Madison

Hi All,

As I'm expecting my first baby and my father-in-law has asked for grey t-shirts for his birthday, I've been looking for a "grandpa" themed t-shirt.

Has anyone seen such a thing at a store in town? I've tried Target, Shopko, department stores in the mall, and Cracker Barrel (on a tip). I don't want to go to Walmart.

We're cutting it a bit close to order something off of the interwebs, so local would be good.

Bonus points for a t-shirt with an adjective other than "greatest".

Suggestions appreciated. Sightings ideal.

Hello clever Madisonians (Madisonites?) Since this community is such a great resource for people looking for things in town, I'm hoping someone will know the answer to this.

Is there somewhere in town that does shredding of paper for a small fee? I've got a bit of paperwork that needs to be shredded but my shredder is currently packed away in a box because I'm in the middle of a move and tearing things up by hand is getting tedious. I have about a grocery bags worth of papers, so it's not a substantial amount but more than my hands will thank me for.

Also, while I am here and asking, does anyone know of a place where I can donate old blood glucose testing monitors? I am especially hoping to give them to someplace that would pass them on free to people who can't afford them (although I think many insurances now give the monitors free and only charge for the test strips so that might be a moot point). I don't want to throw them away.

Anyway, thank you for any help you can provide. =)

Hi! Just wondering if there are any local business owners here or if you know of someone who is? I'm trying to team up with other businesses...basically I am looking for store owners who may be having a big event or sale coming up where I could offer to give up snacks and samples for free to their customers. Your customers would be getting free food and I'd have the chance to sell some of my products or if you didn't want me selling, I would be able to generate some leads of people who might be interested in learning more about Wildtree. Please call or email me if you are interested in something like this or pass my contact info to anyone you might know.

Ally
http://ally.mywildtree.com

Howdy!

Does the Madison area have any Scots/Irish festivals or Highland Games over the summer?

Has anyone taken a long trip on either the Van Gelder/Megabus or Amtrak lately? A friend is trying to decide on a method of travel to eastern Ohio and these are the cheapest options. I'm looking for honesty, if she won't be able to sleep all night for fear someone will rifle through her belongings or if most fellow riders on your trip were apparently allergic to soap, that's the kind of thing I want to know. If you had a really good experience that's helpful too. Thanks!

Also, has anyone used Priceline for name your price flights?

Has anyone here gotten an IUD with Unity Health or with Navitus drug
insurance? I can't find any information on the formularies as to how much a
Mirena IUS would cost, so I was hoping someone here would be able to give me
a vague idea or at least how much it cost for them.

Thanks!

(Sorry for the weird formatting, this is posted via email.)

Has anyone ever donated/sold plasma in the madison area?

I've found info on red cross and interstate blood & plasma, but the websites don't give any information on if its walkin or appointment based, and how much they generally pay?

If you've donated/sold plasma in the madison area, can you please share your experience?

I move in less than 3 weeks to Madison, and I'd like to start looking at changing banks sooner rather than later.
What are the banking options in Madison? I will be a grad student, so I know the credit union (that sends me mail already practically every week) is an option.
Things that are important to me: easily accessible abundant ATMs, no monthly service fee (I'm not sure if I'll have direct deposit yet for my stipend...?), and professional customer service. I don't write many checks, I rarely go into a branch, and most of my bills get paid through the web.
Any banks you particularly love? Ones I should stay away from?

Just a handy reminder:

It is clearly noted in the community profile that posts not allowing comments will be deleted. And so one has been.

Hey ya'll, I'm moving from a shared apartment into a huge condo and need to get some furnishings on the fast and cheap. So if you're looking to get rid of some stuff, here's what I'm looking for:

-couch
-loveseat
-futon
-BIG dining room table (the sort that one may well spend more time playing Dungeons & Dragons with large groups of people over than eating at), chairs are a plus but not required.
-easy chairs/recliners
-office desks
-weird lamps
-coffee tables
-patio furniture
-a diverse variety of shelves

If anyone happens to have a 40"+ flatscreen TV they're no longer interested in owning, we could talk about that too.

I hate "making people offers" based on descriptions and photos alone. Tell me what you want for your stuff, and that'll either work or we can talk about it.

The ants are finally choosing to live outside again, or maybe I just killed them all. Despite all the rain this year, we've only had a few earwigs inside. But the centipedes, oh my god, they're unreal, dozens of them since early June. One fell out of a stack of clean towels in the linen cupboard yesterday and ran over my feet, which will teach me to go around without slippers, but did I ever gag. Anyone got a good repellent for big hardy Wisconsin house centipedes?

*Updated as of 10 PM 7/20/08*

I'm moving out of Madison in two weeks and I'm selling a few things, ranging from furniture to electronics. Most of these are already on craigslist, but there are a couple of things that aren't. if you're interested I can get pictures. All prices are negotiable, this all has to be out by the 31st. Anything that isn't sold will have to be thrown away. I also can't deliver any of this stuff.

( Stuff Inside )

Yeah, it's another "find an apartment" post. Woooo!

A friend of mine will be moving here for work in a couple of months. While I am excited and want to be a good resource for her, her apartment needs are pretty much the opposite of what I've always looked for. The more I think about it, the more I realize that she probably actually needs a rented house.

So, of course, I Ask Dr. Intarwebz.

Do you know any apartments/landlords/rented houses that are good? Please to be posting or sending me a private LJ message.

--She has owned her own home for 10 years, so she is probably used to having a dishwasher, laundry, etc.
--Once her boyfriend moves here, they will have something like three cats and a larger dog.
--They need at least two or three bedrooms, as at least one of them telecommute (and sometimes both).
--She will be working downtown, so proximity to the bus and/or bike paths would be ideal.
--Parking, of course, including maybe two cars and a motorcycle.

Thank you!

I'm curious what everyones favorite place is to go and grab a drink! Any places around here that you absolutely adore?? Let me know!

Thank you all :)

Sort of a weird question, but... I finally got my bike out of storage, and I'm going to be using it on trails and to get around campus. I've only ever done very casual biking before--on paths and stuff--never traffic.

So I read the state laws on it, but... they only sort of helped? Besides, I know there's a lot of tension between bicyclists and drivers, so I was hoping to not be the bicyclist everyone hated.

What are the basics I should know? I know to be visible, signal, wear a helment, obey traffic laws and all that--but what else? Lane stuff? What do you hate it when bicyclists do (other than be slower than you on the road)?

What are your favorite bike paths? I'm right by the Capital at the moment, so I'll probably be doing John Nolen tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the advice!

As it turns out, my 3 year old may have some allergies/food issues and we've decided to take milk, eggs, artificial food colorings & preservatives, citrus fruits, and sugar out of his diet and do a trial run to see if it improves things. Obviously, this means going more organic than we normally are, and buying/making more "specialty" foods.

We've got a pretty small budget lately and really can't afford to spend lots and lots of extra money so we're looking for ways to save. We go to the farmers market already for produce and such, but are looking for more "grocery" type items. Woodman's has an alright selection in the two isles dedicated to organic stuff, but somewhere like Whole Foods obviously would have more options. We haven't yet been to the Willy St. Co-op(and are obviously non-members), and are curious about prices there, compared to whole foods, or if there are other organic/alternative food stores in the area.

Things we'll likely be buying for price comparing purposes....... soy/rice milk, crackers, breads, some sort of fruit based snacks, pasta, cookies, juices, etc(all milk/egg/sugar/citrus/artificial free of course)....

Obviously I'll find out one way or another because I'm going to have to investigate, but I thought maybe some of you fabulous Madisonians would have some knowledge about costs before I go drag my three year through every story in Madison and maybe save myself some sanity.

There is an orange tabby male with sea green eyes hanging out on our porch. He has no collar or tags & is super friendly, clearly well fed, and has no ear mites. I know he has to belong to someone (fixed and declawed), so if your cat got out and is missing, and fits this description, he's hanging around Division Street across from the Schoepps plant. If he is yours, please come claim him. With all of the traffic on this street, its not a very safe place for a cat to be roaming.

If he's still here in a couple of days, we may consider keeping him.

OK, so I'm not a shopper for new clothes generally, but bras need to be an exception. Do you ladies have a favorite place to shop for reasonably  inexpensive bras... with function over form being more of the priority (ie: Playtex or other such names rather then off brand "stylish" ones)? Anyone know of any decent sales this weekend?? I don't have subscriptions to papers, so I don't get all the sale fliers either. 

I'm contemplating hiring a personal trainer. Do you use one? What has been your experience? Do you recommend anyone in particular?

I've looked at different sites for Madison personal trainers and have found everything from trainers who are connected to a specific gym to people who come to your house.

 From the Wisconsin State Journal today:

Safe & Sound:

Q. Is it OK for me to drive in the left lane on the Beltline if I'm going the speed limit?

 

A. No, not if other drivers want to pass you.

"On a divided highway, you can drive in either lane except when it affects other traffic," said Major Daniel Lonsdorf of the Wisconsin State Patrol.

That's why most freeways, such as the Beltline and the Interstate, have signs that say "slower traffic keep right."

"You are slower traffic if someone comes up behind you and wants to overtake you," Lonsdorf said. "Even if you're driving the speed limit."

You could be cited for failure to obey an official traffic control sign, if those signs are posted, he said.

Another state law can apply here. It provides that any vehicle traveling "at less than the normal speed of traffic" must drive in the right lane.

That's true even if the normal speed of traffic is faster than the posted limit, said Lonsdorf, who heads the Bureau of Transportation Safety in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Sometimes drivers think they can drive in the left lane at the speed limit because faster drivers are violating the limit. But, please, Lonsdorf said, leave enforcement up to the police.

"We ask people not to do that," he said. "It creates animosity, it creates road rage."

If faster drivers want to waste gasoline, endanger themselves and others and risk a ticket, get out of their way, he said.

"It doesn't do anybody any good to impede them because all it does is enrage them," Lonsdorf said.

— Anita Clark