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I make banana bread every once in awhile and am usually the only one in the house who eats it. When I'm working my way through a loaf, I always keep it in the fridge, either with a bit of plastic wrap over the baking pan, or removed from the pan completely and put into a container. Before I eat it, I set it out on the kitchen counter for an hour or so to warm up a little, then back into the fridge it goes.

Also, as others have said, banana bread can be frozen!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 10:15 AM on April 28, 2024

Adding onto what Mizu said about nutmeg: it's wonderful when added to sharp cheddar.

Dunno how "unusual" this is for you, OP, but adobo is a staple of hispanic cuisine. I found a great recipe for homemade adobo awhile back which I use regularly.

From the Jamaican side of my own family, jerk seasoning is a classic, combining allspice, black pepper, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and more. There are several ready-made seasoning blends available,… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:14 AM on April 1, 2024

"Eat It" by Weird Al (YouTube) prominently features a line about bananas.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 11:29 AM on March 19, 2024

Rice and peas! Throw out the scotch bonnet, scallions, and thyme sprigs before freezing.

Also, if you can't get ahold of a scotch bonnet pepper, use a habanero as a substitute, not a jalapeno as that page suggests. The flavor of habanero is closer to scotch bonnet, imo.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 7:18 AM on March 19, 2024

In a similar situation as Lyn Never (minus the ADHD), and don't really have much else to add. I'm on the generic version of Lexapro and haven't had a notable depressive episode since I've started.

The only real side effect I get is nausea, which I've since solved by taking it with lunch or dinner. Maybe once or twice a week, I'll miss a day, but it hasn't been a big deal. Insomnia is an occasional issue with me thanks to thyroid disease, but the… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 2:43 PM on March 18, 2024

Depending on what the mark up is buying secondhand you might check for japan shopping services that can buy and forward to you in the US.

This is the way to go. A few extra steps than going through the likes of eBay, but you will save money, possibly quite a bit (especially given the JPY to USD exchange rate these days).

As for forwarding services: I haven't used them, but quite a few people in my figure collecting circles rely… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 7:09 AM on March 16, 2024 marked best answer

Shocked that The Apothecary Diaries hasn't been mentioned yet. Along with Frieren, it's one of the best TV anime currently airing. I've been reading the manga adaptation of the original novels for awhile now, so when this show was announced, it immediately became a must-watch.

The story takes place in a fantasy (but not fantastical) China where a teenage girl is kidnapped to be sold into service at the Emperor's palace, where she… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:25 AM on March 6, 2024 marked best answer

Was in much the same boat as you, and read the book after seeing the show. Definitely start at the beginning. There's enough differences between the two that you kind of have to do it that way.

(Also, I've been told that Agency is not as good; still don't know if I'm going to read that one. Did enjoy The Peripheral, though.)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 7:51 PM on February 10, 2024 marked best answer

I have a collapsed arch, and custom orthotics have definitely helped me, along with exercise. After wearing out the pricey pair I was prescribed, I discovered ArchCrafters and have been using their insoles ever since.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 9:21 AM on January 9, 2024

There's a book called The Not So Big House that celebrates smaller living spaces. It was fun for me to flip through in the years before seriously starting house hunting. I wouldn't say the house we eventually wound up in is "small", but it's certainly not big, and it's cozy. Anyway, here's the author's site.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 2:36 PM on January 4, 2024

Explore.org's Kitten Rescue Cam gets a fair amount of play in our household. TinyKittens HQ is another good kitten foster/rescue livecam.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 3:49 PM on January 3, 2024

Can personally vouch for this hotel in Kona on the Big Island. There are several good food options within walking distance, and Kona itself is a relaxing place to stay.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 3:49 PM on December 26, 2023

The single best thing I bought for myself this year was an OttLite LED magnifying lamp. I got serious about my model kit hobby in the spring and after having some good experiences with a smaller and flimsier magnifying lamp, I sprung for this one. This lamp has changed my life, and has made this hobby much more enjoyable. I've found it useful for other, more pracical detail work too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 9:38 AM on December 16, 2023

We went to Sandals Negril many years ago for our honeymoon and it's a chill, relaxing place. Adults only and a decent amount of stuff to do (or not do).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:14 AM on December 12, 2023

I had to buy several new sets of sheets when we moved into our new house a few years ago. Out of those, the best I bought were by, of all companies, Tommy Hilfiger. They're comfy, durable, and fit well.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:26 AM on December 6, 2023

The single best gift I ever got from my mom (so far) was a pair of Turbie Twist hair towels. I liked them so much that I bought a couple more on my own, and all four are still in use some twenty-odd years later.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:24 AM on December 4, 2023

Seconding Alstede! They have wonderful produce and pastries.

Morristown is about 30 minutes from Plainfield and has quite a bit to do. I highly recommend Beenie's Ice Cream near the train station, and if you're looking for performances, Mayo Performing Arts Center may be of interest.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:47 AM on December 3, 2023

Any chance it could be an underlying medical issue? I used to be able to sleep like the dead when I was younger, but thyroid disease threw all that out of whack. When my levels are good, though, I tend to do all right.

Very important for me is that if I can't go back to sleep, I get up.

Much the same for me, even if it's just sitting up in bed noodling around on my phone. I usually fall back asleep after an hour or so of doing that.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 9:37 AM on November 30, 2023

+1 for baking soda, though it does take a long time.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 2:42 PM on September 30, 2023

+1 for "Oh, la vache!" It is one of a handful of things I learned in high school French that stuck with me, in part because the literal translation is, "Oh, the cow!" It would be a fun phrase for a kid learning French to throw around, I think.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 3:50 PM on September 29, 2023

If video games are all right, just about every entry in the Ace Attorney series has at least one locked room case.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 10:04 AM on September 24, 2023

The one true brown mustard is Gulden's.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 4:20 PM on August 28, 2023

I haven't read many (non-comics) books this summer, but loved Like a Hurricane: An Unofficial Oral History of Street Fighter II.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 1:01 PM on August 22, 2023

We moved from the San Francisco Bay Area back to New Jersey a few years ago in part because of climate change (wildfires, specifically, at least one of which was rather close to our town). However, there were other factors at play, including aging parents back on the East Coast and high real estate prices.

Afterwards, when we bought our house in NJ, avoiding flood zones was a priority. So yeah, climate change has been well on our minds these past several years when it… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 6:19 AM on August 15, 2023

How literary does it have to be? I think Arthur Dent from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would be a good low-effort costume.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 6:32 PM on August 13, 2023

What trivial thing do all the mods have in common (such as favorite foods, books, TV shows, places, etc.)?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 2:11 PM on August 9, 2023

Do you have a Google account, which you're logged into while using Google? You can see and delete your search activity via the "Data & privacy" tab in your account settings.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 11:07 AM on August 7, 2023

Another possibility that hasn't been mentioned yet: is it possible the cat has arthritis or some other sort of pain in his hind-quarters? We have a floor-pooper and this has been determined to be the main culprit.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 10:19 AM on August 2, 2023

My evening unwinding drink, when I don't want caffeine or alcohol, is usually chocolate milk. This may or may not meet your threshold for "high calorie" or "caffeinated".

Big fan of hot cocoa here. Using 1% milk when making it cuts down on the fat content while retaining some creaminess.

Sillycow is my go-to brand. High sugar content per suggested serving, as you'd expect, but a very good hot cocoa if you… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:58 AM on July 18, 2023 marked best answer

We have wild rabbits (and a groundhog) as regular visitors to our backyard, and they love nibbling on the clover that we've planted there.

As someone who has had a few rabbits as pets: seconding the timothy hay and greens in general suggestions. My last pet buns was particularly fond of flat-leaf parsley.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 10:22 AM on July 15, 2023

I read very, very few Marvel/DC superhero comics, but my go-to is the Batman: Black and White anthology series. A nice, big range of storytelling and art styles, and self-contained short tales where you don't have to worry much about continuity. I mostly just know the basics about the Batman mythos based on various movies and animated shows (and The Dark Knight Returns) and enjoy these anthologies immensely. They may leave you with some new favorite writers and/or artists, too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:04 PM on June 15, 2023 marked best answer

Seconding Bone. I got it for a nephew and he devoured it. I've also gotten him books from the Hildafolk series, also previously mentioned.

If you aren't familiar with the blog Good Comics for Kids, it's very much worth a browse, and tends to be one of my first stops when looking up, well, good comics for kids.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:19 PM on May 20, 2023 marked best answer

Okay. I import a lot of stuff from Japan. A lot of stuff. Both direct from stores and occasionally through proxy and forwarding services. Here's my recommendations for things to get which are best bought in person:

- Regional snacks: Everywhere in the country has these. You'll see them for sale at train stations and in department stores. Momiji manju, a maple leaf shaped cake with various flavored fillings, is one of my favorites and is typically found… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 4:45 PM on May 9, 2023

I can't stay away from this Ask MeFi!

You mentioned Switch games in your post. Not only are they region-free, but many of them come with English translations. Such games are released digitally international, but are not always available physically, though sometimes they are in Japan.

The caveat is that Switch (and other console) games are typically very easy to import via mail order. CDJapan is my top go-to for games and other media items, and… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 2:37 PM on May 10, 2023

Have you played any games in the Harvest Moon series? There are a handful for the Switch of various qualities. I haven't played any since the original Game Boy so I can't recommend a specific title but they're worth checking out.

One very important thing to keep in mind about Harvest Moon is that the recent releases have a complicated history. The "true" Harvest Moon games go under the name Bokujou Monogatari in Japan; these are the games… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 4:06 PM on May 9, 2023

Fanlore may be worth a browse. There's also plenty of old, old stuff buried in newsgroups; here's rec.arts.anime, for example.

I was heavily involved with a certain Final Fantasy site back in the day, which had its forums hosted by EZBoard. A lot of other fansites used EZBoard as well, from the obscure to well-known ones like the Gaming Intelligence Agency. EZBoard went through some ownership changes and currently no longer exists; there are also no… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:00 PM on May 7, 2023 marked best answer

If there's any renovations you would want to do in the near future, make sure they're legally possible first.

There's a bathroom we want to take from 1/2 bath to 3/4 bath, but the best space to put a shower in may not be code-compliant for that, due to the low ceiling height. We haven't talked to any contractors about doing this renovation yet (thanks, COVID!), but ever since I learned about that possibility, it's been in the back of my mind.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:06 AM on April 15, 2023

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze is my favorite. I make a point of going to see it every time I go to the Met (if possible. There was that one time they were renovating the American Wing. Upsetting). It's so full of motion, and there are a lot of great little details. I love it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:03 PM on April 14, 2023

Come to New Jersey! No, seriously! Jersey City and Hoboken are both just a PATH ride away. There isn't nearly as much in terms of art as there is in Manhattan, but there are a handful of galleries and museums. Highly recommend Hoboken Terminal (one of the PATH stops) if you enjoy beautiful old train stations.

As for food, an old favorite of mine for some nice casual dining is Amelia's Bistro in Jersey City, but there's a lot to choose from in the area.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:13 AM on March 15, 2023

Aside from what any portmanteau suggested, another thing I always do is attach felt furniture pads to the ends of the rod. I find that the extra cushioning helps keep the rod in place.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 11:23 AM on March 14, 2023

Highly recommend Amazon Cake: a delicious chocolate cake, no eggs or milk required. I sometimes make a variant with 1 tbsp of cinnamon in place of the cocoa.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 4:59 PM on March 6, 2023 marked best answer

Triple Town is one of my favorite match-3 puzzle games; it's cute, fairly non-violent (there are some "evil" bears, but defeating them is pretty bloodless), and suitable for younger players. There is a freemium version but you can also pay up front for the whole thing on Steam.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 3:31 PM on January 29, 2023

Another ex-industry person here (animation, mostly TV). BlahLaLa's comment rings very true and echoes my own experiences, as well as those of others I've known. Looking for the next gig is literally half the job and you'll need some other way to support you in the meantime. Younger people are always cheaper than older folks with families and mortgages, and people in other countries are always cheaper than those in the US; I saw the entire TV computer animation business shift toward outsourcing… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 6:30 PM on January 20, 2023 marked best answer

I looked up the best example of this sort of thing I could think of (the manga/anime Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou) and came across the Pastoral Science Fiction page on TVTropes.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 8:50 AM on January 7, 2023

"Scorching Savanna" from the We ♥ Katamari soundtrack, performed by John the Dog, Bigmouth the Duck, Yuuhi the Crow, Pe the Goat, Booby the Pig, Sexy the Cat, and Nyuu the Cow.

Also found it on Spotify under the name "Killing Hot Savannah".
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 1:55 PM on January 4, 2023 marked best answer

Could I interest you in my favorite rom-com, the fun, retro-styled Down with Love?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 9:33 AM on December 31, 2022

Corrugated plastic sheets and adhesive vinyl lettering will hold up well in bad weather for awhile, and are recyclable once they've outlived their usefulness. If you'd like a specific design, there are companies that will print out vinyl lettering/decals for you, or you could buy adhesive vinyl sheets and make your own.

I don't know of any specific guides for sign-making, but I hope this helps as a place to start.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 1:01 PM on December 26, 2022

If you're going to be near Rockefeller Center anyway, Top of the Rock could be fun. I like the entire experience, including the view, more than the Empire State Building. If the little ones like video games, Nintendo NYC is also in that area.

Wish I could help with the restaurant suggestions, but it's been ages since I ate in Midtown on a regular basis and I have no idea what's good (or even what's around) anymore.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 5:57 PM on December 11, 2022

Abbeville Press publishes an art book series called Tiny Folio which sounds like the sort of thing you're looking for.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 1:53 PM on November 30, 2022

I also make homemade tomato sauce, heavy on the tomato chunks, usually when tomatoes are in season. Dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes, if you can find them, are incredible in a homemade sauce.

One thing I've been wanting to try is homemade gummy candy.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by May Kasahara at 7:41 AM on November 29, 2022 marked best answer