# 'Tis the season to be ranty - December Minirants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028 "2014-12-01T14:11:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [December 2, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/41 "2014-12-02T21:13:41Z")
**MissTake** : ewwwwww. ☹ **LavenderBlue** : people DO that?!?!? :eek: **Spice Weasel** : while there’s a line past which “taking a break from life” becomes “wallowing in self-pity,” I think it’s OK for you to take some time for yourself after everything life threw your way lately. Your body’s hormones are completely out of whack, and please don’t underestimate how physically devastating that can be. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/42 "2014-12-02T21:41:08Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > \<3 > > My rant: fuck depression, or apathy, or whatever the hell is holding me back from making my life into something meaningful right now. It’s 3pm and I’m still in bed. ☹ I am so sorry, hon. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > **MissTake** : ewwwwww. ☹ > > **LavenderBlue** : people DO that?!?!? :eek: > > **Spice Weasel** : while there’s a line past which “taking a break from life” becomes “wallowing in self-pity,” I think it’s OK for you to take some time for yourself after everything life threw your way lately. Your body’s hormones are completely out of whack, and please don’t underestimate how physically devastating that can be. People are cruel. I am a strong woman and I will not be booed off the stage or out of life because of it. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Dracula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@Count\_Dracula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Dracula)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/43 "2014-12-02T21:42:31Z")
I hate people who don’t wash their necks! ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/44 "2014-12-02T23:26:29Z")
Its that time of year again. The time when all the stores have those stupid animated, singing, motion activated things by the doors. I used to shut them all off, then following advice I got here, I started reversing the batteries so the managers can’t just walk by and turn them back on. The fucking manufactors are on to me and are now making me carry a little phillips head screwdriver in my pocket so I can get to the batteries. Now they are using straight slots as well. What next? Am I going to have to start carrying a minature tool kit in my pocket? With different mini-sockets? It doesn’t matter, game on dudes. I’ll fight the good fight. I know I can’t win, but at least I can make one person’s life better for a couple of hours. Assholes, all of them. (The people who actually buy those fucking things, so they keep being made as well as management who puts them by the cash registers so the poor clerks have to listen to them all day long.) ---
**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:** [December 3, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/45 "2014-12-03T00:55:28Z")
I ordered two Barnes & Noble gift cards from their website on November 17th. One arrived very quickly; the other is a no-show. USPS: Thanks a bundle for misdelivering/losing that $50 gift card. Congrats, this is the highest valued item you’ve ever misdelivered/lost for me. 😛 Barnes & Noble: Your outsourced customer service sucks more donkey balls than Dell’s. I’m not at all convinced that your rep understood that I’ve received one gift card, and that the other never arrived. And why in the fuck would it take one or two billing cycles for a canceled gift card to be credited to my account??? ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/46 "2014-12-03T01:07:00Z")
Parenting fail … our 3rd grader has a book club for his class. They are reading “The Magician’s Nephew,” which is totally awesome! However, I thought he had until the end of December to finish the work so I hadn’t really been paying attention to how much work he was putting in to it. We didn’t really work on it over fall break OR Thanksgiving break. NOPE! It was due on Monday. Whoops. He has an extension until Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/47 "2014-12-03T02:42:20Z")
International companies whose payment systems can’t deal with international cards, international addresses or name structures from different cultures. And what kills me is, they often will claim that the reason their product has no penetration in a certain place where their competitors’ do, is “cultural differences”. Yes, in your payment methods, morons! ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/48 "2014-12-03T02:57:16Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > What next? Am I going to have to start carrying a minature tool kit in my pocket? With different mini-sockets? It doesn’t matter, game on dudes. I’ll fight the good fight. I know I can’t win, but at least I can make one person’s life better for a couple of hours. Small roll of electrical tape. Put a little square over the sensor. Prolly faster and easier than futzing with the battery compartment. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/49 "2014-12-03T03:21:08Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Dear Og, I think every dish in the house was dirty when I went to bed last night! (Only half of 'em now. I’m working on it.) > > I’m easily overwhelmed sometimes - I need to get over that, I know - but I’m just so damned tired of never having a few uninterrupted minutes to knock out one or two little jobs. If I start doing dishes, someone wants lunch, or the phone rings, or there’s a diaper to change. If I get back to the kitchen to wash up, two minutes later, here comes someone else who needs something else, or there’s someone at the door, or the dog just got into the trash can. Wash two more glasses, and here comes the next distraction. > > And I’m drowning in “stuff.” Every time I think I’m almost organized, someone brings in more stuff. I’m tired of stuff - mine, my family’s, my houseguests’, the random stuff my mom brings, the very thought of all of the stuff that lurks at my mom’s house and my in-laws’ that they expect us to treasure one day. > > Not exaggerating here: By the time I typed this and hit “preview,” I had stopped to make three sandwiches for kids’ and husband’s lunch. Then my bdad came in and wanted a bowl of leftover fruit salad that Ma sent here after yesterday’s potluck - I had to wash a spoon first, because none were clean. And then I washed the rest of the flatware and casserole dishes and put the pots and pans in the sink to soak. And moved a load of laundry to the dryer and put another in the wash. Let one dog out and another in. Put away a new pair of shoes that my mom sent for the pre-schooler. And changed a diaper, then changed the bandage on my finger because I still have dishes to wash. That’s a typical half-hour of my life right now. I have felt your pain. It is a marathon. There are no good, easy answers. I always called it “in the trenches.” Getting rid of stuff is a huge help. A bag a day. Not a room, or the basement, a bag. With Christmas, it there’s even more stuff. Bring a bag in, take a bag out. You don’t have to be a hero, you don’t have to be a martyr, you don’t have to be that super mom, you just have to survive, make sure everyone else survives. That’s it. My youngest is 11 today, my husband made a full recovery, my kids are turning out awesome.It’s much easier now yet I still do more before nine than must people do all day, But man, there were some really hard, lonely days where the kids were lucky to have a self prepared bowl of cereal for dinner. I’m rooting for you. The multitasking ADD well never go away, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/50 "2014-12-03T03:32:25Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Small roll of electrical tape. Put a little square over the sensor. Prolly faster and easier than futzing with the battery compartment. :smack::smack::smack::smack: Geeze louise!!! I really am smarter than the average rock, why didn’t I think about this??? :smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikki_Tikki_Tavi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/51 "2014-12-03T03:36:31Z")
It’s only the second day of December and already I can feel the winter blues coming on. I’m tired, sad, unmotivated, and feeling hopeless. Thought about buying a lightbox but reviews are so mixed that I can’t justify spending $100 or more on something I’m not sure will help. Ugh. I need to move out of this depressing state and somewhere warm and sunny. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2014, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/52 "2014-12-03T03:56:23Z")
Are you in the U.S.? Because if so, and you want to stay here, I can’t think of anywhere that’s lovely and warm-ish in the winter, or at least just not snot-cicle cold, that’s not also insufferable around July. I woke up with a really puffy eyelid (just the one) and aft a hot compress and ice and just being vertical all day the swelling went down but now both my eyelids have been itchy as HELL the past few hours and the skin is red from me rubbing and wiping and what the hell is going on? I look like ass. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/53 "2014-12-03T04:03:28Z")
> [@Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](#): > > It’s only the second day of December and already I can feel the winter blues coming on. I’m tired, sad, unmotivated, and feeling hopeless. Thought about buying a lightbox but reviews are so mixed that I can’t justify spending $100 or more on something I’m not sure will help. > > Ugh. I need to move out of this depressing state and somewhere warm and sunny. Lightbox made a significant difference for me, FWIW. The one I got was $50 on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/54 "2014-12-03T06:57:43Z")
In my case, just getting “daylight” bulbs helps. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/55 "2014-12-03T11:37:25Z")
My kid’s been off pre-school since last Thursday now with this cold/cough. I’ve gone from “ahh, I’m stir crazy, whats a random excuse I can use to get out this house?!” to “Mmm, it’s cold outside, I’ll just call her in sick again[1], and hibernate in this nice warm house watching crappy cartoons with her”. Given that in the past, I spent two years scared to leave the house and near-agoraphobic after the death of my son, I’m worried that this is the start of a downward spiral. It’s coming up to the anniversaries of his birth&death, I’m stressed about her upcoming birthday too [2], I’ve got other external stresses I’d rather not go into, and I’ve just cancelled what tentative plans I had to go out tonight with a girlfriend and blow off steam. It’s okay to be a hermit a bit, right? Especially with a sick kid? [1] She _is_ sick, to be fair. But I’ve probably sent her to nursery before with a worse cold 😛 [2] Why oh why did I decide to have a proper birthday party for her - I’m stressing now over “proper” levels of food/drink/party bags to provide attendees with, and about being judged by fellow mums ☹ ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/56 "2014-12-03T13:17:33Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Dear Person Who Called Me Fat and Ugly on Facebook, > > You are right. I am fat and I need to lose weight. > > But you’re wrong if you think I’m ugly. I am a beautiful, mature adult woman. My body may be overweight but it brought two lovely daughters into the world with minimal help. > > The brain that it houses co-authored a wonderful book that made hundreds of dollars – money I donated to help fund vaccines for poor children. > > My breasts may be baby chewed but they provided nourishment for two babies for over two years. > > My ass may not be small but it provides ample cushioning when I read to my daughters and teach them to love the written word. > > My arms may not be as toned as I want but they have spent hours rocking babies to sleep and comforting crying children. > > My lips may not be large but they are large enough to let out my voice in favor of a better world. > > My eyes may be small but it is the insight they provide that truly matters. > > I am a mature, intelligent, adult woman. If you do not see how beautiful I am, there’s something that needs to be lost but it isn’t on my end. > > Sincerely Yours, > > Lavender The Beautiful This is a great post. There are people out there who genuinely think the worst insult you can throw at any woman is to call her ugly - because looks are clearly the most important thing about any woman, including politicians, artists, scientists, athletes, etc etc etc; way more important than anything these women actually _do_. They make me want to throw up. > [@Cinnamon\_Imp](#): > > My kid’s been off pre-school since last Thursday now with this cold/cough. I’ve gone from “ahh, I’m stir crazy, whats a random excuse I can use to get out this house?!” to “Mmm, it’s cold outside, I’ll just call her in sick again[1], and hibernate in this nice warm house watching crappy cartoons with her”. > > Given that in the past, I spent two years scared to leave the house and near-agoraphobic after the death of my son, I’m worried that this is the start of a downward spiral. It’s coming up to the anniversaries of his birth&death, I’m stressed about her upcoming birthday too [2], I’ve got other external stresses I’d rather not go into, and I’ve just cancelled what tentative plans I had to go out tonight with a girlfriend and blow off steam. > > It’s okay to be a hermit a bit, right? Especially with a sick kid? > > [1] She _is_ sick, to be fair. But I’ve probably sent her to nursery before with a worse cold 😛 > [2] Why oh why did I decide to have a proper birthday party for her - I’m stressing now over “proper” levels of food/drink/party bags to provide attendees with, and about being judged by fellow mums ☹ Speaking as someone with kids around the same age as yours, no one’s gonna be judging you. They’ll all be too busy hoping their own kids behave themselves and remember to say thank you. And kids at birthday parties for that age don’t care much about the food/drink, as long as there’s cake. Also, going into hibernation mode with a sickish kid is a lovely thing. If you’re actually feeling agoraphobic and depressed, maybe you need to keep an eye on it - but if you just want to cuddle on the sofa and watch cartoons because it’s cold and your kid is huggable, enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/57 "2014-12-03T13:41:16Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In my case, just getting “daylight” bulbs helps. Oh, good! This reminded me to order some. 🙂 I woke up with a migraine that’s due to the weird weather we’re having. Warm then cold the next day. Rain, snow, sunshine in the same 36-hour period. Ugh. ---
**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:** [December 3, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/58 "2014-12-03T14:40:13Z")
God almighty, I’m furious. There’s a local comedian in my area. He tends to be very controversial, but I like him a lot (maybe because I usually agree with his side of things, plus I find him very funny, and by all accounts, he’s a very nice man.) This comedian recently caused some controversy around here (and I am still on his side.) Well, a cartoonist who didn’t like what the comedian has been doing lately thought it would be okay to draw a cartoon of the comedian\* beating a woman\*. I just - there are no words. That kind of thing is never funny. The guy would never hurt anyone in that way. It’s just horrifying, that cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![InsomniaMama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ad7895/32.png) [@InsomniaMama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InsomniaMama)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/59 "2014-12-03T15:39:15Z")
> [@Count\_Dracula](#): > > I hate people who don’t wash their necks! Best poster name/post content combination ever. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028/60 "2014-12-03T16:02:17Z")
> [@Count\_Dracula](#): > > I hate people who don’t wash their necks! Your little shtick is becoming tiresome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tis-the-season-to-be-ranty-december-minirants/706028.md?page=4)