# Febrantary (February Minirants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 1, 2014, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286 "2014-02-01T17:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/221 "2014-02-12T15:33:43Z")
I’m on vacation! Leaving with my best friend for warmer climbs. We’re supposed to fly out of Philly tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. Rant 1: Storm coming. Will we get out or will we be stuck? Rant 2: Why did I have to get an infection now? I have too many meds to take and they mess with my belly. I feel half sick all the time. Hope this all works out ok. I know my friend will help me through all this, but that is not fair considering it’s HER vacation too. I don’t plan on burdening her with this, but we’ll still have to deal with it. ☹ ---
**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:** [February 12, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/222 "2014-02-12T15:48:25Z")
Huh. Only time I’ve encountered a “Bowser” in the wilds of IRL was in [Super Mario Bros.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowser_(Nintendo)) video games. That said, I wholeheartedly endorce **kambuckta’s** rant, and may the fleas of a thousand camels infest his underwear drawer. ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/223 "2014-02-12T19:31:33Z")
I especially enjoyed the stabbing with a chook’s foot. According to Wikipedia, a fuel dispenser is called a [bowser](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_dispenser)in Australia. Fascinating. I just have boring rants about the impending weather-related doom and the fact that my work deadlines won’t change despite the fact that it looks very much like I’m going to be trapped in the house tomorrow with kids who don’t have school. Grumble. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/224 "2014-02-12T19:48:28Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > And it got worse. He came out from the cashiers (took five minutes the first time, _after_ filling his fucking car) and then turned around and **WENT BACK IN**. By this time, I was fucking furious. The minutes ticked by…three, five, TEN FUCKING MINUTES and counting… Probably one of those inconsiderate, unobservant fuckers who stands at the register, buys 2 scratch off tickets, pays for them, stands there looking at them, asks for 5 more, pays for them, repeat ad nauseum. Without ever noticing there are 10 people in line behind them fuming. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/225 "2014-02-12T19:51:31Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > So, **you** drove into the one line that had a gas option…except you were filling with petrol, Call me ignorant, _chorus_ You’re ignorant! _chorus_, but what’s the difference between gas and petrol? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/226 "2014-02-12T20:20:53Z")
What you guys call gas, we call petrol. We also have cars that run on gas. [Liquified petroleum gas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_petroleum_gas) to be precise. Most of the cars that run on gas are converted after market, and it involves adding an extra tank in the boot (trunk). At the flick of a switch, you can drive on petrol or gas, whatever you choose. At the moment, gas prices in Melb are about 87c per litre, vs 154c for petrol, so it makes economic sense to go the cheaper route. Unfortunately for me, my switch has buggered, so I’m gas only (until I get around to getting it fixed), hence why I was quite upset with my fellow motorist taking up the space in the fuel queue the other day. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/227 "2014-02-12T20:24:01Z")
Ah, OK! We call that LP gas or propane. I haven’t seen a vehicle that runs on that in years. The one I do remember was quite smelly. 🙂 Around here we mostly use propane for household heating. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/228 "2014-02-12T20:47:12Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Ah, OK! We call that LP gas or propane. I haven’t seen a vehicle that runs on that in years. The one I do remember was quite smelly. 🙂 Only smells because of the chemicals they add to it so that you can detect leaks. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/229 "2014-02-12T20:57:03Z")
Yeah, I know. Good thing too. One time when I was living in an apartment, I smelled gas coming from the apartment below mine. I went down and asked them if they smelled it and they said they couldn’t, but I sure could. I called the landlord and they couldn’t smell it either, but did call a repairman. Sure enough I was right and the gas line on the below apartment’s stove was leaking. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/230 "2014-02-13T04:00:10Z")
Our fleet trucks run on propane. Its cleaner and cheaper than gasoline. I’d like to get my car converted, but then I’d lose most of my trunk room. My rant: Laura’s cat hasn’t eaten anything since Laura fell out of the tree. This morning, I weighted the kibble when I put it out and then weighed it again when he snubbed his gooshy food. I don’t think he ate a single bite. So far, I’ve been trying to feed him what Laura feed him, but tomorrow he gets Fancy Feast. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to call my ex-vet and get some of that very expensive high calorie rescue food. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to stuff it down his throat. I really hates force feeding cats, but he’s not going to die on my watch. Geeze, that sounds mean and I didn’t mean it that way. Cats who don’t eat tend to go into liver failure. I know that kitteh is upset and frightened, I’m trying my best to comfort him, but I refuse to bring Laura home from the hospital to show her a new grave in the pet cemetery. Kitteh is going to eat and keep eating until Laura comes home and tells me what she wants. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/231 "2014-02-13T04:52:05Z")
Could you give it fucking rest already, winter? Nor’easter and ten inches of snow predicted for tomorrow. That’s the third cancelled school day this month alone. Someone needs to vote this damned month off the island ASAP. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/232 "2014-02-13T05:04:51Z")
Right with you, **LavenderBlue**! Spent most of the day cooped up with four kids, two dogs, husband, and no power. Our poor trees just couldn’t handle the ice glaze, and over half the county lost electricity as a result. We have power again, but I can still hear trees crashing all around the house, so it’s a matter of time before it’s dark and cold again… Tomorrow will be my kids’ third snow day of the year, too, and we live in south Georgia, for pity’s sake! ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/233 "2014-02-13T05:05:43Z")
Hey,\*\* flatlined\*\* and other Cat Peeps – I just posted to to a thread in MPSIMS that you should get over to right away: [_“Lightning no longer strikes”_](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17100931) (Lightning was **RealityChuck** ’s cat) :~( ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/234 "2014-02-13T08:14:08Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > My rant: Laura’s cat hasn’t eaten anything since Laura fell out of the tree. This morning, I weighted the kibble when I put it out and then weighed it again when he snubbed his gooshy food. I don’t think he ate a single bite. So far, I’ve been trying to feed him what Laura feed him, but tomorrow he gets Fancy Feast. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to call my ex-vet and get some of that very expensive high calorie rescue food. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to stuff it down his throat. > > I really hates force feeding cats, but he’s not going to die on my watch. > > Geeze, that sounds mean and I didn’t mean it that way. Cats who don’t eat tend to go into liver failure. I know that kitteh is upset and frightened, I’m trying my best to comfort him, but I refuse to bring Laura home from the hospital to show her a new grave in the pet cemetery. > > Kitteh is going to eat and keep eating until Laura comes home and tells me what she wants. Is it out of the question to sneak the kitteh into Laura’s room at the hospital for a visit? ETA: cos I suspect that what she wants is Laura. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/235 "2014-02-13T10:59:43Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Kitteh is going to eat and keep eating until Laura comes home and tells me what she wants. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Is it out of the question to sneak the kitteh into Laura’s room at the hospital for a visit? > > ETA: cos I suspect that what she wants is Laura. That was exactly what I was going to suggest. Contact her doctor and very specifically tell him that the cat is in decline and needs to see Laura and it could be considered one of those theraputic pet visits. I am sure that Laura doesn’t need to find out her cat is dead on top of what ails her. Might even go so far as to try and sneak the kitteh in, in an emergency. Get a friend to do the actual schlepping so they are the ones that get barred not you. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/236 "2014-02-13T11:34:37Z")
I’m currently playing in the orchestra for an operetta (like a musical.) I really enjoy almost everything about playing in the orchestra, and I’m having a lot of fun. I just really wish we could implement a “no farting in the orchestra pit” rule. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/237 "2014-02-13T13:49:04Z")
Just going to break with tradition, and post an anti-rant. The eczema that’s been driving me insane for the past three months has apparently suddenly stopped. It’s been several days since I used any steroids (and over a week since I took any allergy meds, so it doesn’t look like it was the cats, yay!), and it’s still improving. It’s not totally cleared yet, and of course because I never did find out what caused it, it could just come back, but my skin’s got noticeably thicker, so it’s not just tearing at a touch, and big patches of it are pretty well back to normal. I no longer look like I should be ringing a bell and shouting ‘unclean’ before walking into a room, which can only be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/238 "2014-02-13T14:04:45Z")
I don’t care if some members of the congregation don’t “appreciate” Latin. it’s good for them to have their horizons expanded, damn it! Background: I sing in a church choir. We sing a pretty wide variety of music, and one of the songs we’re presently working on learning was originally written in Latin. It’s beautiful, not especially easy, and we’d benefit from sending the sopranos away to work on it without forcing the altos to listen to large chunks of music they don’t get to sing. I wouldn’t want to sing something like this every week, but I love it once in a while. Makes up for a lot of lame contemporary stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/239 "2014-02-13T16:15:52Z")
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**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:** [February 13, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286/240 "2014-02-13T17:03:13Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > … This morning, I weighted the kibble when I put it out and then weighed it again when he snubbed his gooshy food. I don’t think he ate a single bite. So far, I’ve been trying to feed him what Laura feed him, but tomorrow he gets Fancy Feast. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to call my ex-vet and get some of that very expensive high calorie rescue food. If he doesn’t eat that, I’m going to stuff it down his throat… That’s WAY more work than many people would go through, for what is quite literally OPP\*. Having never met you, I love you, and I want you to know that. > [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Could you give it fucking rest already, winter? Nor’easter and ten inches of snow predicted for tomorrow. That’s the third cancelled school day this month alone. Someone needs to vote this damned month off the island ASAP. \ Go home, winter, you’re drunk. \ > [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Right with you, **LavenderBlue**! Spent most of the day cooped up with four kids, two dogs, husband, and no power… :eek: And none of you/them have killed anyone else yet? You and this “husband” didn’t … make another kid? > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Is it out of the question to sneak the kitteh into Laura’s room at the hospital for a visit? > > ETA: cos I suspect that what she wants is Laura. Sounds good in theory, but for most kittehs, being stuffed into a carrier and going for a car ride means even more stress. There are exceptions, of course. > [@EmilyG](#): > > I’m currently playing in the orchestra for an operetta (like a musical.) I really enjoy almost everything about playing in the orchestra, and I’m having a lot of fun. I just really wish we could implement a “no farting in the orchestra pit” rule. :mad: Maybe middle-school boys can fart on cue, but for many of us, it’s not really under any kind of conscious control. > [@Filbert](#): > > Just going to break with tradition, and post an anti-rant. The eczema that’s been driving me insane for the past three months has apparently suddenly stopped. It’s been several days since I used any steroids (and over a week since I took any allergy meds, so it doesn’t look like it was the cats, yay!), and it’s still improving. > > It’s not totally cleared yet, and of course because I never did find out what caused it, it could just come back, but my skin’s got noticeably thicker, so it’s not just tearing at a touch, and big patches of it are pretty well back to normal. I no longer look like I should be ringing a bell and shouting ‘unclean’ before walking into a room, which can only be a good thing. LOLZ at your last sentence, and … have you tried [Climb On Creme](http://skinourishment.com/collections/climbon)? It’s made of kitten whiskers and the smiles of a thousand unicorns, if my skin can be believed. > [@Eureka](#): > > I don’t care if some members of the congregation don’t “appreciate” Latin. it’s good for them to have their horizons expanded, damn it!.. Next time, go with ancient Greek. That’ll learn 'em. - Other People’s Pussy, you whippersnappers on my lawn. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/febrantary-february-minirants/680286.md?page=13)