# Lessons learned the hard way **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737 "2017-06-11T23:53:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/101 "2017-06-17T10:53:59Z")
Be very careful operating a sewing machine; don’t let your mind wander. The needle went through a fingernail and (slightly) into the bed beneath. It wasn’t very painful. Had I been dumber, I might have been pinned (hah!) and had to go to hospital. (As in I might have sent the needle downward instead of upward.) I still have a slight scar on the nail, since I didn’t have it removed. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/102 "2017-06-17T12:53:26Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > If you see a broken Oreo cookie on the carpet, don’t use your carpet sweeper to pick it up. Or a dried cat turd. Corollary: Just because something fits through a vacuum cleaner’s hose, doesn’t mean it won’t get stuck in the machine’s innards. ---
**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:** [June 17, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/103 "2017-06-17T13:45:50Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Or a dried cat turd. > > Corollary: Just because something fits through a vacuum cleaner’s hose, doesn’t mean it won’t get stuck in the machine’s innards. Corrollary to the corollary: If you vacuum up a dead mouse, clean out the vacuum _immediately_. Don’t wait a couple of weeks to empty it out. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/104 "2017-06-17T14:35:46Z")
From yesterday: If you’re trying to help your mother carry in the groceries, make really sure you have a good grip on the bags before taking them from her. And if you don’t have a good grip, make really, really, really sure that the bag that falls is not the one containing the eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/105 "2017-06-17T22:28:11Z")
Never go to the ER and _tell_ them what will work for you. This _automatically_ puts them in suspicious mode and brands you “drug seeker”. Even if the medication is not one that has no or minimal abuse potential. I went in with an intractable migraine, and, given the fact that I’ve lived with migraines for more than a decade, I knew exactly what would help and what wouldn’t. So I told them what would work (injectable Imitrex) and it was met with hesitation, doubt and raised eyebrows. This is despite the fact that you CANNOT get high from imitrex. I mean, unless your idea of a good time is chest tightness. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/106 "2017-06-18T07:22:10Z")
Check everyone’s pockets before throwing the pants in the laundry. A forgotten pocket pebble Is unbelievably LOUD during the spinning cycle. And yes, one single forgotten paper tissue does have enough white fibers in it to cover ALL of the rest of the laundry with a veil of white sticky fuzzy lint. ---
**Author:** ![femmejean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/0ea827/32.png) [@femmejean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femmejean)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/107 "2017-06-18T09:07:37Z")
If you’re having suicidal ideation don’t tell your guidance counselor or classmates whom you can’t trust. No, it’s not about them reporting trying to report and help me that made me pissed off but rather I was dismissed from HS for ‘traumatising’ them. Idiots in my opinion. But to be honest I really shouldn’t have expected anything different, after all this is Ireland and it’s pretty backward on taboo topics. It was those psychiatric drugs that did it (Prozac). Worst of all, My suicidal ideation morphed into anger instead. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/108 "2017-06-18T12:16:49Z")
From yesterday: When trying to move an old upright piano, don’t try to save a few pounds by taking out the [action](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_(piano)). Yes, you once witnessed a professional piano tuner take it out and put it back in, no harm done. You are \*not \*a professional piano tuner, and you \*will \*break some 96-year-old parts that are barely holding on. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/109 "2017-06-18T12:39:14Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > From yesterday: > > When trying to move an old upright piano, don’t try to save a few pounds by taking out the [action](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_(piano)). Yes, you once witnessed a professional piano tuner take it out and put it back in, no harm done. You are \*not \*a professional piano tuner, and you \*will \*break some 96-year-old parts that are barely holding on. When you take something apart and put it back together, the biggest challenge is getting it to fit back in the original case. This is true whether it’s a power generator, pachinko machine, computer, pinball machine, movie projector, or bread maker. Or, and I have no experience here, but I’m willing to assume, piano. Also, and here’s something I have learned from experience: when trying to fix something without a manual, and disassembling large parts of it, TAKE PICTURES AS YOU GO. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/110 "2017-06-18T13:29:47Z")
> [@femmejean](#): > > If you’re having suicidal ideation don’t tell your guidance counselor or classmates whom you can’t trust. > > No, it’s not about them reporting trying to report and help me that made me pissed off but rather I was dismissed from HS for ‘traumatising’ them. Idiots in my opinion. But to be honest I really shouldn’t have expected anything different, after all this is Ireland and it’s pretty backward on taboo topics. It was those psychiatric drugs that did it (Prozac). > > **Worst of all, My suicidal ideation morphed into anger instead.** Bold added. Actually, that outcome was a good thing. Directing your anger outward at appropriate targets is more healthy (for you) than directing it inward at yourself. (Provided you don’t act in some extremely destructive way toward them.) However, they do sound like complete idiots, and they did betray your confidence. I hope the counselor realized that s/he wasn’t cut out for this work and got a job at McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![Anglachel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Anglachel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anglachel)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/111 "2017-06-18T15:18:54Z")
When changing a flat tire, always break all the nuts loose before removing any. If you take off four without loosening the last one, it will take an act of God to remove it. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/112 "2017-06-18T15:22:08Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Also, and here’s something I have learned from experience: when trying to fix something without a manual, and disassembling large parts of it, TAKE PICTURES AS YOU GO. Also, when you take something apart, line up all the pieces/screws/washers/etc. in the order you took them off/out of whatever it is you’re disassembling. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/113 "2017-06-18T16:23:20Z")
> [@Anglachel](#): > > When changing a flat tire, always break all the nuts loose before removing any. If you take off four without loosening the last one, it will take an act of God to remove it. Also, do not raise the raise the tire off the ground until after all the nuts have been loosened or fail to give them that last turn after the spare/replacement is on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/114 "2017-06-21T12:31:13Z")
If you have composed a **long** reply on this or another board, before you hit “submit reply” or even “preview post,” first select-all and copy. This goes [del]double[/del] triple if you’re on a tablet, kindle, phone. If the screen freezes or for some other reason, the message doesn’t go through and is lost you’re not laboriously recreating it on the teeny keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/115 "2017-06-21T12:33:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > If you have composed a **long** reply on this or another board, before you hit “submit reply” or even “preview post,” first select-all and copy. This goes [del]double[/del] triple if you’re on a tablet, kindle, phone. If the screen freezes or for some other reason, the message doesn’t go through and is lost you’re not laboriously recreating it on the teeny keyboard. There’s a great chrome extension for this called Lazarus. It’s saved my ass many times. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/116 "2017-06-21T19:20:16Z")
Might be better to compose your WoT in the notepad thing, then copy it over. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/117 "2017-06-22T02:03:04Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Might be better to compose your WoT in the notepad thing, then copy it over. Not an easy option on my kindle. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/118 "2017-06-22T13:08:45Z")
Cracked now has a nice list of [25 life lessons you learned the (very) hard way.](http://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-723-25-life-lessons-you-learned-very-hard-way/) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/119 "2017-06-22T13:25:56Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Cracked now has a nice list of [25 life lessons you learned the (very) hard way.](http://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-723-25-life-lessons-you-learned-very-hard-way/) These are good. The only overlap was the one about dish soap v. dishWASHER soap. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737/120 "2017-06-22T14:13:33Z")
If you are moving a bookshelf to shampoo the carpet, don’t try to save time by leaving the books in. The time spent at the ER with a wrenched back is longer than removing and reshelving the books ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-learned-the-hard-way/788737.md?page=7)