Maybe not quite what you’re looking for, but the press releases section of a research university often contains brief articles about current research projects, as well as other topical info regarding that university.

University of Washington: https://www.washington.edu/news/category/news-releases/

Yep. We have a black and white Brother laser printer, and it’s lasted* for at least five years now. Toner is so much cheaper than those stupid, tiny cartridges with not-enough-cyan.

Wasps, definitely, and it does basically suffocate them. We use a water, dish soap, and peppermint mix on paper wasp nests that form in our eaves.

Mustard. It’s more versatile. Besides the obvious condiment uses, it’s also a useful ingredient in cooking, can alleviate muscle cramps (eaten), helps with bee or wasp stings (topical), and can be used as a dye.

Well, one’s alive and the other isn’t. As long as the inheritors of MJ’s estate are decent people, I think it’s fine at this point. Still skeeves me out to listen to his stuff, though. Two verses in and my brain is popping.

A lot of beauty products. Nail polish, makeup, hair dryers, hairbrushes, you name it. Some terrible (and even ozone-destroying) chemicals have been removed, and with the proliferation of online reviews and images you can pick something that won’t burn your eyes and will actually work.

Are you sure it’s not a Furby?

In my experience, it takes months or even years of being in the same orbit of some people to actually become friends with them. It usually starts with meeting for coffee after an event, or some other time that works for both of you. I’m in the PNW (Pacific Northwest), so coffee is our go to. Just keep showing up, make sure you strike up conversations with people, and when it feels right ask them to swap contact info with you.

My lungs hurt from laughing. This is amazing!

I mean, I feel like I’ve been seen, but also called out. 😂 Thank you for all of this info!

Thank you! We’re really looking forward to it. It’s such a beautiful country, and the people seem lovely. My daughter has been learning German for a couple years, but I definitely need to work on mine before we go.

This makes sense, too. I know we borrow a ton of words and phrases over here, especially from our neighboring countries and historically from, well, basically all of Europe.

This is great context, thank you! That would make sense about the comments. The hotel owners were responding to folks, but I admit I was reading through things quickly and could have missed someone identifying themselves that way before the hotel responded.

Oh, that’s a decent theory! Interesting that you haven’t seen it as a German person, too.

Oh yeah, we know that! Between the three of us we can do survivable German, Spanish, and French, as well. I think. 😂

My daughter actually said something like that, that the French names probably just sound fancier, especially to Americans. That would jive with ladyofthrowaway’s post above, too.

That’s certainly possible! I’m not sure how I would find that out. We’re just looking at the places with decent reviews on available sites in the US, like Expedia and TripAdvisor.