# Halloweenie Whines (Mini-Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 1, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054 "2014-10-01T04:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/281 "2014-10-24T03:34:51Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > No. My husband just got a promotion this year and works for a great employer with great benefits. All of our family is here and we have three kids (two are in school). Looking for work sucks. Any chance you can network off your former employer? Track down other techs you used to work with? Tech jobs are fairly available here, I know a couple people who took time off (over a year) and then came back to the same employer, and three who were fired and then went to work for another hospital in our same town. (granted, it’s a big town) Is there a tech school near you? Could explain the glut, but I’ve found more experience is usually preferred over fresh graduates. (we chew up and spit out newbies, can’t get the hang of venipuncture within a couple weeks? see ya) ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/282 "2014-10-24T06:18:54Z")
I fear my little old lady cat is going blind. She pretty much can’t see in the dark - to help her find her bedside water bowl I had to use a flash light to point it out to her, it got moved about 6 inches. _sigh_ We already had to build a ramp so she can get up on the bed … ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/283 "2014-10-24T12:41:31Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > Job hunting. Is there anything more depressing and soul-sucking? Ugh. I’ve been out of work for almost a year. I didn’t start looking for work until about two months ago. I had an interview and working interview early on, but that went nowhere. Since then, nada. I’m a vet tech, so the opportunities are few and far between. Every couple of weeks I’ll see a listing on line and agonize over an appropriate cover letter and get all optimistic. I was really hopeful about the last one because it was co-owned by my favorite technical instructor and his wife. Not a peep. > > Blah. Amen! I’m job hunting as well but I am still employed thankfully. I am in an area that I kind of ended up in accidentally and now I’m just barely not qualified for what they want. It’s frustrating and I really don’t think we can move again. I don’t think I can stay here though because I am not able to travel like they want me to. In that same vein, I pit companies that don’t explicitly list in their job listing that they want someone with CAD experience. It will be used as a filter and it really took the wind out of my sails when I thought I had finally found a job I was a good fit for only to find that the last question. No, I don’t have experience with CATIA. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/284 "2014-10-24T15:34:21Z")
Aaaargh! I just got a call from ‘Heather’ at Account Services on my cell phone. Bastards!! Keep your grubby scams off my cell phone!! ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/285 "2014-10-24T16:09:37Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Looking for work sucks. Any chance you can network off your former employer? Track down other techs you used to work with? Tech jobs are fairly available here, I know a couple people who took time off (over a year) and then came back to the same employer, and three who were fired and then went to work for another hospital in our same town. (granted, it’s a big town) Is there a tech school near you? Could explain the glut, but I’ve found more experience is usually preferred over fresh graduates. (we chew up and spit out newbies, can’t get the hang of venipuncture within a couple weeks? see ya) I’m in Indianapolis. There are essentially three “big” hospitals in town, one of which is my former employer. I don’t really want to work at either of the two remaining ones (for various reasons). BUT while I was typing this the place I submitted my resume to last night called to schedule an interview for MONDAY!!! ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/286 "2014-10-24T16:20:34Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > … I got absolutely zero back-up from my husband when I complained to him. All he said was Don’t bother arguing with Mom, you will lose every time. Normally I’d be all :mad: at spouses who don’t back each other up. In this particular case, however, I would counsel you to perhaps consider heeding his advice. Good luck, **Avarie537**! Sending digital 4-leaf clovers your way. Hang in there, **MissTake**. This, too, shall pass. (Eventually … ) ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/287 "2014-10-24T17:12:22Z")
Aw, FUCK! I just got a note from my bank that my balance is negative. I knew I was close to zero, but WTF? I checked my account, and a utility bill from \*\*\*the beginning of August \*\*\*just posted. MotherFUCKITY_ **FUCK** _! ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/288 "2014-10-24T18:44:11Z")
Shit, triple-post from yours truly. A mod may slap my wrist if necessary for this transgression, but … _Background_: my mother and I do. not. get. along. My father and I mostly get along when it’s just the two of us, esp. if my mother is out of town, but if it’s the three of us, or if she’s been bending his ear about me a lot, it’s back to massive arguments, passive-aggressive bullshit, dysfunctional communication etc. etc. Really, though, I take after my dad in temperament, so we do mostly get along OK and while I resent the holy hell out of him for never taking my side or protecting me from my mother, deep down, I do love the bastard. Mostly. He’s just a harmless old man, now, and sick with cancer to boot. So: When my parents initially blew the unholy fuck up about my New Guy, they chose the week before Father’s Day to do so. I was so pissed off at both of them that I refused to speak to either for weeks? months? and so did not see my dad for Father’s Day. They’re at it again now with me about N.G., about money, about everything. They’ve painted him in their minds as a greedy scam artist taking advantage of a grieving widow, and if Og Himself came down from on high to tell them otherwise, they’d turn atheist faster than you could blink. Next week is my father’s 75th birthday. I even told them a while ago I’d go to a violin concert my dad wants to attend.\* The texts that I’ve gotten from both of them recently? I don’t think I could stand to me in the same room with them for ten minutes, let alone be around then for a couple of hours straight. These long-winded spiels they’re sending my phone are manipulative and mean-spirited to the point of being disgusting. I can’t understand why, with his timeline growing increasingly short, he can’t just let this whole “my daughter has a black boyfriend” thing go already, and let us enjoy some time together. - It occurred to me while typing that, that it was my mother telling me that my father wanted to attend. Considering a few years ago when I asked him what he’d like to do for … either his b-day or F’s Day, I forget which … his answer was, and I quote: “I don’t know. Your mother’s taking a nap right now. Let me ask her when she wakes up and I’ll call you back.” Dude. I asked _you_ what _you_ wanted to do. No go. He waited until she was up and had informed him about his wishes, and then he dutifully called me back with her plans. OK, I’m going straight to hell. Venting all that made me feel a bit better but I also gave me an evil idea: record me’n’N.G. going at it like the rabid bunnies we are, and sending them the video. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/289 "2014-10-24T19:02:05Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > \ > > Next week is my father’s 75th birthday. I even told them a while ago I’d go to a violin concert my dad wants to attend.\* The texts that I’ve gotten from both of them recently? I don’t think I could stand to me in the same room with them for ten minutes, let alone be around then for a couple of hours straight. These long-winded spiels they’re sending my phone are manipulative and mean-spirited to the point of being disgusting. I can’t understand why, with his timeline growing increasingly short, he can’t just let this whole “my daughter has a black boyfriend” thing go already, and let us enjoy some time together. Block their phone numbers? \ > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > OK, I’m going straight to hell. Venting all that made me feel a bit better but I also gave me an evil idea: record me’n’N.G. going at it like the rabid bunnies we are, and sending them the video. I hear you can get shots for that.[sup]1[/sup] 🆒 Better idea. First film and send them the video, \*then \*block their numbers. [sup]1[/sup]Rabies vaccines, that is. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/290 "2014-10-24T19:23:03Z")
Today’s annoyance: a young woman, a member of the program I administer, would like me to fill in a reference report to allow her to attend a national event as a state representative. I’m new to my job, and have no personal knowledge of this girl’s accomplishments or character. We sent 15 emails back and forth last week to arrange for her to call me and discuss her history in the program, her goals and aspirations, to give me enough detail to fill in the report. First, she had trouble grasping the fact that my office hours were 9-5 M-F, and offered to call on Saturday or Sunday. Those are my days off, and as I told her, if she absolutely was unavailable for a 30 minute call in the working week, I’d adjust my work schedule and take her call after hours. She came back with a window today, Friday, which I could make work (switched around some meetings, pushed back my lunch break.) She herself, I might add, is a college freshman, so is likely to have at least a somewhat flexible schedule. She hasn’t called. She’s 20 minutes late. For a call asking me to be her reference. I can feel my inclination to do so draining away… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/291 "2014-10-24T20:05:12Z")
Saw something I have never seen before. Driving down the street straight toward (or past) Minneapolis City Hall. Cop car. On the door was the big badge that just said ‘Police’. Nothing else. On the back, it said ‘To Protect and Serve’ and ‘Police’. Not a single mention or word about what city or police department it was for. Like I say, never seen that in my entire life. Every single cop car around here tells you what department it is with. If that thing came up behind me with it’s lights on, I’d be calling 911 to ask who the fuck was pulling me over. ---
**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:** [October 24, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/292 "2014-10-24T20:23:17Z")
That sounds hella suspicious. There have been plenty of reports over the years of cop impersonators pulling people over and robbing and/or raping them. IIRC when those blue and reds light up behind you, as long as you’re not fleeing (so, you’re driving the speed limit, you put on your hazard lights etc.) you have the right to call up and ask for verification of the badge # of the cop pulling you over. No idea what would happen if dispatch came back with, “We have no record of an LEO in that area.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/293 "2014-10-25T00:45:24Z")
Ya’ll wanna know how to get your ego blown all to pieces? Go to a needlework or other hobby convention. Those folks know things I didn’t even know that I didn’t know. They were all very nice and I did learn a lot, but dang…I’ve won ribbons at the county fairs for my whitework. [Not my work, but an example of what I do.](https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=An2dLE0o8.m23GJD8BNbj.ebvZx4?fr=hp-avast-s&toggle=1&type=iedef&fp=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=white%20work%20embroidery) Those folks made me look like a 5 year old learning to do cross stitch on plastic canvas. I was working at the bag check desk and after a couple of hours, I was embarrassed to have them look at what I was working on. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/294 "2014-10-25T01:59:18Z")
No, you moron, you cannot get rid of fleas in a cat by bathing the cat with lemon juice. The only thing that will happen is the cat will hate you, the cat will still have fleas and we will laugh ourselves silly at you on Facebook. I swear you think the woo people can’t any dumber and yet they manage. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/295 "2014-10-25T02:24:30Z")
Nah, it just made the fleas [invisible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect). The phenomenon was first tested in a series of experiments published in 1999 by David Dunning and Justin Kruger of the Department of Psychology, Cornell University.[2][3] The study was inspired by the case of McArthur Wheeler, a man who robbed two banks after covering his face with lemon juice in the mistaken belief that, as lemon juice is usable as invisible ink, it would prevent his face from being recorded on surveillance cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/296 "2014-10-25T02:43:34Z")
Discover is going to lose over $700 in interest when I transfer my balance away from them because they cannot fix their error that’s costing me $60. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/297 "2014-10-25T02:47:48Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Ya’ll wanna know how to get your ego blown all to pieces? Go to a needlework or other hobby convention. That word “whitework” seems to cover a ton of different techniques. As far as I can tell, the only difference between it and “embroidery” is that whitework doesn’t work with colors. Izzatso? My aunt does [encaje de bolillos](https://www.google.com/search?q=encaje+de+bolillos&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=gw5LVPLxNOHNygODl4JA&sqi=2&ved=0CB8QsAQ) (_encaje_ is lace, _bolillos_ are those wooden thingees). She keeps one of her earliest pieces in her bag, both for when she feels like “aaaagh, I’ve been doing this for decades and I’m still such a newbie!” and for when she runs into someone who takes one look at her current project and tries to melt into the floor. Even _I_ can see the snags and cheats in the old piece… ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/298 "2014-10-25T03:36:22Z")
Yeah, I do white on white work…which works out great with cats and dogs shedding their hair all over my hands. I also like to do pulled and drawn work, but still white on white. Very technically challenging and when its done right, nobody can tell the top from the bottom. Please tell your aunt that an internet stranger adores her for her kindness. I know it as bobbin weaving…beautiful stuff. I can’t do that because the cats would not be nice about it. I can’t tat because of the same reason. Rotten beasts!!! Thank you for giving me the translation for the words. And again, thank your aunt for being so kind to noobs. ---
**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:** [October 25, 2014, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/299 "2014-10-25T07:19:05Z")
I stopped doing Arts and Sciences competitions in the SCA after my second contest … I joined originally in 1978, and made an italian renn gown out of linen with double sided embroidery around the entire edge [you know, start at the back of the neck, go along down the front left, around the bottom, up the right side and to the back of the neck] with a hand embroidered 2 inch band for the belt in ecru linen with a deep red linen under dress and white linen chemise. I entered it and some dumb bitch who used a sewing machine, synthetic velvet and satin, and store bought trim won with an extreme flashy renn. Can’t pop up a pic of my dress, but it was moderately similar to this [one](http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/4a/1a/a4/4a1aa43398dffb052762e19efe947680.jpg) - I based mine on a stage production of Romeo and Juliette. I figured that all the contests were effectively won through who you know, not the quality of ones actual work. I didn’t start doing A&S contests for about 8 years and an entirely different kingdom. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2014, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054/300 "2014-10-25T10:11:42Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Ya’ll wanna know how to get your ego blown all to pieces? Go to a needlework or other hobby convention. Those folks know things I didn’t even know that I didn’t know. They were all very nice and I did learn a lot, but dang…I’ve won ribbons at the county fairs for my whitework. [Not my work, but an example of what I do.](https://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=An2dLE0o8.m23GJD8BNbj.ebvZx4?fr=hp-avast-s&toggle=1&type=iedef&fp=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=white%20work%20embroidery) Those folks made me look like a 5 year old learning to do cross stitch on plastic canvas. > > I was working at the bag check desk and after a couple of hours, I was embarrassed to have them look at what I was working on. That’s why I started bringing my cross-stitch to the Meetup I joined. I go tired of making extremely simple crocheted items while these other ladies are making fancy shawls and baby clothes and quilts. They need to get out their reading glasses and peer carefully at my cross-stitch because it’s so intricate and complicated. Most people get intimidated at the kind of patterns I prefer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloweenie-whines-mini-rants/700054.md?page=16)