# Notes to Self **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600 "2008-04-16T15:57:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/1 "2008-04-16T15:57:27Z")
NOTES TO SELF: If I have recently touched Vaporub, tabasco sauce, garlic, or onions, do not handle contact lenses without vigorous washing in between. (Just did this last night with the Vaporub. We all have colds in my house… after applying some to my son, then going about my business for an hour or so, and then taking my contacts out for bed, I got a very unpleasant cold sting feeling in my eye. It isn’t the first time I have done so, and likely won’t be the last…) Do not store Cutco knives in the utensil drawer, where they inevitably end up obscured from view, waiting to bite you when you dig around for the spatula that always ends up at the bottom. Same goes for inserting said knife in the soapy dish water, where it also hides in the shadows, waiting to strike. Do not cut lemons or apply hand sanitizer if I have paper cuts or other broken skin on my hands. Sadly, I do this over and over again with the hand sanitizer. I use it a lot because we have a lot of pets, so using it is something I do without even thinking about it, but forgetting I have an injury where that isn’t such a good idea, unless you like unnecessary pain. Check that the cap is securely fastened before shaking a bottle of liquid, like a water bottle that has had powdered flavoring added. I will spare you the story of what I did with this one the other day… but it isn’t what you think. I guess I should just wear gloves and goggles for everything I do. I thought we could all use a few reminders, as smart people tend to be more forgetful of day to day details. Feel free to add your own. ---
**Author:** ![miamouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@miamouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miamouse)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/2 "2008-04-16T16:09:54Z")
Note to Self: chocolate dessert after sushi, not a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/3 "2008-04-16T16:14:10Z")
Do not drink cola after brushing teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/4 "2008-04-16T16:39:37Z")
[QUOTE=Thinks2Much] NOTES TO SELF: If I have recently touched Vaporub, tabasco sauce, garlic, or onions, do not handle contact lenses without vigorous washing in between. [/QUOTE] Along those same lines, if you rub Sportscream on wife’s sore back, then do NOT scratch your nuts without doing some serious washing up first. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_Stimulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Digital\_Stimulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_Stimulus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/5 "2008-04-16T18:30:07Z")
Geez, **Hal** , I thought for sure you were going to mention something along the lines of: _never leave your computer unattended when logged in_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/6 "2008-04-16T19:18:24Z")
During this floody season, don’t drive through standing water. Also, give skunks a wide berth even when driving. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/7 "2008-04-16T20:37:14Z")
Note to self: It usually works better when it’s plugged in. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/8 "2008-04-16T20:45:46Z")
Note to self: Given their druthers, both water and stove elements are perfectly content to remain at room temperature unless I turn the knob. Addendum: The knob for the element the pot is sitting on. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/9 "2008-04-16T20:53:19Z")
[QUOTE=Digital Stimulus] Geez, **Hal** , I thought for sure you were going to mention something along the lines of: _never leave your computer unattended when logged in_. 😃 [/QUOTE] _Hell_ no, I’m not giving that out as advice. If someone else finds themselves in a similar situation, then maybe _they_ can SDMB’s low-hanging fruit for awhile. No no, _my_ advice to everyone is to log into your SDMB account from a public terminal and then then just walk away. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/10 "2008-04-16T20:58:04Z")
Note to self: Anything edible that is not stored at least six feet above the ground will be found and eaten by [Alfie](http://www.mortalwombat.com/Image/Alfie.jpg). “Edible” means “not made of glass or solid metal.” ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/11 "2008-04-17T03:04:13Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Note to self: Given their druthers, both water and stove elements are perfectly content to remain at room temperature unless I turn the knob. Addendum: The knob for the element the pot is sitting on. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/12 "2008-04-17T03:36:56Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Note to self: Given their druthers, both water and stove elements are perfectly content to remain at room temperature unless I turn the knob. Addendum: The knob for the element the pot is sitting on. [/QUOTE] Since you’re still not used to cooking on an electric range: Just because the knob is in the OFF position does not mean that the heating element is not hot. ---
**Author:** ![RoniaBorkason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RoniaBorkason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RoniaBorkason)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/13 "2008-04-17T04:29:01Z")
Don’t leave your keys on the table. You have a purse for a reason, to hold all of your stuff. Keep the stuff IN the purse, or else you will walk out and lock the door and have to call the landlord to open it. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/14 "2008-04-17T04:55:39Z")
Note to self: You finally found a cocktail of allergy drugs that let you function like a normal person. Fantastic. Don’t screw around with your dosages or stop taking any of them, you idiot, because they’re not curing your allergies, they’re just hiding the symptoms. Doofus. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/15 "2008-04-17T14:12:29Z")
Note to self: PLEASE don’t forget to pick up your prescriptions today. You get ill when you don’t take them. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/16 "2008-04-17T17:44:43Z")
[QUOTE=LurkMeister] Since you’re still not used to cooking on an electric range: Just because the knob is in the OFF position does not mean that the heating element is not hot. [/QUOTE] Just because you turn the temperature knob to the exact right temp, that doesn’t help the oven heat up. You also have to turn that other %&\*% knob to “Bake”. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/17 "2008-04-17T17:51:22Z")
Follow-up note to self: Don’t refer to yourself as a fruit on a public message board. [QUOTE=Hal Briston] If someone else finds themselves in a similar situation, then maybe _they_ can SDMB’s low-hanging fruit for awhile. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/18 "2008-04-17T18:01:53Z")
Note to self: If you need to go buy soil and mulch for the lawn, don’t do it on your lunch hour if you’ve worn a white sweater to work that day. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/19 "2008-04-17T19:36:23Z")
[QUOTE=overlyverbose] Note to self: If you need to go buy soil and mulch for the lawn, don’t do it on your lunch hour if you’ve worn a white sweater to work that day. [/QUOTE] In the same vein, if going out to lunch with the boss, don’t order anything with red sauce if you are wearing white. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600/20 "2008-04-17T20:03:15Z")
Note to Self: It’s April, not August. Yes, it’s warm enough to ride your motorcycle… but it’s not so warm that you don’t need beefy gloves and a nice jacket. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notes-to-self/445600.md?page=2)