Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[redlaces]

If something you see on television bothers you so much you feel CPS needs to be called, call them yourself, or shut the hell up. 

[potatoradio]

No better start to the New Year than cracking up over the Pet Peeves thread.

 

Quof and GHScorpios, please remember that, because you did not meet under the watchful eye of the eHawmony grandpa and his creepy grandkid, your marriage will fail because it's obvioulsy not twue wuv. Sorry, but someone has to tell you the truth...

 

"If you have any questions, please direct them to myself...."

Um...OK, first question: Do you think you sound more educated or formal or Downton Abbey-like or something when you say "myself" instead of "me"? You don't. You sound like you're terrified of making a grammatical mistake and you just made a yyyyuuuuuuuge one.

Stop it.

 

"But/however" and "since/because": there's a difference and not a terribly difficult one to figure out. It's easier than drink/drank/drunk and lie/lay/lain, trust me. Not even Strunk and White or my high school English teachers could set me straight on those. I can do "I drank," but woe unto me if I need to use past perfect tense. "I have...drunk? Drank? Have drunken? Have drinked?" Aw, screw it, just give me a beer to consume.

 

I will admit, though, that there are some words that I learned wrong at a tender age and sometimes I screw them up. I once wrote at length about a person feeling "lightening" bolts. Sigh. I think I've been corrected for that one since I was in fifth grade, but my brain just won't accept that "lightning" does not need any extra letters to make it more exciting.

 

You know, I flew overseas with my family when I was four years old. I was a quiet kid who really just wanted to sleep, but even so...I was so excited at the idea of flying that I would never have thought to misbehave. The flight was more important than my being a special snowflake child. I think too many parents have that reversed, in too many situations.

 

Adult coloring books are on the market - maybe someone should market adult sentence diagramming puzzle books. I would buy those in a heartbeat. I loved sentences with adjectives and adverbs.

 

I can't abide the word "melty." No, the cheese it not "melty." It is MELTED. Be a grownup and stop with this goo goo gah gah baby waby Waychel Way foody woody talk crap. On the other hand, "stabby" makes me laugh. I like the irony of the cutesy wutsey ending on such a violent word. If you tell me you have melty cheese, I will become stabby and fulminate a lightening bolt on yourself.

 

Oh, Annzee - "Minnesota nice" actually means "Minnesota passive-aggressive." They won't be rude to your face (so they're nice), but my God, you do something wrong and you will pay, my friend....you will pay. 

 

I get to fly tomorrow. Can't wait. It's a short flight, but even so, I dread being in the vicinity of entitled f*cktards with no escape. I generally put on my headphones, slouch, and put on my very best stone cold "I'm gonna cut a b*tch" face so people won't ask me to indulge their specialness, but they can't help themselves...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Quof]

potatoradio, you'll notice I still haven't accepted GHScorpios' marriage proposal.  Still weighing that "cute but not rich" ratio.  A girl's gotta have priorities.

[auntlada]

I will admit, though, that there are some words that I learned wrong at a tender age and sometimes I screw them up. I once wrote at length about a person feeling "lightening" bolts. Sigh. I think I've been corrected for that one since I was in fifth grade, but my brain just won't accept that "lightning" does not need any extra letters to make it more exciting.

...

I can't abide the word "melty." No, the cheese it not "melty." It is MELTED. Be a grownup and stop with this goo goo gah gah baby waby Waychel Way foody woody talk crap. On the other hand, "stabby" makes me laugh. I like the irony of the cutesy wutsey ending on such a violent word. If you tell me you have melty cheese, I will become stabby and fulminate a lightening bolt on yourself.

 

You might be able to market lightening bolts, especially at this time of year.

 

I would think melty cheese is different than melted cheese. Melted cheese is cheese that is melted (obviously). Melty cheese is cheese that melts well -- or chocolate that will melt in your hands, which, by the way, M&M's will do if you hold them too long.

 

I meant to add something about "myself" earlier, but I forgot.

 

See what I did with the ellipsis up there, though? How hard is it to understand that an ellipsis means you left something out, not that you paused? I have changed those so many times now for people who are supposed to be writers and who just keep using them wrong no matter how many times I have explained the issue.

[auntlada]

*raises hand* Sign me up for that! I especially loved diagramming sentences with long relative clauses, and would have enjoyed diagramming run-on sentences, too, if my teacher had allowed. (Apologies for the run-on sentence.)

 

I know that's what everyone calls a run-on sentence now, but I've never considered it so. It's a long sentence, but has the appropriate conjunctions to make sense. I always thought a run-on sentence is one that does not have the right conjunctions.

[annzeepark914]

Oh, Annzee - "Minnesota nice" actually means "Minnesota passive-aggressive." They won't be rude to your face (so they're nice), but my God, you do something wrong and you will pay, my friend....you will pay. 

 

Heh heh.  potatoradio, thanks for the chuckles. I needed that!  And yes, I think that stuff about Minnesotans being so nice is a cover-up for some passive-aggressive personalities.  Not all, though.  There are lots of truly nice folks in MN.  Good luck on your flight.  I hope Sigrid & her family aren't on your plane but if they are, go get 'em with your lightening bolt!

 

Ellipses?  Yes, I use them all the time...gives me time to pause and think of what I want to say next.  But in this forum, I won't use them any more (or at least I'll give it the old college try!)  It's gotten to be a bad (and stupid) habit ;>(

 

Why are grownups coloring in coloring books?  I love the word "stabby".  Learned it here.  And lastly, I agree with the need to stop using baby words: onesies, passy, melty, tummy-time, etc. When my daughter had her baby, I thought I'd scream from hearing all these oogly woogly words.  OK...I'm done!

[BW Manilowe]

Heh heh. potatoradio, thanks for the chuckles. I needed that! And yes, I think that stuff about Minnesotans being so nice is a cover-up for some passive-aggressive personalities. Not all, though. There are lots of truly nice folks in MN. Good luck on your flight. I hope Sigrid & her family aren't on your plane but if they are, go get 'em with your lightening bolt!

Ellipses? Yes, I use them all the time...gives me time to pause and think of what I want to say next. But in this forum, I won't use them any more (or at least I'll give it the old college try!) It's gotten to be a bad (and stupid) habit ;>(

Why are grownups coloring in coloring books? I love the word "stabby". Learned it here. And lastly, I agree with the need to stop using baby words: onesies, passy, melty, tummy-time, etc. When my daughter had her baby, I thought I'd scream from hearing all these oogly woogly words. OK...I'm done!

Adults are coloring in coloring books now as "stress relievers". It's a big thing at the moment. The online book & arts/crafts retailers, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, & Mary Maxim all carry a fairly big selection of books to choose from (Barnes & Noble also apparently has a big selection in their brick & mortar stores).

These coloring books aren't like the ones many/most of us here had growing up where you'd color pics, with your Crayola 64 "Big Box", based on your favorite cartoon, TV show, or movie characters, or your favorite (& other) celebs. They're more "abstract", artistic designs, geometrics, mandalas, flowers, etc., at least usually. There are also some based around sights in famous cities, famous art works, animals, vehicles, & other things (but perhaps drawn in a more "abstract" way than just a regular depiction of them); these all can be colored by people of any age. And they also have books with pictures geared specifically to adults, which I saw on either Barnes & Noble or Amazon's sites. And the books now are usually colored in with colored pencils or markers, like the Paper Mate Flair kind.

I used to travel a lot as a young elementary school-junior high aged kid (the early/mid-'70's), because of an opportunity I was given by a nationally-known children's health-related organization. I traveled with some of the forerunners of today's coloring books with artistic, abstract, geometric, mandala, etc., designs & a set of Paper Mate Flair markers to color them with, to alleviate whatever stress I could've been under from this at age 8 1/2, as well as to alleviate boredom in the hotels at night & in the airports during travel delays. They actually worked for that purpose back then, & are said to again these days. They'd also be good if you were stuck in bed due to a longterm illness, in my opinion.

I like the word "stabby" too. I think the first place I heard it was from the Penelope Garcia character in Criminal Minds, in an ep aired way back in 2009.

While I'm at it, another grammar peeve or 2: People who use "apart" when, based on their written comment, they CLEARLY should've used "a part", with a space between "a" & "part". And people who use "between" instead of "among" when referring to groups larger than 2 people (I know, everybody does it. But I also still remember, from elementary school English, that you're not supposed to do it. And it doesn't make it right.). Those are among the grammar peeves that make me "stabby".

Edited January 2, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[auntlada]

Ellipses?  Yes, I use them all the time...gives me time to pause and think of what I want to say next.  But in this forum, I won't use them any more (or at least I'll give it the old college try!)  It's gotten to be a bad (and stupid) habit ;>(

 

I didn't even notice yours. I was thinking about the obnoxious woman at work who is supposed to be a writer, but can't write well at all. That's really OK, though, since what she is good at is getting other people to do her work, along with sticking her nose into things that are not her job. We figure that's why she doesn't have time to do her job: She's always getting involved in other people's work.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I love the word "stabby". Learned it here

"Stabby" is a TWOP word to me, like fishcakes and Word.

[auntlada]

I don't know what happened. I got a double post.

Edited January 2, 2016 by auntlada

[ABay]

I thought stabby was from Buffy.

[harrie]

 

 

 

Sorry, got carried away.  Nothing to see here.

Edited January 2, 2016 by harrie

[Maharincess]

Why are grownups coloring in coloring books?

I asked for and received some adult coloring books for my 50th birthday this past summer and have since bought a bunch more. For me it's relaxing and it helps with my boredom during the times I'm laid up, I got tired of doing the same things. I always colored with my kids and now with my grandkids but I got tired of little kid pictures. I prefer the more intricate designs.

I really enjoy it. I'm not going to tear out my pages and hang them up or anything like that, I just like doing it.

[Bastet]

Why are grownups coloring in coloring books?

 

Because they find it relaxing.  I don't have any "adult coloring books," but I've been occasionally pulling out a garden variety coloring book and an old 64-pack of Crayons for about 20 years now.

[backformore]

Adult coloring books are part of a therapy technique called mindfulness. It's basically calming your anxiety, stress, or restlessness by doing a calming activity. The idea is to let your mind focus on what you're doing, instead of trying to multitask. Other activities are taking a walk, focusing on the feelings, sights and sounds you experience, doing a jigsaw puzzle, anything where you are letting go of worries and stress, living in the moment of a mundane activity.

[Sandman87]

All this talk about run-on sentences and avoiding "dead" words (and improperly used ellipses) makes me think that we need a link to the Bulwar-Lytton Contest.

[auntlada]

Someone posted on Facebook a local TV news story with a headline that says our state had more earthquakes in 2015 than the continental U.S. combined. Normally, I don't comment on things like that, but this morning something snapped, so I had to comment and say that the headline is impossible since our state is not Hawaii.

[Babalu]

Thank you! I believe Oklahoma had the most earthquakes in the continental U.S. - and probably more severe earthquakes in the whole country - but I just looked it up, and Hawai'i has had 2,074 earthquakes in the past year (magnitude 1.5 or greater, most on or around the island of Hawai'i, which makes sense based on its seismic activity). Obviously, most of ours are very minor; I know of only one since I moved here 9 years ago that caused any significant damage (slept through it but had an earthquake headache and no power all day, even though we live on O'ahu) and have felt only one - it was not a jolt, like I would have expected but a rolling feeling. Do you feel like OK is getting to be a more dangerous place to live with tornadoes AND earthquakes!

[auntlada]

It's not that Hawaii had more, but that Oklahoma cannot have had more than the continental U.S. combined. It can have had more than the rest of the continental U.S. combined, but the way the headline was written, Oklahoma had to have had more earthquakes than itself.

[Babalu]

Oh, gotcha. Need to work on my reading comprehension a little!

[ShellSeeker]

On the local news in Denver a few months ago, there was a story about "Women in Leadership Rolls," according to the graphic. Are leadership rolls anything like cinnamon rolls? Or is this just what happens when your state legalizes weed? Gah.

[Quof]

Sigh. Parents who refuse to act as their child's authority figure.  In a busy store today, a 3 year old decided to sprawl on the floor in the middle of the aisle.  Mom said "Now, Billy, get up, please" at least 4 times.  By adding "please", the statement could be interpreted as a request, so that getting up was optional. That's certainly how little Billy interpreted it.  Meanwhile, shoppers were manoeuvring their carts around little Billy, to avoid running over the little, um, dear's arms or legs.  Here's a hint, Mom.   After he ignores your first request to get up, you say sternly "I said 'get up'", and lift him up if necessary.  There's a time to give children choices, and this wasn't one of them.

 

ETA To be clear, the child wasn't having any kind of tantrum.  He was in no distress.  He just wanted to sprawl out on the floor, mindless of who might be inconvenienced, because, when you are 3, you are the centre of the universe. That's why you need parents.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Quof

[BookWoman56]

This weekend I encountered a pet peeve I had almost forgotten existed: couples who engage in nonstop squabbling in public. I'm not talking a major fight about an urgent issue; this was just one petty issue after another. Neither of the two people came off as anything other than drama queens who desperately need to be the center of attention. The result was everybody in their vicinity being first uncomfortable, then annoyed, then bored with the ongoing drama. Note to couple: Nobody cares about your minor relationship issues. If you want to argue in private, go for it. In public, though, suck it up because the rest of us do not find your nonsense entertaining. Unless you are able to raise your minor arguments to the artistic level of George and Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, nobody wants to listen to the soundtrack of your toxic relationship.

[backformore]

I thought of this thread this past week.  My son, who is in his 20's, broke up with his girlfriend.  One of the issues he had with her was her phone and facebook compulsion.  He said they could be doing the most exciting things, like skydiving, and she was more into posting the photo than the actual experience.   When they went to dinner, or out to an event, she would start taking photos of the two of them, and then re-take the ones that didn't turn out well, obsess over which was the "best"  one, and post it on social media, then keep checking to see how people responded.  it wasn't the only reason things didn't work out, of course.  But he said it was a major irritant to him, that he was more "in the moment"  enjoying what they were doing, (and didn't mind a photo), while she was more interested in preserving or sharing the moment with others, and getting their approval.  

I thought of the discussion on this thread, a couple of pages back, and that piece from Bill Maher about people living through their phones. 

[Quof]

I was in NYC for Christmas. I was walking behind a French family through Bryant Park, with its market, rink and decorations. Dad was watching himself on video through the lens of his camera the whole time. Finally the teen daughter said (in French) "Papa, why can't you put down the camera and live in the moment?" I wanted to High Five her, but I wasn't sure it would translate.

[Blergh]

I was in NYC for Christmas. I was walking behind a French family through Bryant Park, with its market, rink and decorations. Dad was watching himself on video through the lens of his camera the whole time. Finally the teen daughter said (in French) "Papa, why can't you put down the camera and live in the moment?" I wanted to High Five her, but I wasn't sure it would translate.

 

 

I get what everyone's saying. I was overseas a few months ago  doing my best to enjoy the ambiance of that city's unique natural beauty and historic sites but it seemed virtually every tourist under 35 HAD to do the selfie deal as in 'I don't CARE about this place but I just want folks to notice *I* am here!' . Vive that French girl and let's hope that means the NEXT generation will get burned out on this toy and 'tude.

 

Edited January 4, 2016 by Blergh

[DeLurker]

All this talk about run-on sentences and avoiding "dead" words (and improperly used ellipses) makes me think that we need a link to the Bulwar-Lytton Contest.

I love this contest, but never ran across anyone else who heard of it!

[bilgistic]

I HATE "selfies". I hate the word "selfie". I hate words that generated from selfie, like "belfie" (butt selfie--die, Kim Kardashian). I hate how conceited and narcissistic so many people are that they think others want to look at their giant heads filling up the camera frame all the time.

I'm old, and I hate all the things the kids are doing!

[FormerMod-a1]

I think "rumpie" would be a much better term for that.  "Belfie" just sounds stupid.  LOL

[Sandman87]

I've always liked to think that a selfie-stick is for beating people who take selfies.

 

 

I love this contest, but never ran across anyone else who heard of it!

It's held at my alma mater. One of my science professors submitted some entries while I was taking classes from him.

[Quof]

A selfie stick tells the world "I need a one metre zone to contain my narcissism."

[DeLurker]

Trying to establish new utility service when moving - how can I possibly make an informed decision about the electricity provider and the plan I should choose when there are 233 of them to choose from?  Most of the places I have lived, you only had one choice - FPL or SoCal Edison. 

 

Deciding on buying a new house used up all my decision making resources.  I have no ability to make this one so I am just going with whatever I had without looking into the pros/cons since I am only moving about 2 miles away.

[Maharincess]

It's crazy isn't it? We're looking to get rid of our cable and get a dish, I did some research and I'm more confused than when I started. When I was young, we had one choice for our cable, there are too many choices now.

I just want something simple with a DVR and I can't make any sense our of their million different packages.

[DeLurker]

I feel myself getting crotchety just thinking about the cable choice, internet provider, phone service...I might as well start telling the kids to get off my lawn now.

 

I've got back to back appointments for painters for bids today and tomorrow.  Choosing the new color for the master bedroom is going to do me in.  The current color is a deep brownish-red which I can't live with.  My instinct is to go with an eggshell, but if I don't put up a color now I probably never will.  But paint is such a commitment...

 

I deliberately limit my options in life because once I have too many choices, I get overwhelmed and can no longer tell what I like and what I don't like.  When I get overwhelmed, my default is I hate everything.  This explains my monochrome wardrobe since the time I got old enough to buy things for myself - black, white, a few neutrals, and grey (my spring look).  The paint section at Home Depot with all their little color forms makes me mental.

[annzeepark914]

When we painted the interior of our house, we did the whole thing in a cream color (we have lots of white wood trim, paneling).  Everyone who comes into the house says how light and airy it is.  I say go neutral all over the house and save your sanity. You can always do something different, in various rooms, later on once you don't have so many distractions & decisions to make :>)  (That's just my two cents)

[Bastet]

Every room in my house is a different color.  The colors coordinate where you can see into another room from the one you're in, but only the hallway and foyer are remotely neutral.  I wanted a red room somewhere, but ran out of rooms.  :-)

 

I enjoy painting, but hate the prep work and the clean-up.  Which brings me back to peeves: friends who ask me to help them paint, but then don't properly prep the walls.  I'm not spending my day on something that's going to peel in no time because you were lazy!

Edited January 5, 2016 by Bastet

[Quof]

Pet Peeve - eggshell is a paint texture, not colour.

[auntlada]

Pet Peeve - eggshell is a paint texture, not colour.

 

It is? I did not know that.

 

I'd like to paint -- and need to in some rooms -- but I don't want to do all the work to do it right, and I don't want to do it if it's going to be sloppy and bad. I'm not really sure how to prep the walls, either. And even thinking about picking out a color other than white makes me a little stressed. (And even if you paint just white, which white do you pick?)

[DeLurker]

Pet Peeve - eggshell is a paint texture, not colour.

Who knew?  Apparently not auntlada nor I.

 

Normally I would just make my able bodied children and nephews do it, but all the bedrooms are some pretty odd color choices and will take some doing to paint over.

 

I'dtypically just neutralize everything with a white or cream, but downstairs is done up in some fanciefied designer colors (shades of blue/slate/green) and look nice with the flooring.  They are colors I would never choose, but they "go" and I don't hate them.  They do mystify me - depending on the light they seem to change so I really have no good notion of what color they are.

 

 

And even if you paint just white, which white do you pick?

Wordy McWord.

Edited January 5, 2016 by DeLurker

[MargeGunderson]

May I recommend Benjamin Moore "Linen?" It's a very nice neutral, cream without yellow undertones. And if you want to paint over it in a couple of years, it's easy.

[harrie]

I can't get enough of paint chips.  The hub will try to steer any of our trips to HD/Lowe's around/away from the paint aisle because I could spend hours there, deciding whether I want Color A or Color A one shade lighter/darker.  That being said we need to paint too, and have a room or two where paint chips have been taped to the wall for years.  Time to decide and act!

[bilgistic]

I've got back to back appointments for painters for bids today and tomorrow. Choosing the new color for the master bedroom is going to do me in. The current color is a deep brownish-red which I can't live with.

Probably because it's the color of dried blood? Who wants to wake up thinking they are in the Shining elevator hallway, the day after?

I've always had neutral walls in my adult life (because that's what you get in rentals) except for the 14-year period I had my condo. I painted my bedroom (not well) an almost periwinkle sky blue. It was very relaxing. Maybe look into color psychology. Blue is supposedly calming; green represents growth; red is murder (kidding--it's energizing, which one might not want in a bedroom where sleep is supposed to happen).

[Bastet]

Eggshell is a paint sheen, yes (it falls between flat and satin, I believe), but it's also a color -- a brownish white.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Bastet

[harrie]

Eggshell is a paint sheen, yes (it falls between flat and satin, I believe), but it's also a color -- a brownish white.

 

So it's a floor wax and a dessert topping?  (sorry)

[Bastet]

Ha!  Don't apologize -- that was my first guffaw of 2016.

[Maharincess]

I like dark colored bathrooms. My downstairs powder room is a dark brown and my upstairs bathroom is dark green. My bedroom walls are a light lavendar but we're painting this summer. I'm going with a cream color and a burgandy accent wall. I have to have color. I hate white walls. My living room is the color of chocolate milk with white trim and moulding.

I love to paint. I enjoy the whole process. I love making something ugly pretty again. I used to climb up on ladders and do the painting myself but now I settle for painting the baseboards and stuff I can reach.

Kitchen painting is the worst.

I've seen eggshell as a color many times.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Maharincess

[backformore]

It is? I did not know that.

 

I'd like to paint -- and need to in some rooms -- but I don't want to do all the work to do it right, and I don't want to do it if it's going to be sloppy and bad. I'm not really sure how to prep the walls, either. And even thinking about picking out a color other than white makes me a little stressed. (And even if you paint just white, which white do you pick?)

Which white?   the white that comes closest to French vanilla ice cream.  Not quite white, not quite yellow, but not beige either.   It's a color that I've liked a lot, it's warmer than WHITE, which can be kind of cold and sterile. 

 

Our most recent projects, we got a little bold and used COLOR for a change.  Big change for me, I tended to play it safe.    

Our Sherwin Williams store had these brochures of colors that go together.

  http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/hgtv-home-by-sherwin-williams/color-palettes/

I found it very helpful in picking out colors that go together.   You choose a palette, and then make choices within that palette, so that going from one room to the next there's a nice transition. We used the "Livable luxe"  palette, and it turned out really well for us.  Worked well in the dining room where we have two colors separated by a chair rail, and the room opens into the living room.   

[DeLurker]

That Sherwin Williams site is pretty handy!  Thanks!

 

My nephew suggested picking a painting I like and build off the colors from there.  A zillion years ago I bought a framed print of Van Gogh's Starry Night over the Rhone

(not the Starry Night of fame) from the trunk of a guy's car for $15 and I love it.  I'll probably go with a yellow/gold yellow color from there.  At least for the next 30 minutes....

[Mountainair]

We are renovating our house and neutralizing paint colors in the process. I used to think I was decent at picking out color but I really suck at it. What looks good in my head never translates well to real life so I went with the most neutral color I could find through Behr and it's called Grey-Beige. Nice and prefectly neutral! My husband is a pain in the ass perfectionist when it comes to home renovations and painting projects. Spackle, Sand, Spackle, sand, let sit, let sit, let sit, primer three times, dry, dry, dry, three coats of paint, ugh! Painting one small room can be a two month long project with the guy. Drives me batty!

And for my peeve of the day. I just bought a brand new car a few weeks ago and the dealership mailed me my new plate and registration. Looked like it had been ran over with a semi. Called the dealership for a replacement tag and they tell me I have to go to the state tag office. I go to the tag office today and they take care of the problem but since it wasn't their fault I have to pay the fees for a new tag. Fine. But seriously, I just dropped serious cash money on a new vehicle you'd think the dealership would be able to rectify this problem for me. All they care about is their damn commission. Bastards.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Mountainair

[DeLurker]

My husband is a pain in the ass perfectionist when it comes to home renovations and painting projects. Spackle, Sand, Spackle, sand, let sit, let sit, let sit, primer three times, dry, dry, dry, three coats of paint, ugh! Painting one small room can be a two month long project with the guy. Drives me batty!

But if the project actually gets finished....I'd be okay with it.  I was married to a pain in the ass perfectionist who was also a pain in the ass incompletionist.  There were so many projects around my (teensy tiny) house that were started and then stalled (indefinitely) for whatever reason.  I'd list the projects but I still get a headache, high blood pressure and a twitch whenever I think about it.

 

Congrats on the new wheels!  What did you settle on?