# Rantus Augustus (mini rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 1, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998 "2020-08-01T17:40:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/1 "2020-08-01T17:40:30Z")
I give up. The aphids win. no matter how much I spray my pepper plants, or what I use, I can’t get rid of them. I’ve tried the usual home remedies (solution of dish soap,) commercial insecticidal soaps, you name it. it kills them, then a couple of days later there’s even more. The plants are distressed and stopped fruit development. I sprayed them all a few days ago, and today there are a bunch of shriveled aphid corpses along side shitloads of new live ones. I’m beginning to hate these fuckers as much as yellow jackets. I’m about to the point of lighting the grill and just incinerating everything. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/2 "2020-08-01T17:45:51Z")
Can you get your hands on some ladybird beetles? Aphids are their natural prey. A lot of garden centers will send you live ones. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/3 "2020-08-01T19:03:01Z")
Fricking milk ring at the bottom of my glass of water that I already drank. I hate milk to drink and to see the rubbery remains sticking to the cubes is revolting . ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/4 "2020-08-01T21:21:07Z")
We’ve finally had someone where I work test positive for COVID-19. **FUCK.** The individual in question is actually good about wearing a mask, and I have next to no interaction with him anyway. But one of his office mates is one of these “muh freeze peach” types who refuses to wear a mask, despite an order from corporate that all employees should do so when in a common area or otherwise away from their workstation. Hell, he was in my office a few days ago maskless. 😡 He went to get tested yesterday; I’m supposed to be informed next week if I (and the rest of my department) need to get tested as well. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/5 "2020-08-01T22:34:03Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > “muh freeze peach” What is that? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/6 "2020-08-01T22:57:57Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > What is that? “my free speech” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/7 "2020-08-02T00:24:18Z")
I am pitting Walmart bread. I like Walmart’s multigrain loafs and they have a good price. They’re great for making sandwiches. Except for one thing - they slice the loaves into an odd number of slices. Which means I always end up with an extra slice at the end that I can’t make a sandwich out of. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/8 "2020-08-02T01:18:59Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Can you get your hands on some ladybird beetles? Aphids are their natural prey. A lot of garden centers will send you live ones. I checked around and struck out on that. I got some insecticidal spray soap with spinosad. if that doesn’t do it I give up. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/9 "2020-08-02T18:21:52Z")
Keep it in the fridge. Use it to butter corn on the cob. So easy.(odd #'ed bread slice) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/10 "2020-08-02T19:23:36Z")
If I want plain polenta (aka cornmeal mush) to fry up for breakfast with maple syrup, I buy plain polenta. If I wanted seasoned polenta, I would have gotten a package of “seasoned polenta”. Who the hell sells seasoned polenta without labeling it as seasoned? Oh, Melissa’s Organic Polenta, that’s who. First world problems, I know. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/11 "2020-08-02T20:58:33Z")
Same thing with coffee creamers. So many non-dairy options (I’ve tried soy, coconut, almond, coconut/almond, even cashew) have sugar in them! I don’t know why they just assume everyone wants their coffee sweetened… might just stick with cow cream. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/12 "2020-08-02T22:26:40Z")
I was kicked out the Walmart in Citrus Heights CA. I saw not one, not two, but THREE checkers wearing mask under their noses. I went to a manager to complain. The manager regarded me with disdain but said she would correct. She went to the checkers. They pulled the masked over their noses. No attempt at all to disinfect the workstations. 5 minutes later, I saw two of the same checkers with mask under their noses again. I pointed my camera at one. A ‘manager’ was on me in seconds. ‘You cannot take photos of my checkers!’ I explained the situation. I took the photo to show a manager (I didn’t even take the photo but I wasn’t gonna tell her that)… She did not care in the least. ‘You have to delete that!’ I refused. I was asked to leave the Walmart. I called from the parking lot, asked for a manager. Told her of situation. She couldn’t care less, She gave me a canned response. "We handle thses situations as they arise. We are committed to customer safety’. I stopped her said ‘the situation has arisen, I was asked to leave because I tried to a manager to correct it’. More canned respnse. I told her I would take my money elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/13 "2020-08-02T23:04:49Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Can you get your hands on some ladybird beetles? Aphids are their natural prey. A lot of garden centers will send you live ones. I second this suggestion. You can usually find them at hardware stores. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/14 "2020-08-02T23:07:18Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I was kicked out the Walmart in Citrus Heights CA. Which Walmart is this? On Auburn? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/15 "2020-08-02T23:52:58Z")
Yes. I came home and told my wife. She drove out to the Walmart and saw SIX employees with their masks below their noses. She complained to management. "We are committed to customer safety…’ but he did nothing. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/16 "2020-08-02T23:53:01Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > I called from the parking lot, asked for a manager. Told her of situation. She couldn’t care less, She gave me a canned response. "We handle thses situations as they arise. We are committed to customer safety’. I stopped her said ‘the situation has arisen, I was asked to leave because I tried to a manager to correct it’. More canned respnse. I told her I would take my money elsewhere. She probably doesn’t care about your money as it makes no difference to her. What she would care about is if you escalated the issue to Walmart corporate, providing date and time and all other pertinent details. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/17 "2020-08-04T11:09:49Z")
> [@Morgyn](#): > > Can you get your hands on some ladybird beetles? Aphids are their natural prey. A lot of garden centers will send you live ones. On a lark I checked one of those “gardening supply” (_wink wink_) stores and got a container. Deployed the bugs last night. We’ll see, they got busy crawling over the plants. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/18 "2020-08-04T13:06:17Z")
Further on products which have unwanted flavoring: I bought some Constant Comment decaf black tea at the supermarket. I brewed it up and noticed a weird smell. I picked up the box and put on some reading glasses, and there in fine print was “flavored with orange rind and sweet spices”. Gack! The stuff smells like that cheapass Christmas potpourri, heavy with harsh cinnamon and other icky spices. Good black tea has a wonderful fragrance and flavor all its own and needs no enhancing. I can’t drink this perfumed crap. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/19 "2020-08-04T14:38:18Z")
that’s why they left out the part where the constant comment is “this tastes like shit!” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998/20 "2020-08-04T16:13:08Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > > [@Morgyn](#): > > > > Can you get your hands on some ladybird beetles? Aphids are their natural prey. A lot of garden centers will send you live ones. > > On a lark I checked one of those “gardening supply” (_wink wink_) stores and got a container. Deployed the bugs last night. We’ll see, they got busy crawling over the plants. Let us know how that worked out. The idea of pitting an army of one kind of bug against another is fascinating. I’m rooting for you and the ladybugs! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rantus-augustus-mini-rants/916998.md?page=2)