About asteria

Have you heard about corduroy pillows?

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  0 0 I totally want to go to Santa Barbara and get a Pat Fish original someday. I did notice when I looked at her site that she was in Seattle for the National Tattoo Convention in 2010. So sad I missed that! I need to pay off some debt before I do any tattoo tourism. :) If you do find an artist in Seattle, I'd love it if you can pass along their name. Also love your green wo/man pic. asteria commented 10 days ago

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  Great bar near benaroya hall?

  0 0 Have you been to the Diller Room? I went once with some friends; the cocktails were great, and I have some picky friends. I don't think we ordered any food but they have pretty good reviews. I'd love to go back but I'm never in that part of town in the evenings. It's at First & University - used to be Stella Caffe. Same owners, different concept: The Diller Room asteria answered in Eating Out 10 days ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

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  Any recommendations on tattoo artist who works with sacred Celtic imagery, knotwork, and plants?

  0 0 I wish I could recommend someone in Seattle. I saw a Celtic spiral band tattoo in a magazine a few years ago that I LOVED so I looked up the artist. Her name is Pat Fish, and she's based in Santa Barbara; her website is luckyfish.com. Most of her designs are based on Celtic and Pictish art, and she sells tattoo flash on her site for people who can't travel to Santa Barbara. I bought the flash for the band I liked and took it to a guy at Super Genius that someone recommended. My tattoo came out fine - the artist didn't think the flash was that great, and he had to resize the band to fit my arm so he had to redraw the whole thing. I guess I could have shown him the picture instead of buying the flash, but I really respect Pat's research and artwork; paying $14 for the flash was pretty minor compared with the cost of getting the tattoo. That's my only tattoo so far, but I think the experience would have been better if I was inked by the person who created the art - especially if I were to get something more intricate. I don't know if you can go to Santa Barbara, or if she could recommend a local artist that you could work with. I haven't done extensive research, but Pat's portfolio really resonated with me more than anyone else. I'd love to get a custom tree of life from her someday. asteria answered in Other - Style & Beauty 24 days ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Very first steps when thinking about buying a home?

  1 0 I've heard good things about Homestead Community Land Trust - they have classes and can help you make a plan to buy your first home. Even if it's not your thing, they do have some good information on their site. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission also has free homebuyer education seminars. My parents have lost two houses to foreclosure so I'm pretty leery about buying a house. I think it's really important to consider the worst-case scenario, and make sure you have money saved for emergencies (including unexpected home repairs) and have insurance that will pay for your living expenses if you lost your job or were injured. It really sucks to lose all your equity and have to start over with shitty credit, which is why I don't want to buy a house until all my debt is paid off and I have a good chunk of money saved up. Of course it's different if you have family that could help out, but I'm not that lucky. asteria answered in Home Ownership about 1 month ago Answer, comment & read 10 more answers »

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  How to really really clean a cast iron pan...

  1 0 Cast iron is supposed to be black - I think that's the normal reaction of iron and oil. When you season it, you should get a thin, shiny bluish-black coating all over the pan. It might appear mottled but that's fine; you just don't want any rust, silver (unseasoned) or crusty spots. You want to protect this coating and build up the seasoning over time. Here are the seasoning instructions from the bottom of my Wagner's skillet: "1. Scour thoroughly 2. Coat with cooking oil 3. Heat in 300 F oven - 1 hour 4. Remove excess oil Ready for use - reseason as necessary" One thing I learned the hard way - don't drench it in oil when you season the pan. The first time I wound up with a weird plasticky coating that was sticky and really hard to scrape off. Put some oil in the pan, use a paper towel to wipe it all over (top and bottom), and that should be enough oil for seasoning. When you start cooking with the pan, you'll want to use plenty of oil to keep food from sticking, or only cook greasy meats or deep fry with it. As long as you treat it well, the seasoning will build up and eventually won't need as much oil. When the pan is young, it's best to keep food from getting stuck on the pan so you don't have to scrub hard and wear down the seasoning. Stay away from eggs for awhile unless you use a ton of oil/butter, and stay away from acids. For your everyday cast iron cleaning, you need a good scrub brush - not wire, just regular bristles. As soon as you're done cooking clean the pan under the tap with HOT water and the scrub brush. Don't use cold water, or any soap or detergent. Cold water can break the pan, soap will ruin the seasoning. It's normal to have some food stuck on at first; just keep scrubbing with hot water and a scrub brush or scouring pad and it will come off. Oil and coarse salt can help scrub food off too without using soap. When you've got all the food off, put the pan back on the stove on medium heat until all the water's evaporated, then put on a layer of oil with a paper towel. It's normal to see blackened oil on the towel when you're doing this. Let the pan cool; the pan should have a thin, shiny black coating all over. It shouldn't be greasy - wipe off any excess oil. It's important to always clean the pan right away and not use soap. You'll probably also want to reseason the pan a few times after every use, then reaseason every so often. If you don't use the pan that often they can get kind of rancid smelling - scrubbing with some oil and salt, then rinsing and reseasoning will help with that. If the pan needs extra cleaning, try oil and salt for stuck-on food, or salt and a little vinegar/lemon juice for rust spots. The scrubbing and heating dry on the stove will clean just as well as soap. It's possible to clean with a little dish soap occasionally, but you should always follow that up with reseasoning. asteria answered in Cooking Tips & Tricks about 1 month ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  Getting Taxes Done - worth it?

  0 0 First off: you don't have to do your 2010 taxes before you do 2011. Get 2011 done first and on time, then do 2010 as soon as possible. The deadline to get 2011 taxes done is April 17, 2012. Next: totally second Turbotax. I'm studying accounting, and I have taken one course on tax preparation; Turbotax is really easy and just as accurate as any tax preparer for most people. I use Turbotax online for free - I just get all my W-2s and other "Important Tax Information" together and answer the questions, kind of like taking a survey. Turbotax figures out what forms to file, checks for deductions, and fills all required forms out automatically. Turbotax did my student loan interest deduction for me too. This year I have a refund coming, so I entered my bank account information and it should be direct deposited soon. You can pay also, but it sounds like the free or Basic version will work for you. I would say try Turbotax for your 2011 taxes first and see how that goes. It doesn't file until the very end, so you could go through the whole thing and not submit at the end if you're unsure. It will give you the option to look over all the forms, and you could even print them out and take it with you to the tax place if you want a second opinion. It's totally worth it to pay for someone to do your taxes if it helps you get them done and avoid the IRS penalties and fees.  If I was going to pay, I would go to H&R Block or find a local CPA firm if my situation was more complicated (small business, lots of investments, etc.). Also CPAs can give tax planning advice - not sure if tax preparation places do that. I'm sure Liberty Tax Service is fine, but their marketing just grosses me out. The key with getting your taxes done is to keep all your documents together and make an appointment for February or March. I think some firms will schedule you for the next year and give you reminder calls before that appointment - probably not the tax preparation places, but the CPA firms will. FYI about deductions: You can deduct student loan interest (or at least a portion of it depending on your income) when calculating your AGI on the 1040A return, using the worksheet in the instruction book - or have Turbotax or the tax preparer do it for you. However charitable deductions can only be taken if you itemize instead of taking the standard deduction after you calculate AGI. The standard deduction will be $5,950 (single) or $11,900 (married filing jointly) for 2012. You would have to donate more than that in 2012, or have other payments you can itemize (mortgage interest, real estate taxes, sales tax, large out-of-pocket medical/dental expenses) that total more than the standard deduction to benefit from that. asteria answered in Taxes about 1 month ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  Where can I get a mechanic's jacket in Seattle

  0 0 I'm pretty sure you'll find this in SODO - try Sears at First & Lander, and the Army/Navy Surplus right by Sears; maybe Whistle Workwear a few blocks south on First by the West Seattle Bridge. Also Costco (if you have a membership) might have it - they have a small selection of coats and jackets but I'm not sure if they have this style. If you wanted to spend more I would say also check out Filson on 4th Ave S just south of the stadiums - they make really rugged clothes, mostly hunter & outdoorsy styles, but jackets start around $200. asteria answered in Whatever 2 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Pls help me

  1 0 I agree with Sacrelicious that figuring out the cause is really important. I've gotten really nauseous from taking vitamins or ibuprofen on an empty stomach, unknown food allergies, dehydration, stress, migraines, and PMS. If you're getting really nauseated before your period starts, it could be a hormonal imbalance. Birth control pills might help with that; I use progesterone cream that a naturopath prescribed me and it's really made an amazing difference with all my PMS symptoms, including nausea and migraines. If the nausea is coming soon after you eat, it could be food allergy or sensitivity, especially if you have pollen allergies. I went to an allergist because my hay fever was getting out of control and that's when I found out I also have food allergies. I tried ginger tea in the past and it sometimes helped a little, but I would still be nauseous all day. I've had a few times where I couldn't stop throwing up - last time my bf took me to urgent care and I got a prescription for a few pills of promethazine, an anti-nausea drug. It works really well, but makes me super sleepy. I don't know if Dramamine or other over-the-counter drugs for motion sickness would also work, but some people use them to relieve general nausea. asteria answered in Doctors & Providers 2 months ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  0 0 I know the interest rates suck right now, but it's important to keep some money set aside in a safe account - the security is more important than making money on your emergency fund. The interest rates aren't going to get better in the next couple of years, but you can do better than .05%. Are you in Washington state? I have accounts at BECU (Member Advantage Checking and Savings) and Seattle Metropolitan CU (Feel Good Checking) that pay 6% interest each on the first $500, so I'm using them as my emergency fund savings accounts for $1500. I have an online savings account for anything over that - I'm using Discover but there's also ING Direct. They're pretty easy to set up, and right now they're paying 0.80 - 0.85%. To get the higher interest rate on the credit union accounts, all I need is to get e-statements and have direct deposit. Since direct deposit's not available through my current job, I just use my online savings account to make small transfers every month into my credit union accounts and that satisfies the direct deposit requirement. Anyways, that's just one thing you can do with your savings. If you're not in Washington look for a credit union where you are - they might have similar interest rates. As far as investments, if you have a 401(k) with matching available through work that's really one of the best deals - you want to get the maximum match from your employer because it's basically free money. You don't need to hire an investment broker on your own - BECU and SMCU have investment advisors who can give guidance, and there's also Vanguard or Fidelity. I haven't used any of them but I think they offer similar services - they'll tell you the potential risks and benefits, and you can probably choose from index, mutual, and/or bond funds. You can also choose to have these funds as part of your IRA, or do a mix of funds and CD's (which are insured) as part of your IRA. Make sure you find out what all the fees are before you invest, because they can really eat into your return. I think that's one reason a lot of people recommend index funds over mutual funds right now. If you're still interested in the stock market, check out corporate bonds and/or preferred stock in addition to common stock - maybe also municipal bonds, if you have the minimum buy-in. Muni bonds don't pay the best interest, but the interest is tax-free. Investopedia has some basic info about a lot of choices: http://www.investopedia.com/university/20_investments/default.asp#axzz1q9q1DsVn asteria commented 2 months ago

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  Is it wise to play the stock market on an individual basis?

  1 0 It's possible to make money but you have to be comfortable with the possibility that you will lose some or all of your investment. The main criteria of whether you should buy individual stocks is not whether it's possible to make money, but whether you are comfortable with the greater risk that you will lose the money you invest. 401(k)s, IRAs, and index and mutual funds also carry some risk, but because they are diversified the rate of return (and perceived risk) has historically been better; however nothing is guaranteed unless it's FDIC or NCUA insured. There are many reasons rich people have a lot of money invested in the stock market - in general, they started out rich and can afford to lose the money; they can afford to hire a commission-based investment broker, who also has a personal interest in maximizing returns; they can buy many shares which provides more opportunity to make a profit at marginal gains; they can sell poorly-performing stocks at a loss to offset income; and the capital gains tax rate is much lower (max 15%) than the ordinary income tax rate (max 35%) at this time. The stock has to be held for more than one year to qualify as long-term for the capital gains tax rate, and it's possible that congress could change the capital gains tax regulations. I think if you have enough money to max out your annual 401k and/or IRA contributions, and have 6 months of living expenses in a savings account that you can easily access, and have extra money that wouldn't break your heart if you lost it, and treated stock investing as a hobby instead of a potential income source, you could have fun with it if you are comfortable with the risk. I think E-Trade is a popular site for self-investors but I've never researched it - really they just advertise a lot so I've heard of them. I don't know anything about minimums or fees involved. I will say that one benefit investing in stocks has over gambling is that even if you lose all your money you can use up to $3,000 of a net capital loss to offset your income on your tax return, which could potentially save you a few hundred dollars in taxes depending on your tax rate. So there is that one advantage over going to a casino. asteria answered in Personal Finance 2 months ago Answer, comment & read 6 more answers »

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