Nice! I want to find a jacket like that.

Oh no. During the Libby pumpkin shortage of 2009 the only place I was able to find it was at Whole Foods. I did hear a rumor that there problems with the pumpkin crop again this year.

While the Northeast has had a very tough pumpkin year (due to a wet spring, an outbreak of fungus, and flooding from Hurricane Irene), the rest of the country is doing OK, thanks very much.

Libby’s, the chief supplier of canned pumpkin to America’s bakers, had this to say in an August press release:

“While much of the country has been suffering from unusually high temperatures this summer, the weather seems to be perfect for growing pumpkin! That’s right, thanks to Mother Nature and the hard work of the dedicated pumpkin farmers in Morton, Illinois – the pumpkin capital of the world! – Libby’s Pumpkin is happy to report that consumers will be able to find a bountiful supply of their beloved pumpkin on grocer’s shelves in plenty of time for the 2011 holiday season.”

So, it may be difficult to find your favorite brand of canned pumpkin at the moment. Especially in the Northeast, where local manufacturers – e.g., One-Pie – may be having trouble with their supply.

But hold tight; the new crop should be hitting your supermarket shortly.

It is *so easy* to make your own pumpkin puree (and very tasty)! Buy a pumpkin (Whole Foods should have some), cut it in half (or quarters if it’s extra large), scoop out the seeds, and put in the oven at 350 until the flesh is tender and easy to pierce with a fork. Scoop out the flesh, drain in a colander overnight (optional, but cut the liquid in your recipe down slightly if you don’t do this), and use as desired!

Rave: Giant on Park Rd has a ton of canned Libby Pumpkin. Plus all check outs open from 4-8pm, free rotisserie chicken if a healthy checkstand is not open during this time frame.

I don’t have issues with Comcast in general, but they do have some serious issues with internal scheduling. If I call to install phone service they send someone to fix the cable. If I call to add another cable box they guy shows up without it.

Seems like a month should be enough. Maybe a month and a half??

Sounds like you probably ought to establish boundaries (in the form of an end date) _before_ the cousin arrives.

I stayed with my cousin when I first started working in Northern Virginia, and found an apartment within a month or so. Since I still didn’t know DC that well, I decided to play it safe and live in Alexandria. Maybe your cousin will do something similar.

Make some really loud awkward sex noises with your boyfriend and she’ll probably move out pretty quickly … just kidding!

In all seriousness, offer to help her look for places since you probably have a better idea of what neighborhoods she’d be comfortable in/are in her price range. Give her rides/public transport directions to open houses. Hopefully you’ll help her quickly find a place she really likes with a move-in date of November 1 and that’ll be that.

Took my friend from Texas 2 months to find a place – and that was with constant pressure from me to be out looking. Given the economy, the rental market is tighter than it used to be.

+ a million to all of your rants

YES to all of your rants, and I have been looking into adoption… I wish it wasn’t so expensive… the nest egg we’ve been building to actually care for the child would have to go simply towards adoption costs, and that’s before we’d even get the child. It’s so frustrating and heartbreaking at the same time.