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

[Van Buren Supernova]

14 hours ago, Pseudonym said:

*shudder* It happened again; "Your brother? I thought he was your husband." *cringe*

Good God!

I have three brothers and luckily we were never mistaken as such.

The most common mistake is people thought I'm younger than my younger brothers, which, of course, I rub it squarely in their faces.

 

Regarding euphemism, 

We mostly use 'the moon', the moon is visiting, or something along the line of 'I'm having it'. Anyway, there are couple of times when I educate men not to question a woman for bringing their bags into the toilet loudly.  I'm one of those who like to keep it secret. I know there is nothing to be ashamed of, but cringe everytime my female friends announce that it's their time of the month, without valid reason. It's understandable if it's something related like they are not feeling well or unable to do certain things, but nooo, it's just a passing mention, to everyone, sometimes with details. I mean, it's kind of TMI for me. I don't want to know what is going down there, don't even care what is going up there. geez

[Pseudonym]

Yea, I don't mention it without good reason. Perhaps to my mother if I'm feeling particularly rough but never say much to anyone else. One of my friends always announces it, though I don't really get why. 

[Van Buren Supernova]

My superpower wish for today is the ability to break fingers of people who doesn't know how to use signals and change lanes dangerously.

Or ability to break the device of people taking picture or video, get caught doing so, but didn't blink and continue taking while looking at you straight in the eye .

Or the ability to break the vehicle of people who throw out rubbish from the vehicle. What century is it?

 

Breaking! Breaking! WIth all those breaking superpowers, it would be a better world. Not everyone deserve peace.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Or the ability to break the vehicle of people who throw out rubbish from the vehicle. What century is it?

I saw something weird today.  There was an empty water bottle lying beside the road.  The weird part was, whoever had tossed it there had very neatly screwed the cap back on the bottle after they finished drinking the water -- right before they tossed it out the window. 

Not saying that I'm exactly a model citizen, though -- if i were, I'd have picked up the damn bottle. 

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

Maybe they hate to do two time throwing exercises.

It's more infuriating when I'm riding and people throw something unsafe like live cigarette butt. It's against all the will in my body to prevent myself from picking it up and throw it back to them and let the car burn. And a lot of trash. I would think that modern people have more sensibility about littering, we are not animal and cave man anymore.  And the amount of trash people leave in public places; park, beach. Filthy swines.

[Arcadia]

Oh, the litter after we have celebrations in our little nearby town. I'm always so careful about packing out everything I brought in, it's bred into me. Apparently not everyone, though.

One of the most amazing things I ever saw was all the trash left behind after Obama's 1st inauguration. Now, bear in mind that it was bitterly cold, to the point where it was hard to move, and the crowds were massive (even bigger than Trump's! 😉 ) If you dropped something (like I did) it was gone; there was no room to bend over and pick it back up, and you couldn't stop and wait for the crowd to pass because of the crush of people behind. You go where the crowd goes in a situation like that.

However, my friend and I were able to slowly work our way to the edge of the crowd and escaped into areas that had already been vacated. It was astonishing; the actual ground was almost invisible under a layer of dropped scarfs, thermoses, cardboard (to stand on, the keep your feet from freezing), hats, gloves, pamphlets, signs, flags, food wrappers, food, electronics, bus tickets … you name it. My nice new warm gloves were out there somewhere; I picked up a non-matching pair off the ground and used those instead.

Add that to the bleak winter landscape and grey sky, and all I kept thinking was this must be what the post-apocalypse will look like. 

Then we went into one of the museums to kill time until our train arrived, and that was even more amazing; hundreds of people draped over every surface and sprawled on the floor, trying to escape the cold. Most of them had their shoes off, trying to warm up their feet, and most of them looked completely exhausted; barely moving. I imagine all the public buildings were like that; we had tried to get into one of the other museums first, but the entrance was too crowded, we couldn't get near it. I've seen a lot of people in one place before, but not when almost every one was nearly comatose. It was … unsettling.

I must say the cops and museum staff were fantastic; they did everything they could to get people into shelter and give them all the time they needed to recover, completely without hassle. Everyone was very kind, which is one thing I love about DC … generally, they are VERY tolerant of the public treating public spaces like public spaces. That's not true everywhere (I'm looking at you, Richmond VA!!! ) Or at least, they were that way back when I used to visit DC a lot; I don't know, now. Everyone's tenser and angrier, now. But on that day in particular, love for one's fellow man was definitely in the air. One of the highlights of my life.

[Carol the Dabbler]

On 6/19/2018 at 4:07 AM, Carol the Dabbler said:

It's my understanding that the delivery service they use, UDS, uses contractors who work on commission (rather than employees who are paid by the hour).  So the contractors have incentive to make as many deliveries as possible per day, which may lead some individual contractors to do a quick and sloppy job.

I did get my peanuts right on schedule.  BUT they were not left at our front door, as the tracking info claimed (and as the other delivery services actually DO).  They were left perched on top of our mailbox, which is a mile from our house, at the entrance to our subdivision, and where anyone else coming into the subdivision would see them (and might decide to help themselves).

It recently sank in that my long-time second-favorite delivery service, FedEx, is moving in that same direction.  First, I saw on a poster that they were looking for people who would like to "work for themselves" while delivering packages for FedEx.  Their drivers used to bring our parcels to the front door (as UPS still does), but a while back they started leaving them in front of the garage, about ten meters closer to the driveway.  I'm now guessing that was about the same time that I saw the poster.  One evening recently we happened to be outside when a FedEx delivery was made, and it was definitely a contractor, because the contractor's company name was also on the truck, in small letters.

This week was the real winner, though.  I had ordered something delivered to my mother's house.  The shipper promised to overnight it, so we'd have it Tuesday (before I went home on Wednesday).  I believe they also said they'd require a signature.  I kept a careful eye out for them all day Tuesday.  I even checked outside the door several times.  Nothing.

Wednesday I went to get in my car, which was parked at the back of the driveway, beside the house -- and there was the package, lying against the side door. This was not an honest mistake.  There is no way that anyone would think the side door was the main entrance to the house. I'm guessing the package had been tossed there by a driver who never bothered to leave the truck.  I am furthermore tempted to guess that the paperwork has my mother's signature on it (though not in her handwriting).

I will be sure to let the shipper know what wonderful extra service their overnight-delivery fee bought them.

[Pseudonym]

How annoying is this, someone on another forum arguing if I'm over or underweight without seeing a photo of me. 😡

[Carol the Dabbler]

What were they basing their arguments on, then?  Had you mentioned your height and weight?  Or anything?

[Pseudonym]

Yea, height and weight. My bmi is healthy but no way am I underweight.

[Carol the Dabbler]

BMI is a very simplistic model in any case.  It doesn't take one's skeletal structure into account.  And it's notoriously misleading for short or tall people.

My husband's employer wants us to come in once a year for a brief physical evaluation, in return for which it gives us a break on our medical-insurance payments.  They keep telling me two things -- I'm a bit underweight and I'm too fat.  The former is because my BMI is low.  Admittedly I'm thin, but I'm also tall, which makes the BMI think I'm bordering on too thin.  And the latter is because my waist is "too big." I keep pointing out that circumference is a linear measure, meaning that one's waist measurement will necessarily be proportional to one's height.  And if an average-height woman had the same height-waist proportion that I do, she'd be considered perfectly fine.  But they use the same "normal" range for everyone.

[Pseudonym]

That's the thing, there are so many more things to take into account. But by making a sweeping statement that I'm underweight (along with starving myself apparently - I do not) it makes it sound like I have a problem bordering on an eating disorder if I want to lose a few lbs... which I do.  

[Carol the Dabbler]

1 hour ago, Pseudonym said:

... making a sweeping statement that I'm underweight (along with starving myself apparently - I do not) it makes it sound like I have a problem bordering on an eating disorder if I want to lose a few lbs... which I do.  

From my distant vantage point, I have no idea which of you is correct.   (And maybe you're both wrong.)  Obviously they are working with far too little data, so if they're correct they merely made a lucky guess.  But I can't be 100% confident in your self-assessment either.  (I assume that the late Karen Carpenter said very similar things.)

So I shall simply mind my own business.  More or less.

[T.o.b.y]

19 hours ago, Pseudonym said:

How annoying is this, someone on another forum arguing if I'm over or underweight without seeing a photo of me. 😡

That doesn't sound merely annoying to me but downright rude. I mean, that's a very personal topic, isn't it? 

And like Carol said, numbers like BMI or weight circumference aren't perfectly reliable in determining someone's nutritional status. You have to be able to actually see the person and know what to look for. 

That said, why does it seem like all women want to lose weight? I haven't met a woman in years who didn't regardless of how skinny she already was. Myself included btw. 

[Van Buren Supernova]

22 minutes ago, T.o.b.y said:

That said, why does it seem like all women want to lose weight? I haven't met a woman in years who didn't regardless of how skinny she already was.

Not all.

Me and my friend in uni were considered skinny. There was a time when we tried to tip the scale to beat a big guy when he commented two of us weight less than him, so we jumped to the scale together, thinking that we would break it, or at the very least, shut the guy up. We didn't, we couldn't even beat him, counting less than 90kg for two of us, and we are considered tall.

Back then, both of us wish we were somewhat bigger. She wanted to have bigger thigh, I wanted to have bigger arms. Well of course with passing years, office work and slower metabolism, we get what we wanted and more.

But you are right, it's rude. People always seem to comment on mine, I'm not sure with being told too skinny is as hurtful as the opposite, but it's no fun as well, especially when it comes with eating advice. Even when I eventually gain some weight they would comment Hey you are fatter! I'm not sure if it's my personality, that they know I'm okay with playful insults or they feel it's alright to say that when I'm not really in fat category. Anyway, it seems like now, when I'm not on either side, is the more acceptable condition to people. 

So I find yah, in RL people are busybody with my weight. It never happens to me in forum though, although I don't have a lot of experience, and the forum I hang out enough to know the members are those that are decent. Did you guys happen to talk about nutrition or something? 

 

Anyway, what do you guys think about re-gifting stuff? And have you ever done that?

I'm trying to clear up my office and home and found gifts that I had never used, still nicely sitting in the packaging. Most of these are gifts from people who don't really know me tbh. There are nice, cutsy things or decoratives that looks nice, but not really in my taste. I appreciate the thoughts, and would never re-gift something that are custom made for me (even when I don't like it), that is my line. Now I'm looking at these stuffs (not custom made) and thinking about how they are just sitting there when they can actually make someone else happy. Anyway, everytime I always put them back because I think regifting is not a very good thing to do, especially when I know the person made an effort or had me in their mind when they purchased them. So I'm still wondering what I would do.

[Pseudonym]

Yea, it's a low carb forum, so it's not that it was off topic per se, it's just the sweeping statement I'm underweight that peed me off. I can't even figure out where he got it from, if he is going by BMI that clearly says healthy rather than underweight. Idiot. 

I don't see a problem with regifting, just make sure you don't gift it back to the person you got it from!

[Carol the Dabbler]

8 hours ago, Pseudonym said:

I don't see a problem with regifting, just make sure you don't gift it back to the person you got it from!

... or to anyone that they know.

A friend of mine has at least twice asked someone (once me, once a mutual friend) whether they would like to have a piece of jewelry that she thought was very pretty but not really something she could wear.  Neither the mutual friend nor I ever figured out whether she had actually forgotten that we gave those items to her, or whether it was her rather peculiar way of saying "No, but thanks for the thought."

11 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

we jumped to the scale together, thinking that we would break it, or at the very least, shut the guy up. We didn't, we couldn't even beat him, counting less than 90kg for two of us, and we are considered tall.

Wow, you really were skinny --less than 200 pounds total!  I'm kinda tall myself (5'8", about 175 cm), and briefly weighed under a hundred.  In my case, that was definitely *way* too thin, and I'm glad to be back up to my usual skinny 125 (57 kg).

11 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I'm not sure with being told too skinny is as hurtful as the opposite, but it's no fun as well,

A friend once said she was worried about me because I had lost so much weight (not the under-a-hundred time, just skinnier than usual).  I replied that it seemed odd that it was OK for her to say that, but if I had said I was worried about her because she had gained so much weight (which she had), that would be consudered very rude.  She turned pale and fell all over herself apologizing.  But I said no, it really was OK, I just thought it was odd that vice versa would not be OK.

11 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

I'm looking at these stuffs (not custom made) and thinking about how they are just sitting there when they can actually make someone else happy. Anyway, everytime I always put them back because I think regifting is not a very good thing to do, especially when I know the person made an effort or had me in their mind when they purchased them. So I'm still wondering what I would do.

I generally wait a few years, then give the item to someone else or to a charity -- but nowhere near where the giver lives, preferably in another state.

[T.o.b.y]

I agree on the re-gifting issue. It's better to give that stuff away than to let it gather dust at your place. When I choose gifts to people, I often think to myself, if they don't like them then at least it should be easy to find someone else they can give them to. I expect some of my gifts will be passed on and I wouldn't be offended if I found out. 

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yes I was very lean in my uni time, and it worked to my advantage in term of chosen activity, but I don't think I fit into that category anymore . Pun! A pun!!

 

Anyway about regifting, I would see if the opportunity comes by, because when I give something, I don't normally use birthdays or whatever, usually it's not special occasion and when I see something that I know someone would like and we are close enough. But yes, I would consider regift them to suitable person and pay attention to the possible tracing back.

 

[Fantasy Lover]

You know what's worse than men commenting on a women's weight? Asking them if they are on their period . As for regifting things, my dad once brought me several things I didn't want and and donated all of it to a second hand store, as long as the gifter don't find out you'll be fine.

 

Ugh, I'm sick. WHY am I sick? It's summer! This makes NO sense!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheerluck]

Why, WHY do people who know nothing about computers insist on watching youtube videos and trying to 'enhance' computer settings!

[Carol the Dabbler]

5 hours ago, Fantasy Lover said:

Ugh, I'm sick. WHY am I sick? It's summer! This makes NO sense!

Maybe it's actually an allergy?

1 hour ago, Sheerluck said:

Why, WHY do people who know nothing about computers insist on watching youtube videos and trying to 'enhance' computer settings!

I am completely bewildered by computers now, and I used to program them -- professionally -- plus do the occasional bit of hardware maintenance.  But nowadays there are no user's manuals (no, I do not count the usual three pages of Idiot Warnings; e.g., do not stuff this computer up your nose).  Though of course back when I used to write user's manuals, hardly anyone ever read them.  Why should they, when they could just phone me? 

Hmm, I was leading up to something.  Oh, right.  Back when we had manuals, a user could get some idea of what was supposed to be possible and what was not.  Nowadays, there's no way to know!  So people are forced to turn to sources like YouTube for even rudimentary instructions, like how to turn the damn things on.  So is it any wonder that they learn to trust YouTube, and turn to it for additional information?

[Van Buren Supernova]

11 hours ago, Sheerluck said:

Why, WHY do people who know nothing about computers insist on watching youtube videos and trying to 'enhance' computer settings!

I blame it on movies. Almost everytime I see a government, spy or hacker movies they would zoom the surveillance image or video and keep saying 'enhance' 'enhance' and it would get magically sharper with more details. If only resolution works that way. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

2 hours ago, Van Buren Supernova said:

Almost everytime I see a government, spy or hacker movies they would zoom the surveillance image or video and keep saying 'enhance' 'enhance' and it would get magically sharper with more details. If only resolution works that way.

Maybe they're using fractals?

[Pseudonym]

I hate it when you turn on a tap and the water bounces off a spoon or something and drenches you. Just got absolutely soaked.