# Welcome to Twenty-Twenty-Sucks (January Mini-Rants) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** monthly-mini-rant\ **Created:** [January 1, 2026, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231 "2026-01-01T07:59:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**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:** [January 12, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/141 "2026-01-12T13:49:54Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > There is elevator surfing. Don’t recommend. Are you talking about riding on top? I lived on the top floor of a 10 story dorm in college and there were some guys who used to do this regularly. In fact they’d ride up and down for hours, playing backgammon. Yep, nope. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/142 "2026-01-12T14:22:49Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > There is elevator surfing. Don’t recommend. That is something one needs to do for the elevator rescue technician course. > [@wolfpup](#): > > I’ve taken the stairs in many commercial buildings (though not condos) and the stairway doors at any floor can always be opened from outside or inside. My experience is that in office buildings they are locked; you can only get out of the stairwell with a key, either physical or a swipe card) this is for security reasons to prevent just anyone from ending up in an office w/o unescorted & permission. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/143 "2026-01-12T14:36:30Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > My experience is that in office buildings they are locked; you can only get out of the stairwell with a key, either physical or a swipe card) this is for security reasons to prevent just anyone from ending up in an office w/o unescorted & permission. Yep. Also common in “secure” residential buildings where part of the building is open to the public, but most isn’t. All the stairwells have to exit freely at the ground level and have free entrance from all floors they reach. But entering the stairwell on a public floor, then climbing up to a non-public floor and exiting into the hallways or whatever? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/144 "2026-01-12T15:14:10Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > > > There is elevator surfing. Don’t recommend. > > Are you talking about riding on top? I lived on the top floor of a 10 story dorm in college and there were some guys who used to do this regularly. In fact they’d ride up and down for hours, playing backgammon. Yep, nope. On _top_ of the elevator? Wow. We would just play spades _in_ the elevator for hours. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/145 "2026-01-12T15:58:06Z")
Fish in the work kitchen microwave isn’t as powerful an odor as bacon in the work kitchen toaster oven. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/146 "2026-01-12T16:24:42Z")
Anyone who cooks bacon at work without offering to share needs a good firing. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/147 "2026-01-12T16:25:01Z")
I don’t remember how they did it exactly (it was over 40 years ago), but it was something like this: - The elevator is on 10, while the door is held open there was a cable inside the door that someone reached in and looped the cable over or under something. - Send the elevator down to 9, have someone hold the doors open so it doesn’t go anywhere. - Whatever they did with the cable allowed them to push the doors open on 10 while the car was not there and climb in on top of the car, then undo whatever they did with the cable. - Release the doors on 9, now the elevator is free to move with a couple of guys riding on top. I don’t remember how they got out, either reverse the procedure somehow or maybe just climb down into the car from above. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/148 "2026-01-12T16:54:14Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > My experience is that in office buildings they are locked; you can only get out of the stairwell with a key, either physical or a swipe card) this is for security reasons to prevent just anyone from ending up in an office w/o unescorted & permission. That’s definitely the case for every office building I’ve worked in, including the one I work in now. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/149 "2026-01-12T20:22:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > That is something one needs to do for the elevator rescue technician course. Probably at a slower speed than those who surf. > **[Surfing Medical Madness › Dr Karl's Great Moments In Science (ABC Science)](https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2002/07/19/609279.htm?site=science%2Fgreatmomentsinscience)** ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/150 "2026-01-12T22:54:58Z")
I just spent about an hour in a manic “where the hell is this very important document” search mode. I may have mentioned that about ten years ago I applied for a formal “change of name”. I put it in quotes because it wasn’t really a change, it was a legal formalization of the name I’ve been using all my life but was spelled differently than on my birth certificate. It was never an issue until the 9/11 events when there were huge crackdowns on proof of identity. Tonight for some reason I looked for the formal name change certificate and couldn’t find it anywhere! Finally found it after a frenzy of searching, during which I reminded myself of my tendency to keep completely useless shit carefully filed, and important stuff carelessly lying about or thrown out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/151 "2026-01-12T23:02:24Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Finally found it after a frenzy of searching, during which I reminded myself of my tendency to keep completely useless shit carefully filed, and important stuff carelessly lying about or thrown out. Habits which are mere irritants in middle age can become life altering threats when one gets older and their memory & concentration begin to fade. I am taking concrete steps to de-complicate, de-clutter, and regularize filing systems that had sorta fallen into obsolescence and disrepair over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/152 "2026-01-12T23:03:12Z")
Dental stuff. An old crown has some infection under it; the infection needs to be cleared out before the install of a new crown. For a week… antibiotics and no tooth there… which sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/153 "2026-01-13T00:06:37Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > For a week… antibiotics and no tooth there… which sucks. I’m sorry. That sounds awful. Eating will probably be horrible. Dental pain is no fun. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/154 "2026-01-13T00:50:16Z")
It’s funny. I was expecting you to ask, “Is it Safe…?” So many people interact… and inter connect… like very thick sailing ship rope. Who is good? Who is bad? Who is some sneaky sh-t trying to steal from me because of some ignorant dead religion that I don’t believe in? Pain killers are funny… until they’re not. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/155 "2026-01-13T01:39:24Z")
From the tone of this post you’ve either gotten the Good Stuff or are in desperate need of the Good Stuff. Which is it? 🤪 Seriously, I hope you are no longer suffering. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/156 "2026-01-13T02:36:48Z")
Lotta pain. Keeping it clean means dealing with an exposed nerve. Whatever. Pain sucks… but a dead nerve is worse. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/157 "2026-01-13T04:55:58Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Lotta pain. Keeping it clean means dealing with an exposed nerve. Whatever. > > Pain sucks… but a dead nerve is worse.. Dental pain is excruciating. Hope your time goes by smoothly. I just dealt with a dead nerve under a crown. Remedied by a lovely root canal and several weeks waiting to repair the crown. Then an ulcer and now a sore spot. All in the same location. They now have medication to get rid of ulcers in a couple days. It worked surprisingly well. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/158 "2026-01-13T14:10:27Z")
My grandson and his girlfriend are going to be out of town for the next five days and I found out _this morning_ that he wants us to watch his four cats while he is away. Oh hell no. First of all, _four_ cats? Secondly, how long have you known this? (They’re flying to CA, so it’s obviously not just a last minute thing.) Asking us at the last minute (and, I assume, assuming we’ll just say yes) is bullshit. Plan ahead goddammit! (A woman I worked with years ago had a coffee mug that said “Lack of planning on your part does not make it an emergency on my part.” I need to get one of those.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/159 "2026-01-13T15:28:52Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > > [@Spiderman](#): > > > > That is something one needs to do for the elevator rescue technician course. > > Probably at a slower speed than those who surf. No, at regular speed, but unlike college kids, there are safety precautions taken; power is shut off while anyone is traversing, etc. Sitting on top of a car isn’t necessarily so dangerous it’s the getting to/from where people get hurt, sometimes fatally. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Plan ahead goddammit! Did they maybe have someone who bailed on them? ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231/160 "2026-01-13T15:55:58Z")
I just met a very pretty woman, about my age, while driving in the farmlands. She did not have a ring on, she is a farmer… I am quite awkward so I did not try to chat her up or ask her on a date. Fuck this time line. Also fuck my timitidy [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-to-twenty-twenty-sucks-january-mini-rants/1026231.md?page=9)