Ship of Fools: Pointless

Thread: Pointless Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

A discussion currently going on in Purgatory led me to think of this.

Can you name some pointless topics for arguments? I am thinking of something like these:

(a) If you are hanging a coat on a clothes hanger, should the coat face left or right?

(b) Likewise, should the hook on the clothes hanger point over the bar, away from you, or back over the bar, toward you?

(c) If you hang a roll of paper towels on a horizontal bar next to the wall, should the paper unroll next to the wall or away from the wall?

(d) If you are putting on socks and boots, do you put on both socks and then both boots, or a sock and a boot following by a sock and a boot? (This was found in an episode of "All in the Family.)

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

You can't have an argument unless one party sees a point to it. I can't imagine what the point would be in the instances you cite, so I'd work on the assumption that they were displacement activities for something else going on between the arguers.

So maybe the thread should be called - Pointless Arguments: What Are They Really About?

Posted by Loquacious beachcomber (# 8783) on :

For much longer than many posters here have been alive, an advice columnist from a Chicago newspaper, named Ann Landers, gave snappy answers to readers' questions.
One day, someone wrote in to ask which way a toilet roll should be placed on its holder, and it took months for the readers to stop arguing over that.
The only thing that even approached that argument for staying power was when a wife wrote in to ask if there was anything wrong with getting undressed for bed in her walk-in closet, instead of before the eyes of her sexually aggressive husband.
So maybe one of these topics would spark a 50-page discussion here!

[ 14. November 2012, 22:47: Message edited by: Loquacious beachcomber ]

Posted by Loquacious beachcomber (# 8783) on :

At any rate, this thread should do well as a Famous Last Posts gag in the Circus.

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

The paper roll orientation question has its own surprisingly detailed wikipedia entry.

Some anecdotal correlation to gender and socioeconomic status exists, but overall, it is the ultimate example of a trivial matter that gets blown out of proportion.

Apparently there have been epic over / under fights in the Antarctic research bases.

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

The Wiki article is actually worth a read, because it talks about how psychologists and sociologists use the toilet paper orientation debate to illustrate the difference between personal taste and values, attitudes, norms, and needs. Now as anyone who has read any of the "Crappy Choruses" thread knows, one man's personal taste issue is another man's values issue. But the distinction might help someone determine what might actually be a pointless argument.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

Og, King of Bashan:

quote:
Now as anyone who has read any of the "Crappy Choruses" thread knows, one man's personal taste issue is another man's values issue.

The whole concept of the "Crappy Choruses" thread seems so pointless to me that I've been on the Ship for close to a decade and I've never opened it. And to think that people would be so passionate about the subject that it would be a Dead Horse is mind-blowing to me. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by cliffdweller (# 13338) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
You can't have an argument unless one party sees a point to it. I can't imagine what the point would be in the instances you cite, so I'd work on the assumption that they were displacement activities for something else going on between the arguers.

You have obviously never lived with someone with OCD.

These issues are VERY important to my mildly OCD husband. There is just a "right" way each of those things need to be done.

The challenge for me was not so much doing things his way-- I couldn't care less which way the TP rolls as long as you don't use the last bit w/o replacing it! For me, the challenge was simply learning that it DOES matter, and so remembering to pay attn. to what way I'm replacing the TP/ hanging the coat/ buttering the toast etc.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

The last letter on the Telegraph Letters page is often a good read if you enjoy pointless arguments. They publish the best, which are often subtle (or not so subtle) send-ups of the pointless arguments or those who get in a tizz over them.

Recent BigEnder / LittleEnder arguments include Which is the correct side to wear your poppy?, and the rather more fun What does one do with an empty napkin ring?

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I think it all comes under a saying of my mother's: 'Now you're just being contrary.'

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

We don't have a toilet roll holder - it stands on the shelf.

[Big Grin]

The pointless thing I argue about is coats slung on chairs - I hate it! We have perfectly good coat hangers, why is it sooo difficult to use them?

Posted by Mili (# 3254) on :

I always hang towels with the folded side on the left and had assumed that's how everyone hung up towels. However now one of my housemates always changes the hand towel to the other way around. We don't actually argue about it but I always change it back as it just seems 'wrong' to dry my hands with it when the fold is on the right hand side.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

People fold towels?

Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lyda*Rose:
Og, King of Bashan:
quote:
Now as anyone who has read any of the "Crappy Choruses" thread knows, one man's personal taste issue is another man's values issue.
The whole concept of the "Crappy Choruses" thread seems so pointless to me that I've been on the Ship for close to a decade and I've never opened it. And to think that people would be so passionate about the subject that it would be a Dead Horse is mind-blowing to me.

Perhaps you've never been forced to sing some of them.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

One of my grandmothers had a saying for this kind of thing.

"They surely are hard up!"

I think that covers it very well.

Moo

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
(a) If you are hanging a coat on a clothes hanger, should the coat face left or right?

If you are going to take the clothes out with the right hand the clothes should face left. Vice versa if you're left handed. Otherwise you have to turn them round to take the hangers out.

quote:
(b) Likewise, should the hook on the clothes hanger point over the bar, away from you, or back over the bar, toward you?

Again for ease of removal the hanger should point over the bar, just lift and it comes towards you.

You now have to thank me for all the valuable time I've saved you. [Biased]

quote:
(c) If you hang a roll of paper towels on a horizontal bar next to the wall, should the paper unroll next to the wall or away from the wall?

Hygiene. If the paper is away from the wall you only touch the paper with your hands when cleaning up, and not the wall.

Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

Thank you, Baalam. I was sure someone would take the bait.

Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mili:
I always hang towels with the folded side on the left and had assumed that's how everyone hung up towels. However now one of my housemates always changes the hand towel to the other way around. We don't actually argue about it but I always change it back as it just seems 'wrong' to dry my hands with it when the fold is on the right hand side.

Which brings to mind a good place to hold pointless arguments: in a Sacristy!

I've read instructions that say to fold all the linens the same way and lay them in the same direction in the drawers for storage.

I was also trained, when placing our vessels out on a work-table in the sacristy on a Saturday (to be taken to the credence tables the next morning - i.e., the Saturday set-up is only seen by the Sunday Altar Guild volunteer) to always set the chalices with the cross or equivalent forward. And the purificator should be laid on top of the chalice so that the final fold faces out. (What is the name for the different folded sides of a tri-fold? That's another possibly useless argument, but I want to know! By "final" I mean the last fold made when folding, so it contains the other fold.)

Posted by Scarlet (# 1738) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mili:
I always hang towels with the folded side on the left and had assumed that's how everyone hung up towels. However now one of my housemates always changes the hand towel to the other way around. We don't actually argue about it but I always change it back as it just seems 'wrong' to dry my hands with it when the fold is on the right hand side.

Oh, either one of these would drive me crazy. Towels must be folded so only the center shows: the left and right edges are hidden behind the towel on the wall side.

For the toilet paper problem, I actually have a rational reason. My cat pulls it off the roll if it hangs over, but does not if it hangs under, next to the wall.

I have a partially deflated yellow balloon with exploding atomic bombs drawn on it in black magic marker. It is probably three years old. My twelve year old grandson drew it. I keep it because I'm concerned he is a bit too angry.

I have six 2012 wall calendars (but never would I hang them). They lie on my dining room table and each is used for different notations (including the type of food and times of feeding for my cat and incidents of hairballs).

I have no clothes folded in drawers, except socks and underwear. Everything must hang up. I am allergic to wrinkles. I also refuse to own an iron. [Razz]

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

quote:
Originally posted by churchgeek:
And the purificator should be laid on top of the chalice so that the final fold faces out.

It was explained to me that this is about ease of access for the celebrant- if the fold is lined up properly, you can easily slip your fingers into the purificator rather than having to pinch it.

Of course, the priest who explained that to me was the worst about confusing taste with values. He was the Curate at the time, and his ability to give long lectures on insignificant matters of taste was a source of amusement for the rest of the church staff. One day, the Rector called the organist into his office, and said that if he was going out, he should pick up some Bloody Mary mix for the Rector's cocktail party. The Organist suggested that it sounded like a job for the Curate. The Rector responded, "yes, but I want to avoid a ten minute lecture about the best brand of Bloody Mary mix."

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :

I've never studied the vexed bog roll question from the scientific or philosophical standpoint - my opinion is purely pragmatic. When the children were small, they worked out pretty quickly that with the paper outwards, you could flick it with your hand and spin yards of it off at a time, which was very entertaining. For them. That was years ago, but now the cat has discovered the same trick. So the paper is always towards the wall in this house.

Posted by anoesis (# 14189) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
I've never studied the vexed bog roll question from the scientific or philosophical standpoint - my opinion is purely pragmatic. When the children were small, they worked out pretty quickly that with the paper outwards, you could flick it with your hand and spin yards of it off at a time, which was very entertaining. For them. That was years ago, but now the cat has discovered the same trick. So the paper is always towards the wall in this house.

Bingo! That was my immediate thought re: toilet paper when I read the OP. I have no opinion on how it SHOULD go, but pragmatism dictates that for the next few years, we will use less of the stuff if it unrolls with paper toward the wall...

Posted by glockenspiel (# 13645) on :

A tip for non-UK shipmates - here in the UK, one can still make a pretty accurate stab at any given person's social class/ standing, simply by knowing their approach towards a handful of the most piffling details of life!

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

There is a rumour that some people open a boiled egg at the large end. This is of course contrary to the rules of nature and civilization, and warrants capital punishment.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

True.

Unless the egg is hard boiled. Then the shell must be stripped from the centre towards the points.

Posted by Pia (# 17277) on :

I was reminded of this thread today, when Mr Pia reminded me of a classic row we once had about 'back chairs' - that is to say, those chairs that you kneel on that are supposed to be good for your posture or something (picture for the uninitiated).

Mr Pia insisted that such an item could not possibly be called a 'back' chair because it didn't have a back. This was, to him, a matter of the utmost obviousness. I insisted that that was indeed what it was called. We argued the toss. For quite some time. Names were called. Doors may even have been slammed. This was about 20 years ago now, and we still cannot agree on this point.

(However, it totally is called a 'back chair'; I am right and he is wrong, so nerr [Razz]

)

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

It's called a back chair because it's specifically designed to help your back. I had a colleague once who had one of these after some severe back problems, and it did seem to help. Orthopaedic chair might be a bit more precise, but "back" is easier for marketing purposes and for people to spell.

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :

This is so funny! I just read an article online yesterday that was talking about how to manage stress in your home. The author actually said, "Be sure that when hanging clothes on hangers, all the hangers point in the same direction." Oh, really? And this will eliminate a lot of stress? I suppose if you have O.C.D. as my wife does, making sure all the hangers are facing one direction is great. As for me, I think in order to cut down on unnecessary stress in MY life, I will make sure that all the hangers face any which way. But I can totally see my wife and I arguing endlessly about this. She told me she dreams of alphabetizing our little box of spices! Aaaaaaaaaaaaa! [Big Grin]

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Alphabetising spices is mere practical sense. Particularly if you have six shelves of them in two locations. Nothing worse that lining up the ingredients for a curry and going coriander? Where's the coriander? WHERE'S THE SODDING CORIANDER?

Posted by Pia (# 17277) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
It's called a back chair because it's specifically designed to help your back. I had a colleague once who had one of these after some severe back problems, and it did seem to help. Orthopaedic chair might be a bit more precise, but "back" is easier for marketing purposes and for people to spell.

Precisely, my dear Ariel. Precisely. That's what I told him.

Ooh, I feel my 20-year-old rage at his inability to understand this bubbling up again! [Deep breaths... Deep breaths!]

Posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider (# 76) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Alphabetising spices is mere practical sense. Particularly if you have six shelves of them in two locations. Nothing worse that lining up the ingredients for a curry and going coriander? Where's the coriander? WHERE'S THE SODDING CORIANDER?

This sort of thing makes me giggle:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3128012

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Karl: Liberal Backslider:
This sort of thing makes me giggle:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3128012

Bit stymied by the lack of any herb or spice beginning in 'u'.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

Even if there was you'd still end up going WHERE'S THE SODDING CORIANDER.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

Re herb and spice racks, mine were intended to be in alphabetical order originally but are now in a sort of Dvorak alphabetical order, i.e. the herbs and spices are now divided into a) spices and b) herbs, then whatever I use most frequently is at the front.

This isn't helped by a lifelong habit of rarely ever putting anything back in its place, so the coriander could well be on top of the fridge, next to the kettle, or under a tea towel. Cooking is a process that requires rapid action, I’m not going to stop to file the coriander jar carefully under C while stuff is bubbling away in pots.

In short, I'm not particularly organized, but meals still seem to happen.

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

My father is a big proponent of the theory that the kitchen will tend towards disorder if you don't put things away right away, to the point that you might as well look for a spoon in your sock drawer, because the odds of finding it there are about the same as finding one in the silver drawer.

Alphabetizing herbs and spices can be helpful, and if you have a kid around who just learned the rules of alphabetizing, you can let them do it and write it off as an educational activity- that's what my parents did with me.

They sell spice canisters with magnets on the back that stick to your refrigerator, which are a good solution for the frequently used spices- keep the red pepper flakes and whatever other dried herbs or spices you use frequently in the canisters, and everything else in the spice rack.

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Bit stymied by the lack of any herb or spice beginning in 'u'.

One could use Una de Gato (a/k/a Cat's Claw) in the 'U' position!

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Bit stymied by the lack of any herb or spice beginning in 'u'.
One could use Una de Gato (a/k/a Cat's Claw) in the 'U' position!

Fennel seed, cumin, kalonji, oregano and a couple of jars of fenugreek it is then.

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

My mother and I have a 30+ year argument over a certain color. I say it's green. She says it's blue. Whenever we see it, the argument starts over again. We've been known to recruit large numbers of people in public places to support our arguments. It's a familial dead horse.

I'm right, of course.

Posted by BessHiggs (# 15176) on :

My husband and I have an on-going argument about how much toilet paper we should have as back-up. So just to prove him wrong, I have forced myself to let the supply run down to TWO extra rolls. I just got a text from him that we were having a toilet paper emergency at the house and could I bring some home with me.

Vindication!

Posted by Mili (# 3254) on :

Early on in their marriage my parents had a massive argument over whether black was a colour (Dad's opinion) or a shade (Mum's opinion). Whenever the topic was brought up again they'd continue the argument, but in a humerous vein. Now they have finally agreed to disagree.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by BessHiggs:
My husband and I have an on-going argument about how much toilet paper we should have as back-up. So just to prove him wrong, I have forced myself to let the supply run down to TWO extra rolls.

The same argument used to in our house - so now I hide the emergency stash.

[Big Grin]

Posted by Drifting Star (# 12799) on :

I have completely converted Starman re the need for a good stash of toilet paper. [Cool]

It is possible that he's humouring me, but that really doesn't matter.

And black isn't a colour or a shade. It's a complete absence of colour and/or light. [Razz]

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Drifting Star:

And black isn't a colour or a shade. It's a complete absence of colour and/or light.

Not complete surely, or you wouldn't be able to see it? Not that I'd wish to argue the point of course.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

quote:
Originally posted by BessHiggs:
My husband and I have an on-going argument about how much toilet paper we should have as back-up. So just to prove him wrong, I have forced myself to let the supply run down to TWO extra rolls.

The same argument used to in our house - so now I hide the emergency stash.

I always have a good supply of extras and like them to be on show in the bathroom - on shelves in the downstairs cloakroom and a whole packet (of 9 or 12) on the floor of the main bathroom. I find it immensely reassuring to sit there surrounded by all these rolls that are available to me if I need them. [Smile]

This is a reaction to how things were done when I was a kid - there was one loo roll kept in the bathroom, the rest were in a cupboard in the kitchen downstairs. If you ran out partway through the operation you had to yell and hope that another family member would take pity on you. Otherwise it was that uncomfortable walk with the underwear at half mast.

If I'm in someone else's bathroom and the spares aren't on show I always make sure I know where they are before I commit. Or that I have sufficient tissues on me.

Nen - off to check current supply levels.

Posted by Celtic Knotweed (# 13008) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
The pointless thing I argue about is coats slung on chairs - I hate it! We have perfectly good coat hangers, why is it sooo difficult to use them?

Where else can I put a coat at work? OK, the end of the office I'm in right now has a few coat-hooks, so I use one, but the section I was in before has nowhere to hang a coat up except your chair. At home, it's another matter, coats there should be on the relevant hook/hanger unless the owner is using it again very soon or trying to pack!

Posted by PeteC (# 10422) on :

My coats are just dumped on the nearest flat raised surface. I'll need it tomorrow, right?

I don't give a monkey's about whether the clothes face left or right. But the hook should be at the back of the rod.

Whether the toilet paper is against the wall or hanging over is irrelevant. It depends on what way I was holding it when I slipped it on the roll holder.

I don't worry about folding stuff. My housekeeper will redo anything I do when she's tidying up.

I guess I am not obsessive about some things, especially housekeeping. My housekeeper is, and that means every time she comes, I have a tidy house. Sort of like a broken clock being right twice a day.

I like my current housekeeper - she's been around for 10 years, and I always make sure the coffee is on, and she gets treats at Christmas and her birthday. And half pay when I am away from home.

Oops, sorry about the tangent.

[ 20. November 2012, 12:49: Message edited by: PeteC ]

Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

Another one that comes to mind has to do with pairs of socks: fold matching socks together in pairs, or roll them into balls? (I myself avoid the latter, as one ends up with baggy spots in the side of the sock.)

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
If I'm in someone else's bathroom and the spares aren't on show I always make sure I know where they are before I commit. Or that I have sufficient tissues on me.

The Queen of Bashan initially objected to my belief that every bathroom needs its own plunger, but didn't say anything when I went out and bought plungers for each bathroom anyway. Same issue- when you are a guest, you should never have to ask where the plunger is.

Posted by verticordian (# 17428) on :

I get the impression that you are all far more disciplined people than myself. I let the toilet roll run completely out, my herbs and spices are all over the kitchen and my socks are rarely paired up at all and are lucky to even make it neatly to a drawer.

Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

An irrelevant comment on plungers: you can buy plungers with handles of various lengths. I recommend a plunger's handle should be at least two feet long. A plunger with a short handle is an example of "too up-close-and-personal".

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
Another one that comes to mind has to do with pairs of socks: fold matching socks together in pairs, or roll them into balls? (I myself avoid the latter, as one ends up with baggy spots in the side of the sock.)

I pair them up and then sort of stuff both of them partway up one of them, if you get the picture. I guess it could make the tops of them baggy but hopefully it doesn't happen to the same sock each time so they even themselves up.

quote:
Originally posted by verticordian:
I get the impression that you are all far more disciplined people than myself. I let the toilet roll run completely out, my herbs and spices are all over the kitchen and my socks are rarely paired up at all and are lucky to even make it neatly to a drawer.

Do you live alone? [Smile]

Nen - reassured about paper supplies but now concerned that the plungers of the house are short handled and live in a cupboard in the utility room.

Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :

quote:
Originally posted by comet:
My mother and I have a 30+ year argument over a certain color. I say it's green. She says it's blue.

I have the same issue. With everyone. Some dark purple things are called dark blue by some very mistaken people. Which makes me wonder if we all see colors differently. From the time I was very small (pre-school) I noticed that my right eye sees colors as if it's a sunny day, and the left one as if it's cloudy out.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

I think the two most disquieting things so far are:

Toilets in Canada are so prone to blockage that a household needs multiple plungers ready at all times and at hand.

People can actually find two socks that match after a wash. (This argues supernatural powers).

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Toilets in Canada are so prone to blockage that a household needs multiple plungers ready at all times and at hand.

It's not that they are more prone to blockage (unless you have one of the first generation of water saving fixtures, which are terrible). It's just that when you flush a toilet and the water starts flowing up, you need a plunger on the spot, not one in a closet on the other side of the house. I just want to save my guests, should they encounter a blocked toilet problem, the agonizing embarrassment of having to ask me to fetch the plunger for them.

Posted by Gracious rebel (# 3523) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Og, King of Bashan:

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Toilets in Canada are so prone to blockage that a household needs multiple plungers ready at all times and at hand.
It's not that they are more prone to blockage (unless you have one of the first generation of water saving fixtures, which are terrible). It's just that when you flush a toilet and the water starts flowing up, you need a plunger on the spot, not one in a closet on the other side of the house. I just want to save my guests, should they encounter a blocked toilet problem, the agonizing embarrassment of having to ask me to fetch the plunger for them.

I think it must be something about the design of your toilets across the pond. Here in the UK I have NEVER in my life needed to use a plunger in a toilet. But when in the USA I did have such an incident in the Best Western hotel between Bryce Canyon and Zion National parks (I think the hotel was called Thunderbird IIRC) where a plunger available would have been useful.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

It'll be all those alligators cluttering up the sewers.

Posted by snowgoose (# 4394) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jedijudy:
Some dark purple things are called dark blue by some very mistaken people. Which makes me wonder if we all see colors differently.

Yes! Especially flowers, I think. People will say a flower is blue and it doesn't look blue to me, it looks purple. Plumbago is blue. Some hydrangeas are blue. Violets (at least the ones that grow here) are not blue.

Posted by BessHiggs (# 15176) on :

quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
Another one that comes to mind has to do with pairs of socks: fold matching socks together in pairs, or roll them into balls? (I myself avoid the latter, as one ends up with baggy spots in the side of the sock.)

Hubby and I avoid this problem by buying large quantities of identical socks. That way, all you have to do is grab two out of the pile in the drawer (or more honestly, the laundry basket). If they all match anyway, you don't have to sort them.

Posted by Og, King of Bashan (# 9562) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Gracious rebel:
I think it must be something about the design of your toilets across the pond.

Entirely possible. We have had federal standards requiring the installation of low-flow toilets since 1994. As I said, they have improved over time, but are probably always going to be more prone to backup than the old models.

Posted by The Machine Elf (# 1622) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
People can actually find two socks that match after a wash. (This argues supernatural powers).

I have an amount of grey boot socks, collected over a few years. At some point the manufacturer changed the fibre from acrylic to wool/acrylic.

Whether two of said socks are a pair only becomes apparent after wearing them for a few hours in warm weather.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by HCH:
An irrelevant comment on plungers: you can buy plungers with handles of various lengths. I recommend a plunger's handle should be at least two feet long. A plunger with a short handle is an example of "too up-close-and-personal".

If your sinks are also subject to clogging, a plunger with a short handle is more useful. (I have sink plungers and toilet plungers.)

Moo

Posted by HCH (# 14313) on :

I believe I also would rather not use the same plunger on both.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

We don't own a plunger - never have, and have never needed one.

(How's that for tempting fate? [Smile]

)

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

You can unblock a toilet by allowing the blockage to soak, this will soften it. Sometimes a blockage will flush after a day.

If this does not work, a makeshift plunger can be made by wrapping toilet paper around the toilet brush. Use vigorously.

Warning, this is a lot messier than using a plunger. You will then need to disinfect the toilet ... and yourself. [Projectile]

Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :

ooops ... read the above as toothbrush... [Eek!]

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
ooops ... read the above as toothbrush...

Works for the awkward bit under the rim.

Posted by Bob Two-Owls (# 9680) on :

A recent pointless argument that led to minor scuffling - when making a cucumber sandwich do you season the buttered bread or season the cucumber slices (thereby causing them to go slightly soggy as the salt draws the water out).

I say the answer is self-evident, season the buttered slice. Triangular sandwiches vs quarters threatened to lead to bloodshed so we neatly sidestepped that one by cutting our own.

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

What nonsense! That's not how you make a cucumber sandwich at all! [Disappointed]

You butter the bread thickly, put the sliced cucumber on it, put salt and pepper on the cucumber, then put another layer of cucumber on that. Then top off with another slice of thickly buttered bread. Press down with the hand and cut firmly in half with a knife.

Shape is irrelevant but no silly triangles please because the cucumber drops out of the pointy ends when you pick them up. As the best cucumber sandwiches are made with thick slices of crusty bread from a bloomer or similar loaf they will be a roughly oval or semicuircular shape.

For the perfect cucumber sandwich you also want to have spread a tiny bit of Marmite on one of the slices, and you want to put a little finely sliced onion in and possibly even some slices of extra strong mature cheddar cheese. Soft cheese spread on one of the slices of bread can be good as well - especially soft goat or sheep cheese.

[ 23. November 2012, 15:59: Message edited by: ken ]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Bob Two-Owls:
A recent pointless argument that led to minor scuffling - when making a cucumber sandwich do you season the buttered bread or season the cucumber slices (thereby causing them to go slightly soggy as the salt draws the water out).

I'd season the buttered slice (lightly). I'd also peel the cucumber, cut crusts off the sandwich, then cut it into triangles. Cucumber has a delicate flavour, so that's really all that's required. Thin-sliced bread, as well, by the way, if you can get it.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:

For the perfect cucumber sandwich you also want to have spread a tiny bit of Marmite on one of the slices, and you want to put a little finely sliced onion in and possibly even some slices of extra strong mature cheddar cheese.

To improve the sandwich yet further, pick out the bits of cucumber and discard.

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
I'd also peel the cucumber, cut crusts off the sandwich, then cut it into triangles. Cucumber has a delicate flavour, so that's really all that's required. Thin-sliced bread, as well, by the way, if you can get it.

That's not a sandwich, that's a doily [Disappointed]

Why cut the lovely crusts off the bread? They are the best bit! And if you use thin-sliced bread it goes all soggy and floppy and moist and soft!

And cucumber has a strong flavour - if only you allow it to come out by leaving the peel on and adding salt and a little bit of black pepper [Razz]

Posted by ken (# 2460) on :

What do you do with clothes that you wear more than once or twice before washing? For example wooly jumpers? You don't want to wear the same one every day for weeks, but you don't want to put them straight int he washing after one wear either.

Its obvioulsy bad to put them back in the drawer or wardrobe you just got them out from because then you are mixing dirty clothes with clean ones and you will forget anyway and leave them in there unwashed for years.

I tend to just leave them lying on my bed or on a chair in the bedroom but I know that if theree wasw anyone else sharing the same space they'd possibly object to that.

There must be some solution to the problem, but what is it?

Posted by Bob Two-Owls (# 9680) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
For the perfect cucumber sandwich you also want to have spread a tiny bit of Marmite on one of the slices, <even more heinous crimes snipped>

Ye gods man! Were you raised by badgers with no tastebuds? Cucumbers have feelings too you know.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ariel:
[qb]And cucumber has a strong flavour - if only you allow it to come out by leaving the peel on and adding salt and a little bit of black pepper

Cucumber also has a cooling effect, so you can add thinly sliced jalapenos. The cucumber counters the chilli heat so the flavour of the peppers can come through.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

"More tea, vicar? And perhaps a cucumber, Marmite and jalapeno sandwich?"

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
What do you do with clothes that you wear more than once or twice before washing? For example wooly jumpers? You don't want to wear the same one every day for weeks, but you don't want to put them straight in the washing after one wear either.

Get two laundry baskets, of course. One for things that will need to go into the washing machine. The other for anything that has been worn once that can be worn a second time. My principle is that if it's been hanging round in the "second-chance" basket for long enough then it goes into the other basket and gets washed.

Posted by Nenya (# 16427) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:

quote:
Originally posted by ken:
What do you do with clothes that you wear more than once or twice before washing? For example wooly jumpers? You don't want to wear the same one every day for weeks, but you don't want to put them straight in the washing after one wear either.
Get two laundry baskets, of course. One for things that will need to go into the washing machine. The other for anything that has been worn once that can be worn a second time. My principle is that if it's been hanging round in the "second-chance" basket for long enough then it goes into the other basket and gets washed.

But the clothes in the "second-chance" basket would get all crumpled and no one would want to wear them again anyway.

Much the same as the effect on the clothes that get piled on Mr Nen's bedroom chair, in fact. [Roll Eyes]

I'm stunned at some people's idea of a cucumber sandwich. [Eek!]

Why not add some ham and cheese and make it into a ploughman's? [Confused]

They need white bread thinly buttered, slices of cucumber (either peeled or partially peeled, to give that green and white effect round the edges), no seasoning at all, and cut into triangles. Leave the crusts on as they hold it together and if you cut them off you waste valuable cucumber. [Smile]

What about egg sandwiches? The egg needs to be mashed with mayonnaise and ground black pepper, then put in between white or brown bread. I always do triangles but it's not easy to get the amount of filling right - enough to know you've got egg but not too much otherwise it falls out. [Biased]

Nen - feeling peckish.

[ 24. November 2012, 10:11: Message edited by: Nenya ]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
But the clothes in the "second-chance" basket would get all crumpled and no one would want to wear them again anyway.

Depends on the material; cotton will, but other things don't much. But if they're all folded carefully they don't get any more crumpled than the clean stuff in the drawer. And there's always the iron to sort either out.

YMMV, but it works for me and it helps me keep track.

Posted by Moo (# 107) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya
What about egg sandwiches? The egg needs to be mashed with mayonnaise and ground black pepper, then put in between white or brown bread.

I like egg sandwiches made with thin crisp white toast.

Moo

Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
I always do triangles but it's not easy to get the amount of filling right - enough to know you've got egg but not too much otherwise it falls out.

Nen - feeling peckish.

Overfilled sandwiches [Mad]

These are the curse of buffets. Fine on a plate in a deli or similar but if you want to eat a sandwich in the manner the Earl intended, you don't want mayonnaise-dominated gloop all down your clothes. Sandwich shops should recognise that, for some purposes, less is more.

Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :

quote:
Originally posted by ken:

quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
I'd also peel the cucumber, cut crusts off the sandwich, then cut it into triangles. Cucumber has a delicate flavour, so that's really all that's required. Thin-sliced bread, as well, by the way, if you can get it.
That's not a sandwich, that's a doily

Why cut the lovely crusts off the bread? They are the best bit! And if you use thin-sliced bread it goes all soggy and floppy and moist and soft!

And cucumber has a strong flavour - if only you allow it to come out by leaving the peel on and adding salt and a little bit of black pepper

If Ariel is on this side of the pond as opposed to your side, then it's an entirely different kind of cucumber. Mind you, we also get what are called "English Cucumbers" -- these are normally eaten with skins on. Standard north american cucumbers have skins that are thick, chewy, bitter and next to inedible. What's left after you take off the skin has no discernable taste. Which is why they are so frequently pickled -- the sugar and vinegar and spices give the vegetable some flavour.

John

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