You May Share Your Mini-Rants Here!

The BBQ Pit
361

Well, I’ve been informed I’m a bad person by someone who used to be my best friend. I wish I cared a little more.
A relative of hers is in the ICU, kidney failure. My ex best friend sent me a message asking for prayers, etc since I should know how it feels, etc.

  1. I don’t pray.
  2. Her relative has already had two kidney transplants and fucked herself over with each one. You can’t expect to keep it working if you don’t take your anti-rejection drugs, drink like a frigging fish, and do other stupid things.

I don’t care if she was young, dumb, and foolish after she received her first transplant. She continued to be young, dumb, and foolish after her second one. There is NO excuse for it.

I replied that I was sorry for her relative’s ill health, and hope she gets better. That was it. Received a venomous response in return. Now I remember why she’s an ex best friend.

And when did I become the be-all end-all knowledge base of kidney disease? I know MY kind of kidney disease. If you have diabetic related kidney issues, contact your doc, not me.

And those of you with birhdays on Monday? You were born a day too late. THE birthdate to have is the 25th. My best present? A hand painted kidney bean with a note “So far, so good” from my potential donor.

362

Power was off for about an hour yesterday. This is a fairly constant problem around here as it goes off about once a month. Asshole power company just called to tell me they are the most reliable power company in the region which is offensive and inaccurate bullshit. PSE&G’s motto ought to be: Pay Lots of Money For Unreliable Service! Because You’ve always Dreamed of a Power Company That Makes You feel You’re Like Living in North Korea Even Though You Live Twenty Miles From Midtown Manhattan!

363

Ah, it wasn’t a big deal - I video cars speeding through the school zone down the street because I’m not doing anything else while I’m walking through it, and people do tend to correct their behaviour when they notice someone noticing. I filmed one truck that was speeding (in my opinion, of course), and the truck owner stopped, got out, and accosted me. When I should have said, “No, I wasn’t filming you,” or something innocuous like that, my mouth took over and said, “I don’t know - were you speeding in the school zone?” It went downhill from there. :slight_smile:

I knew this was going to happen someday - like I said earlier, some people don’t like getting caught breaking the law, even by someone like me who has absolutely no power over doing anything about their law-breaking. I can post a video online - who cares?

That’s better than what I would have wanted to say - “I hope she doesn’t waste another kidney that someone more deserving could have gotten.” Your ex-friend is nuts.

364

Noise complaint spoilered for those who don’t like me complaining about noise - (also bad language)

Someone was using some sort of loud noisy yard tool outside. It was bad enough when one person was doing it. Now there’s two of them! :mad:
Also, the asshole idiot fuckhead douchebag really-fast driver motherfuckers who drive around the neighbourhood really fast on weekday nights were at it again last night. Maybe next time I should actually do something about it.

365

A friend of mine works / co-manages a CrossFit gym. I tease him about how the people there are so dedicated / gung-ho / obsessed about it, and he talks about how it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Today, another friend posted a link to a story critical of the program, and so, I forwarded the story on to my initial friend to rib him a bit. (We have that kind of friendship where we can tease each other)

Well, I unleashed the fires of hell. I got a very disproportionate response, with paragraphs talking about how CrossFit has changed the lives of so many people, that the author of the story I sent is a liar, and a slew of links from blogs (think Wordpress, Blogger and the sort) that “debunk” all the negative press about CrossFit and paint anyone who says otherwise as a horrible lying liar who lies. The vitriol in his email is akin to challenging the honor of his deceased mother moreso than “here’s a person who doesn’t think that CrossFit is all people are making it out to be.”

I mean, I guess I brought it on myself, in sending the link, but it wasn’t accusatory towards him. Just more of a “I saw this and thought you’d get a kick out of it” thing. The irony is, his fervent and irrationally passionate defense about CrossFit has actually added credence to my thought that some people’s devotion to the program is borderline cultish.

366

I see this as the perfect opportunity to respond “U mad bro?”

… but you probably shouldn’t do that.

367

I’m so seriously pissed off right now I can’t even be coherent. Let’s just say it has to do with the husband, a failed emissions test, and a license plate that expires on Saturday.

I really need to start drinking. ASAP.

368

Here’s another one that is about as “mini” as they come, but still irks me. Every year, some people I know throw a pool party over the Memorial Day weekend. It’s become a huge event, with sponsors, hundreds of attendees, etc. Food and drink are provided (although people are encouraged to bring their own) and it’s a big party.

Well, this year, the two hosts decide to make it a true fundraiser, requiring a $20 minimum donation at the door (in the past, it was “suggested”). The charity in question is AIDS-related - encouraging education and prevention, as well as putting resources to those with it.

The thing is, these parties have a storied, well-known history of what transpires when the sun goes down and the crowd starts to thin out - basically, a bacchanal celebration where safe sex is not commonly practiced, and the hosts are well-known to have such parties throughout the course of the year.

I made the comment that there was irony present in having bareback orgies at your AIDS fundraiser. Most people agreed with me, except for one person. His arguments ranged from “the hosts are nice guys” to “we need to support the barebacking community” to “don’t be mean and stereotype.” I was then told that “at least they are doing something to raise money” and I affirmed my position that, while that was true (and a noble effort), the nighttime activities of the fundraiser seem to act contrary to the event’s intent.

I in no way was calling the hosts or participants “mean names” (his words) or anything of the sort. I was merely pointing out that there was some hypocrisy in having (and encouraging) bareback sex at an event to raise funds for AIDS / HIV prevention. I tried everything in my power to make this person understand - asking if it makes sense for the American Lung Association to have an event at a cigar lounge, complete with complimentary Cubans at the end of the event, and others chimed in to support me, giving other arguments / defenses for my sentiment.

Finally, the other person just said he couldn’t be in a discussion where people were being “mean”, and left the exchange - essentially “taking his ball and going home.” Granted he was the one dissenter out of a dozen or so, but… his stubborn ignorance was just so frustrating. There were times where he was just so blissfully blind to the logic that it had me questioning my thinking.I just wanted to grab him by the shoulders and ask him how he doesn’t see the irony.

It’s the reason I stay out of certain topics on this board.

369

CrossFit is a cult. You have unleashed the wrath of the True Believer.

370

Hey there, Old Biddie Battleax who knocked on my door a bit ago-

It takes quite a bit to get me incensed and offended, but you managed it. And I don’t throw that O word around lightly! Do I know who’s shooting? No, I don’t, it’s over there and you can pinpoint it by sound just as well as I. I was ok with your concern over the shooting until you got all knowing and superior and starting telling me that I’d find out that this area was “not known for its intellect”. When I said I was well aware of what the community was like, and it wasn’t much different than the other places I’d lived, you got even more knowing and asked where I came from, and what brought me here. The scarcely interrupted eye roll when I told you got my blood boiling, and your intimation that “these people” were different from people anywhere else only added fuel to the fire. I don’t like guns, and I don’t own one and I think gun laws are ridiculously inadequate. But for now the law says that people can own and fire their guns and I will MMOB and hope that they have a clue and have appropriate safety measures in place.

Look, you supercilious old cow, you have NO idea of where I’ve lived or what I’ve done. You may think you are better because your husband was in the military, but anyone who says the words “those Mexicans” with a sneer on her face is not welcome on my property. I wouldn’t join your neighborhood watch if you paid me, especially after all the “idiots” comments. Yes, there are stupid people, and irresponsible people, and thieves and meth heads here. Let me clue you in, honey, they are EVERYwhere. How dare you look down your nose at me because I’m younger than you and come from the east and have only been here a year!? Rolling your eyes because my husband works at USC? Klassy. So Fuck You and your sensible little car, that you parked on my lawn AND locked even though you were about 12 steps away from it.

Don’t come back, and leave my nice Hispanic neighbors alone.

371

Another rant: Right now I cannot mow my lawn. TheKid cannot, as she’s very allergic. So, she put the call out to her friends, noting I would pay very decently. No takers. Called a half dozen ads from craigslist. No responses. Jesus, how difficult should this be? I have money, you have a mower, let’s get together.

372

Don’t know where you are, MissTake, but if you post your location maybe a Doper with a mower lives nearby.

373

I know it doesn’t work for every child (nothing does), but one of my mother’s best ideas was giving us surfaces we could decorate to our heart’s content; when it was time to prep their firstborn’s room, my brother was able to convince his wife to let him paint the lower, reachable-by-a-toddler half in what amounts to whiteboard paint (it’s not whiteboard, but it’s shiny, white and washable for most stuff); a thin wood stripe (also white) separates it from the upper, colored, dull part. This meant that, rather than “NO! You don’t paint on walls!” the kid was taught that “you paint on THIS wall”. They only had one wallpaint incident with kid number one, an one of the two wallpaint incidents with number two was “but that’s MY painting wall!” “they’re both everybody’s painting walls, you can paint in her room and she can paint in yours” “oh. ok”. It may be something to consider if you think it may work with your kids.

374

A change to legislation has prompted a slew of calls from Spanish power companies to their customers and to everybody else’s customers, either trying to get us to change the conditions in our contracts or to change providers. I’m currently renting a flat owned by my grandmother (100yo, hearing losses upwards of 80 dB).
Ring, ring…
“Hello?”
“Hi, are you the accountholder?”
“That would depend, which account?”
“Oh, sorry, the Suchcompany electrical account on Suchplace.”
“I’m the person who pays it, how may I help you?”
“Are you the accountholder’s wife?” (Yeah, I do not sound like my name is Ed. Then again, Ed’s ded, baby).
“That would be my grandma.”
“Oh, I need to speak with her about the new contract.”
“Then I’m afraid we have a problem, because I could get her on the phone for you but she wouldn’t hear you.”
“Oh. Oh… well, that would certainly be a problem. OK, I’ll make a note and let someone else decide what needs to be done. Thank you!”

The smartest one even figured out that, Grandma being Grandma, she of course refuses to actually change the accounts to my name (isn’t it amazing how standard Grandmas all over tend to be? A lot of these calls hail from Morocco or Costa Rica). Now make that rinse and repeat for, so far, 4 times. Since I’m on roaming for the next couple of weeks, any Spanish number I don’t know is not going to be picked up.

375

I can tell you that fatty acid chains don’t give a shit if you do the mambo, samba, lambada and conga at the same time; as for denaturing proteins by shaking, you’d need a centrifuge built by CERN. My guess is, they know it can change the texture (depending on how you shake, an emulsion such as milk can either homogeneize or de-homogeneize) and come up with vaguely sciency-sounding explanations.

Leaky plastic? Use glass. As for uneven heating, well, d’uh, that’s one of the reasons people who don’t know how to use a microwave give for not using one (properly). You need to stir things if liquid/move them around occasionally if solid, to heat them for a shorter time than you think you’ll need, and to let them rest for a while (to finish cooking) before eating/drinking them. The last two steps are also important for things like “avoiding fishnuking the whole building”: if you cook the fish a short time with a microwave cover, move it, cover it again, cook a short time, wait and wash the cover, the result is an amazing lack of fish smell. Then again, I’ve seen people try to place the helpfully-provided cover upside-down. Some people are smart.

Apologies for the multi-posts.

376

Are you me? I did the same thing, and it worked out just the same except that they scuffed both walls getting it into the laundry room.

When I picked the washer up, it was in a box. Hurray, a big box for the kitties. Got it home, carefully opened the front of the box with a box cutter so I could pry it out of the box and found that it wasn’t the one I had bought, it was a top loader.

I hated to do it, but I pulled out the man gun and called Bill and asked him to deal with it while I ate lunch. I don’t know what he said to them, but they called me right away and told me that they would deliver the proper one this afternoon. I left the wrong one in the driveway for them to pick up…and they took both boxes with them. :frowning:

It really, REALLY ticks me off that I needed to have a male voice call and complain to make things right. I thought that went out in the 20th century, but this is Texas and a whole different world for me.

377

Laughing with you, not at you, flatlined. Your adventures in becoming a Texan are quite nearly as entertaining as was The Continuing Saga of Shredder Guy and the Rat King. Have you ever given any thought to writing a memoir?

378

“Never mind “I fits in it,” this is my new home! I’m never coming out!” :smiley:

379

They love beer in general, and will drink so much they fall in and drown. But in my experience they prefer high-end beers to the cheap stuff. I don’t think they’ll turn up their nose entirely at any variety, though. Or whatever appendage snails turn up at things they don’t like. Tentacle? Radula?

380

Dear cat, as much as I appreciate the love, the proper place to put your entire body weight is not on my sprained ankle. And stop licking my toes. I’m going to crack a rib from laughing. Anyone want a really dumb brown-tabby-and-white Maine Coon?