago Pizza and any other local food favorites... also what are the top 3 things she should see while there? No kids, just 2 adults who enjoy culture, good food and the like... thanks in advance!

Out of Curiosity, can those couples on HGTV House Hunters/First Time Homebuyer shows really afford a $400k - $600k homes? It seems like everyone on that show has a budget of $400k+. I thought the average HH income in the U.S. is $60k I don't think $60k household would be buying homes in the $400k - $600k range do you??? Maybe it's all for show on TV... perhaps they don't really end up buying anything.

I took my 2008 RL into the Acura dealer for its "scheduled maintenance" only has 24k miles on it but for some reason B12 light was on. Service dept said I drive my car too hard because the B12 only comes on at 30k miles or harsh driving conditions. Well, I hardly drive the car and I certainly do not drive extreme. Anyway, car was done the same day. I picked it up the next morning and drove 4 miles when the "check sh-awd" light came on. I took the car back to the dealer and it has been a week they've had my car and they still don't know what the problem is. Computer was changed now the rear differential is being changed. What happens if they can't fix the car? How long do I have to wait? (They're providing me a loaner) They still don't know what the problem is - so they're just doing trial and error replacements. This has got to be costing Acura a FORTUNE. When is enough enough and what kind of options does Acura offer owners if the problem cannot be corrected?

I'm learning how to sew, obviously I didn't pay attention in 7th grade home ec class nearly 20 years ago and I've got time on my hands to learn something new. So I'm starting off making a very basic baby towel. (the kind with the little hood on the corner of the towel) The hood will have a little teddy bear cut out sewn on. The instructions tell me to iron fusible web onto the back of the teddy bear cut out. How do you do this?

I asked the employee at JoAnn Fabrics to show me what "Fusible Web" was. She gave me 1 yard of it and it's like a huge sheet of "bounce" fabric softener. Anyway, there is no paper backing on it, just a full yard of this stuff.

I've searched the internet and can't figure out for the life of me how to apply it. I tried ironing it to the dang cut out. BIG MISTAKE, it freakin' melted onto the iron. HAHA!

Sewing gurus please share your knowledge. Thanks!!!!

So I saw Star Trek on Saturday and it was a good movie but I really didn't understand why these people in their mid 40's kept laughing hysterically at different intervals in the movie. (i.e. when Scotty got sucked into the water pipes - the people next to us were laughing like Louis Sculnik from Revenge of the Nerds.)

Anyway at the end of the movie maybe 10 people started clapping furiously.

I wonder why - do you clap after you watch a DVD at home? It's not like we're at a Broadway Play or the Symphony where the actors/directors etc can receive the praise. Odd, profoundly odd...

We are in the process of designing an outdoor kitchen. Anyone out there have an outdoor wood fired pizza oven? Can you share your recommendations on what dimensions/materials or design specfics we should consider/recommend to our contractor?

We're probably looking for a small one 54x52 but we definitely want it built into the grill/bar island that will be constructed.

Also if you've owned an outdoor wood fired pizza oven - can you share feedback on how often you use it and how's the upkeep?

I've got a group of friends who want to try White Water Rafting in Dallas. Anyone have recommendations on good tour companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? This will be our first time rafting, all of us are good swimmers although we probably only want to try a Class 1 maybe Class 2 run. I checked the internet and saw "Dallas Rafting" and called them but some guy answered by saying "Hi, this is ____" when I asked if I got "Dallas Rafting" he said wait. Then transferred me to some empty mail box with no recording, no company greeting. So I'm not sure that company is even legit.

We only want to do a 1 day excursion, no camping/no overnight stays. Please include websites if you have any recommendations.

thanks!

Can someone explain what is the formula for deducting Mortgage Interest from my AGI. I'm trying to estimate if I'll have to pay taxes this year. I bought a home last year and I found the 2008 Federal Income Tax brackets so I know how much I'm supposed to pay this year... and I know how much I will make this year.

But I'd like to do some rough math to get a ball park figure on how much I can deduct for my mortgage interest. I don't think it's a straight line deduction. Meaning if I paid $50k in mortgage interest + property tax, I'm certain I cannot reduce my AGI by $50k.

thanks for your help! I will get a CPA to help me this year.

I attended my first Dog Show competition two weeks ago as a spectator. My family saw this as an opportunity to see a few breeds we've been considering as an addition to our family. During the competition, I noticed the handlers were biting something and feeding it to their dogs. What is it? Some of the handlers stored this "thing" in their mouths, others stored it in their pocket. Some handlers bit half of it and threw it on the floor, picked it up then put it back in their pockets. Other handlers bit half of it fed it to their dog then put the rest in their own mouths. I'm wondering what is it and why do the handlers do this?

We always lived in apartments. We finally "settled down"-bought a home 1 yr ago. We're 1st time homeowners. We got our "dream home" because we moved to a state where the cost of living is well below the national average. We love our neighbors &have a comfortable lifestyle. 5 mons ago my dad moved in with us -he was diagnosed w/cancer. (He moved from a different state).Now I have the opportunity to take another promotion and it requires us to move to Los Angeles. We LOVE Los Angeles..most of our family is there.The promotion is significant but even with a 60% salary raise it would be tough. My home here only cost us $300k -there it costs $2M for the exact same thing - in a not so-safe neighborhood. (We checked the same homebuilder) We don't have kids yet -still working on that one. Problem is cost of living difference plus I'd be taking a senior mgmt job that requiers plenty of travel and a much larger scope of responsibility. Hubby and I are in our mid 30's. What would U do

Need some coaching insight. I have a masters degree and 10 years experience managing large teams, driving sales performance we well as project management experience. I am paid well for my age but I really want more out of life - my job and my paycheck. I do have a talent and specialized skill in Organizational Behavior/Performance Management however I do not want to be a consultant (I'm done travelling after 5 years of it) Peers tell me to start my own business but I really don't consider myself an entrepreneur. I would probably make an excellent executive coach as I have advised several senior c-level execs. I'm just comfortably frustrated if that makes any sense. If you've been in a rut - how did you get out of it and get motivated? I work approx 65 hours a week - fast paced environment and I multi-task like crazy... it's no wonder I have a hard time "relaxing" and enjoying life.

I am bringing this topic back because I've read it's Moh-ay by many folks but Moet is not French he was a Dutchman. The rule about dropping the "t" at the end when followed by vowel is also contradictory to linguistics who say that rule does not apply when using Proper Nouns. Can someone load up a sound byte on this one? Or does anyone work at Moet & Chandon/ or LVMH who can put this to rest?

Where should my hubby and I go to learn about wine tasting in Napa? We don't want to be intimidated by all the seasoned drinkers who are well versed in wines. We're only there for 4 nights then we head out to visit family in San Francisco.

Call me late to the party but I just finished watching Six Feet Under .. the entire collection within 1 month. What happened to Lisa? I know the series alluded that her brother in law knocked her off but I want to know if you have any other theories to this....

I was raised to go to school and get a good job - keep acquiring more so I can help my family. I'm addicted to work, sounds stupid but I have to excel at what I do and that prevents me from truly enjoying life. So I'm curious are you chasing your career still and if not, when did you decide that other things were more important.. and HOW did you transition into that new mindset? How did it affect those around you?

What drives your individual style? Do quality and labels matter to you?