# April showers bring May glowers (rant thread) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 1, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175 "2013-05-01T05:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/141 "2013-05-08T20:35:59Z")
> [@MissTake](#): > > Got a call from the spinal doctor’s office. They still want the MRI with contrast; however, I am too ill to do a contrast MRI. They’re meeting Friday morning and will decide what the next step is, HOPEFULLY before I’m on the damn road hauling my ass to the other side of the cities. > > Thank you **CW** - I giggled. Yeah, that kind of catch-22 really sucks. As the Cat sez ; Hang in there! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/142 "2013-05-08T20:38:29Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > Aah! This big-ass disgusting spider just ran under my stove. I swear I could hear its’ feet on the tile floor. I’m not sure I can sleep knowing that thing is in the house. This is good news really. Because it’s _your_ stove. 😛 I could lend you a cat or two, but the crunching noise they make when eating bugs kinda grosses some dudes out. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/143 "2013-05-09T01:43:01Z")
Go me! I got the spider! It tried to sneak out from under the stove and run out of the kitchen. I threw a section of the newspaper on top of it and stepped on it. It crunched… eew. I have a cat, but he doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, so I don’t know if he’d know what to do with a spider. I love him dearly but he’s not bright. Now my boyfriend’s cat on the other hand is a master creepy-crawly hunter. She would’ve made short work of Mr. Spider, but she’s not here right now. (Boyfriend brings her over when he stays here on weekends.) I had a rant but I can’t remember what it is right now… hugs and chocolate to anyone who needs them! ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/144 "2013-05-09T06:13:01Z")
> [@Boggette](#): > > This! You do not “deserve” a car. Or a bank loan. Or a 60 inch tv. You “want” them. This has annoyed me for years, but seems more prevalent now. What have you done to “deserve” them? Exactly, tho the specific one I was bitching about is an ad that _tells_ people they deserve whatever. For all the advertisers know, they are talking to ax murders, and I really don’t think they deserve much of anything good. 😃 > [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > The one where some smart phone says it “deserves” unlimited data, right? > > I hates that one heartily. No, I’m not sure I’ve even seen that one, but yeah what has a phone done to deserve anything? I’ve forgotten now which ad it was - lately it’s been the ads that tell me that my mom “deserves” flowers or whatever they are pushing. Yeah, my mom was a piece of shit, OK? ---
**Author:** ![Runestar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@Runestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runestar)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/145 "2013-05-09T15:25:30Z")
Stupid woodpeckers apparently drilled a hole in the fascia board that hangs off the bottom of our second story. Our neighbor pointed out the hole and said that he’d seen starlings flying in and out. So…$500.00 dollars to the Wildlife removal company to get rid of the birds, the nest they’d made, and to repair the damage to the house. I love wildlife; I just wish it would stay outside. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/146 "2013-05-09T15:30:24Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > Go me! I got the spider! It tried to sneak out from under the stove and run out of the kitchen. I threw a section of the newspaper on top of it and stepped on it. It crunched… eew. Congratulations on your bravery! 🙂 > [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > I have a cat, but he doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together, so I don’t know if he’d know what to do with a spider. I love him dearly but he’s not bright. … I may own your cat’s sister … ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/147 "2013-05-09T15:54:37Z")
> [@Runestar](#): > > Stupid woodpeckers apparently drilled a hole in the fascia board that hangs off the bottom of our second story. Our neighbor pointed out the hole and said that he’d seen starlings flying in and out. > > So…$500.00 dollars to the Wildlife removal company to get rid of the birds, the nest they’d made, and to repair the damage to the house. Once the woodpecker decided that our house was a tree, there was no stopping him. Well, until we went with the vinyl siding. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/148 "2013-05-09T16:18:52Z")
We saw a woodpecker hammering away at a metal pole the other day - either he liked the sound it made, or he liked the way it made his little birdie brain rattle around in his little birdie skull. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/149 "2013-05-09T17:57:41Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > We saw a woodpecker hammering away at a metal pole the other day - either he liked the sound it made, or he liked the way it made his little birdie brain rattle around in his little birdie skull. 🙂 Not to get all GQ in here, but I believe that, especially in the springtime, woodpeckers will drum on resonant things like metal poles as a method of communicating. In my neighborhood, they are particularly fond of metal chimney caps, which have the added bonus of the chimney serving as an echo chamber. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/150 "2013-05-09T19:24:34Z")
Dunkelheit: My mother just bought herself a Kindle, so I do have **access** to one. I don’t really want to load hers with stuff she might not like. Maybe I’ll buy myself one for Christmas. What makes me want to donate both series is my opinion, that both series are entirely too long, and i don’t really have shelf space for 25 books. I only have 4 or five romance novels. I like both, but both series piss me off, what it is with the science fiction/fantasy genres treating women like crap I don’t get. Whose ass do we have to kick to get something better? ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/151 "2013-05-09T20:58:33Z")
Dear Delivery Truck driver: Why the heck do you pass me (riding my bike in the the dedicated bike lane, minding my own business) and immediately pull over into the bike lane right in front of me, stop and put on your hazard lights? WTF? You were obviously not making a delivery since the off-street parking lots are closer to the commercial buildings. Plus, would it have killed you to wait the 5 seconds for me to pass you before pulling over? I had to stop, figure out what the heck you were doing, then carefully pull out into the heavily-traveled street to get around you. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/152 "2013-05-10T01:13:39Z")
Some days I miss my mom so badly I want to cry. She took 66 years to finally grow up and then she died on me three years later. It’s been nearly a year since her death. I realize more and more how much I mourn that she will never see her granddaughters blossom into beautiful young woman or read the second book I am going to write. Oh mom. Another five years would have been such a gift. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/153 "2013-05-10T01:28:37Z")
**((LavenderBlue))** I kind of know what you mean. I get so mad at my Dad sometimes for not taking better care of himself. He didn’t control his diabetes and it eventually killed him. He was 59 when he died four years ago, that’s way too young. He should be here to see my nieces grow up. He should be here to see that I’m finally going back to school and getting a degree. Dammit Dad… ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/154 "2013-05-10T01:35:48Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > **((LavenderBlue))** > > I kind of know what you mean. I get so mad at my Dad sometimes for not taking better care of himself. He didn’t control his diabetes and it eventually killed him. He was 59 when he died four years ago, that’s way too young. He should be here to see my nieces grow up. He should be here to see that I’m finally going back to school and getting a degree. Dammit Dad… My mom also died of diabetes. She had emphysema as well (despite not smoking for decades) but it was the diabetes that really got her in the end. She also didn’t take care of herself. I don’t think she took it seriously enough. I was trying to figure out why I was crying today. Then I realized that Sunday is Mothers’s Day. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/155 "2013-05-10T04:33:20Z")
My laundry has piled up because it’s that time of year when I wash blankets and store them for the summer. I have several crocheted blankets and a couple of comforters to wash in adddition to my usual dirty clothes. I’ve got the repair guy coming Friday morning to replace a board of some sort on my washer. I’ll be glad when he’s done because I am the one who gets to schlep back and forth to the laundromat with the baskets. The laundromat is maybe 1/3 of a mile from home but this shit is heavy. ---
**Author:** ![eulalia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eulalia/32/457_2.png) [@eulalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eulalia)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/156 "2013-05-10T06:06:35Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > Dunkelheit: My mother just bought herself a Kindle, so I do have **access** to one. I don’t really want to load hers with stuff she might not like. Maybe I’ll buy myself one for Christmas. > > What makes me want to donate both series is my opinion, that both series are entirely too long, and i don’t really have shelf space for 25 books. I only have 4 or five romance novels. > > I like both, but both series piss me off, what it is with the science fiction/fantasy genres treating women like crap I don’t get. Whose ass do we have to kick to get something better? You’re reading the wrong stuff. Try Guy Gavriel Kay, or one of the good female authors like Julie Czerneda. There are lots of authors who do a better job than Goodkind or Jordan, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/157 "2013-05-10T07:21:27Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > Dunkelheit: My mother just bought herself a Kindle, so I do have **access** to one. I don’t really want to load hers with stuff she might not like. Maybe I’ll buy myself one for Christmas. If you have a smartphone, there’s a Kindle app, at least there’s one for Android. And a Nook app too, though I had to use a special file to let me install it outside of the US. It’s handy if I want to read my Nook or Kindle books and don’t want to lug my actual Nook around with me. I can send any Kindle books that I buy directly to my phone at the point of purchase, and access my Nook library from both Nook and phone. The phone doesn’t have the hundreds of books my dad put on the Nook before he sent it to me, but if I wanted I could put them on my phone and read them with the Aldiko app or some other ereader. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/158 "2013-05-10T07:37:49Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > In the meanwhile, I pit myself- for being a book hoarder who can’t decide if I should pitch the Terry Goodkind stuff or the Jordan Wheel of Time stuff. I owned a Terry Goodkind book. Eventually, I just put it in the fireplace. It’s a shame really, I should have kept it to make one of those book-boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/159 "2013-05-10T10:32:28Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > Dunkelheit: My mother just bought herself a Kindle, so I do have **access** to one. I don’t really want to load hers with stuff she might not like. Maybe I’ll buy myself one for Christmas. > > What makes me want to donate both series is my opinion, that both series are entirely too long, and i don’t really have shelf space for 25 books. I only have 4 or five romance novels. > > I like both, but both series piss me off, what it is with the science fiction/fantasy genres treating women like crap I don’t get. Whose ass do we have to kick to get something better? > [@eulalia](#): > > You’re reading the wrong stuff. Try Guy Gavriel Kay, or one of the good female authors like Julie Czerneda. There are lots of authors who do a better job than Goodkind or Jordan, IMO. That was one of the reasons I quit reading Jordan and Eddings. Science fiction used to be very much a boys-only club, and any female writer in those early years had damned well better use either an androgynous name, a male name, or her initials. The readership was assumed to be mostly teen boys, who would be threatened by any depiction of a female character in any role other than the hero’s sweetheart or mother. Some writers did at least try to write believable females, but for most, it was easier to just fall back on the old stereotypes. What’s aggravating is that even books written relatively recently are still using the old stereotypes. Fortunately, a lot of female writers are in the field now…and some male writers treat women as human beings, as well. I recommend a healthy dose of one of the “Chicks in Chainmail” anthologies, edited by Esther Friesner. These stories take the old tropes, stand them on their heads, and tickle them mercilessly until they cry from laughing so hard. ---
**Author:** ![Sario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sario/32/18580_2.png) [@Sario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sario)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175/160 "2013-05-10T12:40:20Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > That was one of the reasons I quit reading Jordan and Eddings. > > Science fiction used to be very much a boys-only club, and any female writer in those early years had damned well better use either an androgynous name, a male name, or her initials. The readership was assumed to be mostly teen boys, who would be threatened by any depiction of a female character in any role other than the hero’s sweetheart or mother. Some writers did at least try to write believable females, but for most, it was easier to just fall back on the old stereotypes. > > What’s aggravating is that even books written relatively recently are still using the old stereotypes. Fortunately, a lot of female writers are in the field now…and some male writers treat women as human beings, as well. > > I recommend a healthy dose of one of the “Chicks in Chainmail” anthologies, edited by Esther Friesner. These stories take the old tropes, stand them on their heads, and tickle them mercilessly until they cry from laughing so hard. To help avoid going to far off topic here, I’ve made this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=690564) on the subject of scifi/fan books with good female characters [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/april-showers-bring-may-glowers-rant-thread/657175.md?page=9)