Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Artemis]

15 minutes ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

So if a cat observes that you don't approve of its behavior, it may avoid doing it while you're watching,

Or it may wait until you're watching to make sure you're witness to its flagrant disrespect of your authority.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

3 hours ago, Artemis said:

Or it may wait until you're watching to make sure you're witness to its flagrant disrespect of your authority.

 

I heard rumors they like to maintain eye contact while dropping things off the table.

[J.P.]

5 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I want to punch obnoxious people in the face without much thinking, when they deserve it. Not a subtext.

Hey, you "can" punch them. If you hit the nose, you don't need much strength. A headbutt is also very effective. The problem is - what happens after that. In my youth you could quite strongly relate on the assumption that a man won't hit a women (except exceptions, of course). Now I wouldn't count on this.

PS: the best way to make me do something, was to tell me I can't because I'm a girl. Not in a sport department though.

[Arcadia]

Oh my ears, you people are so violent! What am I doing here amid such a belligerent crowd? 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

14 hours ago, Artemis said:

Or it may wait until you're watching to make sure you're witness to its flagrant disrespect of your authority.

One of our cats would wait till we were watching television, then walk over right in front of the TV and defecate on the carpet.  We finally figured out that she simply wanted attention, but didn't know how to ask for it.  So we started making a point of petting her whenever we passed by her, and she went right back to using the litter box.

10 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I heard rumors they like to maintain eye contact while dropping things off the table.

I believe I've seen that, yes.  It's like, "hey, I'm making a point here!"

9 hours ago, J.P. said:

In my youth you could quite strongly relate on the assumption that a man won't hit a women (except exceptions, of course). Now I wouldn't count on this.

I think it still works, but you may need more points in your favor.  Like the time a guy had really pissed me off.  I didn't want to throw the first punch, but was almost hoping that he would.  Figured he wouldn't, though, because he's not only male, he's also twenty years younger than me, half a foot taller, weighs probably twice as much, and his hair is still dark (though frankly, I suspect he "touches it up").  So I didn't think he'd actually punch a "little old white-haired lady," because it'd make him look like a bully, and a foolish one at that.  We stood nose to nose till a couple other guys pulled us apart, just like in the movies.  It was pretty cool.  

8 hours ago, Arcadia said:

What am I doing here amid such a belligerent crowd? 

Hopefully taking notes.

[Artemis]

On 11/13/2020 at 5:51 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

I heard rumors they like to maintain eye contact while dropping things off the table.

The rumors are true.  I used to have a long shelf where I lined up little stuffed animals.  My cat would jump up there and look me straight in the eye as he slowly knocked each one off the shelf, one by one.  Then as soon as I moved in his direction he would leap off the shelf and race out of the room.

 

[T.o.b.y]

On 11/13/2020 at 5:50 PM, Carol the Dabbler said:

I think it still works, but you may need more points in your favor.  Like the time a guy had really pissed me off.  I didn't want to throw the first punch, but was almost hoping that he would.  Figured he wouldn't, though, because he's not only male, he's also twenty years younger than me, half a foot taller, weighs probably twice as much, and his hair is still dark (though frankly, I suspect he "touches it up").  So I didn't think he'd actually punch a "little old white-haired lady," because it'd make him look like a bully, and a foolish one at that.  We stood nose to nose till a couple other guys pulled us apart, just like in the movies.  It was pretty cool.  

 

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 11/13/2020 at 8:55 PM, J.P. said:

Hey, you "can" punch them. If you hit the nose, you don't need much strength. A headbutt is also very effective. The problem is - what happens after that. In my youth you could quite strongly relate on the assumption that a man won't hit a women (except exceptions, of course). Now I wouldn't count on this.

PS: the best way to make me do something, was to tell me I can't because I'm a girl. Not in a sport department though.

Yes, I think I have decent chance to hold my own, learnt bits of martial arts, and nutty behavior when I'm provoked. But yah, dealing with aftermath of that is giving me the idea that it's more advantageous and less risky as a male. Sometimes I wish we have device to mask ourselves so people can't tell gender and ethnicity, therefore have less prejudgment for interactions.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 11/13/2020 at 8:55 PM, J.P. said:

PS: the best way to make me do something, was to tell me I can't because I'm a girl. Not in a sport department though.

Quote messes up, so another post.Fortunately, noone told me exactly that as far as I remember, not can't,  but shouldn't, mostly after I proved that I could. But to their credit, it seems (I hope) like compliments but delivered weirdly, Girls shouldn't able too, normally..blabla..but you did or blablabla variation, whatever.

On 11/14/2020 at 10:18 AM, Artemis said:

.  I used to have a long shelf where I lined up little stuffed animals.  My cat would jump up there and look me straight in the eye as he slowly knocked each one off the shelf, one by one.

 

On 11/14/2020 at 6:50 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

One of our cats would wait till we were watching television, then walk over right in front of the TV and defecate on the carpet. 

See? Cats are jerks.

Regards,

Dog people

On 11/14/2020 at 6:50 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

I didn't want to throw the first punch, but was almost hoping that he would.  Figured he wouldn't, though, because he's not only male, he's also twenty years younger than me, half a foot taller, weighs probably twice as much, and his hair is still dark (though frankly, I suspect he "touches it up").  So I didn't think he'd actually punch a "little old white-haired lady," because it'd make him look like a bully, and a foolish one at that.  We stood nose to nose till a couple other guys pulled us apart, just like in the movies.  It was pretty cool.  

😆see? Once in a while people's faces seem so punchable, right?

I believe I told this before, in similar situation like yours. Four uni female students and the cab ran into my friend's car. She made a move out of the line, with signal etc, and this cab rammed at high speed straight. Nothing serious, both were at wrong, but this big guys was very bullish seeing four young females and tried to threaten my friend, who was apologizing and offered solution. But he kept on being offensive and I started to get annoyed especially he wouldn't let it rest. Then his colleague, noticed commotion involving his company's cab, stopped and helped this guy to threaten us. My three other friends were frightened but they tried to negotiate, but the guys kept trying to extort, I believe, and refused to settle at the police or whatever solution my friends offered, they got more and more agressive. At some point I was way too pissed I finally engaged verbally with them in shouting match and stood face to face with the big guy, at different height 😊 (his friend was smaller but he was much bigger and taller than me). I'd never forget what he said to me, If you were a guy, I'd punch you. And without thinking, I replied, If you were a girl, I would punch you too! 

Maybe it sounds like I wish he were smaller physically and more like my match, but actually I was thinking he was more some big dumb and slow guys who only relied on his loudness to claim his territory and in no way a worthy opponent unlike an actual girl 😁.

And they actually let us go, because people started to stop as well and we were no way in friendly or negotiating posture. See, told you he was only a loud mouth good for nothing..

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 11/13/2020 at 7:55 AM, J.P. said:

the best way to make me do something, was to tell me I can't because I'm a girl.

That sort of reminds me of the time I came back from lunch in a particularly good mood so I was whistling a tune.  My male office mate looked up skeptically, said "Girls can't whistle," then went back to work.

That was just his dry sense of humor though (since I obviously WAS whistling).  Cracked me up.

 

[J.P.]

On 11/16/2020 at 6:50 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

Sometimes I wish we have device to mask ourselves so people can't tell gender and ethnicity

I had a talent to mask my gender. Which spared me stupid encounters with males but also almost got me into a brawl.

[Arcadia]

On 11/16/2020 at 12:50 AM, Van Buren Supernova said:

Sometimes I wish we have device to mask ourselves

😛 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Not sure that's quite the same thing, Arcadia!

  

40 minutes ago, J.P. said:

I had a talent to mask my gender. Which spared me stupid encounters with males but also almost got me into a brawl.

Guess it would have its drawbacks!

 

[besleybean]

I spend most of my life trying to ignore the existence of gender...

stupid concept.

[J.P.]

29 minutes ago, besleybean said:

I spend most of my life trying to ignore the existence of gender...

Especially my own.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Maybe we could choose to interact like a hologram in the future, with button to reveal ourselves only when we want to. How nice it would be!

Actually, I sort of enjoying this masking thing, it makes me feel.. more peaceful? As beside health factor, I prefer to be in mask. The only setback is when I want to express my gratitude to someone, I stupidly smile behind it. 

Moral of the story, beside all things, maybe we could develop a better sense of judging people. There is old saying that fake people's smile don't travel to the eyes (don't look it up, I botched it for sure, more or less it means one should be able to differentiate whether a smile is fake or genuine from the eyes).

[Carol the Dabbler]

3 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

The only setback is when I want to express my gratitude to someone, I stupidly smile behind it. 

Me too -- relieved to know I'm not the only one!  But I figure -- as you went on to mention -- that the act of smiling also makes one's eyes crinkle, and they *can* see that (unless I'm wearing my sunglasses, of course).

 

[Arcadia]

I'm finding it very hard to tell if people are smiling behind their masks. I find myself grinning extra big, in hopes it will, in fact, travel to my eyes. And yes, I know that sentence was horribly constructed.

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I know that sentence was horribly constructed.

Nope, your sentence construction was just fine.  (The grammar police might not care for your use of "extra big" as an adverb, but phooey on the grammar police.)

[Van Buren Supernova]

Good god I hate spoiler!!

[Carol the Dabbler]

14 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Good god I hate spoiler!!

In art, I believe that's called foreshadowing.  

 

[besleybean]

Yes I was going to pipe up that I thought it was intentional...

but indeed, that is the technical term!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm not sure VBS was entirely serious, though!  

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 1/19/2021 at 7:33 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

I'm not sure VBS was entirely serious, though!  

 

Hey, what gives?

I am on perfect mental and humor state now. For example, I think I need to yell at my chips for trying to control my life. It has this audacity written "Sharing Pack".

Hey chips, it's for me only and you are not the boss of me!

[Carol the Dabbler]

23 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I need to yell at my chips for trying to control my life. It has this audacity written "Sharing Pack".

Hey chips, it's for me only and you are not the boss of me!

You go, girl!!!