# June (Rants) is Busting Out All Over

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [June 1, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331 "2015-06-01T13:21:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3

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### Author: ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/41 "2015-06-02T13:53:52Z")

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> [@An\_Gadai](#):
>
> The weather has been shite. The June Bank Holiday weekend was all but ruined by cold, wind, and would you believe it, rain.

Good lord, I’m on the other side of the pond, so to speak, and we’re having the ssme exact weather!

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### 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: [June 2, 2015, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/42 "2015-06-02T14:01:21Z")

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Encountered someone who wrote that “if [x factor] then [y situation] is mute.” After a moment of 😕 I got it.

Moot. MOOT point! It’s a \*\*\*mooooooooot \*\*\*point, people! **pant**

> [@flatlined](#):
>
> I learned that I could bake ham and eggs in muffin tins and they come out perfect. (spray the bowls or whatever they are called with cooking spray, put in a slice of ham, if you feel like it add some diced tomatoes and grated cheese, crack an egg over it, salt and pepper, then bake for 18 minutes at 350) I was AMAZED. When I mentioned it to my BFF, there was a long moment of silence before she asked me what custard was. Hey, I know what custard is, its baked eggs…oh right.:smack:

That sounds delicious! **steals recipe**

> [@Chimera](#):
>
> woot!
> 
> My computer is ALIVE!..

_happy dance  
 throws confetti_

> [@LavenderBlue](#):
>
> The school board just fired our local school principal.
> 
> Fuck them. . .

I’ve been following this saga, just so _you_ know that _I_ know the context for your “Fuck them” x infinity.

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### Author: ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/43 "2015-06-02T14:21:11Z")

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My 9 year old daughter went to bed as happy as a clam. No indication of the hell that was to come.

At 10:30pm she stumbles upstairs, her right hand side covered in slime. “I threw up,” she said. I quickly toss her in the shower with instructions to wash and go to check out the damage.

She sleeps in the top bunk of a bunk bed where the bottom is a double and the top is a single and she is surrounded by a sea of plush friends ranging from 2 inches of fluff to 2 ft of furry fun. Vomit is everywhere. She must have been channeling Regan from the Exorcist. Every one of her 100s of stuffed animals is coated, a puddle is soaking through the sheets to the mattress pad and, being the top bunk and her having a fat, out of shape father, everything is a pain to grab.

She spends the entire time in the shower having fun as I strip the toxic waste from her bedroom and spray febreeze in a vain attempt to remove the foul stench. After 15 minutes her mom grabs her from the shower and dries her hair while I clean the accumulated crap of a 9 year old’s life from the bottom bunk and spread towels in a vain attempt to contain the mess should disaster strike twice. She is put to bed and falls asleep as I start the 3 loads of laundry that now must be done before I get to bed.

Six hours of sleep is just not enough to face the day.

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### 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: [June 2, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/44 "2015-06-02T14:39:23Z")

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I hope I tasted like dung to that unidentified bug, **Lacunae**! But the Benadryl is working, thank heavens.

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### Author: ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/45 "2015-06-02T14:47:53Z")

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I was being a lazy gardener last weekend, and took the strimmer to the front lawn (it’s tiny) rather than carry the lawnmower all the way through the house to mow it.

The strimmer kept acting up, so after half an hour of unpicking excess cable it had decided to wind around its innards rather than actually cut grass, I gave up, took it back through the house to the shed in the back garden, and hauled the heavy lawnmower through the house like I should have in the first place.

Before starting to mow, I cleared some debris off the lawn, including a metal spring, so it wouldn’t chew the mowers innards and chucked it in our general waste bin.

It’s now the night before bin collection and I’ve realised why the strimmer cable kept unwinding and wrapping itself round the shaft annoyingly. It’s missing the spring that keeps it taut and in place.

Anyone want to help me reach down to the bottom of a 5 foot tall dumpster style wheelie-bin, past two lawns worth of cuttings and a weeks worth of household rubbish to try and find this sodding spring?

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### 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: [June 2, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/46 "2015-06-02T14:57:30Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> That’s simply false, since at least a couple radio station advertise themselves as never talking over the music.
> 
> [WMMO - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMMO)
> 
> _WMMO also made a promise to always identify songs by title and artist frequently, and to never talk over the music as it played, as many Top 40 stations and DJs like to do._
> 
> Here’s a chat board about it.  
> [Why do DJs talk over the music? | Steve Hoffman Music Forums](http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/why-do-djs-talk-over-the-music.277614/)
> 
> One person did say “And in the 70s and 80s they did this to avoid home taping.” but a lot of DJs answered and said nothing of the sort.

I should have clarified that it was station policy rather than any kind of regulation. There was a station around here that did the ‘never talk over the music’ promo too.

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### Author: ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/47 "2015-06-02T15:10:42Z")

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> [@Cyros](#):
>
> My 9 year old daughter went to bed as happy as a clam. No indication of the hell that was to come.
> 
> At 10:30pm she stumbles upstairs, her right hand side covered in slime. “I threw up,” she said. I quickly toss her in the shower with instructions to wash and go to check out the damage.
> 
> She sleeps in the top bunk of a bunk bed where the bottom is a double and the top is a single and she is surrounded by a sea of plush friends ranging from 2 inches of fluff to 2 ft of furry fun. Vomit is everywhere. She must have been channeling Regan from the Exorcist. Every one of her 100s of stuffed animals is coated, a puddle is soaking through the sheets to the mattress pad and, being the top bunk and her having a fat, out of shape father, everything is a pain to grab.
> 
> She spends the entire time in the shower having fun as I strip the toxic waste from her bedroom and spray febreeze in a vain attempt to remove the foul stench. After 15 minutes her mom grabs her from the shower and dries her hair while I clean the accumulated crap of a 9 year old’s life from the bottom bunk and spread towels in a vain attempt to contain the mess should disaster strike twice. She is put to bed and falls asleep as I start the 3 loads of laundry that now must be done before I get to bed.
> 
> Six hours of sleep is just not enough to face the day.

Point one: I hope your little girl is feeling better right quick.

Point two: May today be light on demands made of your physical and mental reserves.

Point three: I would estimate that my nineteen-year old still has 95% of all the stuffed animals that she accumulated as a small one. This might be your chance to nip THAT tendency in the bud…

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/48 "2015-06-02T15:19:53Z")

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> [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#):
>
> I was being a lazy gardener last weekend, and took the strimmer to the front lawn (it’s tiny) rather than carry the lawnmower all the way through the house to mow it.
> 
> The strimmer kept acting up, so after half an hour of unpicking excess cable it had decided to wind around its innards rather than actually cut grass, I gave up, took it back through the house to the shed in the back garden, and hauled the heavy lawnmower through the house like I should have in the first place.
> 
> Before starting to mow, I cleared some debris off the lawn, including a metal spring, so it wouldn’t chew the mowers innards and chucked it in our general waste bin.
> 
> It’s now the night before bin collection and I’ve realised why the strimmer cable kept unwinding and wrapping itself round the shaft annoyingly. It’s missing the spring that keeps it taut and in place.
> 
> Anyone want to help me reach down to the bottom of a 5 foot tall dumpster style wheelie-bin, past two lawns worth of cuttings and a weeks worth of household rubbish to try and find this sodding spring?

Yikes, that sounds like a nightmare. Do you have a really strong magnet that you could attach to a broomstick?\* If you have a stereo with free-standing speakers, you might be able to borrow one from one of those.\*\*

Alternatively, is it possible to contact the manufacturer and obtain a replacement spring?

OTOH, if the spring popped out, there’s a decent chance that whatever had been holding it in place has broken, rendering the strimmer unrepairable.

Hope you’re able to get it resolved quickly and at minimal expense. 🙂

\*“Sure, doesn’t _everyone_?”

\*\* j/k Do not disassemble your stereo speaker to obtain a magnet.

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### Author: ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/49 "2015-06-02T15:26:07Z")

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OK, I broke down and googled "strimmer. As I guessed, it is another name for a weed-whacker. Never heard strimmer before!

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### Author: ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/50 "2015-06-02T15:30:36Z")

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Good point. I figured that it was a UK thing, but it never occurred to me to wonder if “spring” means the same thing over there as it does here…

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### Author: ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/51 "2015-06-02T15:31:03Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Point one: I hope your little girl is feeling better right quick.

She is. It kind of makes it worse somehow. At least if she was really ill I’d feel like there was a good reason I was cleaning up puke until all hours.

> [@](#):
>
> Point two: May today be light on demands made of your physical and mental reserves.

So far, so good. 🙂

> [@](#):
>
> Point three: I would estimate that my nineteen-year old still has 95% of all the stuffed animals that she accumulated as a small one. This might be your chance to nip THAT tendency in the bud…

I think that ship has sailed and Grammie is the main instigator. I’ve resigned myself to a sea of plush in the house. We are cutting down on the number allowed in the bed though.

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### Author: ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/52 "2015-06-02T15:50:30Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> No, dont fuck them. _Vote the bastards out._ Hell, run for the office yourself. I’ll even send you a campaign contribution.

There are efforts being made to recall the school board and vote in another group of people. While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I’m not sure I would want to work with our local superintendent. She was just awful last night.

They actually held a hearing that was made public on the firing and their proposed reasons behind it. This was done in accordance with regulations that allow for such hearings to be held in front of the public. The principal spoke for half an hour. She was eloquent. She talked about changes that she has made such as an effort to help fifth and sixth graders make the difficult transition to middle school, efforts to increase classroom instruction time and provide teachers with the opportunity to help shore up their knowledge in areas where they felt in need of help such as with the use of technology. I was impressed with her passion, devotion to the school and insight. Test scores are UP so I don’t see how anyone can argue with the results.

The last time I worked with her was earlier in the year when my eldest child was told she did not make the gifted and talented program despite extremely high test scores and very good grades. The principal helped us file an appeal because she agree with us that the decision was not quite in the best interests of my eldest daughter. She was placed in that program and has continued to do well – she’ll be in the gifted program in both math and reading when she enters junior high school in the fall. I’ve also worked with her indirectly when my youngest daughter was judged to have special needs. Again, the principal was also quite helpful in helping us fully understand all the steps involved in the process.

Meanwhile criticism was made of the principal (and not by the superintendent herself but by an outside party who was very rude to people attending the meeting – repeatedly telling us to sit down and be quiet as the decision was the board members not ours) that I found petty such as her taking too long to provide certain written evaluations, failure to comply with minor regulations once or twice and other matters that I felt were not particularly valid. We’ll see what happens as the situation continues to unfold but I’m not at all happy now. We have no idea who is going to replace the principal at all. I do not appreciate being kept in the dark or made to feel as if I am part of a mob because I dare speak out politely at a school board meeting. They brought in three police officers to the meeting who forcibly removed several people after they made comments the board members did not like.

All in all, not a good night for democracy. Or our children.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/53 "2015-06-02T16:49:44Z")

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I learned the word “strimmer” in a British “Whose Line” episode.  
(This is referring to some discussion on the previous page, by the way. It’s not a rant. 😛 )

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### Author: ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/54 "2015-06-02T17:03:00Z")

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> [@purplehorseshoe](#):
>
> I’ve been following this saga, just so _you_ know that _I_ know the context for your “Fuck them” x infinity.

This must have hit the news, either of you got a link?

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/55 "2015-06-02T17:07:43Z")

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> [@LavenderBlue](#):
>
> Meanwhile criticism was made of the principal (and not by the superintendent herself but by an outside party who was very rude to people attending the meeting – repeatedly telling us to sit down and be quiet as the decision was the board members not ours) that I found petty such as her taking too long to provide certain written evaluations, failure to comply with minor regulations once or twice and other matters that I felt were not particularly valid. We’ll see what happens as the situation continues to unfold but I’m not at all happy now. We have no idea who is going to replace the principal at all. I do not appreciate being kept in the dark or made to feel as if I am part of a mob because I dare speak out politely at a school board meeting. They brought in three police officers to the meeting who forcibly removed several people after they made comments the board members did not like.
> 
> All in all, not a good night for democracy. Or our children.

Got a link?

But having been there, they likely have a reason they arent telling you. It could be a really good reason like kiddy prn found on a computer- it could be a horrible reason like the Super hates the new principal or for even reasons like she’s the wrong religion for them.

Note that the Supe is a elected official too, I bet. There’s also the State Board which oversees them to a extent. Complaints should be made to them.

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### Author: ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/56 "2015-06-02T17:13:00Z")

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> [@kayaker](#):
>
> OK, I broke down and googled "strimmer. As I guessed, it is another name for a weed-whacker. Never heard strimmer before!

From context I got “string trimmer” out of it.

From a lucky American who has no lawn at all. One of the perks of living in San Francisco.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/57 "2015-06-02T17:13:55Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> This must have hit the news, either of you got a link?

Summary can be found at the Facebook page of a local area news website [here](https://www.facebook.com/westessexnow/photos/a.1466344016974593.1073741832.1400300343578961/1589125188029808/?type=1). The end of the principal’s speech can be seen and heard [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp7LdQeEF2I&feature=youtu.be). It’s a very small school district. Which makes the huge parental support for the principal all the more impressive.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/58 "2015-06-02T17:18:59Z")

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> [@LavenderBlue](#):
>
> Summary can be found at the Facebook page of a local area news website [here](https://www.facebook.com/westessexnow/photos/a.1466344016974593.1073741832.1400300343578961/1589125188029808/?type=1). The end of the principal’s speech can be seen and heard [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp7LdQeEF2I&feature=youtu.be). It’s a very small school district. Which makes the huge parental support for the principal all the more impressive.

> **[Parents rally in droves behind beleaguered principal in Roseland](https://www.newjerseyhills.com/the_progress/news/parents-rally-in-droves-behind-beleaguered-principal-in-roseland/article_30982efd-c70c-5960-8e27-dd486d456bf3.html)**
>
> ROSELAND—The largest crowd in recent memory filled the cavernous media center inside the grades K-6 Lester C. Noecker School building for the Thursday, March 26 school board in an attempt

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)
#### Post date: [June 2, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/59 "2015-06-02T18:59:32Z")

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> [@kaylasdad99](#):
>
> Yikes, that sounds like a nightmare. Do you have a really strong magnet that you could attach to a broomstick?\* If you have a stereo with free-standing speakers, you might be able to borrow one from one of those.\*\*
> 
> Alternatively, is it possible to contact the manufacturer and obtain a replacement spring?
> 
> OTOH, if the spring popped out, there’s a decent chance that whatever had been holding it in place has broken, rendering the strimmer unrepairable.
> 
> Hope you’re able to get it resolved quickly and at minimal expense. 🙂
> 
> \*“Sure, doesn’t _everyone_?”
> 
> \*\* j/k Do not disassemble your stereo speaker to obtain a magnet.

Bizarrely enough, I do have a broomstick that’s no longer attached to a broom (you’d think they’d do a better job of joining these things) and an incredibly strong fridge magnet that’s been known to weld itself to the cupboard door-handle next to the fridge if I make the mistake of opening them both at the same time.

This could be embarrassing, but still a lot less so than emptying the bin in front of the passing schoolkids tomorrow morning!

Thank you! 😃

> [@kayaker](#):
>
> OK, I broke down and googled "strimmer. As I guessed, it is another name for a weed-whacker. Never heard strimmer before!

I googled “strimmer” to see if it would translate, but without knowing the US name for it, didn’t realise there \*was \*a language barrier.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### 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: [June 2, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/june-rants-is-busting-out-all-over/721331/60 "2015-06-02T19:50:28Z")

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Hey, jerkassess, yesterday before I ordered $2,000 worth of landscape rock I made it abundantly clear that I needed it first thing in the morning or not at all. You “called your dispatcher” and assured me it would be here “first thing in the morning” so I placed the order. I’ve rented equipment and set everything up and it’s STILL NOT HERE. It’s neither FIRST THING nor is it MORNING. My rental equipment needs to be back soon and I have to go to work tomorrow. Now I’m going to have to spend hundreds of dollars extending my rentals and miss work tomorrow so I don’t subject my neighbors to a mountain of rock in the middle of the street for an entire week. FUCK YOU LYING DICKS

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