# Fewer days, more rants (February Mini-Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 2, 2023, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184 "2023-02-02T01:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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 6, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/81 "2023-02-06T23:59:59Z")
Yes, that’s the show. 😃 I always thought it funny that Gary Cole played the evil sheriff named Lucas Black, and the young boy protagonist named Caleb was played by an actor whose real name was Lucas Black. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/82 "2023-02-07T03:26:00Z")
I just asked the nurse to add a note to my chart to the effect that unless someone came and talked to me about future medical orders, I wasn’t going to cooperate. I’m perfectly willing to work with the medical team, but I’m damned if I’m putting up with having things sprung on me. This is the second day in a row I found out about a plan for me that no one even talked to me about, and I’m fed up. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/83 "2023-02-07T06:59:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > Hey, on a different and happier note, on the Stouffer’s fiasco, as the cancellation is still months away, the corner of my freezer where I keep the Stouffer’s is currently full to overflowing after today’s shopping spree. I will continue to savour it for as long as I can. > > What you do now is eat your Stouffer’s stash for every breakfast, lunch and dinner until you can no longer look at them without feeling queasy. Problem solved! Ha ha! That ordinarily might work, but you’ve overlooked one important thing: I’m a dog. To us dogs, every meal is a novel treat, as once described by Dave Barry (not a dog, but knows all about them). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/84 "2023-02-07T07:08:37Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Ha ha! That ordinarily might work, but you’ve overlooked one important thing: I’m a dog. To us dogs, every meal is a novel treat, (Don’t tell anyone, but I’m the same way! If I like something enough, I’ll gladly eat it on repeat. I happily had a PB&J for lunch every day for 2 years straight in jr high.) ---
**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 7, 2023, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/85 "2023-02-07T08:51:32Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I happily had a PB&J for lunch every day for 2 years straight in jr high. I think at that age one year I ate a microwave bean and cheese burrito before school every morning for breakfast. It was my morning ritual. Thinking back… Those were pretty good burritos. ---
**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 7, 2023, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/86 "2023-02-07T09:21:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I always thought it funny that Gary Cole played the evil sheriff named Lucas Black, and the young boy protagonist named Caleb was played by an actor whose real name was Lucas Black. Just “Lucky”, I guess…? ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/87 "2023-02-07T10:04:33Z")
That’s so frustrating. I’ve had it happen to me, too. We have to be our own advocates and not necessarily defer to the “professionals”, at least not right away, so that was great on your part. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/88 "2023-02-07T12:29:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Thinking back… Those were pretty good burritos. I’m guessing, probably not? The junior palate is not discriminating. And for Odin’s sake, do not try a taste test - leave the memory of the delicious burrito unsullied. ---
**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 7, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/89 "2023-02-07T14:32:23Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > And for Odin’s sake, do not try a taste test - leave the memory of the delicious burrito unsullied. I used to put hot sauce on them. I can’t eat that anymore. 😫 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/90 "2023-02-07T15:11:59Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But I don’t have any choice. Our insurance plan requires us to fill any long-term prescriptions via mail order, or it won’t pay ANYTHING. They started allowing us to get 90 day fills at Walgreens 2-3 years ago, I just never made the switch. And most recently they told me I could do it at CVS and WalMart as well, though I don’t trust that. Dropped’em is the one who screwed up my MIIL’s multiple myeloma prescription and only sent it in time by overnighting it, rather grudgingly making it sound as though it was her fault. With me, they once held ALL my prescriptions because of a question they had about ONE of them. Prior to Dropped’em (which owns / is owned by UnHealthyCrap), I had coverage through my own employer, and we had CareFirst. With THEM, I could get the 90 day prescriptions filled at CVS. All in all, they were better than Dropped’em - though they did quit covering ANY proton pump inhibitors at one point (Dropped’em simply quit covering the one that actually WORKED for me. I’ll show THEM, I’ll develop Barrett’s and cost 'em a WHOLE lot more than the medication did). ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/91 "2023-02-07T15:21:54Z")
My kid has a new scary-as-fuck symptom I would rather not. Usually in the car, he watches the dashboard clock, and calls out the number, “6:12!” and you confirm, yup, it’s 6:12. Then he says “Gotta wait,” and waits for the next number. Last night after picking up from daycare he just started chanting “Another 6:12! Another 6:12!” over and over getting increasingly more upset. No matter how much we reassured him that the clock had changed, it was like he couldn’t process it. Attempts to redirect with music failed. I thought he might be having some kind of weird meltdown so I turned off the lights when we got home, but he turned them back on and seemed fine. Happened again this morning. Usually he says, “All done eating!” and I say “Ok!” and he gets down and goes to play. This morning he stood at the kitchen table chanting, “All done eating! All done eating!” getting increasingly more upset as if I was physically restraining him from leaving the table. No matter how many times I said, “It’s okay, you can get down now,” he didn’t seem to process my words. I took his hand and led him over to his toys and he resumed playing just fine. I was pretty fucking freaked out. I contacted my friend who is a neuropsychologist and said, “Please tell me this is a sign of autism and not like, a brain tumor.” She said it sounds like perseveration which is not uncommon with autism. His brain is just getting “stuck” and it’s a good sign I can redirect. I do not like that _at all._ It reminds me of what I saw with dementia patients as a social work intern. The anxiety and confusion he is feeling when this happens is just fucking brutal. My husband and I took time off work yesterday to go out to eat and just vent and commiserate. I thought I would wake up this morning fine and that would be the end of it, but this is a process, I guess. I’d be taking a mental health day today, but I have a work meeting. Doubt I’ll get much else done. ---
**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 7, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/92 "2023-02-07T15:58:41Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > > [@Atamasama](#): > > > > Thinking back… Those were pretty good burritos. > > I’m guessing, probably not? The junior palate is not discriminating. Nor is the Backpacking Palate. I hiked the northern end of the Appalachian Trail with my kid’s scout troop. We made it up to the top of a plateau and got out the _BagO’Lasagna -Freeze-Dried, Just Add Boiling Water._ It was delicious. After we were back at base camp, and dried out from fording a stream (but with rapids), the boys were daring each other to eat the last of the “Lasagna”. Much retching ensued. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/93 "2023-02-07T17:09:10Z")
A person here who did wind down / “divest” N’lé frozen food (FF) business in a different country some years ago… Supply chain cost for FF are crazy high … maintaining huge warehouses at temperatures below -20°C is very expensive, and I shudder to think about the cost now, with energy prices where they are. Taking them from warehouse 1 (factory) to warehouse 2 (general warehousing) and then to your trade partners (supermarkets) need a special, dedicated truck-fleet and special “trade-assets” (freezers in the isles) to keep the product at a save temp. That all adds up pretty fast. Also, FF is surprisingly complex to “cook” and you need tons of different ingredients which all need to be bought, shipped and stored at below -20C … Also, very specific, expensive and dedicated machinery in a factory (that only do one thing, e.g. rolling Cannelonis) - which are a very high CapEx and risk (if your Cannelonis bomb in the marketplace you are stuck with a machine that can’t be used otherwise). IIRC we had some 30 dishes (Paella, Nasi Goreng,…) that made up for nearly 500 different ingredients → crazy high complexity cost So, today quite often that business is being perceived as high-complexity-low-margin and spun off. Unilever did the same in the 1990ies in europe - and had troubles finding buyers for their business. ---
**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 7, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/94 "2023-02-07T18:32:46Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Dying dogs. Just let me crawl away under the porch. Maybe I’ll live. Maybe I’ll die. But either way, LEAVE ME ALONE. DW and I are both Dying dogs so everything works out fine. Keeping a glass of water filled on the nightstand is all the TLC we appreciate. > [@Shoeless](#): > > I just want him to make a decision (which should be within his authority) on what I see is a relatively minor network change needed for our project. No. We’re not going to open all ports to the public. (An actual request from a vendor at a previous job.) ---
**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 7, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/95 "2023-02-07T18:44:18Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > No. We’re not going to open all ports to the public. (An actual request from a vendor at a previous job.) That’s like Amazon asking that you keep all of your doors and windows propped open 24 hours a day, every day, so that they can deliver your packages more easily. ---
**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 7, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/96 "2023-02-07T19:02:18Z")
I suspect the actual request was to only open the ports to their servers, but it was to the public by the time the tale got around to me. Still, a hard no. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2023, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/97 "2023-02-07T20:01:41Z")
Today’s rant is UPS. I probably don’t need to say more, but: 1. You can now track the basics online, but if you want details, you need to create a login and log in. 2. If you want to email them, you can only do so after you’ve logged in. 3. If you want to pointlessly complain about not being able to log in, you then have to call them, and of course if you were to do so, you can’t get anywhere without typing in your long tracking number. (I presume based on past experience: I know UPS doesn’t care that I think they’re shitty.) Also, just a general rant on UPS Canada: if you get a package from the US, it’s delivered with the ransom note that you need to pay a $35 “brokerage fee” because they’ve done all this work to clear a package through customs. There’s no way to opt out of it, but if you complain, they’ll happily take your package back to their warehouse near the airport and let YOU clear it through customs, even though they obviously did this step already. It’s extortion, pure and simple, and how they get away with it is beyond me. (I don’t mind paying any customs charges, because the shipper can’t always anticipate those, but the shipper can and should pay any handling charges: AND THEY DO, and of course bill them to me. UPS double-charges because they 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 7, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/98 "2023-02-07T20:09:33Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > There’s no way to opt out of it, but if you complain, they’ll happily take your package back to their warehouse near the airport and let YOU clear it through customs, even though they obviously did this step already. “Nice package you got here. It would be a _real shame_ if something were to happen to it.” ---
**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 7, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/99 "2023-02-07T21:01:00Z")
Helping my brother clear out his entire life to fill a 10x10 storage unit. And then he can proceed to be… homeless. That court system broke so many laws that it’s not funny. But how do you beat a court system in court? A: You Can’t. My knee aches, my family is asking why I don’t want to talk today. My liquor cabinet is asking why I’m there so often today. I need to vent, but I somehow don’t need to talk. How weird is that? [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/g5kRNF7AB7c/hqdefault.jpg "Blue Magic - Sideshow 45 RPM vinyl") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5kRNF7AB7c) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184/100 "2023-02-07T22:25:39Z")
Well, I won’t talk to you, then. I’ll just silently wish you well. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-days-more-rants-february-mini-rants/979184.md?page=6)