# The shortest of rants for the shortest of months (mini rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146 "2021-02-03T16:47:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2021, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/81 "2021-02-15T23:38:31Z")
I am your dumb kid. Sorry. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/82 "2021-02-15T23:40:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > my brother-in-law is an Apple expert and blames me for doing something wrong any time I criticize Apple. I’m the guy above who won’t run The Latest And Greatest MacOS, and actively resents many new “features”\*. But guess what, Cat’s Bro-In-Law, I’m an Apple expert too. I’ve been teaching Mac hardware and software since '89, and that makes me MORE cynical about Apple, not less. … \*Just had an epiphany: back when I started using computers, they were _TOOLS_ to _get shit done._ NOT to entertain ourselves with. So all those new OS updates with new features that make things look cooler (like “Dark Mode” and those unicorns) leave me cold. As do many apps and games that are just fluff. Don’t want distractions, I’m busy _working_ on my Mac. And you kids, get those emojis off my lawn! ---
**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:** [February 16, 2021, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/83 "2021-02-16T01:05:10Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > My iTunes loses and re-discovers the ability for me to jump to a place in my 14,000 song list by starting to type in the song title or artist. I thought Apple had discontinued support for iTunes on Mac OS? This is why I’ve been hesitant to upgrade beyond Mojave – I really don’t want to deal with what I’m afraid the split into Music and Podcast ‘apps’ will do to my library. (Although I have to admit that I’m mostly pleased with how my new iPod touch handles it – I can sync with iTunes, and everything shows up in the appropriate place on the iPod, despite the lack of an iTunes app on the device.) > [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > The OS is Win 7 and I purchased the computer in 2013, at the time I think I had to jump through hoops to get a new computer with an older OS. My company still runs Windows 7, supposedly because there’s some computer out in shipping & receiving running some super-special software that doesn’t have Windows 10 support yet. While working from home, I discovered one ‘spare’ computer in the engineering department that appears to be running Windows 10, so maybe they’re starting to test other software now. I remember when we upgraded to Windows 7 from XP; there were training sessions (with donuts!) and lots of screaming and complaining. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/84 "2021-02-16T01:27:03Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I am your dumb kid. Sorry. Say Hello to your mother. I have fond memories of her. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/85 "2021-02-16T13:41:59Z")
After aborting work due to the storm, I took the dogs and bird home, then ran to the post office. It took me forever to figure out that they were closed for a reason other than snow. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/86 "2021-02-16T14:26:48Z")
It’s been a rough beginning of the year as far as weather and other emergencies that saw me taking too many days off. So today I was determined to get into work come hell or high water. I checked the weather and while it was shitty at the moment it was due to clear up in the later morning. I left early (5am) and slipped and slid my way to work only to find and empty parking lot. I texted my buddy (who I knew would be up regardless) and asked what was going on. Weather cancellation - didn’t I get the work-wide text? He did - he showed it to me. I sifted through my messages - like it even mattered at the point - but, nope. I got nothing. Granted I could have called the work cancellation number but is so rare that they cancel shifts due to weather I just didn’t think this would rank. So anyway, I slipped and slid my back home safely and Bobby gets another day with me. Maybe we’ll work on anther Bonehenge. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/87 "2021-02-16T14:31:41Z")
The Eiffel Boner! No, wait… 😳 ---
**Author:** ![slalexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@slalexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slalexan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/88 "2021-02-16T15:00:01Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I’m sorry. I hope you feel better soon. I hated every fucking moment of pregnancy and I’m not doing it again. Thanks for the commisseration. It’s just making me absolutely miserable. But I was able to get out yesterday and pick up acid reflux medicine (spent a fortune on it but what can you do) and start the process to at least not having acid reflux exacerbating my nausea. And my doc called in some zofran fo rme. Maybe, by the end of the week, I’ll be functional again. One can hope. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/89 "2021-02-16T15:30:07Z")
Zofran made a huge difference for me! I hope it does for you as well. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/90 "2021-02-16T18:55:58Z")
> [@CorpusNeptune](#): > > It’s always way too cold for way too long, and the summers are painfully short. There is a video game for that… [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PUOF0LMYkdk/maxresdefault.jpg "If Canadian Winter Had A Video Game") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUOF0LMYkdk) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/91 "2021-02-16T18:59:54Z")
So it’s my birthday today. A few days ago, a couple of cards and what looked like a small present arrived, so I’d saved them for today, as I’m not going to be doing anything else much special. Turns out the cards were indeed cards, with a book token and a few other bits in, but the ‘present’? That was actually a bundle of post from my old place, which my helpful neighbour had kindly forwarded on to me, all stuffed into a new envelope, containing- as well as some junk mail- a fine for accidentally driving in a bus lane while moving house and lost in my new city last month (I drove though something labelled ‘Bus gate’, a term I have never come across, but is, apparently ‘used in a leaflet available from the DVLA’ so they can fine you for not knowing what it means). This was obviously processed before my change of car/driver registration, which I did as soon as I moved, so it was sent to my old address… And is now over the deadline to get the 50% ‘prompt payment’ discount. If you’re wondering why my neighbour’s posting on my stuff, it’s just over £30 for a redirect lasting just a few months, and I’d changed basically everything bar the junk over as soon as I’d moved. The difference in fine is also £30. (Total value of book tokens and suchlike I got today? Also £30). I’m giving it a shot at appealing- maybe they’ll let me claim the discount, as it being sent to the old address may be counted as a reasonable excuse for not getting it on time, but I’m not holding my breath. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/92 "2021-02-16T19:53:03Z")
There is a wonderful, small mom and pop Mexican restaurant half an hour away from us that has patio seating. We went three weeks ago, and Mom’s phone got left. We went back the next day and recovered it. Two weeks ago, Mom’s glasses got left. Yesterday, hubs card got left. This is getting embarrassing. BTW, how much if anything do you tip the honest person who found your stuff when you go back to pick it up. We’ve been giving five and he’s always seemed happy, but if the consensus is that we are being cheap, we can up our game. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/93 "2021-02-16T22:21:10Z")
I think $5 in most places is decent. I always make a point of asking to speak to their supervisor and praise them thoroughly or do it on line if it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/94 "2021-02-16T22:47:03Z")
Thanks for the validation! Every time we go back to retrieve our forgotten property, the owner sees us and gives us what we have left without us asking. We offer him the money and he calls out the bus-person so we can give the money to the person who handed him our property. Hubs thinks we should start giving 20’s. He thinks that might hurt enough that we start paying better attention to our stuff. I hope you are staying warm. When I was a kid, I learned that I could use duct tape to attach a blanket to my headboard and make a “canopy” which stayed toasty warm and let me stay up way too late reading with a flashlight. Is something like that an option for you? ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/95 "2021-02-16T23:08:16Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Is something like that an option for you? It sure is a great idea to try! Thanks for the idea. I used to hide under to covers and read with a flashlight when I was about8~10. Would get switched for it but loved reading and would turn right around and do it again. Got some gorilla extra duty duck tape-may try that idea of yours with a blanket tonight~ We’ve been stuck in recording breaking cold for about a week. I’ve got frozen pipes and a broken furnace so depending on electric space heaters. Have a gas stove so could keep me and the cats warm in the kitchen if I needed to. Also my daughter lives only 15 minutes away and her neighborhood gets blacked out but rolling on a different schedule than mine, so I could take sanctuary there push comes to shove. She has a gas stove, plus a gas log fireplace. And my darling granddaughter who loves to snuggle. Heaven on earth. I’m in Nebraska BTW. East central middling. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/96 "2021-02-16T23:13:28Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > I used to hide under to covers and read with a flashlight when I was about8~10. Would get switched for it but loved reading and would turn right around and do it again. My folks were worse. They would take the book away and then turn it back in to the library so I couldn’t finish it without walking two miles to check it back out. Be sure and attach the blanket to the _back_ of your headboard. That way your mom won’t notice the sticky stuff! ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2021, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/97 "2021-02-16T23:17:37Z")
Thanks for that last tip! My mom used to make me go out and cut the switch but that isn’t as bad as returning the book. Reading rules! ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/98 "2021-02-17T18:56:55Z")
The only Apple product I have ever owned, and ever plan on owning, is my old iPod Nano. I have a speaker set in my office that it plugs into so I can listen to music while I work. It’s only a 4GB Nano so it doesn’t hold _a lot_ of music, and every couple of weeks I have to plug it into my computer to swap in some new music via iTunes. Apple rant #1: I have iTunes set to automatically start when I plug in the iPod. Frequently my wife does not log out of her profile on the laptop, so she is still logged in when I log in to use iTunes. I plug in my iPod, and for some reason iTunes decides to start up in my wife’s profile. Because when I don’t see iTunes start up, I try to start it manually and it tells me it’s already running. So I switch over to my wife’s profile and there is iTunes, up and running. So I have to shut it down, log her off, then start iTunes again in my profile. Why the fuck would any halfway competent software start up in an inactive user profile running in the background instead of in the currently active user profile? Apple rant #2: every time I start iTunes, it asks me if I want to download and install the latest version. I always click No because in my experience, every time they update iTunes it takes me a month to learn my way around again. Well, this morning I guess it got tired of asking me and just decided to upgrade on its own. And in the process, apparently, deleted my entire iTunes library. It kept the database, because it shows me everything that was _supposed to_ be there, but if I try moving music to the iPod it tells me it can’t find the files. So now I have to reimport my entire mp3 music library back into iTunes again. Apple rant #3: fuck Steve Jobs and his “one button does everything” design philosophy. It took me ten minutes of Googling to find out how to reboot my iPod, which I had to do because the laptop and iTunes weren’t seeing it. (Maybe related to the iTunes update, maybe not, but it’s odd that all this happened at the same time this morning.) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/99 "2021-02-17T19:06:19Z")
> [@2020 is hindsight, lets rant about 2021 (January minirants)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-is-hindsight-lets-rant-about-2021-january-minirants/929499/155): > > > [@2020 is hindsight, lets rant about 2021 (January minirants)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-is-hindsight-lets-rant-about-2021-january-minirants/929499/120): > > > > Time to tell October to go ahead with their offer of taking their remaining one off eBay and send that. > > The remaining one has been pulled from eBay and will go out next week. The seller, whom I’ve bought from before, is presumably waiting for everything to return to what passes for normal. It’s supposed to be in today’s mail but Informed Delivery shows it’s still at the post office. So I called the post office to see if I could pick it up instead and the postal worker said it’s out for delivery. I sure hope they didn’t lose it. ---
**Author:** ![SurrenderDorothy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/surrenderdorothy/32/1221_2.png) [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2021, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146/100 "2021-02-17T22:03:46Z")
I had my groceries scheduled to be delivered yesterday. It was already going to be a little tight, but I went for Tuesday because there was snow in the forecast Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. Turns out it was a lot of snow, so they canceled all pickups and deliveries for the whole week. I’ve rescheduled for next week, but… well, that means I’m very short on groceries at the moment. Including toilet paper. I’ll find a way to make do and make what I have stretch (condiment soup?), but this sucks. I hate winter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shortest-of-rants-for-the-shortest-of-months-mini-rants/932146.md?page=6)