# Novembrants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 1, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304 "2014-11-01T21:59:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/141 "2014-11-10T18:30:34Z")
My husband’s mom & stepdad are finally moving from the damned near inaccessible place they’ve been living for years, and are moving to a house that is on a real road and everything. This is not the ranty part. This is good news. They had to move, because both emergency services and propane delivery have stated that they are no longer able to make it down the road. The ranty part is that they are moving next weekend. The one with the below freezing temps and the possible snow. Not this past weekend, with the decent temps and no precipitation. Of course. Murphy, you suck! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/142 "2014-11-10T20:28:37Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I actually did reply something like that, but he just gave me a funny look and noted something down… Probably that I was a) not available weekends, and b) delusional. Ah, now I’m not sure whether to offer my condolences (since you have a brutal need of a better job) or my congratulations (because that particular guy sounds pretty flaky, and if he was your supervisor or your scheduler it doesn’t sound good). > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > It probably started when you washed your clothes but left them for a couple of hours before putting them in the dryer. That’s plenty of time for mildew stank to occur. Or maybe you need to clean your washing machine. Or when, like some of my new neighbors, you run your laundry with the laundry room closed tighter than Uncle Scrooge’s fists. That room doesn’t have any ventilation, when the door is closed and any of the machines is running it turns into a sauna. Leaving baskets full of still-unwashed clothing in the middle of that doesn’t help (this is a group of one adult man and three teenaged boys, who also always do their laundry without any regard for the sign up sheet - you can run into their stinky socks at any time while doing your own laundry in your signed-for time). ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/143 "2014-11-10T22:51:20Z")
I’m pretty sure 99% of the people in Minnesota have experience driving in the snow. So how come so many act like they’ve never seen the stuff before? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/144 "2014-11-10T23:28:59Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I’m pretty sure 99% of the people in Minnesota have experience driving in the snow. > > So how come so many act like they’ve never seen the stuff before? Because it’s been so long (i.e. last winter) since they’ve had to. 🙂 The NSA must have gadgets in people’s steering wheels that turns off long-term memory when the car is started. I’m Albertan, not Minnesotan, but we have the same ailment up here ---
**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:** [November 10, 2014, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/145 "2014-11-10T23:43:45Z")
I swear my eyes and my brain aren’t talking to each other right tonight. There’s a thread in IMHO called ‘Help: remove unwanted toolbar’ and every time I see it as ‘Help: remove unwanted toddler’. There’s one in MPSIMS called ‘Stranger knocked on door, asked for ketchup’ and I keep seeing it as ‘Stranger knocked on door, asked for kvetching’. And in the thread about worst endings for classmates, there’s a tragic story where a guy drowned in a manmade lake, only I read it as ‘drowned in a marmalade lake’. I think all of mine would actually make better stories, but still. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/146 "2014-11-11T00:10:41Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I’m pretty sure 99% of the people in Minnesota have experience driving in the snow. > > So how come so many act like they’ve never seen the stuff before? I don’t know, but i’m pretty sure it’s the same reason why people in Seattle have no idea how to drive in the rain. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/147 "2014-11-11T00:52:59Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Holy shit, y’all. Just … Holy shit. > > I called New Guy’s son and my afore-mentioned bestie girlfriend from my work phone yesterday before I was getting ready to leave, to let them both know that we were ok, not dead or in jail or ignoring them, but that both our phones were off etc. etc. and that I could be reached during biz hours at that line. > > The guy who sits next to me – who in an odd coincidence has the same name as my friend – overheard me, and quietly asked what was up, how much etc. He then handed me his debit card. :eek::eek: I stammered out something about how I couldn’t possibly borrow his money and so on but he pointed out that I didn’t ask, he offered, and that he didn’t like hearing that a kid couldn’t call his own dad. > > He insisted. Quietly but firmly. > > I got halfway through the call to the cell co. and made an executive decision :o and hung up. Power was more crucial, and a few bucks cheaper to boot for the minimum payment needed. I 'fessed up when I gave him back his card, since I knew he’d see the different co. name on his bill and I didn’t want him to think I’d used his card for fun money when he saw it didn’t go to AT&T. > > He then insisted I go sit back down and get my phone turned back on. > > I thanked him profusely, and even hugged him (I do not hug co-workers as a general rule) and wound up crying in relief and gratitude most of the way home. > > Also I’m posting this from my warm home, with a functional kitchen and lights and everything. Thanks to all of you for your public and private messages of support. I think I’ve seen directions for a homemade version of the heating pads flatlined so kindly suggested (rice in a sock? sound familiar anyone?) and I might try that anyway. > > And especially thanks to next-door-coworker, for being an impromptu guardian angel. > > I assure you, good citizen, that if MY snake had raised them, they would be upstanding and productive members of society, with an abundance of good manners and a noticeable lack of stank, mildew or otherwise. I am thrilled for you. Suggestion for next time - get the components for and make yourself a [flowerpot heater](http://www.random-good-stuff.com/2006/10/29/candle-heater/), it will bring up the temp in an average bathroom enough to help keep pets from freezing. In combination with the nukable pet heat beds for the overnight, it can make a difference. I don’t know for the day, smuggle the snakey in to work? [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/148 "2014-11-11T00:54:47Z")
And the same reason that sunshine in springtime confuses people in New England. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/149 "2014-11-11T01:13:17Z")
I had a doctor’s appointment today. It was supposed to be a consultation regarding some sort of growth discovered on the outside of my body during a recent colonoscopy. After keeping me waiting for about half an hour or so in the exam room, the doc took a quick look and said, “This is really small. We can take care of it right here and now, no need for you to go to the hospital.” I had about two minutes or less to go from “talking to the doctor” to “holy shit, he’s cutting bits off me in delicate places!”. The needle used to numb the area HURT going in. And the cauterizing hurt, too, because I’m fat and the cauterizing loop touched places that weren’t the bit being cut off that had been numbed. And there wasn’t anyone there to hang on to or anything. Yeah, minor surgery and all that, but I wasn’t in the least prepared for it, and the whole thing upset me one hell of a lot. It’s been about four and a half hours since then, and I’m still feeling weepy about it all. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/150 "2014-11-11T03:33:56Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I don’t know, but i’m pretty sure it’s the same reason why people in Seattle have no idea how to drive in the rain. I almost posted this myself! It is unbelievable watching people try to drive around here in the drizzle. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/151 "2014-11-11T05:58:25Z")
OMFG, I’m ready to slap the Random Kid Living in My House! We have another bug infestation - maybe from the stuff the houseguests had in storage, maybe from other stuff, who knows? It happens here in south Georgia. I’ve spent the day scrubbing and spraying - it does no good to do one room at the time, the critters will just migrate to the unsprayed room. So, after I’ve moved things and scrubbed and sprayed and scrubbed again, I go in the kitchen to finish up in there… and there’s pasta and cheese all over the damned counter, floor, and stove. I start trying to get it up, and RKLIMH wanders in, dropping crumbs and cheese from the burrito he’s fixed for himself, and tells me not to worry about it. **I’m not _worried_ about a damned thing, kid, but perhaps you ought to be.** I just want my house to be free of vermin. I’m venting here instead of threatening to rehome the little asshole. But if I walk back in the kitchen in five minutes and find food leavings all over the place? There will be words. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/152 "2014-11-11T07:02:22Z")
I hope some of the words are "Great news! I’ve decided how you’re going to earn the right to stay here! From now on, you’re the one in charge of keeping this home free of vermin infestations. To MY satisfaction." ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/153 "2014-11-11T14:17:15Z")
Noise complaint spoilered. [SPOILER]Well, the good news is that if I can go downtown today, I can avoid having to listen to the leafblower all day. Seriously, you’d think there’d be no more leaves to blow at this point. I should go up to a leafblower user and say, “BLOW ME!”[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/154 "2014-11-11T17:56:23Z")
**EmilyG** , I’m on your side. For the last two days there has been some sort of truck running a giant compressor outside my office window. It’s sounds like they are doing some sandblasting or something. I cant even keep my earbuds in because people keep wanting to talk to me about their projects. It’s constant and annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/155 "2014-11-11T18:41:42Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Noise complaint spoilered. > > [SPOILER]Well, the good news is that if I can go downtown today, I can avoid having to listen to the leafblower all day. > > Seriously, you’d think there’d be no more leaves to blow at this point. > > I should go up to a leafblower user and say, “BLOW ME!”[/SPOILER] Haven’t been paying a lot of attention to your weather. Are they using it to blow snow off the sidewalk? (Not suggesting that is in any way an intelligent thing to do) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/156 "2014-11-11T20:01:15Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I am thrilled for you. > > Suggestion for next time - get the components for and make yourself a [flowerpot heater](http://www.random-good-stuff.com/2006/10/29/candle-heater/), it will bring up the temp in an average bathroom enough to help keep pets from freezing. In combination with the nukable pet heat beds for the overnight, it can make a difference. I don’t know for the day, smuggle the snakey in to work? > [URL=“[http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/](http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/)”] If I did that, something would ensue, but it would be neither hilarity nor penis. (Thanks for the flowerpot suggestion!) > [@EmilyG](#): > > … > > … I should go up to a leafblower user and say, “BLOW ME!” Do it! DOOO EEEEEEET! ---
**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:** [November 12, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/157 "2014-11-12T00:14:47Z")
When we moved here, we got a new phone number. Almost immediately, we got phone calls from collection agencies looking for some ass clown who used to have the number. I figured they would stop, but they continued. Eventually, it became somewhat too late to get a different number because of the inconvenience of notifying everybody. And so the calls continued. Then they tapered off and stopped. And now they’ve started again at five years and counting. They’re for the same deadbeat motherfucker as before. I hope somebody drives a truck up his ass. And to the idiot down the street who felt that he was accomplishing something by using a leaf blower when the wind is blowing at 30 mph: you’re a hopeless dumbfuck. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/158 "2014-11-12T03:05:55Z")
Maybe he just wanted to be one with the power of nature. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/159 "2014-11-12T03:40:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > When we moved here, we got a new phone number. Almost immediately, we got phone calls from collection agencies looking for some ass clown who used to have the number. Maybe four years now for me and I still get calls for “Shannon”. Although I finally found out her last name in a very peculiar manner. I went for a drive last weekend. When I gave the guy my phone number at the hotel in another state, he called me “Mr. (name)”. “Huh. Do you have this number associated with a “Shannon”?” “Yes” OK. But yeah, the previous number I’d had for 6-7 years and still got calls about a deadbeat. Early morning, late at night, wouldn’t have any for 6 months, then WHAM, 5am call. ---
**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:** [November 12, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304/160 "2014-11-12T03:58:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > When we moved here, we got a new phone number. Almost immediately, we got phone calls from collection agencies looking for some ass clown who used to have the number. I figured they would stop, but they continued. Eventually, it became somewhat too late to get a different number because of the inconvenience of notifying everybody. And so the calls continued. Then they tapered off and stopped. And now they’ve started again at five years and counting. They’re for the same deadbeat motherfucker as before. I hope somebody drives a truck up his ass. > [@Chimera](#): > > Maybe four years now for me and I still get calls for “Shannon”. Although I finally found out her last name in a very peculiar manner. I went for a drive last weekend. When I gave the guy my phone number at the hotel in another state, he called me “Mr. (name)”. “Huh. Do you have this number associated with a “Shannon”?” “Yes” OK. > > But yeah, the previous number I’d had for 6-7 years and still got calls about a deadbeat. Early morning, late at night, wouldn’t have any for 6 months, then WHAM, 5am call. I love my call blocker. I love my call blocker. I love my call blocker. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novembrants/703304.md?page=9)