Ask Rachel

Vaxx-giving, flipping the bird and working the streets
Vaxx-giving, flipping the bird and working the streets
11/24/2021

Interesting fact: The TV trope of calling women “sir” appears to have originated with Star Trek. Yet military people online tend to say that female officers should be called “ma’am.” I’m all for a hybrid “Sir yes ma’am!” for everyone.

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Contract autocrats, down w/ children & dirty laundry
Contract autocrats, down w/ children & dirty laundry
11/18/2021
Interesting fact: Load rebalancing is the biggest factor in washing machine time waste. So don’t wash your delicates in the same load as your elephants.
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Supply chain scapegoat, hot tub horrors &?Santa unchained
Supply chain scapegoat, hot tub horrors &?Santa unchained
11/11/2021
Interesting fact: You should drain and clean your hot tub every four months. A good rule of thumb is to order cleaning supplies on Day One, and they ought to arrive around that four-month mark. 
 
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Corn-fused, road rage DNA & running w/scissors
Corn-fused, road rage DNA & running w/scissors
11/04/2021

Interesting fact: “Can” is short for “canister,” so technically, any round container is a can, whatever the material. Any other shape is just a con.

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Enya face, the white light and coffee jitters
Enya face, the white light and coffee jitters
10/28/2021

Interesting fact: Enya has recorded songs in 10 different languages. She’s also sold 75 million records, so clearly someone out there likes her stuff.

 

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Clean freaks on holiday, number feels & rotten eggs
Clean freaks on holiday, number feels & rotten eggs
10/21/2021
Interesting fact: Coconut oil’s usefulness as an antibacterial agent is one of those suburban myths that make for much less enticing storytelling than their urban counterparts. 
 
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Checking out, show shrinkage &?Etsy excuses
Checking out, show shrinkage &?Etsy excuses
10/14/2021
Interesting fact: According to the Federal Reserve, checks still account for 12% of all non-cash payments. Some people really need to learn about Venmo.
 
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Woeful wipers, book bandits & space junk spangle
Woeful wipers, book bandits & space junk spangle
10/07/2021
Interesting fact: A recent study estimates between 4,000 and 7,000 tons of space dust falls to Earth every year. This despite other studies estimating it’s more like 40,000 tons. Although if you want to get very technical, the entire planet is made of space dust, so there’s that.
 
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Flaming hot omens, how not to relax &?closet cat haters
Flaming hot omens, how not to relax &?closet cat haters
09/30/2021
Interesting fact: Flaming Hot Cheetos were invented by a janitor at Frito Lay who pitched the idea straight to the CEO, and the janitor is now an executive vice president. No word on what happened to the CEO.
 
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Selling yourself short, swamp stumper & courting friends
Selling yourself short, swamp stumper & courting friends
09/23/2021
Interesting fact: The Creole holy trinity is onion, bell peppers and celery. I am pretty sure that is also the Veggie Tales holy trinity. 
 
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Twofer suckers, planting conspiracies and doggy style
Twofer suckers, planting conspiracies and doggy style
09/16/2021
Interesting fact: Red is the most common safe word, followed by the much more evocative (and, frankly, harder to mishear) pineapple. 
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GIF'd off, not making cents and pressing situation
GIF'd off, not making cents and pressing situation
09/09/2021
Interesting fact: My Merriam Webster is Urban Dictionary, and its definitive spelling of that thing you flip in the street is a “u-ey.” It’s a thing that Australians can “chuck.” I wonder if they also chuck beaches.
 
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Seat shifters, the worst fans ever and short people, redux
Seat shifters, the worst fans ever and short people, redux
09/02/2021
Interesting fact: John Harington, the inventor of an informally eponymous flush toilet in Britain during Elizabethan times, is a distant relative of Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow in “Game of Thrones,” which although I have never watched, I know ended with a finale that should have been sent to the septic tank, thus bringing things full circle. 
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To lick or not to lick, concert coping and short people hugs
To lick or not to lick, concert coping and short people hugs
08/26/2021

Interesting fact: They also make no-lick peel-and-stick envelopes that require no saliva exposure. But they’re not fancy enough to be ONvelopes.

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Strap sleuth, tomato fails and ghosting your family
Strap sleuth, tomato fails and ghosting your family
08/19/2021

Interesting fact: Tomatoes will not ripen outside of 50-85 degrees F. If your friend’s river beer is any warmer than this, you should take your straps back immediately. 

 

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Skinny tire scorn, half-baked and Bozos in space
Skinny tire scorn, half-baked and Bozos in space
08/05/2021
Interesting fact: Joe DiMaggio hadn’t actually gone anywhere; Paul Simon just meant that heroes are in short supply. 
 
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Oh sheet, the tipping point and all in-tents and purposes
Oh sheet, the tipping point and all in-tents and purposes
07/29/2021
Interesting fact: When it comes to the Great Sheet Debate, the Martha Stewart website says you should ask the hosts their preference. What kind of adults does she think we are?
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Podcast therapy, not-so Southern charm and #bashnews
Podcast therapy, not-so Southern charm and #bashnews
07/22/2021
Interesting fact: As of April 2021, there were only 2 million podcasts in existence with 48 million episodes. So while not everyone has a podcast, everyone has probably appeared by now as a guest on one.
 
 
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Space invaders, animal instincts and small talk
Space invaders, animal instincts and small talk
07/15/2021

Interesting fact: The United States government claims it cannot explain 143 out of 144 unidentified flying objects spotted during military flights. They got one! And people say the feds are incompetent.

 

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No laughing matter, mama me-uh and the big fall
No laughing matter, mama me-uh and the big fall
07/08/2021
Interesting fact:  The word “courtesan” derives from an old Italian word for “advisor to the king or queen.” Yeah, I bet they did some advising.
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