# UTIs and other crap - August Minirants! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 1, 2011, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020 "2011-08-01T09:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/301 "2011-08-16T18:51:32Z")
**Cat Whisperer** , have you tried a brush with a flexible neck? That works better for me than the soft bristles. I _try_ to remember not to brush so hard, but it never works. The flexi-neck seems to keep me from scrubbing off the enamel. I use Aqua-Fresh toothbrushes because they’ve got the springiest neck I’ve found. I just have to find somewhere to buy them now, all my locals seem to have stopped carrying them. ☹ ---
**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:** [August 16, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/302 "2011-08-16T19:41:54Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > … there’s help available for being stupid and ignorant. There is? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/303 "2011-08-16T19:45:24Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > He’s lucky there’s help available for being stupid and ignorant. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > There is? 😕 Well, there may not be help available for being stupid, but you’re ON a message board devoted to fighting the other problem. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/304 "2011-08-16T21:14:07Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Stupid weak-enamelled teeth. I use the softest toothbrushes I can find, and I still keep brushing my enamel off under the gumline ISTR that you can get electric toothbrushes that include pressure sensors and will either give an alarm or turn off entirely if you brush too hard. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/305 "2011-08-16T21:14:25Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Well, there may not be help available for being stupid, but you’re ON a message board devoted to fighting the other problem. The concern is that the people who really need it seem to be immune to the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/306 "2011-08-16T22:52:03Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > Your old, worn, stained, full of wholes bra. I misread that as full of \*whores \*bra. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/307 "2011-08-16T23:48:34Z")
Yet another reason not to eat (mostly) processed food products: “easy opening, resealable package” means “You need a good pair of scissors to open this, and your own Zip-Loc bag to save the leftovers”. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/308 "2011-08-17T01:17:17Z")
> [@redtail23](#): > > **Cat Whisperer** , have you tried a brush with a flexible neck? > > That works better for me than the soft bristles. I _try_ to remember not to brush so hard, but it never works. The flexi-neck seems to keep me from scrubbing off the enamel. > > I use Aqua-Fresh toothbrushes because they’ve got the springiest neck I’ve found. I just have to find somewhere to buy them now, all my locals seem to have stopped carrying them. ☹ > [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > ISTR that you can get electric toothbrushes that include pressure sensors and will either give an alarm or turn off entirely if you brush too hard. Good thoughts, both of you. I don’t get cavities so much any more so much as lose teeth to _brushing_ - that just ain’t right. > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Yet another reason not to eat (mostly) processed food products: > > “easy opening, resealable package” means > > “You need a good pair of scissors to open this, and your own Zip-Loc bag to save the leftovers”. Those packages are kind of useless anyway - they don’t actually seal (like my rice that I still have all over my kitchen). ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/309 "2011-08-17T05:18:09Z")
I now have a German Shepherd in my guest bathroom. Sadly for me, its not one of those buff humans, its a dog. Its a very well trained dog, very nice and listens to me. I was driving to work and saw him trotting along the highway. Tongue hanging out and limping a little. I’ve learned that if I stop and chase dogs, they will run into traffic, but if I pull over and open the car door while calling out “want to go for a ride?”, dogs will react like Van Buran hookers seeing someone waving a 10 dollar bill. So, I got dog into the car, gave him some water and went to work. I’m lucky like that, I can have rescue critters at work as long as they are properly restrained. This dog was willing to walk on a leash, wanted to shake hands with everyone, would sit and stay. At lunch, I took the dog to the vet to have him scanned for a microchip. Here is my rant. Someone took the time to train this dog to be the perfect dog. When I brought the dog home, he wanted to chase my cats, I said NO SIT! and the dog sat by my leg while drooling. He’s a wonderful dog, just perfect. No collar, no tags, no chip. We will do our best to find his owner, but for goodness sake, why would someone take so much time to train a beloved pet and not spend the extra 5-10 bucks to be sure that the pet could be identified? I hates this with a burning passion. I wants to get lost pets home, but there really isn’t any way to do it without identification. So, I have a dog in my guest bathroom and the cats are not happy. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/310 "2011-08-17T05:33:49Z")
We get all of our pets chipped. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it saves on heartache. One time, a relative didn’t latch our backyard gate properly, and one of our dogs got out. We looked all over for her, but never found her. But because she’d been chipped, we got a call from the Humane Society several weeks afterwards. She’d been found some distance away from our home. She probably hitched a ride, and got losted, very very losted. She was a friendly dog, and quite a mooch, and probably was able to scavenge and beg enough food to survive. She was glad to come home, we were delighted to have her again, and she lived to a ripe old age. Chips DO work. But they have to be in the animal to work. Animals are not disposable items. They are living beings, and if humans want a pet, then they should take care of their pets. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/311 "2011-08-17T05:39:26Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > So, I have a dog in my guest bathroom and the cats are not happy. Did you roll him over and look in his ears for a tattoo? It wasn’t until relatively recently that most vets could scan chips, or that there was one scanner that could read chips from all companies, so many of us were still tattooing until recently. I still have one tattooed dog left, tho he also now has a chip as well. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/312 "2011-08-17T05:39:37Z")
Only five or ten bucks to chip your pet? Both our cats have tattooed ears, but maybe we should update that to chips. I’ll ask next time I’m at the vets’. ---
**Author:** ![orchidcolors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e8c25b/32.png) [@orchidcolors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orchidcolors)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/313 "2011-08-17T13:14:49Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > People of the Pit, I need your help. > > “They’re afraid of dying, that’s what’s wrong with people who have depression”. > > Words fail me. I was able to sputter “I don’t think it’s dying that the ones who commit suicide are afraid of, or that fear of anything got whatthefuckever to do with biochemical problems”… but Baby Jesus in a manger, I almost drove the car off the road when that gem popped out. …fear of dying is…_snicker_..what makes…_laugh_..people depressed. _loses mind laughing_ Man, I’d have had the same reaction. > [@Lilacs](#): > > I’m sick of taking meds. I’m sick of having migraines. I’ve had an MRI and there’s nothing physically wrong. > > Worse, people don’t have a lot of tolerance when you get as many as I have been. they think you’re lying, or that your exaggerating. The last thing they want to do is hear me bitch about my head. Again. > > So here is a major fuck you to: my insurance company, my family, my friends and co-workers. Yes I have another fucking headache. Do you think I want them? I have the same problem. Loads of depression-derived migraines. Loads of idiots who have decided that I’m just exaggerating/faking/whatever. Words really don’t convey my anger at people like this. > [@cwthree](#): > > He responded with some weasel words to the effect of, “yeah, OK, but someone with depression can get help, so if he’s still depressed it’s obviously because he \*won’t \*get help, therefore anyone who is depressed for more than a brief period is selfish.” I wanted to slap him. I want to slap him and I didn’t even talk to him. This..this.._human_ does not know what depression is. He thinks it’s the same thing as a couple of little tears. Either that, or he lives in a total fantasy world where everything works like you want it to. There’s no money problems that could ever keep you from the doctor, you always get the meds right on the first try, and there’s no wait time for the meds to work…or any other problem that could conceivably screw up your healing process. I’d _say_ I wanted to live in this twerp’s world, but…I really don’t want to. > [@Moonlitherial](#): > > The concern is that the people who really need it seem to be immune to the solution. They’ve made up their minds, so don’t confuse them with the facts. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/314 "2011-08-17T13:47:16Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Did you roll him over and look in his ears for a tattoo? It wasn’t until relatively recently that most vets could scan chips, or that there was one scanner that could read chips from all companies, so many of us were still tattooing until recently. I still have one tattooed dog left, tho he also now has a chip as well. Our cat has a tattoo on her spay scar. If she ever gets loose, I pity the poor vet who has to look for that. My rant: I just found out my roommate has pinkeye. I’ve had pinkeye twice and never want it again, so I have to stay far away from him until it’s under control. For extra fun, he and I and my boyfriend (his brother) are all going to visit The Parents this weekend. I hope it’s under control by then or he’s riding on the roof. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/315 "2011-08-17T14:49:14Z")
I don’t have the money, time, or physical space in the house for a dog ☹ esp. one the size of a German Shepherd, but _damn_, that sounds like the perfect dog, **flatlined**. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/316 "2011-08-17T15:44:08Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > “easy opening, resealable package” means “You need a good pair of scissors to open this, and your own Zip-Loc bag to save the leftovers”. > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Those packages are kind of useless anyway - they don’t actually seal (like my rice that I still have all over my kitchen). I don’t know how you guys have all these problems with packages like that. I don’t think I ever have. Off the top of my head, I have resealable bags of quinoa and brown sugar at home right now that worked just fine, and some cheese curds in the fridge here at work that also worked fine. > [@orchidcolors](#): > > Either that, or he lives in a total fantasy world where everything works like you want it to. That’s actually how a lot of conservatives work, IME. They want to believe that the world is fair and that you can control your life; that through effort you can achieve success and prevent bad things from happening to you. So depressed people are selfish, the poor are lazy, rape victims are sluts, etc. Admitting that there are things beyond anyone’s control means admitting that these things could happen _to them_, and it means admitting that at least some of the good things in their lives are due as much to luck as to their own hard work. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/317 "2011-08-17T15:50:24Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > That’s actually how a lot of conservatives work, IME. They want to believe that the world is fair and that you can control your life; that through effort you can achieve success and prevent bad things from happening to you. So depressed people are selfish, the poor are lazy, rape victims are sluts, etc. Admitting that there are things beyond anyone’s control means admitting that these things could happen _to them_, and it means admitting that at least some of the good things in their lives are due as much to luck as to their own hard work. I don’t even know that wishful beliefs that the world is fair is a conservative mindset. I see similar behaviors in “liberals” regarding things like “of COURSE we can get all our power from solar and wind with no issues whatsoever” and “of COURSE the government will never incorrectly disburse welfare to people who aren’t poor.” It’s not even on the same order of magnitude, but I don’t think it’s a difference in kind. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/318 "2011-08-17T15:51:56Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > I don’t know how you guys have all these problems with packages like that. I don’t think I ever have. Off the top of my head, I have resealable bags of quinoa and brown sugar at home right now that worked just fine, and some cheese curds in the fridge here at work that also worked fine. Heh. I have to admit (and this is with the caveat that I’ve done it myself here) that this place sometimes sounds like the Land of the People From Gadget Commercials, where no one can operate a colander correctly and every attempt to fry an egg ends in disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/319 "2011-08-17T15:52:34Z")
> [@SpazCat](#): > > I misread that as full of \*whores \*bra. That would have been a very big bra. 🙂 And fun times at the Bloomingdale’s bra counter! (Wholes was supposed to be holes - I proofread but almost always have something off in every post…) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020/320 "2011-08-17T15:57:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Heh. I have to admit (and this is with the caveat that I’ve done it myself here) that this place sometimes sounds like the Land of the People From Gadget Commercials, where no one can operate a colander correctly and every attempt to fry an egg ends in disaster. Some of those resealable bags are better than others. I’ve had certain varieties that work just fine. Others tear away from the bag before you can even get them open properly, and still others stubbornly refuse to reseal in one corner and let air/pests get in. I think it’s the make of the particular bag that matters, mixed with some bad luck and the chance of pure “operator error.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utis-and-other-crap-august-minirants/591020.md?page=17)