Random Question Thread.

**Apelila** · 2012-02-15 01:53

Anything that generates noise isn't an option. I can't focus on someone talking if something else is trying to get my attention, like having headphones in.

Just youtubed Merzbow - I could go to sleep peacefully to this compared to a night of listening to this person. It would be as a lullaby.

**Silenka** · 2012-02-15 08:16

Meditation? You can train yourself to block it out or at least keep it from bothering you quite as much this way. It would take a lot of effort though.

**Penthesilea** · 2012-02-15 16:17

Originally Posted by Apelila

My question: what can I do to make this bother me less? Directly addressing the problem is out of the question, (IE ask the person to stop screaming all the time/talk softer).

Why is it out of the question? Bring it up to your superiors and say that it's difficult to get work done with the distraction of wild beasts love noises. Mention that those noises give you a boner.

**Aksannyi** · 2012-02-15 16:24

Have you considered approaching your supervisor and saying, "Sir, Name is very loud and it's hurting my ability to concentrate on my own work. Is it possible we can get her/him to keep it at a lower volume in the office?" Never say anything about how annoying the voice is, but if you can hear it well over the din of everything else even from the other side of the room, there's something wrong with that, and it doesn't matter where you work. Obviously the person not talking at all isn't an option, but if they can be told, "You're being too loud, please quiet down as you're distracting the others," that might work.

If you're not the only person annoyed by this person, maybe others will also come forward and tell the manager that they're too loud, as well, so it brings more credibility to your claims. Not saying try to get her/him fired, but if they're that annoying chances are you're not the only person who's noticed and your managers might be able to speak with her/him and tell them that they need to keep their volume down.

Damn, beaten, but point still stands.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2012-02-15 21:10

Next time you have to talk to them, say "Woah easy, I'm right here. Inside voice!" in a light tone. Shouldn't make them mad/upset, and it gets the point across. Or you could make an Austin Powers joke about taking it down a notch.

**Apelila** · 2012-02-15 23:47

#1: Person in question is an elderly cancer survivor undergoing chemo. There's more, but I've been burned on sharing details at work here before so I'm avoiding pronouns/specifics. Just trust me when I say that they can very effectively play the sympathy card and do so often.

Any attempt to communicate that they're being a loud obnoxious harpy screaming in a thousand voices of eternal terror (in lesser words, of course) is met with tears and a visit to HR, no matter how politely done or by whom.

Usually it just results in a meeting for 'understanding' followed by a 'sorry, jack shit we can do live with it' after the meeting on the side.

I've moved myself as far away from them as possible within the seating arrangement available to us, as have the other 20 people on my team. Who did so first.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...dx/seating.jpg

This (Very roughly) represents whats available (in the larger scheme) with the red dot being where I was able to flee too. Target is in the upper left corner. I was in one of the empty dots prior to this arrangement. Where I am now is more bearable, but every once in a while my hearing just zero's in on that voice and I can do nothing, NOTHING to stop myself from hearing it. It's like trying to have a conversation next to a construction zone when it happnes, the noise isn't constant but it's all you can hear for brief periods of time.

**Kerberoz** · 2012-02-16 00:13

Does your employer do random drug tests?

**Apelila** · 2012-02-16 00:19

No or we'd all be fired within a week.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2012-02-16 00:25

Sounds like my mom's parrot. Normally I can ignore his screeching pretty easily, but every now and then I zone in on it and it pisses me off. Only two ways out when it gets like that: Hope he stops screeching, or distract myself. I do this by retreating into one of the many fictional universes floating around in my brain. A couple of my favorites for this purpose are the Star Wars universe, and a universe in which I'm a (healthy) genius billionaire playboy, like Tony Stark. Once there, I tinker. Often it will be the design of my starship, or the backstory of my alter ego. One of my favorite tinkering projects is a dirigible apartment. I'll work on some basic problem, like how to get supplies etc up to the apartment without requiring a huge empty space to land in.

Of course, you can't get much work done like that.

**Acturus** · 2012-02-16 08:34

Have you considered one of these?

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/prod...t_launcher.jpg

**Greatguardian** · 2012-02-16 15:10

Okay, BG. I have not flown in ages. What's the cheapest site/carrier to get round trip tickets between Corpus Christi, TX and Pittsburgh, PA on 1-2 weeks notice? I have a pretty hefty tax return coming in and I want to have some fun for spring break. I won't need a hotel or anything like that, just the flight. I know there are about a bajillion travel sites out there right now, but I have no idea which are good and which are shit. My primary concern is price. Time of day and carrier are unimportant, and I'm certainly not interested in first class. I just want the cheapest way from point A to point B and back, lol.

**Aksannyi** · 2012-02-16 15:21

Really all of the major sites you hear on TV will be about the same, at least in my experience. Having flexibility with your dates/times is the best way to get a cheap flight. I usually use Travelocity just because I'm used to it and I already have a login for it, but I've checked all of the others and they'll give me the same flights at the same price 99% of the time.

**Elesirdur** · 2012-02-16 15:51

Bing travel has some interesting information for you as it identifies trends in airfares giving you a good indication of cheapest days of the week, and times of year to travel.

Like Aksyanni said, it's pretty much an even race to the bottom for low-cost airfares. Expedia, travelocity, etc. all will give you pretty comparable fares, so unless you have travel points built up with one carrier I wouldn't sweat it much. Don't know if many carriers still offer 'stand-by' boarding for cheap, but could be one way to cut costs, though you might end up flying through Denver and St. Paul on your way to the Pit lol

As always, the earlier you book the better but within 14 days of departure I'm betting fares across the low-cost carriers will be very similar.

A really quick search reveals that ~$500 round trip per-person is what you'll be looking at, but it will depend on the days you choose to travel.

**Manako** · 2012-02-16 16:33

I like Kayak.com I think they let you search all the other travel sites as well.

**Caiyuo** · 2012-02-16 16:38

^ I usually hear the combo of kayak and hipmunk anytime travel stuff comes up

**Nephlite** · 2012-02-16 20:48

So flu season awareness is in effect at my job (police department) and there's the stupid signs of how to properly wash your hands all over the place. I dunno why but it makes me mad. Can I request someone to make a "How to wash your hands like a boss." comic and would I get in trouble for posting a copy of it everywhere there's one of those signs? Thanks.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2012-02-18 16:07

Make one yourself! It's easy! Just make sure you use each rageface the way it's meant to be used, or it won't make sense/be funny. If you don't know them, make your comic, post it here, and we can proofread it for you.

Also, as long as it's sufficiently light-hearted, I can't imagine any serious disciplinary action. If it gets too offensive, even if its still funny, you'll be in trouble.

**cdgreg** · 2012-02-18 23:08

Anyone have an old house with these types of windows that appear to be on a thin rope? I need to remove a broken window to take to the hardware store but have no clue how to get it out, and furthermore how I can disconnect and not damage the connected rope? I'm not much of a handyman so please use simple terms!

edit: figured it out, just remove the stopper, pull window out, simple!

**Acturus** · 2012-02-20 13:47

I have a few different version of California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas on my iPod, and inevitably, when one plays, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a restaurant manager who I worked for several years ago. The song came on the speakers in the restaurant, and he asked me if I knew what the song was "really about".

For the life of me, I had no idea what he was talking about, and I can find fuck-all using Google to tell me about some hidden meaning or alternative view of the lyrics. The song is pretty transparent to me.

Does anyone know, or has anyone ever heard of an alternative description of this song? I'll take just about any crackpot description as long as it sounds good, because it still pisses me off to this day that I have no idea what my old boss was talking about.

**Silenka** · 2012-02-20 14:24

Is it possible to cancel a prescription charge-free (provided it is non-essential to your life of course) when you go to pick it up if, say, it turns out to be more expensive than you thought it would be or you changed your mind about taking it?

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