You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[Leah]

Secondly, I must ask again why why why why why is it necessary to throw Xmas in our face the MINUTE Halloween is over.  I went to several stores today to see if they had Halloween stuff on sale and it was already packed up in lieu of the Xmas bullsh*tt!!!  Every year I hate Xmas more and these stores aren't helping it.  

It's even worse down here, Christmas Decorations are up in SEPTEMBER, hell, maybe even in AUGUST!
DOESN'T Thanksgiving ever gets noticed BEFORE Christmas?

[Jim H]

how nice it would be indeed to just look at the waist size of a pair of pants and know if they fit, rather than having to find out if the manufacturer is going to punish me in some small way for having some noticeable muscle on my legs instead of the stick legs they so desire.

Well, the male system works very well for men who are of fairly average proportions.  If you're like me and have a longer torso than normal and short squaty legs, and a relatively thin waist compared to your legs, it's pretty annoying.  It basically means I have no pants that fit me completely correctly.  Oh well.  Certainly worse for women.

On another holiday note, trunk R treating and parents who go door to door with their kids trick or treating bug the hell out of me.  I remember when my parents went with me to trick 'r treat - when I was like 3 or 4 and could barely cross the street unsupervised.  They may have gone with me til I was 5.  But by the time I was 4 or 5, I had to go to the door by myself.  It would have bugged the hell out of me to have them hovering over me the whole time - that was one of the great things about it.  You get to run around in costumes getting gobs of candy unsupervised AT NIGHT.  It was awesome.  And you know what?  So many kids in large groups on a night everyone knows about = high degree of safety.  I really don't understand it.  I gather from the other posts on here - nobody else does either.   

[Jim H]

The term grok, or more specifically the way people use it.  It's a term Robert Heinlein made up, basically meaning "to internalize in such a way as to understand empathetically".  But most people online who use it, just uses it as an annoying and pretentious form of "get" or "understand".  Pointless and annoying.

[ulthar]

The term grok, or more specifically the way people use it.  It's a term Robert Heinlein made up, basically meaning "to internalize in such a way as to understand empathetically".  But most people online who use it, just uses it as an annoying and pretentious form of "get" or "understand".  Pointless and annoying.

I'd like to extend this GMG to include ANY use of an esoteric principle by those that don't really understand it, but use it because they heard/read it somewhere.  Grok is a good example, but many others exist.

On one forum I read, one lady, who really does not "grok" (sorry Jim) science at all, tends to challenge everything anybody says that she does not agree with (say, for example, on environmental issues) with a "research??, citations ???" kind of response.  She demonstrates no proficiency to actually MAKE an argument, just to challenge with responses she's read online that seem to have worked for others in the past.

Another thing she does, perhaps related, is to refer to herself as an authority.  One guy gets challenged, and she says "oh, I can attest to his ability in field x" when she has demonstrated neither proficiency in field x, nor the ability to assess ability in field x.  Yet so many on that forum seem to accept her word...

I find myself tempted to ask her, "why should I take YOUR word for the fact that Dude is good at what he does?"  She's a sweet lady...no doubt about that...so that seems to be the basis of ALL her assertions...no one will challenge her "authority" on the basis that she is a nice person.

[AndyC]

It's even worse down here, Christmas Decorations are up in SEPTEMBER, hell, maybe even in AUGUST!
DOESN'T Thanksgiving ever gets noticed BEFORE Christmas?

That's a good point. At least in Canada we get Thanksgiving before Halloween. In the states, it just seems to get caught in the pre-Christmas buildup. I like Thanksgiving. A big meal and some reflection on what you're thankful for. One of the least complicated holidays I know.

I like Christmas, but there are so many obligations and expectations, it starts to feel like work. Come to think of it, there's also a lot of actual work. And the fact that shopping malls will be a chaotic nightmare for weeks, whether you're Christmas shopping or just trying to make some routine purchases.

Incidentally, my wife went into the city to do some shopping today. She told me it was as if Halloween never happened. Not so much as a bag of marked-down candy. I find that strangely sickening.

[JaseSF]

"Christmas Decorations In November", a song on The Punters Christmas themed album "Beautiful Star" --these are the lyrics (love this short little tune)

I Hate Christmas decorations in November
And Santas that talk to you on Remembrance Day
Why can't people be more patient about Christmas
And wait to celebrate on Christmas Day?

When Autumn leaves are blowing in the breezes
And frosty nights leave mornings coloured silver grey
Already people's thoughts have turned to Christmas
Commercial minds are showing their displays

Now Halloween it seems is barely over
When decorated trees flashing lights appear
All the stores are really busy now with shoppers everywhere
Reminders of the season fill the air

I Hate Christmas decorations in November
And Santas that talk to you on Remembrance Day
Why can't people be more patient about Christmas
And wait to celebrate on Christmas Day

The children will be tired from all the waiting
Saying "Mommy can you tell  us will Santa come today?"
Maybe now's the time for telling them what Christmas is about
And why we celebrate on Christmas day

Cause Christmas is a time for love and giving
And Peace on Earth is surely what it's all about
It's so good to have your family all around you
The fuss and glitter we can do without

I Hate Christmas decorations in November
And Santas that talk to you on Remembrance Day
Why can't people be more patient about Christmas and wait to celebrate on Christmas day
Wait to celebrate on Christmas day

[Rev. Powell]

The term grok, or more specifically the way people use it.  It's a term Robert Heinlein made up, basically meaning "to internalize in such a way as to understand empathetically".  But most people online who use it, just uses it as an annoying and pretentious form of "get" or "understand".  Pointless and annoying.

I'd like to extend this GMG to include ANY use of an esoteric principle by those that don't really understand it, but use it because they heard/read it somewhere.  Grok is a good example, but many others exist.

On one forum I read, one lady, who really does not "grok" (sorry Jim) science at all, tends to challenge everything anybody says that she does not agree with (say, for example, on environmental issues) with a "research??, citations ???" kind of response.  She demonstrates no proficiency to actually MAKE an argument, just to challenge with responses she's read online that seem to have worked for others in the past.

Another thing she does, perhaps related, is to refer to herself as an authority.  One guy gets challenged, and she says "oh, I can attest to his ability in field x" when she has demonstrated neither proficiency in field x, nor the ability to assess ability in field x.  Yet so many on that forum seem to accept her word...

I find myself tempted to ask her, "why should I take YOUR word for the fact that Dude is good at what he does?"  She's a sweet lady...no doubt about that...so that seems to be the basis of ALL her assertions...no one will challenge her "authority" on the basis that she is a nice person.

The one that gets me is people's use of "meme."  The term was originally coined as a revealing metaphor: that ideas evolved in a way that was analogous to the "gene" in evolution.  Nowadays people use the word as a synonym for "catchphrase" or "fad," and I doubt they know about the original idea.

[AndyC]

"research??, citations ???"

Can't blame her for that one, since it's routinely abused on Wikipedia as an underhanded means of arguing without providing arguments. Most annoying thing about Wikipedia for me. I can tell when somebody's just stuck it there to cast doubt on something they personally don't like, but could never get away with challenging directly.

This is what passes for debate these days. I thought it was bad when people seemed to think you could win an argument by trapping your opponent in apparent condradictions (If that's true, then how come...), or arguing with their choice of words instead of what they actually mean. Now, we've gotten so lazy, we don't have to make any effort or take any responsibility, or even know a damned thing. Just ask the other guy for a bibliography. But that's what comes of seeing debate as a contest to be won, rather than a process by which people reach an understanding.

[Skull]

It's even worse down here, Christmas Decorations are up in SEPTEMBER, hell, maybe even in AUGUST!
DOESN'T Thanksgiving ever gets noticed BEFORE Christmas?

That's a good point. At least in Canada we get Thanksgiving before Halloween.

wow this explains why canadians are so angry... you got nothing to do for the next 2 months... And then looks forward for Hockey Season.. lol

[Trekkie313]

Politics have had me depressed today.

[Newt]

wow this explains why canadians are so angry... you got nothing to do for the next 2 months... And then looks forward for Hockey Season.. lol

Umm...Skull?  Hockey season started Thanksgiving weekend (October 7) this year.  It runs until June.    

[The Gravekeeper]

wow this explains why canadians are so angry... you got nothing to do for the next 2 months... And then looks forward for Hockey Season.. lol

Umm...Skull?  Hockey season started Thanksgiving weekend (October 7) this year.  It runs until June.    

And can quickly become annoying if you make plans with someone, then they blow you off with little to no warning because they find out later that there's a hockey game that night. Well, annoying if you don't really follow hockey beyond knowing a couple of player names, team names, and who's playing for the Stanley Cup that year.

[AndyC]

Not being a fan myself, I just shake my head at people who can get up from their chair out on the deck, where they were drinking a beer in shorts and a tshirt, abandoning a beautiful warm evening to go inside and watch hockey. It's just wrong. The season itself is not so bad, ending in the middle of April. It's the two months of playoffs that get excessive, and that's when people get most obsessed with hockey. When it's almost summer.

[Mr. DS]

Not being a fan myself, I just shake my head at people who can get up from their chair out on the deck, where they were drinking a beer in shorts and a tshirt, abandoning a beautiful warm evening to go inside and watch hockey. It's just wrong. The season itself is not so bad, ending in the middle of April. It's the two months of playoffs that get excessive, and that's when people get most obsessed with hockey. When it's almost summer.

I feel the same about baseball.

[The Gravekeeper]

Not being a fan myself, I just shake my head at people who can get up from their chair out on the deck, where they were drinking a beer in shorts and a tshirt, abandoning a beautiful warm evening to go inside and watch hockey. It's just wrong. The season itself is not so bad, ending in the middle of April. It's the two months of playoffs that get excessive, and that's when people get most obsessed with hockey. When it's almost summer.

That's when investing in a radio is a good idea. Sure, you can't see the action, but you can easily take it outside and enjoy both the game and the nice weather. The weather's not going to be nice for much longer, after all.