# I learned a valuable lesson today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006 "2006-08-31T23:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![934spe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/9/90db22/32.png) [@934spe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/934spe)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/21 "2006-09-01T16:51:12Z")
Just because the electric burner on the stove isn’t red, it doesn’t mean it isn’t hot… Explaining a spiral of burns on your palm makes you look like a total idiot. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/22 "2006-09-01T17:24:43Z")
I was removing a pit from an avocado when the pit split in half leaving the remaining half-pit in the avocado flush with the flesh. Instead of just grabbing a spoon out of the drawer and removing the pit that way, I decided it would be smart to stick the point of the knife into the pit while cupping the avocado with my other hand. One operation and a numb finger later I am now very very careful with knives. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/23 "2006-09-01T17:42:42Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] and always use a stool to remove cobwebs on the ceiling. [/QUOTE] Yeuch! :eek: I use a cobweb brush myself. Oh, you meant a **stool** … ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/24 "2006-09-01T18:21:52Z")
[QUOTE=guppy] I was removing a pit from an avocado when the pit split in half leaving the remaining half-pit in the avocado flush with the flesh. Instead of just grabbing a spoon out of the drawer and removing the pit that way, I decided it would be smart to stick the point of the knife into the pit while cupping the avocado with my other hand. One operation and a numb finger later I am now very very careful with knives. :eek: [/QUOTE] Ah, yes. Sharp Objects 101. - When using a box cutter to slice horizontally through the plastic zip tie keeping something closed, it is not the most brilliant idea in the world to hold the object still with your other hand in a location that puts it directly in the path of the knife when it suddenly and unexpectedly slices through the last bit of tie. :: rubs scar :: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/25 "2006-09-01T18:41:54Z")
> [@934spe](#): > > Just because the electric burner on the stove isn’t red, it doesn’t mean it isn’t hot. As it turns out, this is equally valid advice when blacksmithing. They were talking about car wrecks yesterday at work. My boss’s boss used to race motorcycles. He said: “Important safety tip: Trees don’t move.” ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/26 "2006-09-01T20:11:09Z")
[QUOTE=Kythereia] always use a stool to remove cobwebs on the ceiling. [/QUOTE] Sound advice- until you forget to turn the ceiling fan off first and the legs of the stool get caught in the fan blades and then the the stool is projected through the bedroom window. :eek: 😉 Never try to clean out a glass peanut butter jar by pouring boiling water into it, screwing the metal lid on tightly and shaking violently. The superheated water sprays outwards and up into your eyes, scalding your eyeball and face with peanutbuttery boiling water. You smell like a NutterButter in the E.R. :smack: ( This was 1978, and back then, Pathmark did use glass jars for their peanut butter. No more, thank god ) Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/27 "2006-09-01T20:28:25Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] No, the thin ice covering is the only thing that breaks, though I suppose if you had really weak hair, it might break off. Think of it like the ice is like a really thick coat of hairspray. (Saith Lissa, who doesn’t own a hair dryer.) [/QUOTE] those posts bring up something I learnt several years ago: your hair won’t break, but if your hair is anywhere near even medium lenth, those icicles can really scratch your cheeks and your neck up good! ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/28 "2006-09-01T21:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=kawaiitentaclebeast] If you get a pinprick on your hand, and a drop of blood forms, you can lick it off. You should not do this with blood on your shaving razor, although it seemed perfectly intuitive at the time. [/QUOTE] :eek: Ow ow ow! This made me jump in my chair when I read it. Do not try to discover if the car’s cigarrette lighter is hot by putting it up _near_ your mouth; your mother may hit a bump and you will spend three weeks explaining how you got a round burn on center of your lips. (Hey, I was a kid.) Do not twist the blue and red wires on a vanity light fixture together in the wall, after you’ve taken the fixture down to paint the bathroom and then, after painting, and forgetting you have done this, flip the light switch to turn on the overhead light to inspect the paint job. You will melt the light switch in the wall, blow the circuit breaker out of the box and across the hall, trip the main circuit breaker for the whole house, and cause smoke to emit from the wires. Do not wipe your face or eyes when you are cutting jalepenos. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/29 "2006-09-01T22:05:55Z")
Never happened to me, but I guess John Smoltz learned the importance of using an [ironing board](http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=69650) on this particular occasion. FWIW, I remember it kept me from wanting to try ironing a shirt while wearing it. SGT Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/30 "2006-09-01T22:30:22Z")
I’ve had my own share of lesson with ironing as well. In my case, it was one of those portable steamers which one runs over clothing to smooth out wrinkles. Yes, the steam is hot. I verified this with the back of my hand about 3 month ago and the scar is still there. I suppose I’m lucky that I didn’t verify it with my face. I learned the same lesson as the OP as well, except it was with a machine gun, after exactly **440 7.62mm rounds** , which will heat up the barrel to a significantly higher temprature than 60 5.56mm rounds will. You’d think the smoke wafting off the barrel would have been a good reminder. Actually I had to learn that lesson about 4 times, with numerous different types of machine guns, but I got it eventually, I think. I tell people my hands get that way from lifting too many weights. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![UKCatGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@UKCatGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UKCatGirl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/31 "2006-09-01T23:21:43Z")
Do not try to pressure clean your shoes while you are wearing them. The tongue will slide over and all that pressure will rip your skin wide open. Do not own a coffee table with a glass top. At some point you will be inebriated, making the table invisible and magnetic to shins. Do not attempt to hang a fan while standing on a swivel barstool. You **will** fall, and fans hurt when they land on you. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2006, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/32 "2006-09-01T23:57:09Z")
I learned the hard way that you shouldn’t put your hand in a blender, hold onto the blades, and then turn it on. When using a razor blade, make sure thebusiness side is not the side you’re pressing down on. (I had a callus to protect me that time.) ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/33 "2006-09-02T01:29:29Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] “Important safety tip: Trees don’t move.” [/QUOTE] Yup. Another car-related lesson I learned RIP Toyota ☹ Also, Ditches don’t move either RIP Suzuki ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Toyman991](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@Toyman991](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toyman991)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/34 "2006-09-02T01:49:50Z")
Since the OP lead off with a firearms related caution, I’ll add a few of my own: Certain small auto pistols should not be fired by those with large hands until they are CERTAIN that there is clearance for the slide to cycle (ouch!!!). Hot brass that lands inside your shirt collar burns like hell. When disassembling a magazine for cleaning, beware of flying springs! The same holds true when removing the cap on the end of a shotgun’s shell tube. Please don’t ask how I know these things. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/35 "2006-09-02T01:50:18Z")
Despite your best intentions and natural instincts, there are some things that, if they fall off the counter, are better left to fall to the floor. Do not try to grab a falling: a) knife or scissors b) hot iron c) hot pot or pan d) lit candle e) cup of household bleach f) cat g) shaving razor (thanks, **Surok** ) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/36 "2006-09-02T02:22:43Z")
If you brush your hand up against something hot (say, a skillet) and it burns you, don’t do it again two minutes later with the same hand. Also, you can clean hair out of your razor with your thumb, but you have to be very careful about which way you move. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/37 "2006-09-02T03:27:14Z")
If you’re using a hose that you know connects directly to an industrial-sized boiler, do NOT put the hose down before trying to turn off the water. If you accidentally turn the knob the wrong way the hose will whip around, and heavy jeans will not protect your ankle and lower leg from second degree burns in that case. ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/38 "2006-09-02T03:57:05Z")
Don’t rub strange cats on their bellies, no matter how friendly they seem to be. The same goes for most cats you know. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/39 "2006-09-02T12:31:04Z")
If you iron on the floor, make sure when you stand up the iron there is at least a iron’s length of space between your body and the iron in case it falls. I have a 4 inch long scar on my knee from not following this rule. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2006, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006/40 "2006-09-02T13:05:19Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] Things I have learned the hard way: –Dawn cannot be used as a substitute for dishwashing machine detergent. I’ll not be doing that again. [/QUOTE] Neither can powered laundry soap. Although, it got the dishes and the kitchen floor cleaned and the same time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-learned-a-valuable-lesson-today/371006.md?page=3)