# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 487
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9724 "2024-01-30T20:18:06Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > Ah, thanks. I’d missed that > > Glad to assist, but more importantly, does it change your answer? No. A “sarcastic non-response” could be “Yesterday I was wearing only my underwear, and now I have $10 million that I didn’t have before. You figure it out, lunkhead!” ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9725 "2024-01-30T20:21:17Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > I made the mistake of getting Bumblebee canned egg salad. I can’t even imagine buying canned egg salad. I _hate_ peeling boiled eggs, but I’d do it if I wanted egg salad. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Yes to the hardboiled egg in tuna. No to the pickle. I don’t like sweet pickles in any form, and I’ll have my dill on the side, not in the tuna, thanks. This is me. I’m not a big fan of tuna sandwiches, but my sister likes it, and she makes it with sweet pickle relish (Del Monte brand only). I hate sweet pickles, too, so I’ll never eat it if she makes it like that. Occasionally, she’ll make it without the pickle (or sub kosher dills diced) so I can eat it. A friend did a tarot reading for me when I was about 18. About ten years ago, I became aware that one of her predictions had surprisingly been accurate. Another friend talked me into going to a previous life regressioner, but she put herself under hypnosis instead of me, the subject. I could tell she was feeding off what I was telling her, so I felt it was a bust. Plus, it made me have a lot less trust in that friend’s opinions. I attended my high school graduation. My friends and I were going out to celebrate immediately after, so it was fine. I did not attend my college commencement. It was UCLA, and there were thousands of us. I didn’t need the aggrevation. Heh, I could have done without my physical diploma since it was signed by Ronald Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9726 "2024-01-30T20:27:20Z")
I have some underwear that kinda sorta looks like shorts. I’d only ask $100K. Of course no one wants to see my body, but hey screw them. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9727 "2024-01-30T20:31:49Z")
20 feet isn’t very much. I’ve been within rock-throwing distance of bear and moose, but didn’t list them. We also drove very carefully through a bison herd in Yellowstone, I didn’t count that either. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9728 "2024-01-30T20:36:20Z")
Did it have to be alive at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9729 "2024-01-30T20:37:10Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Wow, I’ve never heard of that. I assume you still have the degree, even if you don’t get the actual document? I could live without the diploma. I would still have the degree but in 1991 it was hard to prove without the parchment. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9730 "2024-01-30T20:38:03Z")
$10 million would be enough for me to afford not to work again, since such behaviour would put an end to my career. I once did an elephant-back ride in Zimbabwe, which allowed us to get amazingly close to some of the wild animals. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9731 "2024-01-30T20:39:54Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > I would still have the degree but in 1991 it was hard to prove without the parchment. I don’t think I’ve ever used a diploma for anything. If I’ve needed to verify that I have a degree, that’s what transcripts are for. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9732 "2024-01-30T20:45:54Z")
I’ve done the photo “safari” at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, but wasn’t sure if those animals were strictly “wild.” I was within 10 feet of a seal when a baby seal beached itself at Pismo when we were there on vacation. I’m pretty sure it was still alive. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9733 "2024-01-30T20:59:26Z")
I “tracked” gorillas in Bwindi National Park, Uganda, and I have a certificate from the park rangers to prove it. By “tracked”, I mean I followed a guide with an iPad-like device that showed him the locations of their tracking collars. He told us it was ok to get that close to them. I’m not sure it actually was ok, but he encouraged us to do so. I also saw chimpanzees at a different wildlife park there, but I was probably over 20 feet away from them. But that was pretty much all vertical distance. The chipmunks at Crater Lake are extremely bold. Not only did they come within feet of me, they kept trying to go in my backpack when I set it down next to me. I’m sure they’ve learned that humans keep food in backpacks. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9734 "2024-01-30T22:16:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > No. A “sarcastic non-response” could be “Yesterday I was wearing only my underwear, and now I have $10 million that I didn’t have before. You figure it out, lunkhead!” I think at least some people would figure it out. And I could buy some underwear that looks mostly like a bathing suit, so I doubt I’d actually get arrested. And if it were one of my more usual days, the chances I’d get sunburn would be greater than the chances that anyone would see me; and for 10 million I’d be willing to risk the sunburn, and the chance of a neighbor coming by. A day with a doctor’s appointment and/or a batch or errands would be more risky, because they might well take it as indicating the onset of dementia. But the real problem is, what if it were a farmers’ market day? Showing up at market wearing only underwear wouldn’t just screw me up, it would screw up the market (while we might draw for a while some customers we wouldn’t otherwise, a lot of the vendors are Old Order Mennonite, and while they don’t blink at my mens’ cargo pants they might not be willing to be associated with an Underwear Market). If the 20 feet is expanded to a hundred or two, I could add more species. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9735 "2024-01-31T02:05:31Z")
I’m a little surprised so few picked whale. Whale watching tours are pretty common. The last one I went on a humpback came right up to the boat and swam under it. It was probably ten feet below me as I looked over the side. The ship did what it was supposed to with a whale that close. It shut down and drifted until the whale moved away. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9736 "2024-01-31T03:38:59Z")
Being a volunteer ranger, I saw a lot of natural California wildlife- and fairly close. Only Mtn lion was pretty far, however. > [@Loach](#): > > I’m a little surprised so few picked whale. Yeah, I should have thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9737 "2024-01-31T03:40:27Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m a little surprised so few picked whale. Whale watching tours are pretty common. I’ve been on whale watching tours, and I have seen whales in the wild. But I don’t recall ever being within the requisite proximity to one to be able to select it in the poll. Same with dolphins and porpoises. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9738 "2024-01-31T04:29:55Z")
I cheated and counted the zebra at the wildlife center that was begging car-to-car\* My first husband and I were driving through Grand Canyon’s North Rim area, saw a deer, and stopped to take picture. The deer saw us, and put it’s head in the open window ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9739 "2024-01-31T05:42:18Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I’ve been on whale watching tours, and I have seen whales in the wild. Ditto. But 20 feet is pretty close. Maybe 40 feet? I’ve also been fairly close to wild bears, but not 20’. Maybe 100’. I have had to move away from seals, swimming in the ocean. Yeah, i probably was within 20’. I’ve been quite close to bison, but I’m not sure it was really “in the wild”. I didn’t count that. I was sad mink weren’t on the list, because I’ve been very close to wild mink. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I once did an elephant-back ride in Zimbabwe, which allowed us to get amazingly close to some of the wild animals. Me, too, but not to wild elephants. Also, there were zebra and giraffes that wandered freely through our hotel grounds, and i got closer to them than was really wise. Maybe 5’ away. > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > We also drove very carefully through a bison herd in Yellowstone, I didn’t count that either. I stopped the car near Banff to let a herd of wild sheep walk around us. I would have definitely counted that if it had been on the list. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9740 "2024-01-31T06:05:30Z")
My wild elephant encounter was from a boat trip (canoe): a magnificent bull elephant on the bank, us in the river. It may have been more than 20 feet but not much more! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9741 "2024-01-31T06:09:17Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > > [@WildaBeast](#): > > > > I’ve been on whale watching tours, and I have seen whales in the wild. > > Ditto. But 20 feet is pretty close. Maybe 40 feet? > > I’ve also been fairly close to wild bears, but not 20’. Maybe 100’. > > I have had to move away from seals, swimming in the ocean. Yeah, i probably was within 20’. > > I’ve been quite close to bison, but I’m not sure it was really “in the wild”. I didn’t count that. I’ve been on three whale watching trips. On two the whales came right towards the boats and then dove underneath. Very close. On the other trip we saw a bunch of dolphins but no whales. I’ve been near bison in _their_ natural habitat but they were farm raised so not exactly nature. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9742 "2024-01-31T06:16:15Z")
I counted wild animals that were close to the car I was in. I also selected both “buffalo” and “bison” because they’re the same thing. I’m also counting my house and yard as “in the wild” when the animals are not ones I’ve invited in (I may well have been that close to mice in the forest, but the ones I’ve been eye to eye with were in my kitchen. 😬 I also checked “seal,” but it may have been a sea lion on the pier I was standing on. And I’ve been on a whale watching trip, but there were no whales that day. If chameleons had been on the list instead of (or in addition to) geckos and iguanas, I’d have that one; I’ve also been within sight of a komodo dragon in the wild, but there’s no way in hell I’d get _that_ close to one. The bear was only about a foot away - right outside my family’s car door. We all laughed at my stepmother for reaching over and locking the door, but now that I’ve seen some footage of bears in parking lots, I applaud her quick thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/9743 "2024-01-31T12:09:16Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > My first husband and I were driving through Grand Canyon’s North Rim area, saw a deer, and stopped to take picture. The deer saw us, and put it’s head in the open window I had a similar experience with a coyote on California’s Route 1 just north of San Francisco. He didn’t stick his head in the window, but I could have reached down to pet him from the driver’s seat. > [@InternetLegend](#): > > I also selected both “buffalo” and “bison” because they’re the same thing. Uh, no, they are not. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=486) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=488)