T.I.L.T. Things I've Learned Thursday X

Things I've Learned Thursday has made it into the month of August! Let's see how much I know about nothing:

* If you come home to find your thermostat buzzing, disassembling a portion of it with your trusty screwdriver might help you isolate the sound to some wires running to the clock portion of it, but chances are this information will prove absolutely useless. Hopefully the thing is just overheated or something and doesn't catch fire before my parents have a chance to have someone look at it. Sometimes, finding out you know nothing about a subject is a learning experience in itself.

* Colleen Haskell might be ridiculously cute, but she doesn't appear to have a great acting range. I always thought The Animal killed her career before it could begin until I finally saw it the other day. Now I'm trying to figure out how Rob Schneider's career continued after that mess of a film.

* You know what Tom Cruise movie is a good one? He was good in that movie where he was kind of a ladies man, but really arrogant, and ultimately acts like a jerk toward that one special lady. Then he realizes he really loves her, learns the error of his ways, and makes a big impassioned speech to win her back despite the obstacles he's created, becoming a better person in the process. I think it came out in the late ‘80s or ‘90s; which one was that? Oh yeah, all of them. Although it was cool in that one I was thinking of how he could juggle drinks/race cars/fly planes/manage athletes....

* Despite its fearsome appearance and size, a mud dauber doesn't pose much threat to humans, at least unprovoked. They don't die after stinging like bees do, so I'd still give the ones on my lawn plenty of room. It's the spiders that should be concerned, as they're not only prey but a place to plant eggs. They're stung and planted in the ground, paralyzed, until the eggs hatch and the young feast on the bodies of the spiders. There is some sick junk in nature.

* My last job reached a point where it dominated my life, and I was repaid for 7 years of loyalty by being laid off. One of the things I promised myself after that experience was that I wouldn't check my work e-mail from home, and create a clear separation between my life and my job; it wasn't worth the agida. This past Tuesday I took a day off to play in an Italian feast and, breaking my rule upon coming home, I logged in to my e-mail, with the sole intention of turning off my away message. While there, I noted a meeting had been rescheduled, and clicked to learn it would be at 9:15 AM on Wednesday. I might not have seen the message in time if I waited until I got to work the next day, and might have been late or missed the meeting entirely. So while one lesson taught me not to spend each night and vacation day thinking about work, another taught me that it's still good to check in once in a while and be prepared for the challenges in the following day.

* Scratch me once, shame on you. Scratch me twice, shame on me.

* People who ask for your advice are more often than not seeking confirmation for facts or a course of action they've already decided on. Honesty, when contrary to what they want to hear, may be met with hostility or defensiveness.

* Never chase Taco Bell with White Castle.

* Never judge a person by his or her job title. Too many people make the mistake of “s/he can't do ________; s/he's just a ___________.” People may possess talents or abilities beyond the tasks done to pay the rent.

* The minimum age of a woman socially acceptable to date a man is half his age plus seven, according to a friend's wife. There is no corresponding rule for women she said, because they have better judgment and don't need a rule like we do. So as a 33-year-old I wouldn't be able to date a girl younger than 23.5 right now, but when I'm 60 I could date a 37-year-old, who would have been 10 when I was 33. Apparently the range increases the older a man gets, though I'm not sure if this is a flaw in the formula or a perk.

* Don't wait until a week before either of your two yearly dental cleanings to start flossing again, unless you like excruciating gum pain and bleeding.

* The blood bank is more relentless than any alma mater seeking money. I donated once last year when my company had a blood drive, and will likely do so again in a month or two when they have their next one, but in the interim I've gotten calls at least once a month asking for my blood. I wonder if I do possess a healing factor after all, and if my blood is so great why don't I feel super all the time? With my luck, my mutant ability would be that my blood heals everyone except me.