# What, no April minirants? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186 "2011-04-04T20:24:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/241 "2011-04-19T02:54:10Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Did you hibernate through the ice storms and snow? šŸ˜• It got down to at least 10 F, maybe even 8 depending on your exact microclimate. > > Silver lining: I learned which plants are tough enough to take on the cold. Horsetail reeds, Italian dandelion, Swiss chard, and in-ground roses all say ā€œBring it, bitch!ā€ to the winter weather! > > I canā€™t belive itā€™s gonna be 100 degrees in parts of our state, but the Great Lakes area is getting snow today. Crazy! Oh, right, the ice storms. Actually, I was pretty sick during most of that shit, and I WAS sort of hibernatingā€¦I wasnā€™t able to get out of the house in any weather, so it really didnā€™t make an impact on me. I mean, I was able to get out of bed, get to the potty, and get to the computer. But I wasnā€™t what youā€™d call in my right mind. Sorry. I do remember looking out to see ice covered streets, now that you mention it. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/242 "2011-04-19T03:02:18Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > My eyelid has been twitching for over 3 weeks now and ITā€™S DRIVING ME UP THE FUCKING WALL!!! I wish that was my problem! The left side of my neck is still having spasms from the hours I spent last week reviewing a set of D-size isometric prints at an abandoned conference table (rather than at an ergonomically-correct drafting table). OW. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/243 "2011-04-19T03:38:02Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I have the miniest of mini rants. > > My eyelid has been twitching for over 3 weeks now and ITā€™S DRIVING ME UP THE FUCKING WALL!!! My right eye is my barometer of my stress - when it starts to twitch, I know itā€™s time for stress-relief. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/244 "2011-04-19T04:18:32Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > INSTALLING SPRINGā€¦ ā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–ˆā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ā–‘ 44% DONE. Install delayedā€¦please wait. Installation failed. Please try again. 404 error: Season not found. Season ā€œSpringā€ cannot be located. The season you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable in the upper Midwest. Please try again . . . > > (stolen from somebodyā€™s Facebook post) I am so re-stealing this! Our spring is always like this. (popular joke: Ottawa has four seasons - Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Road Construction.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/245 "2011-04-19T04:27:58Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > I feel like a complete jerk for feeling it would be better if sheā€™d died. Please donā€™t feel like a jerk. I just went through this with my father in law, and wanting someoneā€™s suffering to end is not jerkish. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/246 "2011-04-19T07:25:26Z")
I told him tooā€¦ Dude was just here checking out my gas heater, yearly check, legally required and covered by my gas service. At one point he started making a fuss over something which is illegal and so dangerous and blahblahā€¦ and which has been illegal for less than six months and itā€™s actually legal since I do have other stuff in place which compensates for it; that is, I simply happen to have a system which was legal when it was installed and which is actually grandfathered. Berating people for something ā€œillegalā€ and ā€œdangerousā€ which is neither isnā€™t just bad salesmanship, at least in my case: it leads to a formal complaint at the local chamber of commerce. Wankerā€¦ :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/247 "2011-04-19T10:09:19Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > My right eye is my barometer of my stress - when it starts to twitch, I know itā€™s time for stress-relief. Iā€™m about 99.99999999% positive that this is the case for me as well. Unfortunately, way things are looking, itā€™s just going to get more stressful over the next few weeks and thereā€™s nothing I can do about it. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/248 "2011-04-19T11:54:56Z")
The headline in the Money section of USA Today shouts **Could U.S. default on itā€™s debt?** The story immediately goes on to say ā€œNot likely, but Standard & Poorā€™s lowers itā€™s outlookā€ The opening salvo is not mentioned anywhere in the body. Both statements are inappropriate. The first is blatant sensationalism; the second is a misstatement of the truth, which they correctly state in the body of the story. At least a ā€œwarningā€ is close to ā€œlowers itā€™s outlook,ā€ but it isnā€™t exactly the same as lowering the rating. An important news article in its own right watered down by shoddy technique. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/249 "2011-04-19T12:20:37Z")
**Jenaroph** You are not a horrible person to want to see someoneā€™s suffering end. I have never understood this bizarre fear of dying. My last brother is currently in ICU with pneumonia. It is what kills you when you have muscular dystrophy. He probably will make it through this bout and then be shunted off to the nursing home where he resides. 51 years old. Cannot feed, clean himself, go to the bathroom without help. Sleeps 80% of the time ( wouldnā€™t you in that circumstance?). My mother thinks it is horrible that he might die. I think it is horrible that he might live. Modern medicine keeps people alive far too long for its own purpose of protecting litigation. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/250 "2011-04-19T15:53:34Z")
Yes, yes, definitely. **Jenaroph** , one more voice in the chorus assuring you that youā€™re not a bad person and that your heart is in most definitely the right place. Weā€™re currently going through something very similar with Mr. Horseshoeā€™s last remaining grandparent - one of her daughters (Shoeā€™s aunt) is just adamant about stringing the poor old woman along, long, long, _long_ past her time. Sheā€™s not _there_ anymore - itā€™s just her suffering husk, being dragged by machines. Weā€™ve sworn very seriously to each other not to allow each other to linger for so long in such a state. Itā€™s just not _right_, dammit, and despite peopleā€™s protestations to the contrary, strikes me as deeply immoral. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/251 "2011-04-19T16:10:39Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Iā€™m about 99.99999999% positive that this is the case for me as well. Unfortunately, way things are looking, itā€™s just going to get more stressful over the next few weeks and thereā€™s nothing I can do about it. Now, thatā€™s not true - there are any number of little stress-relieving things you can do while you wait for the stressful circumstances to go away (in your case Iā€™m guessing itā€™s your class load). Ten minutes of meditation a day would probably reduce your stress - can you fit ten minutes in? šŸ™‚ ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/252 "2011-04-19T16:13:25Z")
Regarding letting people die - weā€™re more humane to our pets than we are to our relatives sometimes, I think. When kitty doesnā€™t have any quality of life any longer, we do the right thing and euthanize them to end their suffering. Somehow, humans are exempt from being given end of life dignity and an end to useless prolonged suffering? ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/253 "2011-04-19T16:26:44Z")
I kind of horrified myself when my Dad was dying. He had dementia and was hospitalized because it had progressed to the point that he couldnā€™t swallow properly and was aspirating. We lived many states apart, and when I finally got there (with my sister) my 1st thought when I walked in the room is that I wanted to turn around and call the doctor to administer the Pink Juice (as my horse friends call it). I wondered then if Iā€™d had too many animals in my lifeā€¦ But truly - the poor man couldnā€™t swallow anymore, he was 89 years old, it wasnā€™t going to get any better. The best I could do was make it clear to his doctor that he was to feel NO pain, mental or physical, and that we wanted him snowed under as deeply as they could legally go. She protested, but she did it anyway šŸ˜• ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/254 "2011-04-19T16:36:27Z")
Another vote for ā€œfuck anybody who doesnā€™t understand that you want the person you love to die peacefully \*because \*you love them.ā€ > [@congodwarf](#): > > My eyelid has been twitching for over 3 weeks now and ITā€™S DRIVING ME UP THE FUCKING WALL!!! Hope it doesnā€™t go to months. Peronally, I vote for getting drunk! Thatā€™s very relaxing. > [@minor7flat5](#): > > The headline in the Money section of USA Today shouts **Could U.S. default on itā€™s debt?** > > The story immediately goes on to say ā€œNot likely, but Standard & Poorā€™s lowers itā€™s outlookā€ Wait, did they fuck the apostrophes up, or did you? > [@saje](#): > > The best I could do was make it clear to his doctor that he was to feel NO pain, mental or physical, and that we wanted him snowed under as deeply as they could legally go. She protested, but she did it anyway WTF, why would his doctor object? ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/255 "2011-04-19T16:44:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Now, thatā€™s not true - there are any number of little stress-relieving things you can do while you wait for the stressful circumstances to go away (in your case Iā€™m guessing itā€™s your class load). Ten minutes of meditation a day would probably reduce your stress - can you fit ten minutes in? šŸ™‚ Youā€™re right - it is mostly because of my class load, which is why I feel kind of like an idiot. Itā€™s mostly self inflicted. But, there is another factor at work. When I was in high school, I kept failing or barely passing most of my classes. I graduated with a 2.3 GPA and that was only because of things like ROTC, Health, Gym, and A&P. One of my teachers suggested that I might have a learning disability but I told him that I was lazy and had a procrastination problem (I had never heard of ADD at this point and it wasnā€™t until after I graduated that my mom and one sister were diagnosed with ADD). The issue was dropped on my say so. I never even mentioned it to my mother, who has always suffered from the same issues. After high school, I worked a series of shitty dead end jobs for bosses with insanely low expectations of their employees. So, my ability to function wasnā€™t much of an issue. However, I did demonstrate a remarkable inability to stay in the same job for very long, especially if it was boring. I was much more likely to stay in a job that had me doing 20 things at the same time. Even in those jobs though, I had a very hard time sticking to it for more than 2 years. Now that Iā€™m back in school, the same problems from high school are back with a vengeance. I have to face 3 possible conclusions: Either Iā€™m a lazy procrastinator (procrastinator - absolutely, lazy? I donā€™t think so), or Iā€™m so stressed that Iā€™m sabotaging my own mental function (doubtful since I was having these problems last semester, with a much lighter course load), or I really do have a learning disability. As you can probably imagine, the options arenā€™t really helping my stress level. But, I have a physical on Thursday and I will be discussing my problems with my doctor and hopefully heā€™ll have a non-medication solution to my problems. Finding time for meditation isnā€™t the problem. Shutting myself off in order to meditate is the problem. I have started playing Just Dance with my boyfriend at night though. Itā€™s fun, good exercise, and doesnā€™t require much in the way of brain power. Itā€™s not meditation but itā€™s a pretty good way to shut my brain off for a while. We keep meaning to only do 2 or 3 songs. Generally about an hour later, when I can barely bend my knees any more, we finally shut it off and I go back to my homework. I did notice yesterday that when weā€™re playing, the eye twitching stops. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/256 "2011-04-19T17:12:02Z")
Last month, my husband and I made an emergency trip to see my parents. My father had had a cardiac event, and we didnā€™t know if heā€™d make it into the hospital. Heā€™s made it out, but he and my mother have to live in a skilled nursing facility. She has Alzheimerā€™s, fairly advanced. Heā€™s had a foot and part of his leg amputated. Neither can take care of themselves, although my dad is still fairly mentally sharp. They are both unhappy with the living situation, but at least they are able to be in the same room together. When we got back, I told my husband that if/when I get Alzheimerā€™s, I was going to go hunting with him. Without any orange safety garments. Either that, or Iā€™m gonna OD on Demerol. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/257 "2011-04-19T17:32:12Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Hope it doesnā€™t go to months. Peronally, I vote for getting drunk! Thatā€™s very relaxing. Hmmā€¦ My ability to speak in Spanish tends to improve while Iā€™m asleep. Maybe getting drunk would serve the same purpose. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/258 "2011-04-19T18:30:04Z")
SLEET. FUCKING SLEET. lN FUCKING MID-APRIL. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAARGH. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/259 "2011-04-19T18:50:02Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Quote: > _Originally Posted by saje > The best I could do was make it clear to his doctor that he was to feel NO pain, mental or physical, and that we wanted him snowed under as deeply as they could legally go. She protested, but she did it anyway_ > > WTF, why would his doctor object? Because I basically said (and my sister agreed) that we wanted to snow him w/ morphine, knowing that it would hasten his death. Since physicians arenā€™t allowed to euthanize (at least not in CT) she had to say that no, she couldnā€™t do that. But in effect, she did, I think. Heā€™d been on morphine when I saw him first, but was still trying to talk and was very upset and uncomfortable. After our discussion he was pretty well comatose and he died about 24 hrs later. ---
**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:** [April 19, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186/260 "2011-04-19T19:23:31Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > \ I have started playing Just Dance with my boyfriend at night though. Itā€™s fun, good exercise, and doesnā€™t require much in the way of brain power. Itā€™s not meditation but itā€™s a pretty good way to shut my brain off for a while. We keep meaning to only do 2 or 3 songs. Generally about an hour later, when I can barely bend my knees any more, we finally shut it off and I go back to my homework. I did notice yesterday that when weā€™re playing, the eye twitching stops. There ya go! Whatever works for you. šŸ˜ƒ Sleet, eh, **Shot From Guns**? Were you out WALKING IN IT like I was last week, huh? (Yes, it IS a contest!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-no-april-minirants/577186.md?page=14)