# Solmonath Rants (February Mini Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 2, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992 "2018-02-02T03:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [February 14, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/121 "2018-02-14T03:46:15Z")
I need to not be in the psycho queue tomorrow. Just give me the routine doofuses please. I’m still trying to get my brain to stop blue-screening thinking about one caller who compared mailing time on a physical object to a zombie apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/122 "2018-02-14T12:55:44Z")
Going in for a chest x-ray in a couple of hours. When you spend most of the night coughing up a lung it’s time to throw in the towel and contact the doctor. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/123 "2018-02-15T02:56:31Z")
I made a couple of succulent arrangements to sell for Christmas, and not only enjoyed the hell out of the process, but had an avalanche of responders wanting the 3 or 4 mugs I created. Yay! Last week, since I’m still unemployed, I got 3 more mugs at the dollar store with Valentine’s Day doodles and snipped & pinched back nearly all my poor succulents. Posted the same way (Craigslist, 5 Miles and FB Marketplace) and got … absolutely no responses. Chopped the price (c’mon, five bucks for a last-minute gift seems o.k.) and still bupkis, except for one weird scammy sounding weirdo. Poop. Didn’t make any cash AND now I have these 3 stupid damn mugs hanging around. Hmmmmmph. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/124 "2018-02-15T03:07:37Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I made a couple of succulent arrangements to sell for Christmas, and not only enjoyed the hell out of the process, but had an avalanche of responders wanting the 3 or 4 mugs I created. Yay! > > Last week, since I’m still unemployed, I got 3 more mugs at the dollar store with Valentine’s Day doodles and snipped & pinched back nearly all my poor succulents. Posted the same way (Craigslist, 5 Miles and FB Marketplace) and got … absolutely no responses. Chopped the price (c’mon, five bucks for a last-minute gift seems o.k.) and still bupkis, except for one weird scammy sounding weirdo. > > Poop. Didn’t make any cash AND now I have these 3 stupid damn mugs hanging around. Hmmmmmph. Were your Christmas-time responders through Craig’s List? That doesn’t seem like a good place to sell them (to me). How about Etsy? It’s a great idea and you’ve had proven success. Keep trying different outlets. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2018, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/125 "2018-02-15T03:20:49Z")
When it’s in the 40s outside, why in the hell did half the windows on the train need to be open? There wasn’t anyone/anything THAT smelly. Also, why in the hell did the AC need to be blasting? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/126 "2018-02-15T05:13:33Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I made a couple of succulent arrangements to sell for Christmas, and not only enjoyed the hell out of the process, but had an avalanche of responders wanting the 3 or 4 mugs I created. Yay! > > Last week, since I’m still unemployed, I got 3 more mugs at the dollar store with Valentine’s Day doodles and snipped & pinched back nearly all my poor succulents. Posted the same way (Craigslist, 5 Miles and FB Marketplace) and got … absolutely no responses. Chopped the price (c’mon, five bucks for a last-minute gift seems o.k.) and still bupkis, except for one weird scammy sounding weirdo. > > Poop. Didn’t make any cash AND now I have these 3 stupid damn mugs hanging around. Hmmmmmph. I worked for florist for awhile, Valentine’s a specialized gift day. We are sorta hard wired for roses, candy or cards. Don’t give up, sounds like your little arrangements might be cute. Mothers day is the biggest plant seller in florist shops. Get generic cups that could be used for a couple of holidays. Pastels for spring, etc. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/127 "2018-02-15T09:36:08Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Going in for a chest x-ray in a couple of hours. When you spend most of the night coughing up a lung it’s time to throw in the towel and contact the doctor. So… was it just a Cold From Hell? I once had one which made me sound as if I was dying but it wasn’t even bronchitis. I do hope your lungs are still on the inside. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/128 "2018-02-15T11:39:50Z")
Internet has been shit all day. The phone line is crackling like crazy, but the landlord still hasn’t contacted the phone company to get it seen to. Argh. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/129 "2018-02-15T12:23:35Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > So… was it just a Cold From Hell? I once had one which made me sound as if I was dying but it wasn’t even bronchitis. I do hope your lungs are still on the inside. Cold From Hell. No x-rays, as my still-intact lungs are clear. I just feel like I’m dying, that’s all. Gah, I don’t get sick very often but when I do it’s always a doozy. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/130 "2018-02-15T16:37:45Z")
Words I never thought I’d have to type: > [@words I actually typed](#): > > Please Verify with the Sales Engineer that this customer want ZERO call paths. In other words, they actually want a Trunk Group that will not be able to send or receive any calls. I realize moral is completely in the tank since the last layoff and our stock has lost 80% of its value, but come on… ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/131 "2018-02-15T16:45:54Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > If she looks toward you as a peer, why not suggest that SHE try taking the position you’re contemplating, and you stay behind and run the outfit she’s not so good at running? > > Sure, she still loses you, but maybe that position will turn out to be more her speed. Meanwhile, as the new ruler in her former domain, boredom will be the last thing on your mind… Very true. I have had several calls now about the new position as well as others contacting me to ask why I’m considering other positions. I’m trying to keep it, “Well, this just kind of fell in my lap,” but yeah - I was asked for feedback about my manager and tried to tactfully say that none of us knows what the hell we’re supposed to be doing and who’s managing who. My mini-rants for the day: 1. Sleep-wake schedules: I wish my husband and I were on the same schedule. I get up at 4:45 some days to work out. My husband, on the other hand, wakes at 8 or 8:30. By the time he’s up, I’ve usually packed kids’ lunches, fed everyone and shoved then out the door to their respective buses. Sometimes I’ve even gotten on my first conference call of the day. Getting up so early means I need to be in bed by 9:30 or 10 at the latest or I feel like shit. Which is precisely the time when my husband decides he wants to talk about things like budgeting, investments and financial goals. Dammit, my brain doesn’t work after 9! That’s freaking bedtime, or at the very least, wind-down time, NOT, “Oh, hey, let’s have a complex discussion that requires actual thinking” time! This leads me to item 2, also known as Sonar for the Worst Time to Ask a Question. Or even better, Please Pay Attention, or Get Out of My Damn Personal Space. 2. My entire family seem to have a gift. That gift is completely ignoring the fact that I’ve got a foot in the bathroom and have said, “I’ll be right back,” or a huge load of laundry in my arms on the top step of the stairs to the basement to wash it or maybe something in the oven about to burn. Instead, they either ask me long, complex questions as I’m about to pee (or as an added bonus follow me to the bathroom and stand right outside trying to talk to me), want to have a long conversation while I’m carrying something heavy or decide I need to Look. Right. Now. when I’m trying not to burn down the house. Experts at non-verbal cues my family members are not. They also all follow me around. All the time. And get really, really close to me or mill around in my bubble of personal space, I’m not ashamed to admit that I accidentally on purpose elbow my husband in the stomach when he’s hovering over me while I cook. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/132 "2018-02-15T16:54:23Z")
Ugh, I hate that shit. Condolences that its coming from your family. Was a supervisor years ago and every damned time I got up to do something, one guy would ask me if I could wait so he could go have a 5-10 minute smoke break. Then I got ‘spoken to’ for snapping at him about it. Get up to use the can. ‘can you wait?’ No. Get called to speak to the site manager. ‘can you wait?’ FUCK NO. Go to give someone else their lunch break ‘can you wait?’ Goddamn it, no I can’t. Stop asking the moment I get up and learn to ask when I’m sitting down. Same on my last job, but a co-worker. Get up to go talk to someone or use the can and that was the exact moment he chose to try to catch me to ask questions. After a while I just stopped reacting and kept walking. Then he asked me why I was angry and I told him. You stop me every damned time I get up to do something. Stop doing that. I get it, you move, you impact their brain and they think of what they wanted to ask you. But dammit, train yourself to think first instead of reacting. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2018, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/133 "2018-02-16T01:04:19Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I made a couple of succulent arrangements to sell for Christmas, and not only enjoyed the hell out of the process, but had an avalanche of responders wanting the 3 or 4 mugs I created. Yay! > > Last week, since I’m still unemployed, I got 3 more mugs at the dollar store with Valentine’s Day doodles and snipped & pinched back nearly all my poor succulents. Posted the same way (Craigslist, 5 Miles and FB Marketplace) and got … absolutely no responses. Chopped the price (c’mon, five bucks for a last-minute gift seems o.k.) and still bupkis, except for one weird scammy sounding weirdo. > > Poop. Didn’t make any cash AND now I have these 3 stupid damn mugs hanging around. Hmmmmmph. They sound so cute! I wish I were closer so I could take one off your hands. Since I’m not allowed any more cats my new pets are plants. For future holidays, Offer Up is pretty big around here, and you might look into your local Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade group, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/134 "2018-02-16T09:33:24Z")
1. You need to speak more clearly 2. You need to listen more carefully. 3. Complaining about both of these things to the same person is not contradictory. I am listening carefully but still cannot make out what you’re saying because you’re not speaking clearly. Conversely I am speaking clearly and if you don’t catch it you’re not listening. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/135 "2018-02-16T12:44:31Z")
No flu, yay! The short test – the one where they stick a swab up your nostril – came back negative. I just happen to have a very bad cold with a very bad cough. Got sent home with _good stuff_ and a verbal finger-wagging “Take care of yourself, we know you won’t otherwise”. I hate it when doctors _know_ you. I’ve been hacking ever since to the point where I’m going to hork one of these days because it keeps hitting my gag reflex. It’s RIGHT THERE, I just can’t cough it up, ARGH! And this morning I awoke with goopy eyes. Of course no cold of mine is complete without conjunctivitis :eyeroll: ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/136 "2018-02-16T15:19:03Z")
How can I get a particularTelemarketer(i guess thats what they’re called) from calling me. She calls 2 times a day. It appears to be a local (as in state area code) number. So I am tricked into answering the call. She is trying to sell me on consolidation of student loans. 1st, I don’t have student loans, 2nd she is saying my name wrong or maybe it is her heavy accent (Hispanic). It is obvious she not in this country. I told her my age and the fact I don’t have studio loans. She said ‘Yes’ and continues her script. Stupid phone. Stupid telemarketer, Stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/137 "2018-02-16T15:25:57Z")
Does your phone provider allow you to block individual phone numbers? If so, block her number, sweet peace will descend upon you. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/138 "2018-02-16T15:38:51Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > How can I get a particularTelemarketer(i guess thats what they’re called) from calling me. She calls 2 times a day. It appears to be a local (as in state area code) number. So I am tricked into answering the call. She is trying to sell me on consolidation of student loans. 1st, I don’t have student loans, 2nd she is saying my name wrong or maybe it is her heavy accent (Hispanic). It is obvious she not in this country. I told her my age and the fact I don’t have studio loans. She said ‘Yes’ and continues her script. Stupid phone. Stupid telemarketer, Stupid. When you answer, that’s a win for them, because they have verified that this is a legitimate number. If you talk to them, that’s a double win. You can simply hang up as soon as you figure out who it is. IMMEDIATELY. You’ve already learned that talking to the person is futile. They probably do not have any say over what numbers they call. Telemarketing is a thankless job–I always feel like anyone who does it must be desperate. Better: screen all calls from unfamiliar numbers until this stops. Would that be so impossible? Do you often get legitimate calls from unfamiliar numbers? In my answer message, I say, “If this is a business call and I don’t know you, please tell me why you are calling.” A real caller-- even an unfamiliar one-- will leave a voicemail. A telemarketer never will. Then, of course, you have to listen to the voicemail, which inexplicably, some on this board never 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:** [February 16, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/139 "2018-02-16T16:19:57Z")
Gah, job hunting is, like, all the worst aspects of dating X 1,000 and I already HATE dating! I got stood up _twice_ for a phone interview yesterday: sitting around waiting for the phone to ring - which for me means I can’t do anything else, literally nothing not even go pee, because whatifthephoneringsrightthen - and rearranging my morning, and again my afternoon, and then the whole “How long should I keep waiting? Do they hate me? Why won’t they pick up, either? Should I leave a voicemail?” anxiety routine. We’re shooting for attempt # 3 today, in about 15 minutes. I’m not cluelessly chasing something out of my league, either - this is a recruiter for a staffing agency, who initially reached out to me first. I’m not trying to be Elon Musk’s executive assistant or something. (I dunno. What’s a “shoot for the moon” job to kids these days?) Somebody just fucking hire me already, I swear I’m capable of stringing two sentences together and can tell my ass from a hole in the ground, so I gotta be qualified for something, right? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992/140 "2018-02-16T16:48:26Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Gah, job hunting is, like, all the worst aspects of dating X 1,000 and I already HATE dating! I got stood up _twice_ for a phone interview yesterday: sitting around waiting for the phone to ring - which for me means I can’t do anything else, literally nothing not even go pee, because whatifthephoneringsrightthen - and rearranging my morning, and again my afternoon, and then the whole “How long should I keep waiting? Do they hate me? Why won’t they pick up, either? Should I leave a voicemail?” anxiety routine. > > We’re shooting for attempt # 3 today, in about 15 minutes. I’m not cluelessly chasing something out of my league, either - this is a recruiter for a staffing agency, who initially reached out to me first. I’m not trying to be Elon Musk’s executive assistant or something. (I dunno. What’s a “shoot for the moon” job to kids these days?) > > Somebody just fucking hire me already, I swear I’m capable of stringing two sentences together and can tell my ass from a hole in the ground, so I gotta be qualified for something, right? The tendency of people in all situations to simply stand you up or not call back or just disappear is maddening these days! And so commonplace. :smack: Best of luck–keep us posted. Fingers crossed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solmonath-rants-february-mini-rants/807992.md?page=8)