Minor things that bother you

[mgk920]

How did we survive before air conditioning?  For example, Congress just took summers off due to the normal gooey weather in the DC area.

Mike

[kphoger]

How did we survive before air conditioning?

I'm not old enough to remember, but from what I gather...

Front porches with overhangs.  Windows with awnings.  Time spent in basements.

[1995hoo]

How did we survive before air conditioning?  For example, Congress just took summers off due to the normal gooey weather in the DC area.

Mike

At my grandparents' house in Brooklyn, the windows would be open, they had very thin curtains to allow for air circulation, and they had these big metal fans that went into the windows that, as a kid, scared the crap out of me because they looked like they'd cut your fingers off (it was easily possible to insert your fingers where they should not have been).

Other than when our AC died last month, the worst place I remember was my third-grade classroom during September and May of the school year. It was on the upper floor on the south side of the building, meaning it got the afternoon sun. And my mother was the type of person who would make us dress for school based on the weather in the morning when we were leaving for the bus stop. So if Mom felt it was cold enough for jeans, we were to wear jeans, regardless of how miserably hot that made it in the afternoon (especially on days when we had to attend phys ed).

[kphoger]

Other than when our AC died last month, the worst place I remember was my third-grade classroom during September and May of the school year. It was on the upper floor on the south side of the building, meaning it got the afternoon sun. And my mother was the type of person who would make us dress for school based on the weather in the morning when we were leaving for the bus stop. So if Mom felt it was cold enough for jeans, we were to wear jeans, regardless of how miserably hot that made it in the afternoon (especially on days when we had to attend phys ed).

When I was in school, they'd let out halfway through the day if temps were getting especially hot.  They'd also hand out still-half-frozen cartons of OJ or milk partway through the morning.

[1995hoo]

Other than when our AC died last month, the worst place I remember was my third-grade classroom during September and May of the school year. It was on the upper floor on the south side of the building, meaning it got the afternoon sun. And my mother was the type of person who would make us dress for school based on the weather in the morning when we were leaving for the bus stop. So if Mom felt it was cold enough for jeans, we were to wear jeans, regardless of how miserably hot that made it in the afternoon (especially on days when we had to attend phys ed).

When I was in school, they'd let out halfway through the day if temps were getting especially hot.  They'd also hand out still-half-frozen cartons of OJ or milk partway through the morning.

I wish they had done that when I was a kid, but they never did. Elementary school was the worst in that respect because of the way the school hours were structured. High school started at 7:30 AM (a different kind of miserable, to be sure!), but they dismissed at 1:50. Junior high started at 8:10 and dismissed at 2:35. Elementary school started at 9:10 and dismissed at 3:35, except on Mondays when they dismissed two hours early to give the teachers a planning period.

Those 3:35 dismissals in schools with no AC were no fun.

The only times I ever remember unscheduled early dismissals were when snowstorms were rolling in. Back then there were also no early dismissals the day before a holiday weekend or the like the way they apparently do now, either. And I don't remember parents taking their kids out of school to hit the road early, say for Thanksgiving.

[kphoger]

I've only stayed in one house in Mexico that had air conditioning, and that was a single night a couple of weeks ago.  Everywhere else, it's been no climate control.  When you spend all day in places that also have no a/c, it's less of a shock to go inside a house without a/c.  It can still be miserable to get to sleep, though, as temps don't often cool down till almost morning.

My good friend who now lives in the high desert of Coahuila is someone who's always warm and has a hard time getting to sleep if he hasn't cooled down.  He says his body has now acclimated to the hotter temps, so that's not much of a problem for him anymore.  Our recent time in Veracruz was different, though, because of the high humidity on top of the high temps:  he's used to hot and dry, but not hot and humid.  While we were there, we spent a lot of time mopping our brows with a rag.  That appears to be a very Mexican thing to do, as I saw plenty of locals doing the same thing.  And probably one out of every four locals I saw down there were at least half-soaked in sweat but apparently thought nothing of it.

On the other side of things, no climate control means no heat in the winter either.  The earliest in the year I've been to Mexico is March, when morning temps barely drop below 50°F in Coahuila.  That makes for chilly morning showers if the hot water is on the fritz, but quite tolerable otherwise.  But my friend says that indoor temps in their house commonly drop below 40°F in the middle of winter.  His wife, like me, gets cold easily, so she has learned to wear a LOT of layers in the winter, and they all have nice thick blankets.

[Scott5114]

Windows with awnings.

I will never understand why these stopped being a thing. If the windows at my house were shaded by awnings, it would cut down on how much heat got in the house by quite a lot.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm always comfortable in both houses down in Jalisco.  Those older adobe homes are perfectly designed to minimize the intrusion of unnecessary heat.  Even when it is in the high 90F range outside it is at least around 80F inside both houses in the middle of the day. 

[kphoger]

I'm always comfortable in both houses down in Jalisco.  Those older adobe homes are perfectly designed to minimize the intrusion of unnecessary heat.  Even when it is in the high 90F range outside it is at least around 80F inside both houses in the middle of the day. 

The catch is that, if upper 70s is still too warm for you to sleep comfortably, then they're basically an oven and only very gradually cool down.  By 4 am, it might be right where you want it.

[bugo]

They'd also hand out milk

I never understood why schools were so hell-bent on serving milk to the kids. The majority of the world's population is lactose intolerant, and it's particularly high among minority groups in the US. Racist, I tell you.

[bugo]

Flying above 6 feet. My knees are jammed up against the seat in front of me, and some douchebag or Karen always pushes their seat back, causing severe claustrophobia. I hate flying.

[Max Rockatansky]

I tend to be able to come to terms with the inconveniences of flying better once I remind myself that it is just a bus in the sky.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Apparently Apple's FaceID is linked to the system and not apps, so if you have two Face ID fails on one app, you only get one strike on another app before it locks you out of attempting to use it again on apps that limit how many unsuccessful face ID attempts you can have.

[1995hoo]

I'm tired of seemingly everywhere wanting me to fill in an online survey. I went to the dentist last Thursday for a routine cleaning and I just got a "How did we do?" e-mail with a link to a survey. I'm not going to answer the survey, of course.

[Scott5114]

I'm tired of seemingly everywhere wanting me to fill in an online survey. I went to the dentist last Thursday for a routine cleaning and I just got a "How did we do?" e-mail with a link to a survey. I'm not going to answer the survey, of course.

And then if you give a rating of anything other than five stars, they beat the employees with a shoe despite the fact that most of the time, whatever problem you had was management's fault.

[oscar]

I'm tired of seemingly everywhere wanting me to fill in an online survey. I went to the dentist last Thursday for a routine cleaning and I just got a "How did we do?" e-mail with a link to a survey. I'm not going to answer the survey, of course.

And then if you give a rating of anything other than five stars, they beat the employees with a shoe despite the fact that most of the time, whatever problem you had was management's fault.

Problem is I'm a tough grader. My default rating is four stars out of five. So I consider it a kindness not to provide any rating at all.

The exception is where I'm pressured to provide a five star rating. I'll sometimes knock off a star or two, just to object to the pressure (but will say so, so hopefully management rather than staff will get the blame).

[gonealookin]

I rarely go into Dollar Tree, but there are a few little items I buy there.  Yesterday I needed some scouring pads.

It used to be "Everything's $1".  I knew that couldn't last forever, and maybe three years ago most of their stuff went to $1.25.  On this visit, I see that many items, including my packet of scouring pads, have gone to $1.50...a 50% increase in a fairly short period of time.

The wrapper on the scouring pads says "Made in China" and I suppose tariffs are the surface reason for the latest increase, because most of the junk that store carries is probably made there.  One wonders, though, if there were a trade settlement with China reducing those tariffs, if the prices would drop back to $1.25 or if they would just be left at $1.50.

Another complaint about Dollar Tree, at least our local one, is that they stopped carrying the boxes of Jujyfruits.  When you want candy that gets stuck between your teeth for a while, nothing beats Jujyfruits.

[ZLoth]

I'm tired of seemingly everywhere wanting me to fill in an online survey. I went to the dentist last Thursday for a routine cleaning and I just got a "How did we do?" e-mail with a link to a survey. I'm not going to answer the survey, of course.

And then if you give a rating of anything other than five stars, they beat the employees with a shoe despite the fact that most of the time, whatever problem you had was management's fault.

The problem with said surveys is that it is the subjective opinion of the responder, and their opinion of "five star" service can vary. And, in some cases, the low score can be despite the best efforts of the person who is assisting them because of factors out of their control.

Meanwhile... from a friends post... you would think that with all the care and emphasis on the airlines on the boarding of a plane, they would put the same care in the deplaning order.

[TheCatalyst31]

Meanwhile... from a friends post... you would think that with all the care and emphasis on the airlines on the boarding of a plane, they would put the same care in the deplaning order.

Don't give them ideas, or they'll start selling "priority deplaning" and the process will take twice as long.

[formulanone]

Meanwhile... from a friends post... you would think that with all the care and emphasis on the airlines on the boarding of a plane, they would put the same care in the deplaning order.

Don't give them ideas, or they'll start selling "priority deplaning" and the process will take twice as long.

The priority boarding usually includes and implies priority disembarkation. The wait usually feels more agonizing than it really is (unless you really need to use the restroom). Unless it's a widebody behemoth, at worst you're waiting 10 more minutes from front to back if you're able-bodied, but perhaps longer if you're requiring wheelchair assistance.

Sometimes a delay to the hub airport means a few people might wait for others to race down the aisle if time permits, but that always depends on the length of delay. If everyone lost 90-120 minutes, few are going to wait behind.

[bugo]

Problem is I'm a tough grader. My default rating is four stars out of five. So I consider it a kindness not to provide any rating at all.

That's an assholish thing to do. They literally get in trouble if you give them less than 5 stars. As long as they don't fuck up majorly, give them 5 stars. They could lose their job over your pettiness.

[GaryV]

Problem is I'm a tough grader. My default rating is four stars out of five. So I consider it a kindness not to provide any rating at all.

That's an assholish thing to do. They literally get in trouble if you give them less than 5 stars. As long as they don't fuck up majorly, give them 5 stars. They could lose their job over your pettiness.

Then why have that many stars? Just make the rating system 1 or 0.

If they want a true review, then giving a 4 out of 5 is reasonable - "Yeah, they were pretty good, but there's still room for improvement."

I've forgone giving a review at all when I knew it would be negative (like mostly 2's). But I'm not going to lie and say everything is perfect when it's not.

[formulanone]

Problem is I'm a tough grader. My default rating is four stars out of five. So I consider it a kindness not to provide any rating at all.

That's an assholish thing to do. They literally get in trouble if you give them less than 5 stars. As long as they don't fuck up majorly, give them 5 stars. They could lose their job over your pettiness.

The system doesn't change if you don't suggest improvements. If everyone gets five stars, then management thinks everything is just fine and dandy.

Secondly, less individuals will pay attention to a one/five star review, since they either exaggerate sometimes minor concerns or gloss over actual failures (paid surveys) if they don't seem genuine.

Surveys and reviews are usually a limited diagnostic tool at best, since they cannot encompass all possible breakdowns and weak points when measured against cost-cutting of labor, reduced morale, standards reviews, or the use of inferior products.

The constant bombardment of surveys makes me not want to fill them out. I used to, knowing that a pleasant survey can buttress a grouchy customer (although it sometimes takes 5-10 nice ones to statistically eliminate one crappy one). I'll fill out a good one if an overwhelmingly great service was performed beyond the call of duty, and write out a real email to a customer specialist if they truly messed up (this way you can provide support details, photos, documentation, screenshots).

Signed,

Someone whose past career paycheck was based 35-50% on surveys, with 50-75% of the survey areas in which I had no control.

[Max Rockatansky]

I just don't do surveys at all.  They don't benefit me in the slightest, so why would I waste my time?

[Rothman]

If there aren't any improvements I can think of, I give them five stars.  I explain any deficits if I give less.

If the workplace unfairly punishes the service staff, it's their problem...and if I heard about that, I'd knock them down to one star.