# It's a new year - time for fresh new mini-rants! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 4, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629 "2010-01-04T16:26:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**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:** [February 1, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/361 "2010-02-01T22:53:54Z")
I feel like death. Headache that started this morning and has only gotten worse after Advil and Imitrex. Now there’s pressure in my chest and yucky in my tummy. And I have a phone interview tomorrow! I better not be sick. I better be able to sleep it off tonight and feel ok tomorrow. Cuz as god as my witness, I _will_ do that interview tomorrow. (Is it unprofessional to hork in the middle of a phone interview? Or does that show an exceptional level of dedication?) ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/362 "2010-02-01T23:05:08Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > (Is it unprofessional to hork in the middle of a phone interview? Or does that show an exceptional level of dedication?) That depends…is there a “mute” button on your phone? ---
**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:** [February 1, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/363 "2010-02-01T23:10:02Z")
(Makes a note to check when I get home… ) ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/364 "2010-02-02T01:19:48Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Thanks a lot for spoiling that, **stretch**. > :rolleyes: > > Actually, I’m just kidding. I don’t know from _Fringe_. Or care, for that matter. I’m not really sure if everyone else is so sanguine about the subject, though. > > Shape-shifter? Shit! I hope I didn’t spoil \*Fringe \*for anyone. If you watch them in order, you too will be OUTRAGED!!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/365 "2010-02-02T05:26:08Z")
> [@Lunchy](#): > > Mad that Avatar and The Last Samurai were basically the same movie re clothed. But what incredible new clothes! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/366 "2010-02-02T13:20:49Z")
I thought it was one of my infrequent migraines, but after reading some of these other posts, I’m not so sure… I spent all day yesterday trying to ingest one glass of water. Sip, sleep, barf, repeat. Today I’m here at work because I feel like I need to be, but I still look and feel like death. Last barf was less than six hours ago. I weighed 98 pounds this morning. And I came to work because I have to give a luncheon! Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Real_Regency_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/367 "2010-02-02T14:05:39Z")
Ugh, our selling agent, after failing to get us a single offer on our house over the last six months, is now advocating that we put it up for short sale rather than go to a different realtor company. It really burns me up that she would suggest we do something that’s not only unethical but also harmful to our credit just so she can get her commission. My husband has to commute to the next state for work, but we both have jobs and are absolutely not in a hardship position at all. The agent keeps arguing with me that no, we _are_ in a hardship situation and if we’d just fill out the short sale paperwork so we can get the ball rolling…go play in traffic, lady. If she’d made any real effort to sell our property, it might be a bit more understandable, but she gave us the bare minimum of service the whole time, just enough to keep from being in breach of contract. She never even gave one word of advice to us on how to make the property more appealing. I’m pissed because she’s with a very reputable agency that’s sold a number of similar houses in our area. Guess we got their lazy rep. I’ve already met with a different selling agent from a flat-fee company and from the minute she walked into the house, she gave me TONS of staging advice and even helped me move furniture. It felt like I was on an HGTV show! Oh, and NO mention of short sales because the market here is soft, but not _that_ soft. Our house is larger and a bit older and is more challenging to sell, but at a short sale? I DON’T THINK SO. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/368 "2010-02-02T16:20:13Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Today I’m here at work because I feel like I need to be, but I still look and feel like death. Last barf was less than six hours ago. GO THE FUCK HOME. Best-case, you’re not going to get anything done and will be sick longer because you’re not resting. Worst-case, you get everyone else you come into contact with sick, too. Seriously, people. STAY HOME WHEN YOU’RE SICK. It’s not fucking brain surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/369 "2010-02-02T16:29:51Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > GO THE FUCK HOME. Best-case, you’re not going to get anything done and will be sick longer because you’re not resting. Worst-case, you get everyone else you come into contact with sick, too. > > Seriously, people. STAY HOME WHEN YOU’RE SICK. It’s not fucking brain surgery. Tell them to pay us when we do, and to not penalize us for doing so. You can’t have it both ways- few employees taking sick days _and_ people not coming to work when they are sick. Pick one. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/370 "2010-02-02T17:05:44Z")
Look, lady, I know that as a stay-at-home mom, you look forward to taking your son to daycare so you can get some things done. I’ve been there. But for the love of God, keep him the fuck home if he has RSV, especially if you’re exposing him to babies as young as six weeks old! You say that your kid’s fever is gone and that the doctor just recommended that he stay on Tylenol for a few more days, but a lot of parents try to mask fevers that way because they have to work. You, however, do not. When I came in, you were telling the head teacher, “Oh, it’s so great that the pediatrician said I could bring him in. Today I’m going to lunch with my mom’s group!” I know you were looking forward to that, but dammit, if my 11-week old gets sick because you brought your kid in knowing he was sick and potentially contagious so you could go to lunch, I’m going to be beyond pissed because 1) I don’t want my kid to be sick. Many children with RSV wind up in the hospital and when my son had it, he was on breathing treatments for days. It was awful for all of us and I don’t want my daughter to have to go through that. And 2) I _do_ have to work - my maternity leave ends as of Friday and I’m trying to get my daughter used to having someone else care for her so I can contribute to paying our household expenses. So if you know your kid is sick and you can, keep your kid home until he is no longer a biohazard - please. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/371 "2010-02-02T17:17:34Z")
**The Real Regency Elf** , sorry to hear your agent sucks so badly. Our agent was great; our mortgage broker, however, is cordially invited to fuck off and get sick. He basically ended up costing us $7000. My brother-in-law, the fragile, incompetent, tantrumy real estate agent we didn’t use who still isn’t talking to us can do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/372 "2010-02-02T17:37:37Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Tell them to pay us when we do, and to not penalize us for doing so. You can’t have it both ways- few employees taking sick days _and_ people not coming to work when they are sick. Pick one. A lot of organizations provide paid sick days. A lot of places require them–especially other first-world countries outside the U.S. Anybody who understands anything realizes that presenteeism is a big issue and structures their leave system accordingly. Not that everyone _does_, because a lot of people are retarded. However, I know nothing about this poster’s work’s policies. I only know that they’ve chosen to come in to work on a day when they’re sick, thereby potentially getting everyone else sick, which pisses the shit out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/373 "2010-02-02T18:04:53Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Having had _ **flam** boy__antly_\*\* gay Scout leaders as a kid (who were excellent role models, and not at all pedophilic), I was dreading my son joining the “new, less tolerant” Boy Scouts. But, y’know, NO ONE here cares. Every leader, parent, and scout I’ve met thinks it’s a stupid. bigoted rule. And they all just ignore the handful of xenophobes who made this policy. > > You always could do what I’m doing as a leader: Make your own purple --or even pink, but I have too much testosterone for that-- “uniform”, with standard BSA patches and a homemade “Diversity Merit Badge”\* on it. > > \*(why, yes, it IS rainbow-colored. And vivacious, darling…) I have a couple of neanderthal moms (yep - moms) in my Troop. Their boys are good kids, so I don’t bother with the fight (hmm - that means I fail at Brave). You don’t have to make your own uniform: There is the rainbow knot and scouting for all patch out there: [http://www.scoutingforall.org/data/layer02/store.html](http://www.scoutingforall.org/data/layer02/store.html) ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/374 "2010-02-03T01:19:59Z")
Dear polygrapher, Despite the fact that the science behind your work is questionable, at best, what the fuck is this all about? – “Breathe normally. Don’t think about it. Stop controlling it.” Thanks for reminding me that I breathe, virtually ensuring that I’m now thinking about it and controlling it. Just fucking baseline it as is and move on, damnit. Dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/375 "2010-02-03T04:10:49Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > However, I know nothing about this poster’s work’s policies. I only know that they’ve chosen to come in to work on a day when they’re sick, thereby potentially getting everyone else sick, which pisses the shit out of me. Where I work, you could get fired for calling in sick without a doctor’s note. No, there are no “sick days”, “vacation days”, or a HR to go crying to about it. You make $12,000/year and find a way to afford a doctor’s visit for something that will clear up on its own in a few days just to avoid getting anyone else sick, and we’ll talk. A lot of us don’t have much choice in the matter. It pisses me off, too, but just as often it’s the employer’s fault, not the employee’s. ---
**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 3, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/376 "2010-02-03T05:48:35Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > I have a couple of neanderthal moms (yep - moms) in my Troop. Their boys are good kids, so I don’t bother with the fight (hmm - that means I fail at Brave). > > You don’t have to make your own uniform: There is the rainbow knot and scouting for all patch out there: > [http://www.scoutingforall.org/data/layer02/store.html](http://www.scoutingforall.org/data/layer02/store.html) Thanks! I had NO idea there was an anti-bigotry movement in the Boy Scouts that’s this organized. And sorry you have to deal with those moms… sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/377 "2010-02-03T08:24:45Z")
I’m tired of hearing people whine about their bowels and “regularity”. I don’t care. It would amuse me if someone dumped a bowlful on Jamie. I’d be a little happier if I never see another Activia commercial again …too much information. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/378 "2010-02-03T13:31:02Z")
Well, I did go home yesterday, being too dizzy to continue sitting upright. I had to give my work credit card to someone else and ask them to throw the luncheon (expressly forbidden, we’ll see if they nail me for it), and leave the other girl to answer phones with little chance of lunch or potty breaks. Still think it was a migraine… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/379 "2010-02-04T16:12:55Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > I’d be a little happier if I never see another Activia commercial again I love the big \*\*THE POOP GOES THAT WAY \*\*arrow. > [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I had to give my work credit card to someone else and ask them to throw the luncheon (expressly forbidden, we’ll see if they nail me for it) Not allowing you to share corporate cards is sensible. Not having more than one person at a location with a corporate card is not. (Seriously, WTF do they expect you to do when the one person who can pay for anything gets sick?) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629/380 "2010-02-04T16:23:33Z")
Oh, there’s a couple of others…one of them never remembers to bring her card to work and the other one was nowhere to be found. That’s the way it goes around here! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-new-year-time-for-fresh-new-mini-rants/523629.md?page=20)