# Mini-rant thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 31, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000 "2016-12-31T22:13:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/161 "2017-01-23T05:11:02Z")
Mine has recently decided that a favored snooze spot is the top of the refrigerator. This is new in the last couple of days. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/162 "2017-01-23T05:32:32Z")
Ah what we do for our little fuzzy overlords. One just slid from the back of the couch onto my shoulders, still totally asleep and I can’t move without waking him. Dork. On the ranty side today, I had a very frustrating conversation with a younger coworker I don’t know very well, last night during lunch (2nd shift). He’s probably mid 20’s in age and as politics are forward in everyone’s minds right now, it came up. But not in any way I would have expected. He asked me what the difference was between Republicans and Democrats and what it meant to be liberal or conservative. Why are there two parties, why does there have to be a Congress and a Senate… I looked at him like he had two heads. I basically said he needed to spend some time with his friend google because lunch isn’t enough time to explain it all. He said he genuinely never watches news or pays attention to any of “that stuff” and I was like, OK but you went to high school… I seriously didn’t even know where to start if I only have like 10 minutes to explain from zero, like I’m talking to someone from a different country or something. He said this election was the first one he ever voted in because he at least knew he needed to get out there and put a vote in for Hilary (which in Chicago I would have explained to him after another hour, was actually an irrelevant vote anyway for electoral college reasons, but was still sort of important for popular vote count but still not really), and I’m fairly certain he’s old enough to have voted in at least two previous presidential elections plus, what, four state/county/city elections. When I see him again, I plan to have some links and hell, maybe even some printed materials to give him the basics. I mean, I’m not that much of a politics person myself, frankly it gives me a headache, but damn there are some basics you should know before blindly casting a ballot. Jeez I didn’t even ask him what he did with the rest of his ballot, Cook County’s was three pages long! That wasn’t as mini as I had planned. It really bothered me. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/163 "2017-01-23T07:01:47Z")
Bush has a funny mishap with a poncho and suddenly the internet forgets the million dead Iraqis and says, “I miss Dubya.” [/minirant] ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/164 "2017-01-23T13:00:20Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Bush has a funny mishap with a poncho and suddenly the internet forgets the million dead Iraqis and says, “I miss Dubya.” > > [/minirant] On that note my son asked me about the Civil War yesterday. After talking a few minutes he asked if we were in a war now. “Umm . . . well kind of . . .” He was shocked that we had been fighting in the same area for 15 years. “Why?!” “Umm . . .” Some people haven’t forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/165 "2017-01-23T16:57:12Z")
Debating going home sick. Just threw up a bunch of clear liquid (and I DID eat this morning) and my head aches. I may or may not have a fever, but that I can’t tell and my stupid first aid kit doesn’t have any of those sticky thermometers. \ ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/166 "2017-01-23T17:19:03Z")
Some jackass stole my umbrella on the train! WTF?? It’s pouring rain. I put my wet umbrella on the floor under my seat, as one does. My seat was right next to the door. I was reading my book and apparently fairly absorbed in it, because I was quite surprised when I went to pick up my umbrella and it wasn’t there. I am assuming that a VERY CRAFTY and NOT NICE person smoothly nabbed my umbrella on their way out the door. I hope they step in a deep puddle and have to walk around with wet shoes and socks all day. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/167 "2017-01-23T18:38:22Z")
I’m going to have to start researching a higher class of books on Amazon, since [this](https://www.amazon.com/UFO-Detector-magnetometer-interfaced-microcontroller/dp/B000FVUKKO/ref=pd_lutyp_im_4_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000FVUKKO&pd_rd_r=X0XRTVC5VDXCRYXS6B1D&pd_rd_w=dNnEB&pd_rd_wg=t4WsI&psc=1&refRID=X0XRTVC5VDXCRYXS6B1D) turned up on a “suggested by your browsing history” list. Classy-looking gizmo though, and a great idea for the 9/11/vaccine/fluoride/aspartame/GMO/chemtrails conspiracy enthusiast on your gift list. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/168 "2017-01-23T19:31:44Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > I wish you Europeans would keep your round-a-bouts in your own countries. People here in Flyover Country USA do not understand them! I just don’t get the point of them, sometimes. Like this one [here…](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2699017,-105.4913431,159m/data=!3m1!1e3) There is zero reason to have it, and there will never be any kind of traffic that warrants it. As of now, it is just a very annoying intersection that serves no real purpose, but somebody felt that roundabouts are the BEST and included one. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/169 "2017-01-23T20:12:13Z")
**Jackmannii** , perhaps your Amazon suggestions should team up with mine: ever since I bought a crystal prism, Amazon has been trying to sell me “[orgonite pyramids](https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=orgonite+pyramid)”. What the hell is orgonite, you ask? [woo-woo science](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone). And once you start seeing how much of this stuff is on Amazon, you quickly realize it’s turtles all the way down from there. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/170 "2017-01-23T20:13:21Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > I just don’t get the point of them, sometimes. > > Like this one [here…](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2699017,-105.4913431,159m/data=!3m1!1e3) There is zero reason to have it, and there will never be any kind of traffic that warrants it. As of now, it is just a very annoying intersection that serves no real purpose, but somebody felt that roundabouts are the BEST and included one. The white vehicle in the lower right was so confused by it that he got lost! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/171 "2017-01-23T20:14:02Z")
Without the round-a-bout you wouldn’t know which way to go in a circle. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/172 "2017-01-23T21:11:07Z")
This is interesting. I was at HMV a couple weeks ago and they had these little stuffed animal Mickey & Minnie Mouse Christmas balls on sale for 75% off. They were retail $12.99 so $3.25 each, no big deal. Anyway when I picked off the price tags (they were a gift for my friend’s kid) I noticed another price tag that said $5.99. This tag was attached by perforations to the big tag and had “Hallmark” on it. So I went back to the store and looked at the ones that were left: all the others except for like 2 had the $5.99 tag torn off and the $12.99 tag stuck to it. I took photos of the tags but couldn’t post them publicly to HMV’s Facebook or Twitter, so I messaged them through Facebook (I don’t have Twitter anyway) and said “Wow HMV: $5.99 MSRP on a product and you’re selling it for $12.99. That’s hilarious!” But I just got their standard form reply to contact customer service. Wow eh. What is up with that. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/173 "2017-01-24T00:11:28Z")
Last week a circuit breaker kept blowing for no known reason, switching off all the sockets in the house. We tracked it down to the fridge, except everything was fine when we plugged it into a different circuit, so we thought it was the breaker, replaced a whole bunch of them which probably needed doing anyway, everything fine for a week until today when I was RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of an important work call for which I needed the document that was up on my computer and _click_ sockets gone. It reset fine and I got the work call back on track, but still, WTFARRRGGHHH. I think my computer is getting ready to corrupt my user profile again and I don’t WANT to dick around with regedits before I can do any damn WORK. We finally managed to decide which house and which week we wanted for our summer holiday, which is like planning a bloody Spinal Tap tour because it involves four adults and five children all of whom have different priorities and different dealbreakers and different holiday dates, and instead of booking rightthatsecond we emailed the guy who owns the house to ask him one crucial safety question, and of course by the time he got back to us that week was gone and the only other week we can do costs 50% more and if we leave it for another ten seconds that week will go too and we’ll have to start over from scratch. Someone tracked dog shit all over the nice new stair carpet that we just got a few months ago, and when I carpet-cleanered it, the cleaner left nice big pale spots in the carpet. Which you wouldn’t think was possible given that it’s just plain unbleached wool, but yay for the unexpected. I have a cold that involves one of those dry tickly coughs that will. not. stop. Everyone on the internet is a wanker. And fucking Donald Trump is fucking EVERYWHERE. And everyone is getting more and more wound up into a frenzy. And I am so fucking sick of it and it’s only Day 2. Today can fuck right off. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/174 "2017-01-24T01:51:46Z")
In my continuing self-pity mode, I find that the thought of eating anything but graham crackers or drinking water makes me so nauseated that I have to sit while the bile settles. Seriously? This better pass by tomorrow, is all I can say. I’m pretty fed up with the whole nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/175 "2017-01-24T02:13:30Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > I just don’t get the point of them, sometimes. > > Like this one [here…](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.2699017,-105.4913431,159m/data=!3m1!1e3) There is zero reason to have it, and there will never be any kind of traffic that warrants it. As of now, it is just a very annoying intersection that serves no real purpose, but somebody felt that roundabouts are the BEST and included one. One reason for considering roundabouts is to decrease air pollution. Seriously. They replace 4 way boulevard stops. If a car can keep going through the intersection instead of having to come to a complete stop and then come back up to speed, then the car produces just a bit less exhaust. The CMAQ program has a database that will let you calculate how many pounds per week (and tons per year) a given roundabout is likely to save. Of course, in a low traffic area, it would save less. Others may be interested in increasing the level of service that an intersection provides, but CMAQ is all about how much your project costs per pound of pollutants reduced. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/176 "2017-01-24T04:15:36Z")
Ok, this one was actually kinda funny. FB friend shares this Dr. Oz diet drink picture thing. :rolleyes: Next item in my feed is a ‘Not even the Tardis can translate this kind of stupid’ T-shirt/mug thing. 😃 ---
**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:** [January 24, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/177 "2017-01-24T12:05:29Z")
> [@Kelevra](#): > > I wish you Europeans would keep your round-a-bouts in your own countries. People here in Flyover Country USA do not understand them! Just back from our yearly St Martin trip. Not a single traffic light on the island, just roundabouts. When used properly (and their use is kind of intuitive), they keep traffic moving. I miss them already. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/178 "2017-01-24T12:34:50Z")
We’ve had several around here, at least as far back as the '60s. I don’t understand why people have a problem with them. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2017, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/179 "2017-01-24T16:47:19Z")
I don’t get the roundabouts with inner lanes. I mean, isn’t everyone that enters also just about to leave? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000/180 "2017-01-24T16:59:57Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I don’t get the roundabouts with inner lanes. I mean, isn’t everyone that enters also just about to leave? No, and in fact one of the problems with roundabouts is people assuming that everybody wants the first available exit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rant-thread/776000.md?page=10)