INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you allow the rejection to sour your attitude or affect your work, your boss will probably feel like (s)he made the right decision. If you develop a reputation for having a bad attitude or for not accepting feedback, then your boss will be even less likely to give you a raise. Once your boss gives his final verdict, be as gracious as possible. Don't walk out of the room and slam the door. This demonstrates your willingness to take your boss's opinions into account. It may be that both of you can agree on increased responsibilities and activities over a certain time period that gradually leads to a new role and a pay increase. This will also demonstrate your commitment to your job and your ability to work hard. Your boss will see you as a go-getter and you'll be on his radar the next time raise season rolls around. If you are a star employee, keep performing excellently and ask again in a few months time. This provides a dated, written record that you can remind your boss of in future negotiations. It will also remind your boss that you're grateful for the conversation that you had and shows him that you have follow-through. . Your desire for a pay raise is now out in the open and your boss should be concerned about the possibility that you are looking for work elsewhere. Set a date for when you will ask again. Until that time, be sure to kick your work into high gear. Don't slack off just because you're disappointed that you won't be getting a raise yet. You should never have to settle for less than you deserve. If you're shooting higher than your company is willing to pay, maybe it's better to apply for a different position that has a higher salary -- either with your company or another one. Think this possibility through carefully; there's no need to burn bridges just because your conversation with your boss didn't go well. It's better to stick with it for a little while longer to try to work for that raise. But if months have passed and you haven't gotten the recognition you deserve in spite of your hard work, then don't feel bad about seeing what other companies have to offer.

SUMMARY: Don't take it personally. Ask your boss what you can do differently. Send a follow-up email saying thank you. Be persistent Consider looking elsewhere if the situation doesn't change.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut the fresh corn cobs into 1-inch (2.5-cm) slices. This can be somewhat difficult, and you will need to use a heavy, sharp knife in order to accomplish the task. When cutting, lean over the knife to put more of your weight and more pressure into the cut. Just be careful not to accidentally cut yourself in the process. The corn flavor is only optional. Store-bought corn syrup does not taste like corn, so if you want something closer to the store-bought kind, skip the steps dealing with corn and use 1.25 (310 ml) of water instead of the full amount. The rest of the ingredients and steps will remain the same. Add the corn and cold water to a medium-size saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Begin with cold water for best results. As soon as the water starts to boil, drop the heat down to medium and allow the water to calm to a simmer. Let boil for roughly 30 minutes. Leave the lid off the saucepan. When finished, the water level should drop to half its original amount. Pour the water and corn through a colander. Save the corn-flavored water and return it to the saucepan. You can use the corn in other recipes or discard it. Stir the sugar and salt into the water until dissolved. Scrape the vanilla seeds out of the bean and add them to the saucepan. For an even stronger vanilla taste, add the pod to the syrup mixture, as well. If you do not have any vanilla beans, you can substitute 1 tsp (5 ml) of vanilla extract, instead. Let the mixture simmer over medium to medium-low heat until all the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens. The mixture should be thick enough to stick to the back of your mixing spoon when done. Let the corn syrup sit out at room temperature until the temperature of the corn syrup itself drops to room temperature. Do not cool the corn syrup in your refrigerator at this stage. You can use the corn syrup immediately, or you can refrigerate it in a sealed container for several months. Store the corn syrup with the vanilla bean. If sugar crystals start to develop over time, you can microwave the syrup with a splash of water until warm. Stir to dissolve the crystals, then use as normal.

SUMMARY: Cut the corn into slices. Boil the corn and water over medium-high to high heat. Reduce the heat and let simmer. Strain out the water. Add the sugar and salt to the corn-flavored water. Add the vanilla to the mixture. Simmer the mixture for 30 to 60 minutes. Let cool. Use immediately or let cool.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Many cities and towns now have recycling drop-off points or even curbside municipal recycling collection. However, every community is different, so visit your local government's website to find out what facilities and options are available in your area. Most communities will at least have 1 or more recycling facilities, although these facilities may only accept certain types of plastic. If your community offers curbside pickup, you can leave your plastics in a recycling bin alongside your garbage bin on garbage day. In areas that don't have curbside pickup, there are often large recycling dumpsters around town, usually at public places like schools, churches, or municipal buildings. Make sure you're adhering to your local government's guidelines when dropping off your recyclables. Otherwise, this may constitute littering. Search online or call your local officials to find recycling centers in your area. Be sure to ask if there are any limits on what types of plastic you can bring to the center to be recycled. For example, some recycling centers may not be able to accept plastic bags. However, you can often take these to the grocery store to be recycled. Some recycling facilities will pay a couple of cents per item that you drop off. You can make a few extra bucks by collecting recycling from your friends and neighbors and bringing it in. Some recycling centers will do the sorting and cleaning for you, so you can just dump cans, plastics and papers all together. With others, you will need to separate different materials beforehand and drop them off into select containers when you take them to the facility. If your facility requires it, separate paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, and cans. This can be annoying, but like any household chore, it gets easier if you make a weekly habit of it. Note that you may be required to clean out your plastic and remove the labels as well.

SUMMARY:
Find out about the specifics of your community's recycling program. Leave your recycling at a drop-off point to have someone pick it up. Take your plastics to a local recycling center if there's no pickup option. Contact the recycling facility and ask if you need to sort your plastic.