# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 189
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3761 "2026-10-28T11:57:41Z")
It must have stunted his growth. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3762 "2026-10-28T12:15:09Z")
In the 90s, when I was about eight years old, one of my friends came to my house for a sleepover. We set up sleeping bags in the living room and watched TV. I happened to wake up very early the next morning, and she was gone. Sleeping bag and clothes were gone. There was no note anywhere. My parents called her house. No answer. So, later in the morning, my mom drove to her house. It turned out that she had gotten scared of being away from home, as some kids do, and called her mother. Looking back, I don’t know how her mother got inside because my father was adamant about locking all locks on doors. I can’t remember if they told my mother how. Also, I had been friends with this girl for most of the school year, if not longer (can’t remember), and her mother had met my mother dozens of times. I am surprised that her mother didn’t leave a note, or wake me up and tell me, or wasn’t expecting to answer the phone the next morning. ---
**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:** [October 28, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3763 "2026-10-28T14:12:02Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Huh. David Byrne was a smoker, at least he was was in 1981. Maybe by the 90’s he quit. > > [David Byrne, 1981 – Ebet Roberts | Morrison Hotel Gallery](https://morrisonhotelgallery.com/products/david-byrne-1981-b5dar6) This made my heart skip a beat. I thought I was in the Death Pool thread. mmm ---
**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:** [October 28, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3764 "2026-10-28T15:33:50Z")
> [@LavenderMagnolia](#): > > Looking back, I don’t know how her mother got inside because my father was adamant about locking all locks on doors. I can’t remember if they told my mother how. The mother probably didn’t go into the house. The daughter probably waited until she saw her mother’s car and then left. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3765 "2026-10-28T18:06:30Z")
I thought so, but I think one of the door’s locks required a key, which she wouldn’t have known how to find. Unless I am remembering wrong and my father didn’t always lock each lock at night (not back then, anyway). I will ask my parents next time I see them. Curious if they remember. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3766 "2026-10-28T18:08:24Z")
Only movie I ever walked out of, in a theater, midway, was the Pixar movie _Hoppers_. That movie was so ridiculous I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a self-aimed joke or prank. I felt so much secondhand embarrassment for the director and production team that I couldn’t stand it and left. ---
**Author:** ![SailorHG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SailorHG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SailorHG)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3767 "2026-10-29T10:28:23Z")
On this poll: > Select the best option. You can vote for only one, so choose wisely. The word “best” is used with more than two things; with only two, the sentence would have to say “better option” to be grammatically correct. This implies that choosing the Results button is also a perfectly valid response… so that’s what I did! 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3768 "2026-10-29T14:35:02Z")
Oh dear… [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-y-txPcBTwzR77V854dssvrLUEjOK-4fYynT1-w6IA9XE-4EQZDFNsLfKmAsAGuAhQSJxnK84t91xgyeYp5hxFU894hstDsrMh41XQ6moAJ0NSYhdRQkeu50qbKX9P7iqnX9ojeBhWU/s1600/acceleratedAgingfailure.gif) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-y-txPcBTwzR77V854dssvrLUEjOK-4fYynT1-w6IA9XE-4EQZDFNsLfKmAsAGuAhQSJxnK84t91xgyeYp5hxFU894hstDsrMh41XQ6moAJ0NSYhdRQkeu50qbKX9P7iqnX9ojeBhWU/s1600/acceleratedAgingfailure.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3769 "2026-10-29T14:37:12Z")
I saw an archeology documentary at a young and impressionable age where I was told to “choose, but choose wisely” so I’ve been trying to do so since then. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3770 "2026-10-29T15:40:34Z")
> Select the best option. You can vote for only one, so choose wisely. The pole says, “You can vote for only one,” so the wise choice is One. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3771 "2026-10-29T15:50:24Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > The pole says, “You can vote for only one,” so the wise choice is One. But it does not say “you can only vote for one” ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3772 "2026-10-29T16:34:20Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > But it does not say “you can only vote for one” Many years ago, I wrote a technical book, and a few lessons from the editors were seared into my brain. One of those was the proper placement of “only” before the word it is modifying. It’s like nails on a chalkboard when I see it the wrong way. (Putting it before “one” here was correct.) ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3773 "2026-10-29T16:36:30Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > (Putting it before “one” here was correct.) Then I chose wisely. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3774 "2026-10-29T16:36:53Z")
Who is this Pole and why does s/he care what I vote? ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3775 "2026-10-29T18:04:57Z")
When we travel, we try to set a priority on things we want to do and/or see, and hit the most important ones first, or at least make sure we’ve made time to honor that priority. If the destination is one we’re likely to visit again, no whining necessary. If, OTOH, it’s a place we are not likely to return for any number of reasons, possibly a little whining. I chose ‘be grateful’ to reflect how I would mostly feel. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3776 "2026-10-29T18:04:58Z")
Regarding the vacation, why not both? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3777 "2026-10-29T19:45:56Z")
The " My vacation was ruined as I did not get to see …" occurs in Disney trips, where some family will go to Disneyland for their once every two years trip, and the Dad (usually) will complain bitterly that the whole 2-3 day trip is “ruined” due to one attraction being out (for repair or redo). DL has around 15-20 of what could be called “Major” or "E-ticket: attractions, and over 50 attractions in total. If you let one attraction being down “ruin” your trip- that’s entirely on you. I once spent a whole day (out of three) at DL and did not do any major rides. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3778 "2026-10-29T20:12:13Z")
I suspect the whiners are among those that don’t travel very much. Not only are they unlikely to have the opportunity to visit again, but they haven’t traveled enough to know how relentlessly capricious the travel gods are. Every destination has its disappointments and the only compensation is to restore the balance by seizing unexpected experiences. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3779 "2026-10-29T22:49:52Z")
Velocity’s tip question needs an “other” option. To me, it’s most likely just “poor design.” ---
**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:** [October 30, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3780 "2026-10-30T03:43:44Z")
My “something else”: I’m too young to have heard about _Star Trek TNG_ in the mid 1980s. I mean, I was alive, but I was probably in, like, kindergarten or first grade when they announced they were making TNG, so I wasn’t exactly following entertainment news. I’m sure I didn’t become aware of the show until after it started airing, and didn’t start watching it regularly until several seasons in. ETA: And of course I hadn’t seen any of TOS at that point, so I wouldn’t have had any feelings whatsoever about them making a new Trek show. For me, TNG was effectively the only Star Trek. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=188) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=190)