# Surrounded by fools in April? kvetch about it here. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 1, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508 "2013-04-01T05:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/261 "2013-04-15T16:39:13Z")
Back in ancient Babylon when I was learning programming on a stone and bronze IBM mainframe, if you put ‘\*’ on your paper punch card, it was ok. If you put ‘\*’, it rebooted the computer. Or maybe it was the other way around. I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/262 "2013-04-15T17:41:28Z")
Update: After 47 minutes of alternately being on hold and yelling into the phone (there was a bad telephone line), we have no resolution - my netfile tax issue is being escalated. Once again, I thank you deeply from the bottom of my heart, Federal Government, for waving your magic wand and making my life more difficult for no apparent reason. :mad: Now I have to re-consider if I even want to do temp work any longer, if it’s going to be such a pain in the ass at tax time. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/263 "2013-04-15T21:26:42Z")
And now I get to go into the dentist tonight and have my temporary crowns pulled off and another set of dental imprints taken, because the ones they took before they put the temporary crowns on were fucked up by someone. Not happy about this one bit - it hurts like hell when they mess with your raw tooth stumps like that, and I get to do it TWICE this time, instead of just once! Yay! ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/264 "2013-04-15T21:54:00Z")
Know what kinda hurts? Having needles stuck into your throat. Thyroid biopsy. Whee. That was the last bit of fun before officially being put on The List for body parts. Stress test? Passed, sort of. Ended up with an emergency angiogram, but all turned out okay. Spinal MRI done, cost more out of pocket than what the transplant will cost, go figure. The thyroid toomah was the last thing that needed to be checked out. Doc says it’s largish, but nothing about it appears to be bad. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/265 "2013-04-16T01:42:48Z")
I’m really annoyed. Just in general annoyed. The plumber is coming over tomorrow and the fucking house looks like a goddamned bomb went off in it. Yes, I know I’m not having company over, but for fuck’s sake would it be too much for the house not to look like shit? Also, I can’t get a freaking thought in edgewise. As in, every time I try to have a thought that doesn’t involve meeting someone else’s needs, someone has to fucking interrupt me to ask me something or annoy the shit out of me. I love my family - love them. But just 10 minutes ago, I was enjoying the _only_ quiet time I’ve had today since I was in the shower at 6 a.m. I was starting to drift, enjoying the storyline I was making up in my head when all of a fucking sudden my son starts blowing his nose _in my ear_. I don’t know why he’s in the bedroom or why he has chosen to blow his nose right the hell in my ear, but there it is. The universe’s determination not to let me have a fucking thought to myself. Now he’s safely ensconced in his room, honking away. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/266 "2013-04-16T03:40:17Z")
Hugs to **Cat Whisperer**. Dental problems really do bite. I hope you won’t get dinged by more co-pays when the dentist “corrects” the problem. **MissTake** for what its worth, I knew someone who’s sister gave her mother a kidney. From what she told us, the mom felt better instantly. As in as soon as she woke up, she felt better. I hope you get a donor soon. While I obligated to rant about something while I’m in this thread, my rants belong to the Workplace renting thread…so off with me. PS Lucky didn’t get locked up anywhere and Steve came down to sleep with me after my BFF left. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/267 "2013-04-16T04:57:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Anyone who doesn’t know how Helen Keller came to be the way she was deserves what’s coming to them. Their kids don’t, though … ☹ Helen Keller had scarlet fever, not measles. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/268 "2013-04-16T05:42:03Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Hugs to **Cat Whisperer**. Dental problems really do bite. I hope you won’t get dinged by more co-pays when the dentist “corrects” the problem.\ Thanks - they didn’t ask for any more money for their error, or it might have gotten shoutey in there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/269 "2013-04-16T12:57:39Z")
So freakin’ tired. 35 weeks pregnant on a lazy rainy day … all I want to do is go back to sleep. Nope … gotta work! Not a big deal really, except we’ve hired so many new people recently that we’re not really busy anymore, which means I’ll lollygag around trying to find things to do. (It’s the most ridiculous work “rant” I’ve ever heard of; I know.) Somebody call the whaaaaaaaaaaambulance. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/270 "2013-04-16T13:04:21Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Helen Keller had scarlet fever, not measles. We don’t get scarlet fever because it’s a bad case of strep. The strep gets treated before it progresses that far. One of my fucking idiot neighbors said the government exploded the bombs at the Boston marathon. I consider it a major triumph that I did not deck her. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/271 "2013-04-16T14:29:31Z")
Last night I went to a concert. It was a very good concert. But some idiot a few seats away from me was chomping gum loudly with their mouth open. Thankfully, the music was rather loud (jazz big-band music) and I couldn’t hear the gum for most of the concert. But at some points, there’d be people onstage talking about the music, and I could hear the gum then. Why do some people feel the need to chew gum at concerts anyway? Do they want to chew along to the beat of the music or something? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/272 "2013-04-16T14:48:57Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Oh god. Do I have any sane relatives? One of my cousins is arguing with me about vaccines on Facebook. > > I co-wrote a book on the subject, cousin. I sent a copy of it to you. STFU about vaccines containing carcinogens and how we mostly vaccinate because of drug company profits and how we have to keep presuming they’re linked to autism because we just don’t really know or how we just don’t even know if they’re really going cause our kids to turn into little green men with purple spots. > > Shut up. Shut up. Just shut up. > > ARGH! [Show them this graph.](http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/autism_organic_graph.png) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/273 "2013-04-16T15:50:40Z")
Bah - I tricked myself into thinking I only needed my antihistamine as a sleeping aid. I ran out, but was able to sleep anyway. Yay, right? Yeah, only until the sneezing, the itching, and the burning eyes I woke up with this morning reminded me that I’m an idiot. If anyone needs me, I’ll be at the – AH-CHOO! – pharmacy. :smack: ---
**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:** [April 16, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/274 "2013-04-16T15:57:56Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Helen Keller had scarlet fever, not measles. Aw, shit. **hangs head in shame** My bad - thanks for the correction. That’s what I get for spouting off opinions off the top of my head, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/275 "2013-04-16T16:04:37Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > [Show them this graph.](http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/autism_organic_graph.png) 😃 That’s awesome - I sent it to a handful of people I know who might enjoy it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/276 "2013-04-16T16:15:09Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > I personally like tankinis because they are much easier to pee when wearing. nmd ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/277 "2013-04-16T16:23:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > And now I get to go into the dentist tonight and have my temporary crowns pulled off and another set of dental imprints taken, because the ones they took before they put the temporary crowns on were fucked up by someone. Not happy about this one bit - it hurts like hell when they mess with your raw tooth stumps like that, and I get to do it TWICE this time, instead of just once! Yay! My total sympathies, Cat. ☹ Ever see Marathon Man? I cant get it out of my head whenever Im in the chair. My dentist isnt very adept or even couth as a matter of fact. He spits when he talks - not a good thing for a dentist who is RIGHT IN YOUR FACE. He also broke my veneer when applying it. TWICE. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/278 "2013-04-16T16:47:27Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > That’s awesome - I sent it to a handful of people I know who might enjoy it. 🙂 [Here’s another one.](http://www.mostlytruestuff.com/2012/06/jenny-mccarthy-causes-autism.html) But it won’t do any good. Cousin Idiot sent me the following email: > [@](#): > > Nothing, absolutely nothing, in this world is 100% black and white. I’m pro-vaccine (something you seemed to have conveniently overlooked) and while I may not agree with all elements of the anti-vax points of view I don’t ignore them either. > > 1. > > ``` > Drug companies have a vested interest in vaccines, all pre-vax research conducted by them has an inherent bias. To think otherwise is remarkably naïve. > > ``` > > 2. > > ``` > Scientific research ‘proves’ nothing. Research merely supports a given hypothesis. For every research study that says “A,” another will say “B” and a third will say “C.” As long as the research meets all required scientific criteria for data collection, reliability and validity, then the research is legitimate despite the different findings. > > ``` > > 3. > > ``` > I happen to understand far more than you think about science, the law and business, so please don’t insult my intelligence by suggesting otherwise simply because I have a different perspective than you. > > ``` > > 4. > > ``` > People read pro-vax information on the net and believe that is true - but you have no problem with that because it happens to be the same opinion as yours. > > ``` When I attempted to point out that pro-vaccine equals fact not opinion and that vaccines are manufactured not for drug company profits but SO THAT PEOPLE DON’T FUCKING DIE said idiot cousin wrote back, “Too foolish, immature and narrow-minded to waste my time with. You really don’t know as much as you think you do.” I am related to an anti-vaxxer. I’d rather be related to an ax murderer. Or a Limbaugh. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/279 "2013-04-16T17:26:46Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > My total sympathies, Cat. ☹ Ever see Marathon Man? I cant get it out of my head whenever Im in the chair. > > My dentist isnt very adept or even couth as a matter of fact. He spits when he talks - not a good thing for a dentist who is RIGHT IN YOUR FACE. He also broke my veneer when applying it. TWICE. I haven’t seen that movie, and I’m not sure I want to now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508/280 "2013-04-16T17:57:51Z")
> [@SerafinaPekala](#): > > My dentist isnt very adept or even couth as a matter of fact. He spits when he talks - not a good thing for a dentist who is RIGHT IN YOUR FACE. He also broke my veneer when applying it. TWICE. Time to find another Dentist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surrounded-by-fools-in-april-kvetch-about-it-here/654508.md?page=15)