# Mayday! Mayday! (minirants!) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 1, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409 "2018-05-01T14:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/81 "2018-05-10T11:56:01Z")
I decided to volunteer at the local Humane Society. First session was called “Caretaking, bottle fed kittens.” I was beyond excited and barely slept, got there early ready to show some love. Woman told me to do laundry. I did laundry the entire shift. She barely spoke to me after showing me the washer/dryer. I didn’t touch one kitten. Now, I understand laundry. But I spent a good 2 hours going thru the training materials on-line and taking the tests. I KNOW how to do laundry. And why the hell do they use (a lot) of dryer sheets in the baby kittens’ laundry, FCS? I doubt I’ll go back. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/82 "2018-05-10T12:28:29Z")
I hate my digestive system. Granted it isn’t unexpected, chemo does cause nausea and diarrhea, but I don’t have to like it. I guess it is time for better living through modern chemistry, zofran and immodium it is. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/83 "2018-05-10T13:27:37Z")
Windows, in Spanish. English (US) settings on every other Microsoft program. French company. French servers. IP-based sites try to talk to me in French. So why am I getting so many ads in Italian? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/84 "2018-05-10T14:18:32Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > I decided to volunteer at the local Humane Society. First session was called “Caretaking, bottle fed kittens.” I was beyond excited and barely slept, got there early ready to show some love. > Woman told me to do laundry. I did laundry the entire shift. She barely spoke to me after showing me the washer/dryer. I didn’t touch one kitten. > Now, I understand laundry. But I spent a good 2 hours going thru the training materials on-line and taking the tests. I KNOW how to do laundry. > And why the hell do they use (a lot) of dryer sheets in the baby kittens’ laundry, FCS? > > I doubt I’ll go back. I recently went to a dog handling class so I could walk dogs at my Humane Society but only the “green dot” dogs and after the class they told us they didn’t have any. but we can do laundry! they were all very nice about it, however, and I think you should go back and try again. it is kitten season, there are bound to be more. find someone who works there that is nicer than that lady and ask. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/85 "2018-05-10T14:34:41Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > I decided to volunteer at the local Humane Society. First session was called “Caretaking, bottle fed kittens.” I was beyond excited and barely slept, got there early ready to show some love. > Woman told me to do laundry. I did laundry the entire shift. She barely spoke to me after showing me the washer/dryer. I didn’t touch one kitten. > Now, I understand laundry. But I spent a good 2 hours going thru the training materials on-line and taking the tests. I KNOW how to do laundry. > And why the hell do they use (a lot) of dryer sheets in the baby kittens’ laundry, FCS? > > I doubt I’ll go back. I had a similar experience at the local genealogy society. I went there to volunteer, thinking that I would be doing some useful indexing and transcribing, but instead they had me sitting at the front desk to answer the phone or greet someone visiting. Since the average number of phone calls approached zero on any given day, and the number of visitors not much higher, I ended up just sitting there. Apparently, there is a snobbish sort of hierarchy in even the humblest of places, and I could make no headway in doing any meaningful work, so quit going after a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/86 "2018-05-10T14:51:45Z")
Laundry is important in shelters. But keep going and keep telling them you want to work with the animals. I found I could help better by fostering. Though, that has its drawbacks too. Mainly you love every animal you foster and it’s hard to give them back But do keep going. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/87 "2018-05-10T14:58:47Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > A boy aged 19 who graduated with my daughter last year has just died of esophageal cancer. Another young man her age (18) has some weird tumor in his chest, close to his heart. It is inoperable. He is going through chemo therapy right now, and not doing too well. This is beginning to sound scary. Neither boy had any childhood cancers, like luekemia. How unusual is it that 2 boys would be that sick in such a small population like that of her class? There were less than 100 kids who graduated with her. > ETA, both boys were obese in highschool. By any chance, do you have “Blinky” the three eyed fish in your neighborhood? Any strange swamps with funny colored water? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/88 "2018-05-10T15:08:02Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Are you all right, man? Well, as I said in that other thread, Monday especially was a very bad day for me, both depression and physical pain wise. I had no pain meds and yes, I was in a very, VERY bad mood. I don’t think people have any clue what it is like to be in physical agony from the top of your head to your feet and everywhere in between. Yesterday was slightly better, but I’m still not doing the greatest right now. I also have a very low tolerance for the idea that men are automatically threatening by their very existence and women are justified in threatening them in return if they fear for their safety, even if those fears are completely groundless. I spent years as a security officer where if you have some silly assed idea in your head that you can never touch a women who threatens you because ‘violence against women is always wrong’, you can easily be killed or injured. Ask any police officer how that works. My marriage ended with my wife actively planning to kill me in my sleep and having repeatedly physically assaulted me, several times in my sleep, while she told everyone else that I was the one who was violent and they believed her. This is no secret on this board. So yeah, I tend to get a little hostile when people insult me and call me the villain in these scenarios. Just because I’m a man. Especially when they become sudden experts in my character - or rather, the bullshit in their head fills in the blanks they don’t actually know. If either of those two wants to apologize to me for their words, I will be glad to bury the hatchet and apologize for mine. Otherwise they can eat shit. But thank you for your concern. I appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/89 "2018-05-10T15:10:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I had a similar experience at the local genealogy society. I went there to volunteer, thinking that I would be doing some useful indexing and transcribing, but instead they had me sitting at the front desk to answer the phone or greet someone visiting. Since the average number of phone calls approached zero on any given day, and the number of visitors not much higher, I ended up just sitting there. Apparently, there is a snobbish sort of hierarchy in even the humblest of places, and I could make no headway in doing any meaningful work, so quit going after a few weeks. I hope at least one volunteer coordinator reads this thread, recognizes themselves (or their subordinates) and makes some honest changes. Because man, as private/introverted as I am, I keep thinking about pushing myself to get out and volunteer, but no way I’m going to do this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/90 "2018-05-10T15:33:18Z")
I spotted a job listing I’d be perfect for on Sunday. I keep hearing how important it is to network, and I think doubly so in my case. I’ve had it happen before that jobs would close before I could get my résumé submitted, so I put out the word on Facebook and LinkedIn right away to ask if any of my friends had contacts at the company. There was even a friend-of-a-friend I’d met in person who was there, so I tried him specifically. Got a couple replies on Facebook that they knew folks there. I sent my résumé to one of them. Was going to send details about the job to someone else last night. I went to their website to double check. Closed. Fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/91 "2018-05-10T15:41:24Z")
Probably filled before it was posted - and only posted because of some company requirement to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/92 "2018-05-10T15:46:37Z")
Ugh! I am bored as hell. No new books. My volunteer stuff is slow right now. Home is running itself, pets are sleepy heads. Friends are busy, my children have active busy lives. So here I sit. I have been watching tv for 3 days and my brain is numb. My favorite channel TCM is showing god-awful Trazan and Jungle Jim serials. Today is Bomba the Jungle boy, holy-mother-of-god this is making me suicidal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/93 "2018-05-10T16:02:43Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Ugh! I am bored as hell. No new books. My volunteer stuff is slow right now. Home is running itself, pets are sleepy heads. Friends are busy, my children have active busy lives. So here I sit. I have been watching tv for 3 days and my brain is numb. My favorite channel TCM is showing god-awful Trazan and Jungle Jim serials. Today is Bomba the Jungle boy, holy-mother-of-god this is making me suicidal. 🙂 How odd. I caught a little bit of _Tarzan and the She-Devil_ yesterday and thought “that guy’s voice sounds like Raymond Burr.” I checked the listing. “Holy shit, it _is_ Raymond Burr.” ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/94 "2018-05-10T16:26:36Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Have you ever been sprayed with Mace? I have. Got a big face full of it back in '97 at the APEC protests in Vancouver. It was not a pleasant experience, but I survived. It was still not something I would threaten to beat somebody over, and you doing so makes you sounds pathetic. So IMO you are the villain in that story, fucking deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/95 "2018-05-10T16:33:37Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > I decided to volunteer at the local Humane Society. First session was called “Caretaking, bottle fed kittens.” I was beyond excited and barely slept, got there early ready to show some love. > Woman told me to do laundry. I did laundry the entire shift. She barely spoke to me after showing me the washer/dryer. I didn’t touch one kitten. > Now, I understand laundry. But I spent a good 2 hours going thru the training materials on-line and taking the tests. I KNOW how to do laundry. > And why the hell do they use (a lot) of dryer sheets in the baby kittens’ laundry, FCS? > > I doubt I’ll go back. Sound like idiots. I mean, I’ve been on the other side of it, some zoo ‘volunteers’ expect to come just and cuddle animals and refuse to do anything even faintly useful. Seen 'em, attempted to work with them. They’re a damn liability and you can spend far more of your time attempting to keep some ‘volunteers’ out of trouble than you gain from the work they do. So yeah, you need to make sure volunteers do the jobs that need doing, not just the fun bits, but unless they’re a total liability, you should always make sure there’s at least some of the day that’s fun, and interesting, and what they really want to do, or why the hell would they come back? Laundromats don’t run on volunteers for a reason. If you get volunteers to work, you ‘pay’ the volunteers with experiences; if they show up and just mess around you don’t want them there, but if they do the work, the boring bits you actually need done, you pay up! Is there any chance it’s just one obnoxious woman, and other sections actually show some sense and appreciation? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/96 "2018-05-10T16:38:48Z")
> [@Crazy\_Canuck](#): > > I have. Got a big face full of it back in '97 at the APEC protests in Vancouver. It was not a pleasant experience, but I survived. It was still not something I would threaten to beat somebody over, and you doing so makes you sounds pathetic. So IMO you are the villain in that story, fucking deal with it. Coming from you that is high praise. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/97 "2018-05-10T16:39:26Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > How odd. I caught a little bit of _Tarzan and the She-Devil_ yesterday and thought “that guy’s voice sounds like Raymond Burr.” I checked the listing. “Holy shit, it _is_ Raymond Burr.” Yea, I did the same double take. I recognized several _B_ actors that used to show up on tv shows, also. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/98 "2018-05-10T16:39:57Z")
Fucking Jehovah’s Witness showed up on my doorstep this morning in the person of a non-threatening older woman, who either can’t read or thinks the “No Solicitors” sign can just be ignored because god. Handed me her leaflet, which I tore up in front of her. Fucking assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/99 "2018-05-10T16:58:20Z")
Heh, Burr seems to have done a lot of those type of movies in the early 50’s, amid a bunch of theater and TV theater pieces. I’ve cut down from his IMDB page’ 1954 Thunder Pass 1954 Khyber Patrol 1954 Rear Window 1954 Gorilla at Large 1954 Mr. & Mrs. North (TV Series) 1954 Casanova’s Big Night 1953 Fort Algiers 1953 Tarzan and the She-Devil 1953 Serpent of the Nile 1953 The Blue Gardenia 1953 Bandits of Corsica - Dragnet: The Human Bomb (1951) … Chief of Detectives Thad Brown 1951 Dragnet (TV Series) 1951 Bride of the Gorilla 1951 The Magic Carpet 1951 The Whip Hand - Big Hello (1951) … The Wrestler \*\* 1949 Love Happy \*\* 1949 Black Magic 1949 Bride of Vengeance 1948 Adventures of Don Juan ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2018, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409/100 "2018-05-10T17:01:40Z")
I have seen most of them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-mayday-minirants/813409.md?page=6)