Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[turtleIScream]

Our church had a clean up day today - about 12 people were there helping pull junk out of closets, toss stuff, organize the rest, and getting the building nicer looking. One woman brought about 40 matching bins in a few sizes to help organize, and just dove right into sorting the closets. I was working with her, and asked, "how do we accumulate so much junk?" She answered that some people (big eye roll and sigh) like to bring stuff in, just in case we can use it for something, or find a great deal on something and stock up. That's kind of brain-hurty for me, because I am a big believer in buying what you need when you need it, and only rarely in stocking up for later. When I do stock up, I put like with like, and in an easily accessible place. But what really made my brain hurt was discovering that she was the one who donated most of the stuff in the first place!

[PeterM]

Her: "Change the following verbiage on the website's Pink Tulips Page from 'this' to 'that'." [And notice the lack of a 'please" in that sentence.]
Me: "I don't see the verbiage 'this'. In fact, the website does not even have a Pink Tulips  Page!"
Her: "I know. I'm writing the copy for it now."
Me: "What the what? How can I change the verbiage on a page that doesn't exist yet!"
Her: "I don't understand why you can't do this! You're so unhelpful."

"If you're writing the page, why doesn't it already say what you want it to?"

You dolt.

[Snooks]

I had a brain straining conversation today.

Have you even had one of those conversations where, for most of it, you are struggling to keep up and can't quite follow what the other person says, and you assume it's because they're smarter than you? And then they say something and you realise that it's the opposite: you were having trouble because they're not smart at all, and they're making all sorts of nonsense statements, which is why it's hard to understand--just for a different reason!

I saw a comic somewhere once that said the word for this moment should be 'dumbpifany' or something like that. I like that word.

I was in a fossil shop (ohhh how I love fossils) and went to buy a trilobite from an order I had no samples of yet; a shipment had come in recently and I was hoping they'd have a few of the type I wanted. The lady at the counter was very nice and, because it's a small shop where the staff and customers are generally very friendly with each other, we started up a bit of a conversation. I had nowhere to be urgently, after all. But quickly I realised that I could hardly keep up with what she was saying. I was reduced to "mmm" and "ah" and "oh really?" as she said all sorts of profound-sounding things which seemed just beyond me. It was getting frustrating and distressing. At one point early on she had mentioned that she was a cancarian, and I had stupidly assumed that it was like a piscarian (a person who limits their meat consumption to fish only) except she ate crustaceans ('cancer' meaning crab in Latin, just as 'piscis' means fish). After five minutes, it clicked for me: she meant that she was of the star sign cancer, and all her gibberish was cliched new age stuff mixed with misinterpreted quantum theory. My brain was hurting so badly until I realised what was going on...

I had a similar one where I went around in circles for 45 minutes with someone, all they needed to say to me was "The code requires the folder to have this name".  Now I'm not great with code but I had looked at it and followed the instructions in the comments but I guess by the time he got to this bit of code he'd got a bit bored because there were no comments at all.  The problem was he could see my screen and see what I had called the folder but he just kept saying "You need this file structure".  As far as I was concerned I had that file structure because I had two sub folders inside another folder.  The even more brain hurty part of it was that he complained it was late at night for him but he was logged onto the messenger system which as far as I'm concerned means you're at work (and also he's supposed to work a shift that matches the timezone I work in).

[Layla Miller]

A few years ago, a student in the college library where I worked was complaining because she'd e-mailed herself a paper from home, opened the file and made changes when she got to the library, and saved the paper, but when she went back into it, it had reverted to the original draft.

Concerned, I came over to her computer and watched her go through the steps to see what the problem was.  Sure enough, she opened the e-mail attachment, made the changes, saved the document to the desktop, closed it...and went back into her e-mail to re-open the document.  The original document.  The one that she'd attached to the e-mail in the first place.

I don't know how many times she went around in circles doing that.  I tried three different ways to politely explain why the e-mail attachment wasn't going to magically change just because she'd saved a new version on the computer, but to this day I'm not sure she figured it out.

[Elfmama]

From the St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri). It's an online comment from someone who is opposed to hunting:

"This is to all of the hunters who kill animals for food. Shame on you. You ought to just go to the store and buy meat that was made there where no animals were harmed."

Source

Oh for...I always heard about people like that, but I didn't actually think people were so naive that they actually believed meat appeared at the supermarket through no method of harm whatsoever. What do these people think happens? That the cow is taken up to heaven like Elijah and the meat is mystically taken from the animal and sent back down to Earth fully packaged for the supermarket?

That distant banging you hear is my head on a desk.

DH was in his 50's when he found out that meat is the muscle tissue of animals.  He said he was taught as a child that it was the "flesh", which was something different from the muscle. When asked A) where on the body this "flesh" was, and B) where the muscle went when the "flesh" became meat, he did a doubletake and made the most beautiful Cat Butt Face. 

[Kaymyth]

If you can use Windows XP, then Windows 7 will be easy (says a 55 year old grandmother of one).  I am personally not wild about Windows Vista.....being asked if I am sure that I want to do thing every single time makes me a bit crazy.

If you want a NEW computer with Windows 7, buy now.  If you don't mind a used computer with Windows 7 - there's always eBay.

I'm sitting at one of two "matching" eBay laptops, both running Windows 7 right now (two story house and a fear of not having a working computer when it comes to running my embroidery machine - which will not be getting updated to run on Windows 8, according to the manufacturer). 

I've heard from several people that Linux is easier - but my embroidery machine won't run on Mac or Linux, either. 

Once I get a newer embroidery machine (gotta talk to VorGuy, my accountant of Scotts descent about when that might happen, before or after Phoenix, Arizona and Death Valley freeze over, I hope) - I'll think about upgrading to a more current operating system.

In the meantime - Windows 7 is advanced enough......

There are ways to emulate or run virtual Windows machines on a Linux box, but they can be tetchy and don't work perfectly with every piece of software.  It's possible that you could find a configuration that would work, but you'd need someone who really knows Linux well to set it up.

[VorFemme]

If you can use Windows XP, then Windows 7 will be easy (says a 55 year old grandmother of one).  I am personally not wild about Windows Vista.....being asked if I am sure that I want to do thing every single time makes me a bit crazy.

If you want a NEW computer with Windows 7, buy now.  If you don't mind a used computer with Windows 7 - there's always eBay.

I'm sitting at one of two "matching" eBay laptops, both running Windows 7 right now (two story house and a fear of not having a working computer when it comes to running my embroidery machine - which will not be getting updated to run on Windows 8, according to the manufacturer). 

I've heard from several people that Linux is easier - but my embroidery machine won't run on Mac or Linux, either. 

Once I get a newer embroidery machine (gotta talk to VorGuy, my accountant of Scotts descent about when that might happen, before or after Phoenix, Arizona and Death Valley freeze over, I hope) - I'll think about upgrading to a more current operating system.

In the meantime - Windows 7 is advanced enough......

There are ways to emulate or run virtual Windows machines on a Linux box, but they can be tetchy and don't work perfectly with every piece of software.  It's possible that you could find a configuration that would work, but you'd need someone who really knows Linux well to set it up.

Easier to keep one old laptop around with license for XP, Vista, and Windows 7, the install disks, a spare hard drive, and a screwdriver.

I might be over-prepared - but better that than another three day delay when it comes time to start my annual project with the equipment in September. 

[MerryCat]

From the St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri). It's an online comment from someone who is opposed to hunting:

"This is to all of the hunters who kill animals for food. Shame on you. You ought to just go to the store and buy meat that was made there where no animals were harmed."

Source

Oh for...I always heard about people like that, but I didn't actually think people were so naive that they actually believed meat appeared at the supermarket through no method of harm whatsoever. What do these people think happens? That the cow is taken up to heaven like Elijah and the meat is mystically taken from the animal and sent back down to Earth fully packaged for the supermarket?

That distant banging you hear is my head on a desk.

DH was in his 50's when he found out that meat is the muscle tissue of animals.  He said he was taught as a child that it was the "flesh", which was something different from the muscle. When asked A) where on the body this "flesh" was, and B) where the muscle went when the "flesh" became meat, he did a doubletake and made the most beautiful Cat Butt Face. 

LOL... I love the phrase "cat butt face"! It's hilarious and so succinct.

[CakeEater]

From the St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri). It's an online comment from someone who is opposed to hunting:

"This is to all of the hunters who kill animals for food. Shame on you. You ought to just go to the store and buy meat that was made there where no animals were harmed."

Source

Oh for...I always heard about people like that, but I didn't actually think people were so naive that they actually believed meat appeared at the supermarket through no method of harm whatsoever. What do these people think happens? That the cow is taken up to heaven like Elijah and the meat is mystically taken from the animal and sent back down to Earth fully packaged for the supermarket?

That distant banging you hear is my head on a desk.

DH was in his 50's when he found out that meat is the muscle tissue of animals.  He said he was taught as a child that it was the "flesh", which was something different from the muscle. When asked A) where on the body this "flesh" was, and B) where the muscle went when the "flesh" became meat, he did a doubletake and made the most beautiful Cat Butt Face. 

I have to admit that I was well into my twenties before I put any thought into that topic, and worked that fact out somehow. I don't think I made a catbuttface when I was told, though.

[nutraxfornerves]

I've posted this before, several years ago:

I was told this story when I was temporarily working in a laboratory in Maryland. A new scientist was completely unfamiliar with oysters on the half shell. She went out to lunch with some coworkers, one of whom ordered oysters. He generously offered her one to try. Just as she popped it into her mouth, he grinned, looked her in the eye and said "they're alive, you know."

[Luci]

I am wondering what the people who don't know that meat involves the death of some creature think of the Thanksgiving or other roasted poultry. Perhaps they missed the chart in the meat department that shows the cuts of beef and pork, so I'll give that a pass. The seafood department has whole fish; well, gutted and ready to prepare, but still looking whole. Lobsters are in the tank at many restaurants. (That one really bothers even me.)

I guess it just never hit them on a conscious level. 1 + 1 = 2.

Our grandson figured it out before he was three. He was eating a bone-in chiken leg, his dad reminded him that it was chicken. Grandson said, "Cluck, cluck?", son nods his head, and grandson after thinking a bit shrugged his shoulders and went on eating.

[Elfmama]

I am wondering what the people who don't know that meat involves the death of some creature think of the Thanksgiving or other roasted poultry. Perhaps they missed the chart in the meat department that shows the cuts of beef and pork, so I'll give that a pass. The seafood department has whole fish; well, gutted and ready to prepare, but still looking whole. Lobsters are in the tank at many restaurants. (That one really bothers even me.)

I guess it just never hit them on a conscious level. 1 + 1 = 2.

Our grandson figured it out before he was three. He was eating a bone-in chiken leg, his dad reminded him that it was chicken. Grandson said, "Cluck, cluck?", son nods his head, and grandson after thinking a bit shrugged his shoulders and went on eating.

My grandson knew consciously that meat was dead animals from the time he was a toddler, but I think he was 10 before it really hit him.  A neighbor was processing a deer, and actually seeing a body being cut up turned him off meat for at least a week.

[ladyknight1]

From the St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri). It's an online comment from someone who is opposed to hunting:

"This is to all of the hunters who kill animals for food. Shame on you. You ought to just go to the store and buy meat that was made there where no animals were harmed."

Source

Oh for...I always heard about people like that, but I didn't actually think people were so naive that they actually believed meat appeared at the supermarket through no method of harm whatsoever. What do these people think happens? That the cow is taken up to heaven like Elijah and the meat is mystically taken from the animal and sent back down to Earth fully packaged for the supermarket?

That distant banging you hear is my head on a desk.

I work with one of those people. She has yet to tell her children where meat comes from. 

[lady_disdain]

And she thinks she is doing them a favour?

If the family is meat eating, the more naturally and matter of factly the subject is handled, the better.

[Piratelvr1121]

Here's my brain hurt.  The Notre Dame Cathedral is in France.  So why is the nickname and mascot of Notre Dame University the "Fighting Irish"?