Whew it's hot out here! Summer Mini-Rants

The BBQ Pit
201

Times 10. Plus, I don’t know what kind of “show” this is, but I’ve never heard of a theatre – particularly one that charges $75 a seat – that will simply allow you to change which show you’re attending at the last second. Advance tickets are just that – reservations for a specific day and time (and almost certainly a specific seat) in advance. They might sell you new tickets, if there are seats available, but they probably won’t refund your old ones just cuz they changed their mind.

And a three-day bachelorette party? Sounds like “ME ME ME” syndrome, to me. Good lord.

202

STOP FUCKING CRAMPING. UGH.

I don’t know what part of you is doing this, stupid womanly bits, but all the poking around was TWO WEEKS AGO. GET OVER IT ALREADY.

203

I want to know what the hell is taking someone at my company so long to order my goddamn chair. My entire department was supposed to get new chairs last month. When the chairs were distributed, there was not one available for me. Depending on who I talk to, one of two things happened: an individual outside of my department decided he wanted a new chair and just took one, or I was simply “overlooked”. Yeah. (I’m the only female in my department; would the company really do something that stupid?) At this point, I really don’t care what happened; I just want a new chair. The arms of my chair are held together with electrical tape; it gets sticky in this weather! I’m almost ready to just buy the chair myself and submit an expense report.

204

I think I missed that episode. But yeah, it appears permanent. It started when I was in high school, during… yes, during band camp. I break out in burning hives and feel like I’m going to throw up if I get overexposed to UVA rays. And by ‘‘overexposed,’’ I mean, ‘‘I walk out to get the mail and have to stop and tie my shoelace.’’

Here’s an article that makes fun of me.

I can usually avoid the hives if am diligent with sunscreen, but not the nausea. Some summers are worse than others. Invitations to the beach will generally receive a response of hysterical laughter (unless I’m feeling particularly stupid, in which case they will receive a response, hours later, of ‘‘Why did I do that?’’)

Grudging photograph of me in my new duds.

Actually, it was my husband who told me I looked like a beekeeper. I think it more looks like I’m about to go on safari. Today I safaried to… West Philadelphia.

I totally met a friend in the elevator and she didn’t even recognize me at first. Or at least, she was pretending not to recognize me.

I have to admit though, that hat is pretty badass. Um, I mean, functionally. What I’m trying to say is, it protects me from the sun like it’s supposed to. The difference, qualitatively, was quite astonishing.

You have such a beautiful, concise way of expressing yourself.

I apologize for my rash words. I certainly did not mean to impinge the honor of the long and treasured beekeeping tradition.

Oh, I accepted a long time ago that I am not, and never will be, ‘‘cool.’’ But is ‘‘sufficiently under the radar’’ really too much to ask for? :smiley:

205

What are groupons?

206

I think I need a hat like that - I garden and walk in the sun all the time, and I usually get a headache from it (even with my hat and sunglasses on).

207

Stupid “swfobject is not defined” error that doesn’t make any sense! Argh!

208

Allow me to link you to some recreational reading.

“Automatic updates,” I hate you!!

Specifically my Post 50 where I bemoan the lack of an STFU button.

Simply put, we feel your pain.

209

groupons are like… I think you sign up for this website and probably buy a subscription and then you get gift certificates (or maybe just very generous coupons) to local businesses. I’m not entirely sure, I just know that the one for my place came out recently and we’ve been slammed ever since.

And I’m really glad others think the whole damn thing is outrageous. And that I’m not a horrible uncaring fairweather friend for not going to the entire party. I have a hard time figuring out what’s reasonable and what’s not- that’s one thing I can always count on The Dope for. You won’t tell me I’m right just because I’m me.

Anyway, I moved my schedule around for the show. I have to go in to work before and then leave for the show and then go back when it’s over. It’s a workable solution. I do want to see this show (it’s Wicked, one of my favorites, and we have good seats), so I’m glad I’ll be able to both see the show and continue having a job.

210

Actually, the first thing that sprang to mind for some reason was italian monk. From way back when, something about the hat.

But a cute italian from centuries ago.

211

Ah, one of the White Brothers? One of my Sunday school kids had that allergy; when the Spring sprang and she mentioned it, the other kids (they were in 4th grade) asked for confirmation, obtained it, went silent, and then one of them very concisely expressed their collective feelings: “that SUCKS!”

Dorothy, I’m another one who thinks those are not friends; acquaintance, yes, friends no. And overly, I hope your sister gets better and can hug her own bundle of joy soon (well, in about a year).
Mini, right. So I’ve rented an unfurnished apartment, and as it is my custom when doing so, I’m getting minimal furniture and Not Making Holes In The Walls; that means that I’m not buying “package rooms” from stores, but one piece here and one there, as the package rooms are both overcrowded for my taste and overpriced for furniture that’s sort of throwaway. Well, I’m making holes to hang the curtains, but I fully intend to leave the rods behind (and, if they want them, the curtains too), so that’s that. I’ve specifically found rods which are the same wood pattern as the parquet. Why does everybody who comes in: the owner, coming to see what was wrong with the heater, his gf? coming with him, the guys bringing in furniture, feel the need to remark “oh, it’s so empty, are you getting the furniture slowly?” No, actually I’m waiting for the lot I purchased off when the French turned Versailles into a mall, see, I’m totally into Baroque furniture. The gf? took the cake with “Is that your computer?” Well, I don’t think it’s yours… it’s in my house, I live alone, whose computer do you think it will be? I could have hugged the maintenance guy the owner called to look at the heater, just on grounds of Not Asking Stupid Questions.

I realize it’s friendly chitchat, but for some reason it makes my brain hurt.

212

No paid subscription required – you just get an email telling you what the “daily deal” is, and if enough people opt in to the offer then you get a (usually fairly big) discount for local products and services. Like, $100 worth of spa services for $50, or $10 worth of cupcakes for $4, stuff like that. (Today’s deal in Philly is $75 worth of home-delivered organic food for $35 – different cities have different offers.) Here’s how it works, and their FAQ.

213

OH GOD I am getting into it with an anti-vaxer. I say getting into it, she’s stomped off after linking to VRAN and calling me a “fucking zombie” but still, OH GOD.

I really just want to call her a child abuser in 72pt blinking lime Comic Sans. I won’t. It’s not helpful and it’s not true and I’d only be doing it because it’s one of her buttons (she got into a huge slapfight after calling a fellow mommyblogger a child abuser for letting her kid cry, once, for fives minutes (in 1960!). She’s one of THOSE parents. I digress), but anti-vaxers make me absolutely CAPSLOCK FUCKING FURIOUS. Self-serving goddamn back-patting pox-bringers. “I’m too SPECIAL for peer reviewed science! Facts are a tool of the PATRIARCHY! Science is made from CHEMICALS! My self-righteousness is certified ORGANIC! I’m accessing the internet with CRYSTALS! MOMMY-INSTINCT! BIG PHARMA! AUTISM! AUTIIIIIIISM!”

She even made the point that children could be adequately protected with homoeopathy. I nearly exploded.

214

My mailman told me yesterday that Pelosi is going to take over all of the government employees’ 401(k)s and they won’t be able to access their money and they only get 3% of it at a time.

It’s pointless to try to tell him what the facts are. From Bloomberg:

Key words being “encourage” and “option”. There is no plan to take over your 401(k), sir.

What’s worse? Then he went on to bitch about how his retirement accounts are down $25,000 because the market is in the toilet :rolleyes:

Next time, instead of turning and intently finding something, anything, to work on on my computer (hint- shut up!) I’m just going to tell him I don’t want to talk politics and how’s your daughter? :smack:

215

Aaaaand it’s official. Instead of happily announcing her pregnancy, my sister has to take plan B over the weekend to flush her uterus of the empty gestational sac. And as a side bonus, it’s supposed to hurt. And they don’t want to visit this weekend because seeing my children, particularly my seven-month old, would be too painful for them, which I totally understand. I wish there were something I could do. I talked to her yesterday and her husband - she’s resigned, but he’s doing pretty badly. They’re planning on trying again when she’s got her cycle back. I hope to hell things work out for them. I know the odds are in their favor, but nothing for them has been easy.

216

:frowning: I’m so sorry. Thanks for being a good and supportive sis.

217

Looks like it was erythropoietic protoporphyria, so an allergy to light in general. The episode was Season 3’s Finding Judas.

Dawwwww, you actually look cute! Although granted, it might look slightly more silly all buttoned up as a full-body shot. :stuck_out_tongue:

Thank you, thank you.

IMO, this was one of the worst things in XP. Which, of course, leads us to the question: Why the hell are you using a *TEN YEAR OLD *operating system? Even in Vista, the post-update reboot nag has varying options for when to next remind you, with four hours being the max.

It’s not helpful, but it’s definitely true.

:frowning: Hope your mom gets over her shit in time to be supportive to her daughter. In the meantime… Have you considered getting someone to watch your kids so you can visit your sister? I mean, not that you should be expected to or obligated to, just that it’s an option if you want to be there to support her in person without giving her the babies-in-front-of-her-eyes stab in the gut.

218

I have considered it. My daughter still hasn’t weaned and I don’t have a large stash of breastmilk saved up (that was gone with the last growth spurt), so it’d be tough, but probably doable. Hell, if she wanted me to, I’d hook myself up to my pump like a milk cow, day and night, and visit her anyway. I offered to come, but I think she wants to get this done and have a chance to recover on her own with her husband. We do have plans for a summer vacation together in late August/early September. If she doesn’t want to see all of us together at that point, I’ll see if I can get away by myself, even for an overnight.

The one thing that she hangs onto is that she got pregnant almost immediately after they began trying. She wants to start as soon as possible once she can and she has the doctor’s ok.

219

Hey, if she thinks homeopathy will do the trick, offer to cough on her children. The resistance in your system coming out in a cough should just about equal how useful homeopathy is.

220

Or, you could invent a way to make your baby invisible! Er, and inaudible. And untouchable. But on the plus side, you could make billions off the patent when you’re done.

Understandable. And good on you for being attentive to what *she *wants and needs rather than your own desire to be there for her.

Fingers crossed, eh.