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Surrender your man card here

Started by kphoger, July 21, 2021, 12:17:46 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 24, 2021, 06:37:10 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 24, 2021, 02:01:36 PM
I also have never broken a bone

Not sure what that has to do with a "man card". I haven't broken or sprained anything and I don't see how that makes me any less masculine.

There is a perception that a lacking of breaking bones is due to a lack of athleticism.  A lack of athleticism for most of my life is something a lot of people would have considered not masculine.


Ned Weasel

Gosh, where do I begin?


  • My voice.  I hate my voice.  And it's very un-masculine.  It's not that it's high-pitched per se (when I was in choir in college, I sung baritone, not tenor, but now low bass either).  It's just that my normal speaking voice is very soft and airy.  It doesn't have much of the gruff, masculine timbre that I'd like to hear.  And sometimes people can't even hear me, except when I repeat myself, and then they tell me not to shout.  :banghead:
  • I've also never changed my own oil or done any other car repairs.  I've only ever changed a flat tire twice.
  • I don't make a lot of money because I don't want to work 60-hour weeks.
  • I also left what is sometimes seen as a "manly" job as an over-the-road trucker, because I wasn't managing my mental health well at the time.  I'd go back to it these days, except for the fact that I feel like I need to be around for an elderly parent.  The other reason I'd be reluctant to go back to it is because it's really, very difficult to maintain a good muscle-building routine when you live in a truck for around 26 days a month.
  • I don't smoke.  Tobacco actually made me cough up blood the two times I tried it.  The whole thing about smoking looking manly has been on the way out for decades, though, thankfully.
  • I don't know how not to be OCD without taking meds for it.
  • In many contexts, I can't stand clutter--like a room or the interior of a car with all sorts of stuff just strewn about haphazardly.  My natural impulse is to organize that shit, or at least hide the stuff I don't care about in a drawer or a closet.
  • When I was very little, I liked to play "house" with the girls, instead of playing "boy games."  Much of that was from my aspirations to be an architect way back when.
  • I still wasn't athletic at all as a kid.  I never broke a bone, either.  That didn't change until around age 30, where I feel like I'm at a loss for finding ways to participate in organized sports, which I'd rather do than play video games these days.  I did come close to the broken bone a few years ago when I wrestled somebody who almost broke my arm, but said arm was totally fine a few weeks later.

Quote from: jakeroot on July 21, 2021, 02:15:09 PM
* I much prefer small cars and hatchbacks, and ideally ones that have not been modified. Trucks that never do truck things are toxic IMO;

I'm the same way, in terms of what I'd prefer for my personal vehicle.  Actually, when I was a kid, my dream car was a freaking boat like an 80s or 90s Lincoln Town Car or Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, but these days, I value fuel efficiency and turning radius above all else in a personal vehicle.

Quote
* I dislike body hair so I remove most of it (apart from my legs);

You are my opposite!  I still wish I had more body hair.  Actually, around the time I turned 18, I tried using topical minoxidil on my body, but it didn't work so well, because I never got much hair on my back and shoulders, much to my personal disappointment.

What do I have to do to earn enough Man Points for an upgraded Man Card?   :confused:
"I was raised by a cup of coffee." - Strong Bad imitating Homsar

Disclaimer: Views I express are my own and don't reflect any employer or associated entity.

jakeroot

#152
Quote from: stridentweasel on July 24, 2021, 07:02:11 PM
Quote from: jakeroot on July 21, 2021, 02:15:09 PM
* I dislike body hair so I remove most of it (apart from my legs);

You are my opposite!  I still wish I had more body hair.  Actually, around the time I turned 18, I tried using topical minoxidil on my body, but it didn't work so well, because I never got much hair on my back and shoulders, much to my personal disappointment.

Honestly, my body hair isn't great. Sure, I have a good head of hair, and a decent beard. But the rest of my body hair was just adequate at best. Never enough for me to be satisfied with it. The shaving started with just my gentleman's area, and then over the following years spread elsewhere. In addition to my legs, I've actually kept my chest hair, but it's mostly a strong center line and stuff between my man boobs :-D

kenarmy

so am I the only one who puts deodorant down there sometimes ..
Just a reminder that US 6, 49, 50, and 98 are superior to your fave routes :)


EXTEND 206 SO IT CAN MEET ITS PARENT.

thspfc

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 06:40:45 PM
Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 24, 2021, 06:37:10 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 24, 2021, 02:01:36 PM
I also have never broken a bone

Not sure what that has to do with a "man card". I haven't broken or sprained anything and I don't see how that makes me any less masculine.

There is a perception that a lacking of breaking bones is due to a lack of athleticism.  A lack of athleticism for most of my life is something a lot of people would have considered not masculine.
Considering that a broken leg renders a world class athlete less athletic than a couch potato for the time that the leg takes to heal, I think that perception is misguided.

There's also a difference between "athleticism" and simply "being in shape". I'd say that the physical shape you are in is more important than how athletic you are when it comes to sports, though the two are certainly intertwined (someone who is in shape is much more likely to be athletic than someone who is not).

Knock on wood, I have never broken a bone (to my knowledge, anyways - I remember sustaining a very painful finger injury several years ago but I think it would have been worse if it was broken).

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: thspfc on July 24, 2021, 09:37:57 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 06:40:45 PM
Quote from: JoePCool14 on July 24, 2021, 06:37:10 PM
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on July 24, 2021, 02:01:36 PM
I also have never broken a bone

Not sure what that has to do with a "man card". I haven't broken or sprained anything and I don't see how that makes me any less masculine.

There is a perception that a lacking of breaking bones is due to a lack of athleticism.  A lack of athleticism for most of my life is something a lot of people would have considered not masculine.
Considering that a broken leg renders a world class athlete less athletic than a couch potato for the time that the leg takes to heal, I think that perception is misguided.

There's also a difference between "athleticism" and simply "being in shape". I'd say that the physical shape you are in is more important than how athletic you are when it comes to sports, though the two are certainly intertwined (someone who is in shape is much more likely to be athletic than someone who is not).

Knock on wood, I have never broken a bone (to my knowledge, anyways - I remember sustaining a very painful finger injury several years ago but I think it would have been worse if it was broken).

Speaking for myself the way around the broken leg issue is to take up rowing as a interim replacement cardio activity (I even bought a professional rower).  I had to do that for about three months while I was recovering from a tendon injury after two back to back Half Marathons followed by a timed hike (which was running).  The one nice thing about the car driver that hit me in 2010 was that I didn't break any bones in my legs.  It hurt running with cracked ribs and a broken distal radius but I could do it. 

kkt

Even though I've seen Casablanca probably 100 times, I still tear up with they sing La Marseillaise.  And I'm not even French.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on July 25, 2021, 05:11:15 PM
Even though I've seen Casablanca probably 100 times, I still tear up with they sing La Marseillaise.  And I'm not even French.

I showed that movie to my wife, sadly she doesn't like classics.

kphoger

Quote from: stridentweasel on July 24, 2021, 07:02:11 PM
  • I don't smoke.  Tobacco actually made me cough up blood the two times I tried it.  The whole thing about smoking looking manly has been on the way out for decades, though, thankfully.

I've never smoked anything, ever.  I get the impression that, outside the conservative Christian circles I run in, that's pretty unusual.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

Scott5114

Quote from: kphoger on July 25, 2021, 06:21:11 PM
Quote from: stridentweasel on July 24, 2021, 07:02:11 PM
  • I don't smoke.  Tobacco actually made me cough up blood the two times I tried it.  The whole thing about smoking looking manly has been on the way out for decades, though, thankfully.

I've never smoked anything, ever.  I get the impression that, outside the conservative Christian circles I run in, that's pretty unusual.

Only about 14% of the US population identifies as cigarette smokers. It sure seemed like a lot more than that when I worked at the casino. I've never smoked tobacco.

388,240 Oklahomans have a marijuana patient license out of 3,963,516 residents, or about 10% of the population. There are, of course, still some people who smoke without a license (though I have no idea why, considering how trivial it is to get a license).
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

Max Rockatansky

I vaguely remember the end of smoking "being cool"  in high school.  I smoked on a rare occasion but I never really cared for the smell nor the hassle of finding cigarettes.  It seemed like my money was always better spent on something I could get some enjoyment out of like alcohol. 

J N Winkler

Regarding oil changes, I think the bottom line is that we all have to start somewhere.

I did my first oil change on a 1986 Nissan Maxima whose oil filter and drain plug could be accessed without lifting the car.  I used to drain to storage tanks until I discovered what a super hassle it is to keep them from leaking.  I never replaced the drain bolt washer, torqued the drain bolt, or wore gloves.  I didn't have to buy special equipment other than a cap-type filter wrench and an extra-long ratchet, since I already had a socket set.  I did nothing about leakage out of the oil filter stud; at the time (mid-1990's), apartment complexes generally didn't care about auto maintenance in parking lots, and I could simply move the car into the street to avoid driveway drips.  Around 2000, can-type oil filters began to be manufactured with antiskid coatings on their ends, and filter wrenches gradually fell into disuse.  Now cans are on the way out in favor of filter elements that are replaced by partially dismantling the filter assembly.

I upgraded protocols when I started doing oil changes for a 1994 Saturn SL2, a 2005 Toyota Camry, and a 2009 Honda Fit.  I bought Rhino ramps ($40), a click-type torque wrench ($30 at Harbor Freight), and supplies of drain bolt washers/gaskets and pushpin fasteners (oil changes work better on the Camry if the splash shields are removed).  I now wear nitrile gloves to keep used oil (with all its cancer-causing polyaromatic hydrocarbons) off my skin, drain to pans instead of tanks (they are easier to clean), change the washer/gasket each time, and torque the drain bolt to spec.  I use filter pliers when necessary (it isn't always) to remove the old filter, and tighten the new one by hand.  I don't think I have ever had to puncture a filter to get it off.

For me, changing the oil has never been about expressing masculinity or even saving money.  It's more about the peace of mind of knowing the job has been done right and that I don't have to clean up after mistakes made during an all-points inspection (such as misrouted vacuum hoses, air cleaner bolts not all put back in, or air being let out of a tire that already has been inflated to the correct pressure).

Except for ramps, I get nervous when lifting a car, and not just because of the possibility of death from crush injury.  It is very difficult to get clear, accurate, and reliable information on safe lifting points.  It is also possible to do considerable damage lifting at an approved point but without the correct jack adapter.  I've popped welds lifting in what I thought was a correct manner.

Some cars are richly provided with good lifting surfaces--for example, any point on the underside of the engine cradle of the Saturn is acceptable for lifting, which makes it really easy to put a jackstand right next to the lift--while others, such as the Camry, have far fewer.  I've never actually had the latter vehicle off the ground, other than on ramps, because I don't have a jack adapter for pinch welds (which the FSM designates as lifting points) or information on where to place jack stands that I trust.

Lifting cars is such a difficult problem that many shadetree mechanics build elaborate cribbing out of plywood to spread the load and minimize the chances of damage that could allow rust to get started.  I've used scrap wood, rubber sheets (the kind used to open stuck jar lids), and even old towels.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

tolbs17

I hate my own voice.

People take advantage of me.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

Roadgeekteen

God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

tolbs17


Duke87

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 25, 2021, 07:30:03 PM
388,240 Oklahomans have a marijuana patient license out of 3,963,516 residents, or about 10% of the population. There are, of course, still some people who smoke without a license (though I have no idea why, considering how trivial it is to get a license).

Some people's employers care a lot about this stuff, and if it showed up on a background check that they had such a card it might cause them problems.

Of course it'd make more problems if it shows up on a drug test, so you're playing with fire at that point...
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

kkt

Here, employers are only allowed to do drug tests if the employees are driving or operating othe heavy machinery.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on July 26, 2021, 12:01:05 AM
Here, employers are only allowed to do drug tests if the employees are driving or operating othe heavy machinery.

We don't do pre-employment screens for the bulk of our Federal employee base.  In theory the only way a regular employee would get busted for marijuana is if they flagged for a reasonable suspicion screen.  What they do in their time off and post on social media isn't grounds for reasonable suspicion. 

Roadgeekteen

God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

Scott5114

#170
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2021, 11:56:38 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on July 25, 2021, 07:30:03 PM
388,240 Oklahomans have a marijuana patient license out of 3,963,516 residents, or about 10% of the population. There are, of course, still some people who smoke without a license (though I have no idea why, considering how trivial it is to get a license).

Some people's employers care a lot about this stuff, and if it showed up on a background check that they had such a card it might cause them problems.

Of course it'd make more problems if it shows up on a drug test, so you're playing with fire at that point...

The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) is prohibited by state law from disclosing if a given person has a card or not. These records are sealed, so I believe that means that even law enforcement would have to get an order from a judge to unseal them.

A given card number can be validated through OMMA as a valid card or not (returns county of issuance and expiration date), but there's no way to look up whether a given person has a card from public records. I don't know that most dispensaries even regularly validate cards; I think they mostly just collect the card number to log it as the counterparty on the sale record.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

tolbs17


Takumi

Quote from: Scott5114 on July 25, 2021, 07:30:03 PM
Quote from: kphoger on July 25, 2021, 06:21:11 PM
Quote from: stridentweasel on July 24, 2021, 07:02:11 PM
  • I don't smoke.  Tobacco actually made me cough up blood the two times I tried it.  The whole thing about smoking looking manly has been on the way out for decades, though, thankfully.

I've never smoked anything, ever.  I get the impression that, outside the conservative Christian circles I run in, that's pretty unusual.

Only about 14% of the US population identifies as cigarette smokers. It sure seemed like a lot more than that when I worked at the casino. I've never smoked tobacco.
I think tobacco smokers tend to under-report, since there's been such a massive stigma against them for decades, and there are still social smokers that mostly don't identify as smokers. Vaping and marijuana have also supplanted a lot of what would have been cigarette smokers in the younger generation, though not entirely.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

Roadgeekteen

God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5




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