# Things you recently found out the hard way. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852 "2003-09-25T22:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/1 "2003-09-25T22:16:51Z")
Dr Pepper has caffeine. Oops. _twitch_ ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/2 "2003-09-25T22:47:24Z")
It’s a really really good idea to ring and check the blood test results and not rely on the doctor to call you if there’s something wrong. Asking about them 3 months later means you can get a nasty shock. Ooops. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/3 "2003-09-25T23:05:27Z")
Save all your divorce paperwork and know where the original copies are. At least where I live, turns out FOC doesn’t set the support amounts, but the judge who grants the divorce does, hence one needs to go back to that original judge to update the original support amounts. Ooops. ---
**Author:** ![MarkD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@MarkD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkD)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/4 "2003-09-26T00:44:30Z")
no good deed goes unpunished ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/5 "2003-09-26T00:59:53Z")
Don’t take the locker that no one else wanted–there’s probably something wrong with it, like, oh, I don’t know, maybe that it won’t open. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/6 "2003-09-26T01:39:25Z")
If you buy a new, expensive car that’s a little wider than the old, cheap one that you’re used to; and if you have a narrow, curvy driveway that runs right up against your sturdy brick house: Don’t assume you can back out of the garage without looking or thinking. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/7 "2003-09-26T01:42:43Z")
Sometimes your first true love never stops. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/8 "2003-09-26T02:32:32Z")
What **hopefool** said. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/9 "2003-09-26T04:19:01Z")
If you’re doctor says things like “that’s strange” and “that’s the (biggest, smallest, reddest, whataverest) one of those I’ve ever seen”, but then finishes with “it’s nothing to worry about, you look fine”, **get a second opinion!** cite: [I have](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131199) a [Baker’s Cyst](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=165960) [No, wait! I’ve actually got cancer!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187989) ---
**Author:** ![otherwiseknownas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/59ef9b/32.png) [@otherwiseknownas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otherwiseknownas)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/10 "2003-09-26T04:38:32Z")
If you have safety pins holding together a tear in the seat of your pants, dont go throwing yourself onto the lounge. It hurts. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/11 "2003-09-26T04:43:04Z")
If it’s important to look good, always look at yourself in a full length mirror with good lighting before going out. And, apparently, there are different shades of black–they don’t all match. ---
**Author:** ![LeeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@LeeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeJam)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/12 "2003-09-26T04:47:26Z")
Head with short hair and nails in the side of my house don’t mix. Owch! ---
**Author:** ![Serendipity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Serendipity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serendipity)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/13 "2003-09-26T04:51:54Z")
Even smart people do stupid things. Following your heart doesn’t always work out for the best. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/14 "2003-09-26T04:53:29Z")
Transmissions need to be tended to, otherwise they get angry. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/15 "2003-09-26T05:08:39Z")
It turns out that particular model of dishwasher dries the dishes within it by means of a heating element down at the bottom of it. A good way to find out just how hot it still is right after the cycle ends is to blithely reach down into the bottom of the machine in order to retrieve a stray fork and brush your knuckle across the scorching metal of it. (This is also a good way to reacquaint yourself with just how quickly the nervous system has the “jerk away from the pain” reflex wired in at the pre-conscious level.) ---
**Author:** ![sKipping\_girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@sKipping\_girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sKipping_girl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/16 "2003-09-26T13:27:09Z")
hmm… I’ve learnt that if it itches, I probably shouldn’t scratch it ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/17 "2003-09-26T13:30:26Z")
I can’t rely on my favorite concert-going shorts to hold up forever and look good. They’re missing a button, one of the cargo pockets is reamed open, and there’s a big hole in the crotch that I recently aggravated by getting it caught on the side of a chair. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/18 "2003-09-26T13:30:45Z")
When you’re working in close quarters with people you’re supervising, better do a booger check. Even if you’ve got complete backups of your hard drives, it’s a good idea to have a bootable hard drive to actually **run** the restore software. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/19 "2003-09-26T13:35:03Z")
Every family is dysfuntional. People who think their family is perfect are the most FU’d. ---
**Author:** ![EVO95](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@EVO95](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EVO95)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852/20 "2003-09-26T13:38:21Z")
Never use Dawn in the dishwasher when you run out of the regular stuff. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-recently-found-out-the-hard-way/203852.md?page=2)