# Lessons you learned the 'hard way' **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849 "2005-06-18T23:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![midget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@midget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/midget)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/1 "2005-06-18T23:23:15Z")
The title pretty much says it all. My contribution: Today I learned that hard drive platters used to be made of glass. As an IT guy, I’m tasked with destroying our company’s old hard drives. Typically, I just remove the platters and bend them in half (they’ve always been constructed of plastic platters with a magnetic surface, as far as I knew) - mostly because I like disassembling things. Today, however, I was destroying an older hard drive. When I went to bend the platter in half with one hand, it exploded in glass fragments. I now have a nice, deep 2-inch gash in my hand and shards all over my office. Thankfuly I was alone today, otherwise this would have been a contribution to the embarassing moments thread… Which life lessons or knowledge did you learn the hard way? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/2 "2005-06-18T23:26:15Z")
When people try to give you good advice, sometimes they do know what they’re talking about and you should listen to them. My Tampa experience is proof of that. I lost $2000 and 10 weeks of my life because I was too damned stubborn to listen. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/3 "2005-06-18T23:28:07Z")
Don’t change you are to make someone love you. It doesn’t work. And then by the end you forget who you really are. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/4 "2005-06-18T23:37:02Z")
Your credit rating is important. Pay your bills on time - just because you know what you can tell them to avoid having to send a payment (because you work in collections) doesn’t mean you should. It takes a long time to rebuild. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/5 "2005-06-19T01:32:16Z")
Don’t say what you really think when you’ve been drinking. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/6 "2005-06-19T01:50:49Z")
When people show you who they really are, your job is to SEE. And (yes, this is the voice of bitter, bitter experience) never utter the phrase, “Sure, why not, I couldn’t feel any worse.” Say these words - go directly to emerg. You’ve been warned. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/7 "2005-06-19T01:58:40Z")
Don’t take a job you know you aren’t qualified for, even if you can ace the interview and get hired – you’ll regret ever taking it, no matter how much money it offered. Don’t get involved with people who scream “DEPENDENT - VICTIM - SAVE ME MY FROM MYSELF”. Just don’t do it. Seriously. Think with your head. **Always**. Give your heart a one-way ticket to Shut The Fuck Up Land if it wants to do the thinking for you. Learn to compromise, yes, but also learn when not to. Put your foot down when it’s vitally important. Hard. ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/8 "2005-06-19T02:01:42Z")
Also, learn to preview your posts. If not, you make typos like “Save me my from myself.” Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/9 "2005-06-19T02:27:56Z")
To trust my instincts on relationships. When I broke up with him the first time, I shoulda stayed broke up with him, not relented because he was crying. It just gave him an excuse to screw around on me because he “knew” I was only going to dump him again. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/10 "2005-06-19T02:43:04Z")
For children 6 and under: Always have a complete change of clothes. may have to up this to 7 and under next year. You might say I have not learned this lesson, since I have to relearn it every year. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/11 "2005-06-19T02:56:33Z")
> [@chatelaine](#): > > Don’t get involved with people who scream “DEPENDENT - VICTIM - SAVE ME MY FROM MYSELF”. Just don’t do it. Seriously. > > Think with your head. **Always**. Give your heart a one-way ticket to Shut The Fuck Up Land if it wants to do the thinking for you. Amen. No matter what secret, subsersive strengths you’ve nurtured through dire adversity, they _won’t_, WILL NOT, rescue anybody else, even loved ones. _Especially_ loved ones. Dispassionate love is not an oxymoron. It’s a survial guide for all involved. Outside of medical and direct-threat emergencies, vanishingly few situations require immediate responses. Patter, filler and fluff are just fillers. When in doubt, take one step back, two deep breaths–then settle back to listen and absorb. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/12 "2005-06-19T03:08:07Z")
Water filled teething rings will not survive the sterilizer. College Mime class is not the easy A you think it will be. Neither is Ballet. Never feed a small dog a Taco Bell bean burrito. Never get a tattoo in Vegas at midnight on a whim at the first place you find. I should never date the shy and introverted. I end up eating them for lunch unintentionally. When going to an interview, always have a spare pair of hose in your purse or glove box. “Blind drunk” is not just an expression. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/13 "2005-06-19T03:46:01Z")
1. One doctor telling you that you’re infertile does not mean you are indeed infertile. 2. There is nothing wrong with epidurals while in labor and don’t wait too long to ask for one. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/14 "2005-06-19T03:52:24Z")
When you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis, don’t assume that you won’t have to worry about broken bones until you’re “old”. And take the damn Fosamax, no matter how much it costs. (Spending most of the summer in a wheelchair here.) ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/15 "2005-06-19T04:14:41Z")
> [@gatopescado](#): > > Don’t say what you really think when you’ve been drinking. Expand this to: when drinking, become a good listener/grinner. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/16 "2005-06-19T04:16:57Z")
AND… Pay attention to the ortho and the therapist when they emphasize stretching… AND… Oil/lube/filter every 3750 miles AND… Check the porch for cats before you leave the house. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/17 "2005-06-19T13:14:51Z")
Look for the electric fence before taking a leak in a fence corner. If you see one, restrain yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/18 "2005-06-19T16:09:20Z")
Always check the womens’ toilet cubicle for paper before you begin; drip drying only works for shirts. If you really love something but it’s pricy, think about it for 24 hours; if it’s still bugging you, buy it. Trust your instincts. You can’t wait for someone else to make you happy. Your mum is normally right. There is honour and good grace in admitting when you are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/19 "2005-06-19T16:18:38Z")
Leather pants. (The 80s were cruel, weren’t they?) ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849/20 "2005-06-19T16:40:39Z")
Once a friendship has been really bitterly , brutally ripped apart , it can never be the same again no matter how many ‘I’m sorrys’ have been said . Never wait to say I love you to your parents . You never know when it will be too late . (I lost my father May 7 , and just had a very lonely birthday without him yesterday , and today is Father’s Day… I am really down ☹ ) If there is a movie playing at the theater you want to see , don’t keep putting it off . They don’t stay playing forever . Gordon Setters are at their most kissy-face affectionate right after they have gotten a drink of water :dubious: . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lessons-you-learned-the-hard-way/308849.md?page=2)