ant problems

Does anyone know how to get rid of ants with boric acid?

I ask because we're having a continuing ant problem in the kitchen and the bathrooms. Usually they're the itty-bitty ants I've heard called water ants, but on occasion I've seen larger models too. When we had an apparent nest inside a potted plant, it was easy to wipe them out with some dish detergent in water, but I can scarcely do that here.

I used the boric acid to great effect with a flea problem we were having earlier this summer, but my attempts at ant control weren't as successful. (I was told to mix it with sugar, get it wet, and soak cotton balls in the mixture. The ant would be drawn to the sugar and killed by the boric acid.) Ant traps also have been ineffective.

Raid and other sprays work on ants where we can see them, but I'm after something the ants can take back to the nests with them and kill the queen, so the whole colony will die. I'd also rather not spray poison around the kitchen.

So, any suggestions?

not a city in china

A friend writes:

The base tip rate is 18 percent. Cash, please. If you use a credit card, you must tip more, because many servers don't report cash on their income tax, so cash is worth twice is much to them. 15 percent is what you tip when the service is just barely adequate. 10 percent -- you'll never be served again.

That's an interesting viewpoint, but it's not a practice I'm inclined to agree with, quite. We always put our tip on the credit card, and never feel inclined to tip extra because we are tipping that way. I see no obligation to tip extra because I'm not letting someone cheat on their taxes, nor to help them cheat.

I prefer to tip closer to 20 percent of the post-tax bill than to 15, and under no circumstances will I tip less than 15. I've been known to give people, including my dear old mother, tremendous grief for wanting to tip less than 15. (Money's really tight right now, so we're not eating out at all, which renders the whole issue moot, to be honest.)

Honestly, my inclination is to tip a little extra when we get shoddy service, although I'll also report it to the manager. A lousy waiter or waitress may not deserve the extra tip, but there's a lot of things I haven't deserved that I've still received, by God's grace.

impact made

I had one of those odd, aw-shucks moments yesterday. A co-worker (also named Dave, which is why I call him Vandervecken) who works in the newspaper's production department told me he had read my column and it had changed his life.

I initially couldn't tell if he was serious or not, because we routinely razz each other, but he was dead serious. He's around the same age as me, and he said that reading my column on getting older was like a face full of cold water: refreshing and bringing startling clarity. He commented on how the American dream often drives us to succeed and "make our mark" no matter what the cost, and said my column showed him there's another, better way.

He really seemed to appreciate it, and seemed intent on changing his focus from being career-driven to focusing more on the people in his life.

Kind of humbling, you know?

rip, bob hope

Trivia note: Bob Hope is the only civilian ever to be declared a veteran, under a special Act of Congress in recognition of his service to the troops.

I heard that one time during a war (WW2?), a heckler from the audience tried to get the better of Hope by demanding to know why he wasn't wearing a uniform and fighting alongside them? Hope's response: "Are you crazy? There's a war going on. Don't you know a guy could get hurt that way?"

But the truth is, Hope was anything but cowardly. From what I've read, he performed literally in sight of the front lines, and there was at least one occasion where a small group of soldiers missed the show, Hope learned about it, and took off after them -- toward the front lines -- in order for his troupe to give them a personal show.

earrings

I was the first person in my family to get an ear pierced, and therefore had the unusual privilege of reassuring my mother -- in her mid-50s when she decided to get hers done -- that it wouldn't hurt, and letting her know ahead of time what sort of reactions she could have, from infection to allergic reaction. (I discovered that I'm allergic to yellow gold when my earlobe started turning odd colors.)

My mother got her ears pierced when my father bought her a pair of earrings that would have to be modified so she could wear them. As she had never had her ears pierced, all she wore were clip-ons. She has had no problems that I am aware of, except perhaps the occasional ear infection.

My earring hole closed up years ago, to the best of my knowledge. I can still see the divot where I had the piercing, but haven't had the urge to get it repierced or to see if the hole is still open.

No one has suggested we get Evangeline or Rachel's ears pierced. Natasha hasn't worn earrings for even longer than I have, and since she got her earring caught on somebody else's backpack once, she has even less of an inclination to wear them than I do.

We figure that if the girls want to get their ears pierced, they'll let us know. I also figure that if they're nervous, I can get my ear pierced again to reassure them it doesn't hurt. (A father-daughter bonding experience of increasing frequency, I'm sure.)

Of course, since Natasha wears neither earrings nor makeup, I really wonder how much inclination the girls will have to try either of those things as they get older. I suppose it depends on their friends.

iq test

I just took an IQ test online, and I think my IQ might have slipped since I last took one of these. No doubt it's all those years in the media, taking their toll...

Congratulations, David!
Your IQ score is 138

This number is the result of a formula based on how many questions you answered correctly on Emode's Ultimate IQ test.

The even better news is that at Emode, we've taken your IQ test one step further. During the test, you answered four different types of questions — mathematical, visual-spatial, linguistic and logical. We were able to analyze how you did on each set of those questions, which allows us to shed light on the way your brain uniquely functions.

At the same time, we compared your answers with others who have taken the test, and according to the sorts of questions you got correct, we can tell your Intellectual Type is a Visionary Philosopher.

The first thing we can tell you about that is you're equally good at mathematical and verbal tasks, and learn best through experience. But that's just scratching the surface.

To find out more about how your brain processes information and where your intellectual strengths lie, buy your personalized, 15-page for only $14.95.

Obviously they forgot that if I'm bright enough to score a 138, I'm also bright enough to know that an online assessment isn't going to be worth spending $15 on. I'd be better off getting a real test administered professionally.

Still was kind of fun, though. Haven't done that much algebra in years.

Natasha took the test and got a 135, which seems to be the mode score for the group where I found the test. (Which means we're an above-average group, I guess.)

Anyway, here's what she told me after taking the test (and yes, we do have a true marriage of the 21st century -- we regularly e-mail each other from the same computer):

You can look at portions of a sample report, which shows you a bell curve of the scores. The highest on the graph is 160, although I couldn't tell if the curve actually went past 150 or not, so it may be 150. At any rate 135 and 137 are in the 97th or 98th percentile.

I'm gathering the curve is generated by people who actually took the test. If Mensa starts taking it, they could throw it to the right. On the other hand, if "Gilligan's Island" and "Power Team" devotees star taking it, we'll all be in the 99th or even 100th percentile.

sex and the single Chrfistian

Although we didn't go this route, we both know several couples who established for themselves a ground rule of "No physical affection at all, beyond holding hands, until marriage." Not even kissing.

The basis for this policy, at it was explained to me, lies in Paul's injunction for unmarried men to treat all older women as their mothers and all women of the same age as their sisters. It's tempting to laugh and call people prudes for practicing such standards, but I rather imagine they rarely got into the hot-and-heavy situations many other unwed Christian couples find themselves in when they don't observe such rules.

In truth, the church really has failed to provide much guidance in this area. Premarital sex, obviously, is proscribed for unmarried couples. But what about the other degrees -- not to put too blunt a point on it -- oral sex, heavy petting, necking and kissing? One major ministry some time ago attempted to delineate what forms of affection were appropriate for nonmarried couples, and what forms weren't -- I think they rated stroking someone's hair as more sensual than kissing -- but, unfortunately for their case, they provided no biblical basis for any of it.

There's also the adage that if a form of affection leads you into temptation to engage in premarital sex, you've gone too far. The problem is that it's very hard to retreat from a place you've already reached.

The standard advice for nonmarried couples seems good: Do multiple dates, meet at public places, and take the physical side of the relationship slowly.

My wife and I dated for 18 months before I asked her to marry me, and waited another 18 months before we tied the knot. That gave us plenty of time to focus on other aspects of our relationship and to run afoul of each other's shortcomings.