# July mini rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 1, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887 "2016-07-01T20:38:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/381 "2016-07-26T22:56:33Z")
> [@JcWoman](#): > > I had my right ankle replaced when I was mid-40’s, and it’s still the best thing since sliced bread. Joint replacements are not just for old people anymore. Apparently I had some misunderstandings post-op while still hazy on anesthesia. The failed repair coincided with a much milder injury than imaging indicated, the successful repair coincided with a much more severe injury than imaging indicated (\>90% rotator cuff tear vs ~60%) and most of my pain and difficulty came from a shit ton of bruised bone (actually described as HUGE in the report, all caps and everything) and I had another surprise injury which doesn’t even have a name and was apparently invisible to imaging and might have made the first irreparable injury appear worse than it was. I mentioned my relief and my prior concern over the shitload of joint replacement marketing in that particular room compared to the others and he apologized. It certainly had a lot of joint replacement stuff in it but my placement was luck of the draw. So I’m doing better than I thought. Still temporarily disabled and essentially unemployed (and unemployable for now) but it is what it is. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/382 "2016-07-27T00:23:56Z")
Poison ivy rash, you may \*\*go \*\*now. It’s been two weeks since I brushed up against that vile weed and I’m still getting random blisters in random places. And now, just for kicks, I’m getting a new rash right next to the original ones (which have thankfully faded away). Thanks to the miracle that is Calagel the new spots don’t itch but they still need to **leave**. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/383 "2016-07-27T05:59:20Z")
Argh! My kitchen is being invaded by mini-ants! (How’s that for a mini-rant?) They’re the tiniest ants I’ve ever seen, I’m not even sure they’re really ants since I haven’t bothered to dig out a magnifying glass. They may have stowed away on some fruit, but I’ve now ditched all the fruit and they still keep appearing! 14 years in this house and this is the first ant invasion. Boo ants. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/384 "2016-07-27T11:43:07Z")
Our fridge had suddenly been mysteriously rocking off-kilter. A friend and my husband pulled it out of its alcove yesterday to discover that the subfloor in that area is rotting out :headdesk: I’m grateful the fridge is almost 30 years old and still runs so we don’t have to get a new one. The subfloor, OTOH… It’s very weird having to walk around a fridge out in the middle of the kitchen, y’know? ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/385 "2016-07-27T15:42:33Z")
So many joint issues in this thread! I’m off to the orthopedist on Monday to look at my shoulder. MRI shows a lot of inflammation and a minor tear in the rotator cuff. I don’t care what they do, I just want to be able to sleep at night. Rolling onto a painful shoulder wakes me up 4 times a night. ---
**Author:** ![slumtrimpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@slumtrimpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slumtrimpet)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/386 "2016-07-27T16:18:21Z")
> [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](#): > > Argh! My kitchen is being invaded by mini-ants! (How’s that for a mini-rant?) They’re the tiniest ants I’ve ever seen, I’m not even sure they’re really ants since I haven’t bothered to dig out a magnifying glass. They may have stowed away on some fruit, but I’ve now ditched all the fruit and they still keep appearing! 14 years in this house and this is the first ant invasion. Boo ants. Try this one weird trick: cloves. Ants hate it. Seriously. Either whole cloves or a bit of ground cloves. I live in an old house and we had ants a-marching through everything. I put whole cloves along the back of the kitchen counters a few years ago (looks a bit messy but no ants so don’t care) and sprinkled ground cloves along the foundation. Pretty much all the ants are gone. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/387 "2016-07-27T16:37:42Z")
I am sick and tired of money issues and trying to juggle bills and healthcare and everything else. I am out of financial and emotional resources. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/388 "2016-07-27T18:28:37Z")
I am starting to think that the people who drive 880 to 237 do not read July Mini Rants because I SAID STOP GETTING IN WRECKS!!! **slumtrimpet** , I am going to try your clove thing. I get ants 6 or 8 times a year. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/389 "2016-07-27T19:04:54Z")
I’ve had great results with those little 4-pack Raid baits. I need to put a 4-pack down in the spring every other year. No idea why it takes two years for the ants to reappear. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/390 "2016-07-27T19:09:30Z")
Spiders, OTOH, can’t figure out how to keep them out of my kitchen windows. I don’t mind the adults too much, as they’re on the outside, though the webbing is messy. It’s the babies that are small enough to get through my screens and set up tiny spider web camps all over the kitchen. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/391 "2016-07-27T21:27:39Z")
Home ant remedy: mix boric acid powder with a little mint or fruit jelly. (Boric acid is a white powder found at most hardware stores under the Kill Bugs section.) Cut a drinking straw or two into sections, then use a toothpick to shove little dabs of your boric-jelly mix into the ends of the straw pieces. Now tape the straw pieces along baseboards or the back of your kitchen counter or whatever. The beauty of this part is that you can tape the bait away from pets or children if needed, and put them right in the way of the little ant highways. Wait. WAIT. This is a cheap, low work and safe option, so there has to be some drawback, and that is time. But after a few weeks or so, I promise, no more ants. Those of you with constant infestations could consider this a prophylactic method. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/392 "2016-07-27T21:36:35Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I’ve had great results with those little 4-pack Raid baits. I need to put a 4-pack down in the spring every other year. No idea why it takes two years for the ants to reappear. The ants in these parts are far too lazy to climb the tiny ledge to get into the baits. The little jerks walk around the baits… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/393 "2016-07-27T22:22:57Z")
What we get are centipedes. Especially in winter, when they come in from the cold. The cats don’t even try to catch them, but merely watch them crawling around the walls and ceilings. Lazy ass cats. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/394 "2016-07-27T23:47:36Z")
Haha, centipedes here, too. I have a deal with them, as long as they don’t cling to the ceiling over my head where I don’t have to worry about them landing on me, I’ll leave them alone. If they come too close, they get swept down and they’re fair game for the cats. Sometimes I find the bodies on the floor with no legs. My cats are terribly cruel. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/395 "2016-07-28T17:49:53Z")
Yikes. I’m starting to not mind the ants as much… (a new batch of which appeared today in my bathroom. I don’t know where they are coming from!) ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/396 "2016-07-28T17:50:17Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > So many joint issues in this thread! > > I’m off to the orthopedist on Monday to look at my shoulder. MRI shows a lot of inflammation and a minor tear in the rotator cuff. > > I don’t care what they do, I just want to be able to sleep at night. Rolling onto a painful shoulder wakes me up 4 times a night. It’s nice knowing I’m not the only one 🙂 Fell at work and landed on my bad knee a few weeks ago. WC paid for an x-ray (nothing broken, thank god) and a 4-day course of prednisone for the swelling. I must’ve given the WC doc a weird look (I’d never heard of prednisone being used for joint swelling before – it’s never been offered to me either) and he said, “Really? It works much better than a cortisone shot for most people.” He was correct. Minimal swelling and I could’ve danced if I’d wanted to. Now my knee’s back to its normal swollen puffy self 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/397 "2016-07-28T18:20:45Z")
I tried the cloves last night after reading this and OMG it really, really works. There were tiny, tiny ants on my kitchen table going after a scrap of food left from dinner. I sprinkled a few cloves on the spot and the ants went into an absolutely frenzied panic to get away from the cloves. I read up on this on line and found that not only do ants hate the smell of the spice, cloves contain a substance that is toxic to ants. Supposedly cinnamon has a similar effect. Powdered form or the essential oils are also effective. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/398 "2016-07-28T21:09:38Z")
In 2005, I was at a company that worked on research contracts for the government. I was a lowly programmer, but I became friends with the research manager in the Air Force. Since then, we write each other a few times a year to talk shop. Some time ago, he left the Air Force to become an entrepreneur. He’s launched a handful of startups but none have succeeded. His current startup involves artificial intelligence, and he’s offered to make me the CTO (Chief Technical Officer). In return, he expects a lot of unpaid work. This guy has been a good friend and has always been a reliable job reference. If I tell him I’m not interested, he’s going to be very upset. But that’s what I’ve got to do… ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/399 "2016-07-28T21:13:48Z")
Be sure to tell him how much you appreciate it before you tell him it isn’t the right move for you at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887/400 "2016-07-28T21:20:03Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > So many joint issues in this thread! > > I’m off to the orthopedist on Monday to look at my shoulder. MRI shows a lot of inflammation and a minor tear in the rotator cuff. > > I don’t care what they do, I just want to be able to sleep at night. Rolling onto a painful shoulder wakes me up 4 times a night. This is me. I keep waking up in the middle of the night because of my shoulder. I had an X Ray back in December and they sent me to an ortho guy who gave me a cortisone injection and told me to come back in six months if it still hurt. The injection did no good whatsoever, just made my shoulder ache horribly for three days. I then went to physical therapy for a couple of months, and they gave me exercises which have helped my range of motion, but my shoulder still hurts. They told me I have a torn ACL and tendons that are pulling away from the joint. And I went back to the ortho guy yesterday and he made an appointment for me to have an MRI. After that, then we will discuss surgery. Unfortunately, I am in a position where there is nobody who can help me and my elderly, blind mother if I have to have surgery. I have one sister who is undergoing chemo and will be having surgery in a few weeks, and another sister who has had a stroke, but is recovering. If I have to have surgery, I will have to ask the sister who had the stroke to come stay with Mother while I’m in the hospital, and drive me to and from for surgery. And she probably can’t be gone from her job for very long. So I may be stuck with not having surgery at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/july-mini-rants/758887.md?page=21)