I have a hard time with 'they' -- it sets off my grammar checker all the time. I do use it from time to time for a hypothetical individual of unspecified gender, but using it for a real named individual wedges my poor brain. So I use "Rax" a lot (which occasionally sets off a different but more easily ignored part of the language checking system). :-/
That said, are these people who've had much occasion to think about gender issues? It sounds like they're not explicitly rejecting your request, but rather failing to process or remember it. Dropping the right pronoun in with minimal fuss ~every time might help. (One convenient feature of geek social conventions: integrating a correction and continuing without side-tracking or griping about being corrected is common and acceptable!) I suspect that visual clues (short of writing your prefered pronouns on your forehead) won't help much at all -- certainly for myself, I might conclude "I can't tell" about someone I don't already have data on, but I don't think I'd ever actively conclude that I should use pronoun other than he or she without asking (haven't figured out the etiquette for that) or being prompted.
The water system for your pond probably has a drainage valve of some sort. Failing that, a shop vac should work fine, but I'd probably try siphoning most of the water out with just a length of hose first. You might consider getting a fish or three that eats algae to help maintain it in the future, if the pond is suitable and you don't object to keeping fish.
A king size bed is annoying if you're going to move with any frequency. Assuming you're not, if one will fit in your bedroom (and not shove other things you want there out), expecting to have three people sleeping in the same bed with moderate frequency is a fine reason to get one. If you don't already know what sort of mattress or futon you like, I don't think there's a good way to pick one that doesn't involve going to a store/showroom and lying on a bunch of different ones until you figure out what works for you. Possibly if you have a doctor/chiropractor/massage therapist with a good sense of you and opinions on the subject, they could provide useful advice?
no subject
That said, are these people who've had much occasion to think about gender issues? It sounds like they're not explicitly rejecting your request, but rather failing to process or remember it. Dropping the right pronoun in with minimal fuss ~every time might help. (One convenient feature of geek social conventions: integrating a correction and continuing without side-tracking or griping about being corrected is common and acceptable!) I suspect that visual clues (short of writing your prefered pronouns on your forehead) won't help much at all -- certainly for myself, I might conclude "I can't tell" about someone I don't already have data on, but I don't think I'd ever actively conclude that I should use pronoun other than he or she without asking (haven't figured out the etiquette for that) or being prompted.
The water system for your pond probably has a drainage valve of some sort. Failing that, a shop vac should work fine, but I'd probably try siphoning most of the water out with just a length of hose first. You might consider getting a fish or three that eats algae to help maintain it in the future, if the pond is suitable and you don't object to keeping fish.
A king size bed is annoying if you're going to move with any frequency. Assuming you're not, if one will fit in your bedroom (and not shove other things you want there out), expecting to have three people sleeping in the same bed with moderate frequency is a fine reason to get one. If you don't already know what sort of mattress or futon you like, I don't think there's a good way to pick one that doesn't involve going to a store/showroom and lying on a bunch of different ones until you figure out what works for you. Possibly if you have a doctor/chiropractor/massage therapist with a good sense of you and opinions on the subject, they could provide useful advice?