# February Mini-Rants. Look on the bright side - it's the shortest month of the year **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 1, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742 "2022-02-01T12:58:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/61 "2022-02-13T15:23:01Z")
If the bin is plastic (as they all are now) whanging it with a mallet may break it. Warm water might work, but it may re-freeze. A hair dryer might work. Or you might try de-icer like you use on the walks. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/62 "2022-02-13T15:27:44Z")
Turn the bin on it’s side and slowly pour a bucket of hot **salt water** over the place where the lid meets the bottom. Have something handy to wedge into the crack when it begins to open up. Anti-freeze for car locks is mostly alcohol. Try the same thing with some rubbing alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/63 "2022-02-13T16:06:05Z")
Bottle of vodka? ---
**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, 2022, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/64 "2022-02-13T16:44:42Z")
Great, now my trash bin wants to day-drink. Without ME even! (I have de-icer, but do not own a hair dryer. Will try the other suggestions, thanks.) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/65 "2022-02-13T17:38:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If the bin is plastic (as they all are now) whanging it with a mallet may break it. Ahh, I was thinking of my dumpster at work, not a “garbage can”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/66 "2022-02-13T20:02:35Z")
I keep a de-icer in a spray bottle (like a Windex bottle) in the trunk of my car. In a situation where my windows are iced up, it saves me a ton of time. It would probably work great for a frozen trash can lid too. That ice will melt instantly. Also, a rubber-headed mallet will probably break the ice without damaging the can. (Unless the can is aluminum, in which case it might dent 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 13, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/67 "2022-02-13T20:12:50Z")
Crisis averted - the sun came out. It’s still in the 20s out there, but the lid is black plastic and apparently soaked up some heat. Trash has been taken out - huzzah! ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/68 "2022-02-13T23:05:40Z")
I needed some alcohol to prep clean a surface but all I had was Tito’s and I said “Fuck that, If I had some Smirnoff I’d go for it, but I’m not wasting Tito’s on a ceramic tile cleaning job.” ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/69 "2022-02-14T01:56:39Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Also, a rubber-headed mallet will probably break the ice without damaging the can. (Unless the can is aluminum, in which case it might dent it.) It’s not the material of the mallet that’s the problem, it’s that many plastics become brittle when cold so any impact would have a chance of breaking or even shattering it. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/70 "2022-02-14T05:38:39Z")
It rarely gets cold enough here to freeze doors and such, but I’ve had much success using hand sanitizer. I started carrying the little bottles well before the plague, I used to work at the food stamp office. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/71 "2022-02-14T12:19:22Z")
50% really hot water 50% rubbing alcohol 3 drops dishwashing liquid . Stir & apply. (same mixture in a spray bottle will unfreeze frozen locks) ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/72 "2022-02-14T17:06:08Z")
Some asshole, between the rehab center, the hospital, and funeral home stole my dad’s gold wedding ring. People who steal from those who are grieving are just so low. I hope someone steals from them when they are at their lowest point. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/73 "2022-02-14T17:44:17Z")
My wife’s mother was in a nursing home. She was wearing her wedding ring, which the staff put in a small envelope with her personal items. When my wife moved her mother out, and into a home in Washington (where she was living at the time), she found that the wedding ring had been replaced by a plastic ring like you’d get out of a gum ball machine. When the nursing home contacted her to collect the bill, my wife told them they’d get paid when she got her mother’s ring back. They didn’t get paid. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/74 "2022-02-14T19:35:34Z")
My one neighbor has a dog which, every time it is let out of the house, runs to each corner of their lot and barks at - something. If I happen to be anywhere in sight or earshot I get an extra dose of it. Surprisingly enough, the woof-woof-woof never really bothered me. But now my other neighbor has a dog which is a high-pitched yapping barker. While I was shoveling snow last night that dog kept up a continual stream of yap-yap-yap. And that high-pitched tone makes me grit my teeth. So far I haven’t heard them try a duet. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/75 "2022-02-14T21:40:38Z")
My daughter is autistic and turning 8 next month. I love her to pieces. She’s amazing in most every way. She has a new habit that drives me insane. I have tried to explain to her that not everyone wants to play all the time. Still she insists that everyone is taking part in her pretend play. This weekend, she was pretending she was Saturn, that I was Jupiter, her baby brother was Mercury and her dad was the Sun. It was harmless enough. Except, if you referred to anyone by their actual name and not their planet, she would correct you. Constantly. She always uses the same phrasing, too. “You mean Saturn!?” a million times until you acknowledge her. If she says “You mean…” one more time, I think I might pull my hair out. The good thing is that I just have to acknowledge that she is Saturn, not actually treat her any differently. You know, maybe she’s just trying to tell me she wants to change her name to Saturn. ---
**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 15, 2022, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/76 "2022-02-15T00:37:25Z")
Have you tried buying her rings? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/77 "2022-02-15T06:04:07Z")
Grocery store. Cereal aisle. Wendy’s Frosty Cereal. Now Ive seen everything. ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/78 "2022-02-15T14:52:44Z")
Of course she has rings. Do you think I’m a monster? She made hers with these like accordian tube thingys that she can stretch around her waist. (They are sensory toys that she can squish and then stretch and the squish again. She loves them and is very creative.) Today, my main rant is that I, after being up with kids all night, spilled the last of the cold brew coffee instead of drinking it this morning. My daughter (“you mean, Saturn?”) aptly told me I could buy more and not to be so sad. She’s not wrong but it was really tasty and I needed it, dang it. Why am I such a butterfingers when I’m tired? ---
**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 15, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/79 "2022-02-15T15:21:23Z")
Because you’re tired? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742/80 "2022-02-15T21:29:38Z")
I’ve made posts in the past about my recently diagnosed as diabetic cat Mischief. Last Saturday I called the vet’s office to let them know that he’s not getting his insulin properly\* and if there are any other treatment options, or what would be the result of him not being treated. I was told that the doctor was not available that day, but that she would call me later. So far I haven’t heard anything. I’ve tried checking online, but I keep seeing conflicting information; there are oral meds which may or may not be effective, a special diet might or might not help (and how do I make sure that he only eats it and not the food for my other cat?). Someone even suggested getting a cage and keeping him in it all the time. 🙄 \*After two weeks of him letting me give him the injections while he was eating he suddenly decided that he wouldn’t eat if I was standing near enough to touch him. Nor would he let me try to give him his shot after he’s eaten. If I’m lucky I’m able to give him one shot a day, always hours after he’s eaten. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-mini-rants-look-on-the-bright-side-its-the-shortest-month-of-the-year/958742.md?page=5)