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

[Carol the Dabbler]

Department of Motor Vehicles.

 

EEAARRGGGGGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   :facepalm: 

 

 

Thank God we don't have one of those in Indiana -- we have a Bureau of Motor Vehicles!  :D

[Arcadia]

A vast improvement, I am sure. Or is it just half-vast? :p

[SherlockedCAMPer]

It's the government, they're not known for actual improvement are they? ;)

[T.o.b.y]

Oh you poor things. I have a phobia of anything bureaucratic. This is one of the best parts of being married: as a married couple, you count as one entity for many administrative purposes, which means I can let my husband take care of them. And bless him, he does. This is the 21st century version of the valiant knight of old: Instead of fire-breathing dragons, he protects me from spiders, government officials and making a complete fool of myself at the garage that repairs my ailing car. He also keeps track of how much money we have left and what insurance we need. People say marriage takes a lot of work, but it also saves a lot of trouble... :lol:

[Carol the Dabbler]

True -- but he can't renew your driver's license, can he?

 

[Caya]

He wouldn't have to - neither German nor Austrian licenses expire (dunno about the rest of Europe, sorry), generally speaking. There's been talk about changing this but atm, our licenses are for life.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Wow -- that's either great or questionable, I'm not sure.  In every state I'm aware of, you must pass a written test, road test, and eye exam in order to get your license in the first place.  If you move to another state, you must generally pass a written test (because traffic laws vary somewhat) and eye exam.  Even if you stay in the same place, you must pass an eye exam every few years.

 

Many states also have age-related regulations.  Some years back, our neighbors "inherited" his mother's car, simply because she had just passed her 90th birthday, so the state automatically revoked her license, even though she had a spotless record.  In other states, people past a certain age must pass a road test every so often in order to retain their licenses -- I am NOT looking forward to that!

 

[Caya]

I can just imagine .

 

I just checked - I was actually unaware of a change in law, our drivers licences are no longer unlimited either (due to some EU regulation, likely to harmonize laws within the union), and haven't been since 2013. You have to renew them every 15 years now, and have 20 years to start doing so if you got an old unlimited one. However, for now all you need is a new photo - no checks of either knowledge, driving skill or health. You can take these if you're older than 50, but on a voluntary basis.

 

I'm not saying our system is ideal, mind you. Then again, most accidents round here are caused by young, inexperienced and/or cocky drivers (plus the usual DUI idiots) so maybe most seniors simply have sense enough to stop driving when they're no longer able to, or at least drive slowly enough not to cause trouble. Not that a short test wouldn't be a good idea for all age groups, mind you. Some people apparently forget what a speed limit or yellow light is for the moment they get their license .

[Carol the Dabbler]

"Yellow means go fast."  :D

 

They recently increased the length of time that licenses are good for here in Indiana -- from four years to six!

 

[T.o.b.y]

I have a rant about one of my pet peeves: Whiny mothers. I was on the train the other day and there was a little boy, about 3 years old, who was standing up on the seat and getting all excited about the things he could see out the window. It was a gray, drizzly day and we went through one dull provincial hovel after another, but for him, it was all wonderful, and he kept pointing at stuff and naming it. You could really tell that the words were relatively new to him, and he was just so proud of himself for knowing them all and being able to apply them. He'd point his chubby little finger and go "House! Car! Bicycle! Tractor!" etc. as if those things were all sensational. And all his mommy had to say was "stop that" and "behave yourself". It was all I could do to not say, listen lady, your little boy is a real inspiration to me right now with his charming enthusiasm about a world that really is full of wonders which we have stopped appreciating long ago and you are totally ruining it for him and me, so why don't you just shut up.

 

Of course there are kids who are bratty and annoying, but most of the time, it is the mothers with their constant nagging and complaining who get on my nerves. "Stop that", "don't touch that", "sit still" etc. For god's sake! Would they rather their little ones stared a screen 24 hours a day? Probably. I don't remember my parents being like that at all, nor my grandparents neither. When I wore my mother out, she'd kindly tell me she didn't feel like talking right now, and that was it.

[Carol the Dabbler]

It's probably part of the overall idea that we humans can control nature -- everything from our own personal nature to the entire planet -- instead of learning to cooperate with it.  In general this strikes me as a tremendous waste of energy, as well as the rationale behind chemical agriculture, micro-management-style government, and a lot of pharmaceutical products.  Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to try to control nature -- in the short run, it seems like the easy way, and as long as the side effects aren't acknowledged as such, it may always seem like the easy way -- so we all engage in it to one degree or another.

 

For a few months one summer I was working as an assistant to a nutritionist.  One client had her son with her, and after they left, my boss asked me what I'd thought of the boy.  I said he seemed like a nice kid, well spoken, with good manners.  She then informed me that the mother was wanting to put him on drugs for hyperactivity!  Since he had sat quietly in a chair during his mother's appointment, I was baffled, and the only explanation the nutritionist could offer was that the mother didn't know how to deal with a normal, energetic child -- or couldn't be bothered to do so.

 

[Bendydoodle Cantaloupe]

Tch, when I was younger I thought I needed drugs because I could never shut up in class. I still feel like I do. Thanks, school.  <_<

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Tch, when I was younger I thought I needed drugs because I could never shut up in class. I still feel like I do. Thanks, school.  <_<

 

You're a female so the gift of gab is perfectly natural...and most kids put on drugs for behavior issues just need more DHA found in fish, or if allergic to fish, EPA from walnuts and ALA from flax seed are naturally converted by our bodies into DHA (my 2 options because of the fish allergy).

[Inge l-w]

"Yellow means go fast." :D

 

They recently increased the length of time that licenses are good for here in Indiana -- from four years to six!

On this side of the Atlantic also! Licences good for fifteen years, but as for yellow lights...

One of my family's best friends is 95, he bought a new car two years ago, and his motto concerning yellow lights is "Man muss das Lose ausnutzen" , which loses a bit in translation as "I shall go across this intersection faster than the other idiot can get on his gas pedal just before it turns green for them."

Still picks berries and goes for bicycle rides and takes the stairs two at a time, bless him!

[T.o.b.y]

 

Tch, when I was younger I thought I needed drugs because I could never shut up in class. I still feel like I do. Thanks, school.  <_<

 

You're a female so the gift of gab is perfectly natural...and most kids put on drugs for behavior issues just need more DHA found in fish, or if allergic to fish, EPA from walnuts and ALA from flax seed are naturally converted by our bodies into DHA (my 2 options because of the fish allergy).

 

 

What bothers me about kids being put on medication for "hyperactive behavior" too readily is not just that it means a lot of children are given pills they don't actually need but also that the few who really do have ADHD are not taken seriously. I know one of those unfortunate individuals, and as if it wasn't enough that the disease pretty much ruined his life, he also has to put up with doctors who refuse to prescribe his medication and being told daily by some self-proclaimed "expert" that there is nothing wrong with him and he should just "modify his behavior" or some such nonsense.

[Carol the Dabbler]

One of my family's best friends is 95, he bought a new car two years ago, and his motto concerning yellow lights is "Man muss das Lose ausnutzen" , which loses a bit in translation as "I shall go across this intersection faster than the other idiot can get on his gas pedal just before it turns green for them."

Still picks berries and goes for bicycle rides and takes the stairs two at a time, bless him!

 

Bless his heart, and I hope he never meets himself at an intersection!

 

I've actually had the driver behind me at a red light honk impatiently as soon the other direction's light turned yellow. 

 

What bothers me about kids being put on medication for "hyperactive behavior" too readily is not just that it means a lot of children are given pills they don't actually need but also that the few who really do have ADHD are not taken seriously. I know one of those unfortunate individuals, and as if it wasn't enough that the disease pretty much ruined his life, he also has to put up with doctors who refuse to prescribe his medication and being told daily by some self-proclaimed "expert" that there is nothing wrong with him and he should just "modify his behavior" or some such nonsense.

Speaking as a self-proclaimed expert, I agree. There are a number of conditions that I feel would in general benefit most from some good old-fashioned common sense and clean living.  However I've given up being an absolutist after meeting a few people with one problem or another who are clearly benefiting from prescription drugs.  I still have the feeling that some sort of nutritional or lifestyle therapy might be the true cure, but until someone figures out what that might be, drug therapy is at least enabling them to function.  It's just a crutch, but there are times when you really need a crutch.

 

[T.o.b.y]

Speaking as a self-proclaimed expert, I agree. There are a number of conditions that I feel would in general benefit most from some good old-fashioned common sense and clean living.  However I've given up being an absolutist after meeting a few people with one problem or another who are clearly benefiting from prescription drugs.  I still have the feeling that some sort of nutritional or lifestyle therapy might be the true cure, but until someone figures out what that might be, drug therapy is at least enabling them to function.  It's just a crutch, but there are times when you really need a crutch.

 

Well sure - healthy living never hurt anybody and a disease is no excuse for bad manners. And for every individual who really needs drugs to function, there are probably ten, if not more, who just claim they do and who hide behind some kind of diagnosis they wheedled out of some professional (or just claimed for themselves after a little browsing on the internet) rather than put any effort into being a productive, socially tolerable human being and getting their lives straightened out. Which is really the basis of my complaint - all those who take advantage of a label for the sake of their own laziness devalue that label for those whom it actually fits and pave the way for seriously afflicted people to not being taken seriously and denied support they need. Now, where do you draw the line between "seriously afflicted" and "just lazy and whiny and rude"? You can't, that's the problem. Of course you can come up with diagnostic criteria, and there are whole organizations who do nothing else all day, but even then, it remains a murky field.

 

I guess the answer, if there is an answer, is to give everybody the benefit of the doubt and at the same time demand that we all do the best we can with what we've got.

[Fantasy Lover]

Speaking of whining, why is my roommate whiny, complaining and all about self pity? Thankfully it's just for one day

[Arcadia]

Sometimes when people are like that, all they are looking for is a sympathetic ear. Some people feel better if they can share their problems with someone else. It can be hard on the listener though, especially if it happens a lot.

[Shadow Dweller]

Good thing that it is only for a day, maybe they're miserable and need some venting. On the other hand, some people as a habit complain a lot to make point about something, or they want to break the 'ice' (read: silence) in the only way natural for them. There's also a separate species called emotional vampire, run away as far as possible when you become their target. :p

[Fantasy Lover]

Lol, you guys. Anyway, people saying things like 'give me your number, I'll text you!' And then not doing. Don't lie to me. If you don't do it, don't say it! People like you are the reason I have issues with trusting people in the first place!

[J.P.]

I'm so beeping done with Zazzle. Tried to put up some Sherlock designs, but apparently anything tagged with the name will be rejected. 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Have you tried explicitly asking them?

[J.P.]

Not much use to that, they just repeat the same on and on. I can understand that they didn't want to have this: 

 

Or that apparently the sign is copyrighted:

 

So I made my own

 

 

Still not good.

 

And what the heck is wrong with this?

 

 

I will look somewhere else. Or let it be.

[Caya]

That black t-shirt rocks!

 

Please let me know if you get it submitted somewhere else, preferably a place that does plus sized shirts ;).