Minor things that bother you

[kphoger]

I just got an e-mail from one of the banks where we maintain accounts asking me to confirm my mailing address. It has a link for me to click and instructions on what to do. I'm not about to click the link. So I logged into their mobile app separately and looked for a way to accomplish the task there. I found none.

Given all the concern about phishing e-mails and the link, I find it very annoying, and very irresponsible, that the bank would send an e-mail asking you to click a link without providing some alternative way to do the same thing, either via their website or via their mobile app, without needing to click a link in an unsolicited e-mail.

On the other hand, my address as listed in the account info in the mobile app is correct, so I guess the solution is to ignore it.

If your address is correct, then they shouldn't need you to do anything at all.  But if they do really need you to confirm for whatever reason, then I'm sure they'll contact you again, at which point you should call customer service, deal with it over the phone, and then tell them about your phishing concerns.

If your address is not correct, then I'm sure a call to customer service would work just fine too.

So yes, in either case, not clicking on the link is the best path forward.

[hbelkins]

People who don't turn the "keyboard sounds" off on their phones, meaning you can hear them typing from the next room.

[formulanone]

People who don't turn the "keyboard sounds" off on their phones, meaning you can hear them typing from the next room.

For that matter, people who also have sounds for Sent messages or emails.

I guess people need audible confirmation they're starring in their own movie set in the year 1995.

[Roadgeekteen]

When I'm scrolling a forum or old reddit post and really want to see, but it's on imgur and all those links seem to be broken. Very annoying.

[hbelkins]

People who don't turn the "keyboard sounds" off on their phones, meaning you can hear them typing from the next room.

For that matter, people who also have sounds for Sent messages or emails.

I guess people need audible confirmation they're starring in their own movie set in the year 1995.

That doesn't bother me. It's usually a one-off "swoosh" noise and not the constant clack-clack-clack of a mobile keyboard.

OTOH, the clack-clack-clack of a physical keyboard doesn't bother me at all.

[freebrickproductions]

Apparently the website I help run got hit by a DDoS attack today. Fun!

[D-Dey65]

The so-called "Blizzard of '96" was during our first year of law school. Durham got walloped. What made it worse was that the county's snowplow broke down. You read that correctly: snowplow, singular.

"So-called" Blizzard of '96? That storm has been compared with 1888, 1947 and the second Blizzard of 1978. That's like saying Hurricane Kartrina was a mild rain shower. Having said that, I would think that a city like Durham would have at least a few more snowplows. It may not be New York, Boston or Chicago, but it's not exactly the Florida panhandle.

Now what am I going to do with my 4,000th post?

[1995hoo]

The so-called "Blizzard of '96" was during our first year of law school. Durham got walloped. What made it worse was that the county's snowplow broke down. You read that correctly: snowplow, singular.

"So-called" Blizzard of '96? That storm has been compared with 1888, 1947 and the second Blizzard of 1978. That's like saying Hurricane Kartrina was a mild rain shower. Having said that, I would think that a city like Durham would have at least a few more snowplows. It may not be New York, Boston or Chicago, but it's not exactly the Florida panhandle.

Now what am I going to do with my 4,000th post?

I said "so-called" because very few locations actually experienced meteorological "blizzard conditions." Durham didn't. The usage of "blizzard" to mean "big snowstorm" has become popular, but it's not strictly accurate.

[vdeane]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

[Scott5114]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Something like NyQuil which, even if it won't help with the congestion, will make you drowsy enough you fall asleep anyway, maybe?

[Max Rockatansky]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Something like NyQuil which, even if it won't help with the congestion, will make you drowsy enough you fall asleep anyway, maybe?

Or...do what it did to me the other day (see Minor things that please you thread).

[Scott5114]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Something like NyQuil which, even if it won't help with the congestion, will make you drowsy enough you fall asleep anyway, maybe?

Or...do what it did to me the other day (see Minor things that please you thread).

Yeah, everyone's reaction to that sort of thing is different. Cannabis is the same way (I got a strain that was said to help with creativity and focus, and it just made me sleepy, and I've had the reverse happen too).

[1995hoo]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

In terms of allergy medications, I have pollen allergies in the spring and I must have some sort of leaf mold allergy in the fall (much less severe than the reaction to pollen, though). I've had good results with fexofenadine, which is the generic name for the active ingredient in Allegra. I use the Wegmans store brand because it's substantially cheaper than Allegra is and seems to work just as well. Claritin didn't work for me at all.

My symptoms in the fall don't echo what you've described, though. I get a bad cough, fatigue, sometimes a headache, and sometimes a mild runny nose, but no congestion. (My wife might characterize the cough as more than "mild" because she finds it annoying. She did concede last night that I'm coughing a lot less since I started taking the allergy pills again last week.) So, as they say, your mileage may vary.

[JayhawkCO]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Neti Pot.

[vdeane]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Neti Pot.

I actually did try a nasal rinse last night.  Didn't quite work out how I hoped.  At first the water ended up flowing down my mouth instead; after some repositioning, I think I managed to keep it mostly out of my mouth, but it still didn't seem right (and by that point, I didn't have time to boil more water).  And I remained as congested as ever.  Maybe this is why they say not to use it if you're blocked.

I also tried one of those breathing strips, which I at least felt an effect with at first, before my body promptly compensated.

[hbelkins]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

Get a Vicks Inhaler. Those things are guaranteed to open your nasal passages up.

[dlsterner]

This very, very nasty stuffy nose I've had the last several days.  No idea what's caused it, but it's the worst I've ever had in my life.  During the evening and at night, I'm 100% blocked, can't breathe at all through either nostril.  The only thing that works is Afrin, which is a problem because Afrin shouldn't be used more than three days because of the risk of rebound congestion.  And breathing through my mouth requires me to consciously think about it, so I can't sleep that way.

I've tried literally everything to find a way to control it other than Afrin (since I've passed the three day mark and it's showing no sign of ending).  I've tried Ibuprofin.  I've tried Sudafed PM.  I've done consultations at CVS twice to try to find something.  I've tried Claritin.  Just now I've taken the CVS version of Flonaise.  Nothing works in the slightest.  What can I do?  I don't think I'm going to get a single minute of sleep tonight - not unless I use the Afrin again and risk rebound congestion.

We're all different, but sometimes sleeping in a recliner helps for me, as it raises my head higher than the rest of my body.  Then again, I tend to be a mouth breather when I sleep.