# Ranters Play in the Pit -- I think it's for the Month of July **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 1, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072 "2014-07-01T05:16:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [July 6, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/81 "2014-07-06T13:57:52Z")
I pit my lungs! They’ve been acting up lately. Damn asthma. I guess having parents who smoked around me all the time wasn’t good for my lungs. Though now that I live in a place where nobody smokes inside, things like dust and dampness probably don’t help either. At least I have a working inhaler and I renewed my prescription for a new inhaler so that I’ll have a backup if/when my current one runs out. Still, I may go to the clinic tomorrow and have things checked out if I feel I need to. I do plan to go outside later today. That’ll probably help my lungs too. I’ve heard playing wind instruments can also help. I’ll practice my new clarinet. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/82 "2014-07-06T14:57:51Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Yesterday was our paper anniversary. **I gave him some toilet paper** , and he folded a dollar into a ring. When I took it off, it unfolded. It’s the perfect man gift. It’s practical and something he will use. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hey\_Hey\_Paula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_Hey_Paula)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/83 "2014-07-06T15:39:07Z")
I am ready to remodel my perfectly good kitchen just to get a door that closes! I am so sick of the four little furry feline beasts reacting to the sound of the cutting board being pulled out and surrounding me, hoping for dropped bits of meat or cheese. Even if I’m cutting veggies and tofu, they won’t leave me alone! [screams in frustration!] There is one door to the kitchen that closes, it’s a pocket door that we always leave open, but the other entrance to the kitchen has only a doorway. I’ve thought about putting up a baby gate, but the worst offender is also the best leaper, he wouldn’t be deterred for a second. I love my kitchen - previous owners remodeled just before we bought the house - and I love my cats, and I love to cook. But some days I just want to ditch the lot of them, kitchen, cats and all. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/84 "2014-07-06T16:44:58Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Sometimes it doesn’t pay to get a job. > > After several months of unemployment, I manage to land a job; an extremely low-paying job (an almost 50% cut from my last position) with the state government. I was asked to produce two forms of ID for all the official paperwork. Well I only had my driver’s license on me at the time, so they said, “no problem, when you can bring in your passport, your birth certificate or your SS card and you’ll be good to go,” and they put me to work. > > I looked high and low for my birth certificate, but I couldn’t find it. I don’t have a passport and that little cardboard card I got from Social Security 36 years ago hasn’t been seen since the tragic Wallet Washing Incident of 1985. So I go to the local SS office to get a replacement card; they’ll mail it to me, but here’s a little signed piece of paper you can give to your employers. > > That didn’t quite work out; they need the actual shitty little cardboard card. Whatever. > > Yeah, whatever, except – golly, according to the endless reels of red tape, without that proof of identity, I’m not allowed to work at all. After two weeks of training they tell me I’m not even allowed in the building and I was “temporarily terminated.” This translates as “completely fucking terminated.” > > Of course I’ve been eagerly invited to reapply and re-interview for a job I had already been doing for two weeks. But I think they can eagerly kiss my balls at this point. The pay sucked – I could probably earn about the same thing delivering pizza’s; and coincidentally probably put about the same amount of miles on my car. That suuuuuuuuuuuucks! You at least get paid for your training, right? Not that that helps much, but hey. Why in the name of cheap bourbon would they not allow the temporary This’ll Do For Now card from the SS office? I can’t even imagine what kind of reasoning they would have given that makes any sense. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/85 "2014-07-08T16:05:26Z")
I was enjoying my lunch at a local food court, which was almost empty. Why the asshole who just wanted to talk on his cellphone, and not even eat anything, chose to sit at the table right behind me, I don’t know. I ended up moving. And I stepped in gum on the way home! So gross. I fucking hate gum. Other than that, my day has been all right. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/86 "2014-07-08T16:56:57Z")
Somebody just fired a fucking rocket at my city. Air raid sirens and everything. Fun, fun, fun. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/87 "2014-07-08T17:01:22Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Somebody just fired a fucking rocket at my city. Air raid sirens and everything. Fun, fun, fun. Oh my God. I hope you’re okay. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/88 "2014-07-08T17:06:49Z")
Yeah, the missile was intercepted south of Tel Aviv. Still, my wife, son and I spent about 10 minutes on our entryway floor (safest spot in the house). I had a pot of fusilli bolognese on the stove, and the whole mess put dinner off by half an hour. Plus, a fucking _rocket_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/89 "2014-07-08T18:53:29Z")
Some booms overhead. We were watching _24_ and didn’t hear the siren, if there even was one. I guess the booms mean it’s over. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/90 "2014-07-08T20:32:01Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Somebody just fired a fucking rocket at my city. Air raid sirens and everything. Fun, fun, fun. Oy vey. I am still ready to hate on NJ because Hopatcong State Park was declared closed and we were not allowed in. I still think the fuckers should put in another parking lot so I can have access to a lakefront park within half an hour of my house on a hot day. But at least Philadelphia isn’t lobbying rockets at us. The closest we get are really stupid tourists. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/91 "2014-07-08T21:38:41Z")
Fuck the criminal courts, the defense attorneys, and anyone else who’s responsible for _once again_ postponing the trial of the person who shot and killed my cousin. My cousin has been dead for two years. There is no dispute over how my cousin died. The accused does not deny shooting my cousin. The ONLY question is whether the killing was justified as self-defense. For the love of all that’s decent, just have the trial already, let the accused - who is also the only witness - tell us the excruciating details of what happened, and give my Aunt and Uncle some closure. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/92 "2014-07-08T22:04:10Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Oy vey. I am still ready to hate on NJ because Hopatcong State Park was declared closed and we were not allowed in. I still think the fuckers should put in another parking lot so I can have access to a lakefront park within half an hour of my house on a hot day. > > But at least Philadelphia isn’t **lobbying** rockets at us. The closest we get are really stupid tourists. \ Damn, there really \*is \*a PAC for everything! Whose vote are they shooting for, do you think? ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/93 "2014-07-08T22:07:54Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > \ > Damn, there really \*is \*a PAC for everything! Whose vote are they shooting for, do you think? The three year had a nasty virus last night. I think I managed four hours of sleep. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/94 "2014-07-10T08:28:07Z")
Okay, sweet cheeks pal of my wife, let’s get a few facts established. Michael McDonald is not divorced from, or GETTING divorced from, Amy Holland. Amy Holand did NOT speak with you on the phone and tell you she’s okay with you being there for Michael to fall in love with and marry. Michael did not tell his friend Richard Marx that he kisses a picture of you every night before he goes to bed. Michael did not check into a mental hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on June 30; the Independence Day concert and fireworks display at which he performed on the Capitol Mall was not recorded two weeks in advance; he did not check himself out of the mental hospital against medical advice, and he did not assault his own father in the process. Let’s see, what else? Richard Marx did not tell your friend in Fresno that Michael has severe autism, that he has frequent seizures, that he travels with a specially-trained dog that lets him know to get to a safe place when a seizure is imminent, or that he cancelled his planned tour with Toto this August. Oh. OR that his lead guitarist used to be Michael’s personal care attendant/minder, but was relieved of that responsibility because he couldn’t deal with Michael’s increasingly frequent emotional meltdowns. Also, the dolls on your sofa are not really your children, and Richard Marx is not going to try to hook you up with Mick Jagger if the whole Michael McDonald thing doesn’t work out. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/95 "2014-07-10T14:17:23Z")
For all of you idiots on Facebook who want to follow a discussion: You do not have to fucking post a comment that says “following”!!! There’s a little arrow on the upper right hand corner of every post and one of the options is “get notifications.” Oh my fucking flying spaghetti monster this drives me crazy. I’m in some mom groups, and I constantly see anywhere from two to ten posts that just say “following” after someone asks a question. It’s really damned annoying when I actually make a comment that adds to the discussion and am interested in replies and I get notifications and it’s just freaking idiots following along. GRR. (I know this doesn’t work on some mobile versions.) ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/96 "2014-07-10T15:10:36Z")
I woke up this morning and I have a zit. I’m 54 years old and I have a zit. What the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/97 "2014-07-10T16:26:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Okay, sweet cheeks pal of my wife, let’s get a few facts established. > > Michael McDonald is not divorced from, or GETTING divorced from, Amy Holland. Amy Holand did NOT speak with you on the phone and tell you she’s okay with you being there for Michael to fall in love with and marry. Michael did not tell his friend Richard Marx that he kisses a picture of you every night before he goes to bed. Michael did not check into a mental hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on June 30; the Independence Day concert and fireworks display at which he performed on the Capitol Mall was not recorded two weeks in advance; he did not check himself out of the mental hospital against medical advice, and he did not assault his own father in the process. > > Let’s see, what else? Richard Marx did not tell your friend in Fresno that Michael has severe autism, that he has frequent seizures, that he travels with a specially-trained dog that lets him know to get to a safe place when a seizure is imminent, or that he cancelled his planned tour with Toto this August. Oh. OR that his lead guitarist used to be Michael’s personal care attendant/minder, but was relieved of that responsibility because he couldn’t deal with Michael’s increasingly frequent emotional meltdowns. > > Also, the dolls on your sofa are not really your children, and Richard Marx is not going to try to hook you up with Mick Jagger if the whole Michael McDonald thing doesn’t work out. Bummer, it would be a lot more fun if it were true. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/98 "2014-07-10T17:01:03Z")
Today should have been my late Other Shoe’s birthday. I think I got most of my angst and tears out last night, in advance, but it’s still kinda painful today. It’s also one of my best friend’s birthday (oh, the joint celebrations we used to have!) so I gotta call her … and I oughta call his parents. I’m wearing his bracelets, and a pair of sandals he got me, and the earrings he gave me that I loved the most. And, apparently, tears on my cheeks from typing this. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/99 "2014-07-10T17:04:37Z")
This happened at work, but I think it goes more here than the Workplace Rants. Yesterday morning, my computer kindly notified me that Microsoft had put out some updates (Patch Tuesday, yay!). I reviewed said updates: security updates, office updates, pretty straightforward. I go ahead and download and install the updates. My computer reboots, and all of a sudden, I no longer have access to my computer. The reboot has failed. Then the restore point fails, then the reboot fails. This goes on for about 20 minutes, and I call our IT guy, who is on his way in. I keep messing with it and trying all the Advanced Options with no success. IT guy gets here, and tries the same stuff I did, then adds some stuff by trying to move registry backup files via the command prompt. No joy. At this point, I haven’t been able to work for about 2 hours. So, he gets me set up on a temporary laptop. Then we realize that we have a spare Microsoft Surface Pro 2 from someone who left. He gets approval from the Powers That Be to give it to me as my replacement computer. Everything is tooling along fine, until I need to restart the computer to set up something else. I get the ‘Update and Restart’ notice. Guess what doesn’t work? The lovely new Surface Pro 2. It starts going through the same shit as my tower did in the morning. By this time, I had actively been able to work for maybe 2 hours out of 8. IT guy ended up having to completely wipe it and start from scratch. He also didn’t get the automatic updates turned off for everyone else fast enough. We lost 3 computers today to the same shit. If you’re running Windows 8.1, DON’T DO THE UPDATES DATED 7/8/14. One of them makes your computer go plooey. Also, I’ve seen no net traffic about issues at all. I don’t know what’s going on, but we can’t be the only people this is happening to. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072/100 "2014-07-10T17:28:03Z")
((( **cwthree** ))) **kaylasdad99** : :eek: ((( **purplehorseshoe** ))) I’ve only got deadlines. Small potatoes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ranters-play-in-the-pit-i-think-its-for-the-month-of-july/692072.md?page=6)