# And a bitchy New Year - January 2012 minirants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003 "2012-01-01T02:05:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/201 "2012-01-11T15:57:43Z")
[quote=“kaylasdad99, post:198, topic:608003”] Next time you go to your doctor, someone will be pricking your finger to take a glucose check. Notice how many tries they need to do it, and find out what kind of lancets they use. Then try to get your hands on those. [quote] One try, but so far that spot is the only one I can consistenly get blood from (top outside edge of index finger just southeast of the nail) and given those spots are scarred from past experiences, I’m not going to turn them to hamburger by continually poking them for blood. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > This might be too obvious, but are you squeezing your fingers real good, **Chimera** Yup. > [@Nava](#): > > pricking and then turning the finger facedown while squeezing did wonders. Oh, I’ll eventually get it down, it’s just very frustrating right now. The nurse advised me to work along the edge of my fingers. My joke on that is that eventually, due to all the pin pricks, I will have perforated skin on both hands and someday all the skin will just peel off like a paper towel or something. Came home sick today. My boss was in all last week sick as a dog and it’s made its way through our team and finally got to me. Nappy time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/202 "2012-01-12T08:52:13Z")
Got a panicked call from my mother yesterday at noon. In Spain, banks used to give you a “booklet” where your account’s movements were recorded; nowadays they’re optional and on their way out. Back in late November I transferred some money to an account Mom uses only to pay for train tickets (no, I don’t understand it either); I asked her to check it had gone through but she didn’t. Cue yesterday: Her: I updated the booklet at the ATM this morning and the transfer isn’t there! It’s still showing 0.06€-! Me: Did you go in? Go in? Yeah, into the office to ask about it. Well no, I’m calling you! But Mom, I’m 100km away and all I can do is… _click type type click click type_ tell you that I did indeed perform that transfer, November 28th, under your name, it was a pre-established shortcut I’ve used successfully before… can you please go to the bank office tomorrow and check? (All this said while trying to figure out whether to strangle her with the bank workers’ guts or the other way 'round) Oh… oh, ok. Turns out the ATM hadn’t been able to contact the server and she had not been able to Read The Fucking Screen - or walk in, damnit! The ATM is just outside the bank office! _facedesk^n_ And no, it’s not old age ☹ She’s always been wrong inna head, including requiring help for things she should do herself and rejecting it for those where she needs it. It may be dementia but it’s not senility. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/203 "2012-01-12T10:48:56Z")
My friend, the headache that makes me feel like shit after I’ve been out, seems to be making a recurrence. And that description doesn’t even get to the heart of it. This headache is so bad that it is the reason I stopped going out in the first place. I wish it just hurt, but it gnaws and gnaws at me. I get restless as all get out. Every doctor thinks they are either migraines or panic attacks, both of which I’ve had and dealt with, and this is something else. Oh, and the reason I may have to go out is a doctor’s appointment is due to being sick in a way that might be making all this worse, so I have to go, and then I have to suffer. It can’t be like my last few times I went out where I was only scared that something might happen, but it never did. The ones that made me think I could handle it, and it was only a matter of desensitizing myself. It’s just so frustrating that I had to put it out there. And now Dad’s mad at me since I’m using the computer with the seat I can sit on in this condition. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/204 "2012-01-12T14:32:22Z")
Stop walking around! There’s nothing over there! Stop walking back and forth! Stop it! ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/205 "2012-01-12T15:08:06Z")
Why the fuck are drivers here so stupid? We got, what, an inch of snow last night? And there are so many accidents I just spent two hours in traffic only to get about 20 minutes away from home (even though I work 45 minutes away on a good day) and eventually just turned around and came back to work here. On my way, I almost got rear-ended by an asshole who just couldn’t wait. And my fucking car is so light I almost got stuck just going up a hill. Dammit. Oh, well. I’ll probably get more done here than I would at work anyway. Fewer interruptions. Wish I had my notes, though. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/206 "2012-01-12T16:11:04Z")
On Dec 26, I placed an order for a vacuum cleaner at walmart’s website. The next day my credit card was charged. Today is Jan 12 - according to the “Track My Order” info, my vacuum cleaner left the delivery facility in Virginia on Jan 3. I live in southern Maryland - even the farthest point in Virginia is within a day’s drive… \*I WANT MY VACUUM CLEANER!!! \* Dammit! If I’d had any idea it would take this long, I’d have driven to a store myself. So much for the convenience of on-line shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/207 "2012-01-12T17:02:07Z")
**FCM** : I hear you. I ordered a new messenger bag (for my work bag, as my current one is slowly falling apart) from Macy’s maybe around Dec. 16th, as part of a larger order that used up the gift card I got from my bosses. Everything else arrived before Christmas. When I placed the order, I was told the bag wouldn’t arrive until Dec. 29th. No problem. On the 29th, I get an e-mail from Macy’s - vendor is out of stock right now, what do you want to do about your order? I ask about getting a different color. Next e-mail says that if I want to keep the original color, it’ll ship Jan. 9th. Well, Ok, I guess that’s fine. Now it’s the 12th. No e-mail from Macy’s. I checked the order status online maybe an hour ago, and the projected ship date is “12/31/9999,” which I assume means it’s still out of stock. At this point I’m worried about when one of my bag’s zipper pulls may break, and I could have used that money to buy something else with that order, which also took advantage of a combo of free shipping and a discount code. I suspect now they’ll tell me I authorized them to continue with the order (which I did on the assumption that it would indeed ship on the 9th) and that I’ll probably have to get tough to get free shipping or some kind of consideration. I understand supply issues, but their not communicating with me is the worst part. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/208 "2012-01-12T17:09:34Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > … I checked the order status online maybe an hour ago, and the projected ship date is “12/31/9999,” which I assume means it’s still out of stock… No, it means you need to start taking lots of vitamins and getting plenty of sleep and fiber. You’re gonna have to stick around for a loooong time if you want that damn bag, missy. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/209 "2012-01-12T17:23:28Z")
Today is not starting out well. First, that idiot dog next door woke me up at 6:30, barking at nothing like he always does (Bumpuses!). Then, since I spotted a mouse in the kitchen last night, we were moving a storage container to place a trap behind it and tipped over an 18 x 18 porcelain tile onto my foot. I leaned it there because it’s near the back door and wanted to remind myself to take it out to the garage. Now I just need to look at the bruise on my foot for a reminder. Then I spotted that fucking mouse again. He’s a brave little bastard, I have to give him that. Looks like we’re going to need to finally go to the animal shelter for a new kitty, which my wife has been reluctant to do up to this point. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/210 "2012-01-12T17:42:33Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > No, it means you need to start taking lots of vitamins and getting plenty of sleep and fiber. You’re gonna have to stick around for a loooong time if you want that damn bag, missy. Geez, my grandpa lived to 102 and I thought that was impressive! The things we do in pursuit of consumerism… (Sending a “hey, so about that bag…” e-mail first.) ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/211 "2012-01-12T20:38:15Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Goddamn it. The pharmacist gave me 200 lancets. > > And no test strips. > > Go back tomorrow and get the test strips. > > Wrecked two lancets and two test strips tonight because I couldn’t milk enough blood from my thick skinned fingers. Probably poked myself 10 times. Going to have to find a thinner skinned spot on my hand or maybe use the inside of my forearm. > > Oh yeah, before I go in, I’d better call the doc and say “Did you forget about the Metformin prescription?” > > Grumble grumble grumble. You make me poke myself, you give me the pokey things, but not the stuff to make use of that blood. Blood I’m having a hard time getting out because my skin heals and closes so fast it doesn’t want to let the blood out. One thing that helps me is to wash my hands in really hot water first – it makes the capillaries dilate, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/212 "2012-01-12T20:55:05Z")
Today is my crazy mom’s birthday. My brother and I were going to take her out to lunch to celebrate. then, last night, she called him and abruptly canceled. Sometimes mom will do this thing where she really wants to do something, but she won’t say so - she wants US to beg her to do it. :rolleyes: So today I called her, thinking maybe she’s just freaking out about the birthday and doesn’t want to acknowledge it, and I said, “Won’t you change your mind and come have lunch with us ‘for no particular reason’? we really want to see you.” No thanks, she says, she’s ‘opting out.’ Okay fine. My brother and I decided to meet for lunch anyway, so I tell her where and when in case she changes her mind. Get to lunch, and my brother tells me the real reason she canceled is that she’s afraid I’ll “blow up at her.” WTF? As far as I know neither of us is mad at the other, and anyway I’m not a blowing-up kind of guy in general. I am mystified. She’s getting crazier and crazier, and I’m honestly at the point of wanting to limit my exposure to her. On the other hand, lunch with my bro was a lot of fun, even though we spent too much time talking about our crazy mother and what to do about her. I just wish she was accessible to reason on the subject of… oh, let’s say _everything._ ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/213 "2012-01-12T22:24:13Z")
Dearest Husband, On behalf of those concerned about your health and well-being, let me offer one piece of really pertinent advice : never, never, ever call dibs on the bathroom after a long car trip with your pregnant wife. No jury will convict. Love, Me ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/214 "2012-01-12T23:41:28Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > One thing that helps me is to wash my hands in really hot water first – it makes the capillaries dilate, I guess. Oo! Good idea. Ludicrously cold today so that will feel good. Definitely worth trying. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/215 "2012-01-13T00:15:11Z")
I rub the spot I am going to stick as well so that beings blood to the surface. Also shaking my hand rapidly or other movement that warms my hands up seems to help. I have also found that some fingers work better than others. My index finger and middle finger aren’t as sensative and well up with blood pretty quickly my ring finger and little finger hurt more and and it is hard to get enough blood. I do try to move around on the sides of the fingers I use as was recommended by the class I took to avoid thickening skin due to callouses. They also said that alternate site testing isn’t as reliable as finger sticks. I don’t know where they got the informtion from but if your arm or leg is the only place you can get enough blood then that is what you should use. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/216 "2012-01-13T00:21:37Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Dearest Husband, > > On behalf of those concerned about your health and well-being, let me offer one piece of really pertinent advice : never, never, ever call dibs on the bathroom after a long car trip with your pregnant wife. No jury will convict. > > Love, > Me I shouldn’t have laughed, but I did. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/217 "2012-01-13T01:46:00Z")
In December the local pizza place had Santa come in for the kids visit with. The manager took pictures and burned them on a CD with only a donation to a local children’s charity asked for in return. The guy playing Santa seemed really nice and chatted with our daughter for a couple of minutes, as opposed to the quick on and off the lap, pay your $30 you get from the mall Santas. She was really excited afterwards. Now I am 90% sure that [Santa was a pervert.](http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10592713/) Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/218 "2012-01-13T02:25:14Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > **Chimera** , please don’t throw anything hard at me if you’ve done this (pillows are ok, you can borrow mine), but I used to do my landlady’s blood checks (she taught me how) and I taught my mother how to do hers. Mom was trying to get the blood with the pinprick looking up: pricking and then turning the finger facedown while squeezing did wonders. > > My mother switches her off along with everything else when she goes on a trip and it turns out that the way her cable provider works, software updates are “pushed” to the modems: if a modem is off when they push the update, you need to call the ISP and tell them your modem is acting funky and was there an update since Monday of last week? > > When this protocol got established, the CSR told her she should never switch the modem off; she asked why and received the explanation above. She proceeded to ask how come her computer can update without needing to be up all the time, and whether she should send the bills to the ISP if something breaks in the house while she’s away and the firemen/insurance people claim it was because she hadn’t shut everything off… > > The woman has three children, all of whom tend to find themselves in the strange position of being “the computer person” at work; she’s technophobic - but only by comparison to us. Assuming that being 71 means she doesn’t know a thing about technical stuff Does Not Go Well. OMG! This is why my Dad’s computer goes wrong all the time. He refuses to leave his broadband connected because he’s convinced that it costs him money (same as dial up). No chance of persuading him to leave it connected though, I could explain the crazy but I’d be here all night… ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/219 "2012-01-13T04:28:23Z")
Oh go fuck yourself damned body of mine. Two fucking blood pressure meds and I still get a reading of 155/100 in the doctor’s office. I’m too young to worry about this shit or have to call the cardiologist tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003/220 "2012-01-13T04:34:36Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I shouldn’t have laughed, but I did. 'Salright! It’ll be funny to me eventually… and good ammo until the humor reveals itself! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-bitchy-new-year-january-2012-minirants/608003.md?page=12)