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

[auntlada]

3 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I think between social media and elf accessories on the resistance list would be that it's a pain in the ass to remember to move them every night, and you hate letting down your kids when you forget and they get all worried that something went wrong with the Christmas magic in the house.

That's why I won't do the elf. I have enough crap to remember and often don't do a good job of that. This morning, for instance, I left my cell phone at home, so I had to wait at the door to my building for my husband to drop off my son so I could walk him to school. Normally, my husband texts me, but I forgot my phone. Yesterday, it was my iPad charger. On Saturday, I forgot to brush my teeth. It's hard to explain how you forget to brush your teeth, but I can do it.

I guess I shouldn't get upset when my son forgets to put underwear on in the morning, which he has done before.

I really don't even like using the Santa threat, although we are not into the whole no-Santa thing. We do Santa Claus. I just don't like using him as a threat to being good. I'd like my son to do what I tell him because I told him, not because he's going to get a present. (I'm not above telling him that if he's good at Walmart, we'll go look at the toys, however.)

[Maharincess]

9 minutes ago, backformore said:

EXACTLY!  When I was a kid, the idea that God sees everything  I do, really bothered me. Even in the BATHROOM?   

It's a lot creepier than the Elf.  I'm a good, moral, kind person because it's the right thing to do, not because I'm afraid that a man in the sky will burn me forever if I don't follow his rules. 

If I had a friend who told me I had to follow everything they said and live by their rules or they would punish me by basically setting me on fire (but he loves me), I'd tell that friend to fuck off. 

[Sandman87]

14 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Brainstorming makes it sound like it was official business.

Reminds me of a line from Eureka Seven:

"Hap's doing an emergency disposal of hazardous waste." (cut to Hap standing at a urinal)

[Moose135]

There I was...10pm, wrapping the last of the Christmas stuff so I could pack it up and get it to the Post Office today - when most of it gets sent back to Long Island, I can't wait until Christmas eve - and I run out of scotch tape.  No problem, I think, I've got more - the last time I needed some, I had to buy some silly 6 or 8 pack, that will last the rest of my life.  You all know where this is going.  Right, no tape to be found.  Fortunately, I had an almost-new roll of clear packing tape, and got everything wrapped and boxed up.  It was a Festivus miracle!

[DeLurker]

3 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

the last time I needed some, I had to buy some silly 6 or 8 pack, that will last the rest of my life. 

Clearly a house with no children in it.  My daughter was a tape fiend and I eventually had to put her on a tape allowance.  Once that was gone, she could not use the household tape for her many taping needs.

She's grown out of that, but now my niece has had to put her 5 yo on a tape allowance for the same reason.

[JTMacc99]

16 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

It was a Festivus miracle!

Hee! Yes, I've used packing tape to wrap gifts for exactly the same reason.  

And the "I bought eight of these, how can I be out?" is a classic JTMacc move. Deodorant. Ketchup. Toilet Paper. Toothpaste. At least with the toiletries, I have a travel kit to fall back on. And with multiple bathrooms in the house, one will still have toilet paper. But Ketchup! That's a damn disaster. Burgers hot off the grill, McCain's Potato Smiles toasted to perfect golden brown, goes to the fridge and there's like one drop of ketchup, opens up the closet and... Hey, where's the ketchup?! Starts digging around. Nothing. Looks behind stuff. Nothing, although that box of crackers has a best by date of 12/2011 which is interesting. Checks the basement. Nope. 

That's when I need the Festivus miracle.  When I'm out of ketchup.

17 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

She's grown out of that, but now my niece has had to put her 5 yo on a tape allowance for the same reason.

My daughter used to waste entire roles of tape. Now it's entire bottles of white glue (because she found a youtube recipe for homemade slime.)  I have to hide a bottle of glue to make sure that when somebody actually has to glue something that there is one in the house.

[backformore]

Wow.  I thought I was the only parent to have a secret stash of tape for gift wrapping, hidden in my dresser. 

We also never had band-aids when my kids were growing up.  As soon as I bought a box, they'd both start getting cuts and scrapes that required band-aids, several times a day.

[auntlada]

1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

There I was...10pm, wrapping the last of the Christmas stuff so I could pack it up and get it to the Post Office today - when most of it gets sent back to Long Island, I can't wait until Christmas eve - and I run out of scotch tape.  No problem, I think, I've got more - the last time I needed some, I had to buy some silly 6 or 8 pack, that will last the rest of my life.  You all know where this is going.  Right, no tape to be found.  Fortunately, I had an almost-new roll of clear packing tape, and got everything wrapped and boxed up.  It was a Festivus miracle!

 At least you didn't have to resort to duct tape.

[Qoass]

I saw someone on TV using a glue stick to secure wrapping paper.  I made a note to try that next time I don't resort to a gift bag.

[Qoass]

Double posting because I have a different pet peeve.  I just saw a story on Yahoo in which Alan Thicke's widow "breaks her silence" about the death of her husband.  The day after his passing, his son Robin Thicke also "broke his silence" about it.

Good grief, the guy just died.  Just because the family doesn't chat about it with the press doesn't mean they've taped their mouths shut in mourning.  And just how long does a "silence" have to be before speaking becomes "breaking"?

[JTMacc99]

49 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Double posting because I have a different pet peeve.  I just saw a story on Yahoo in which Alan Thicke's widow "breaks her silence" about the death of her husband.  The day after his passing, his son Robin Thicke also "broke his silence" about it.

Good grief, the guy just died.  Just because the family doesn't chat about it with the press doesn't mean they've taped their mouths shut in mourning.  And just how long does a "silence" have to be before speaking becomes "breaking"?

The gossip news reporting style can be particularly off-putting when it comes to deaths. Using the same "breaks his silence" line that they use when somebody tells the story of how a cheating husband was discovered is just wrong.  

I don't click on many gossip stories. It's just not my thing. But I did click on one last week about the HGTV Flip or Flop couple, because I was like "They got separated? Makes sense. Let's take a look at what it has to say."  And now EVERY DAY Yahoo puts a story about them somewhere at the top of my news stream. Serves me right.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 12/20/2016 at 9:17 AM, backformore said:

I think the "hate"  for elf on the shelf comes from two things -  one is the parents who over-do it, creating elaborate scenes at night when the kids are sleeping, because they brag and one-up each other on social media.  The other thing is that stores are not selling stuff to go along with the elf - like his pet reindeer, clothing items, etc., which, or course, all cost money.  

I'm glad it wasn't around when my kids were little.  I'm not crazy about the idea that someone is always watching to make sure you're good. 

Well I'll be damned.  I was watching last week's Black-ish Christmas episode and there was this part I didn't get about a little doll that was in various parts of the house and when the kids saw it, they'd quit misbehaving.  That must have been this elf thing y'all are talking about.  I'd never even heard of it.  So, thanks!

 

8 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

But Ketchup! That's a damn disaster. Burgers hot off the grill, McCain's Potato Smiles toasted to perfect golden brown, goes to the fridge and there's like one drop of ketchup, opens up the closet and... Hey, where's the ketchup?! Starts digging around. Nothing. Looks behind stuff. Nothing, although that box of crackers has a best by date of 12/2011 which is interesting. Checks the basement. Nope. 

That's when I need the Festivus miracle.  When I'm out of ketchup.

I live in a very small space so I'm extremely organized, and things that are waiting in reserve are stored somewhere that they're not right at hand.  For things that need replacing when they run out, when I buy the new one, I use a Sharpie and put an R on the lid or label of the one currently in use.  I guess it's an R for "replacement"--I've been doing it so long I don't really know. 

I guess it's kind of a ridiculous system, but it has saved me from ketchup disasters.

[Quof]

Quote

McCain's Potato Smiles

JTMacc99, are you a Canuck?

[JTMacc99]

44 minutes ago, Quof said:

JTMacc99, are you a Canuck?

Nope. But if that's where the smiles came from, I will put that down as yet another reason to overlook the cold air they frequently send down into New York.  

[Quof]

McCain's is from my homeland.

[bilgistic]

9 hours ago, backformore said:

Wow.  I thought I was the only parent to have a secret stash of tape for gift wrapping, hidden in my dresser. 

We also never had band-aids when my kids were growing up.  As soon as I bought a box, they'd both start getting cuts and scrapes that required band-aids, several times a day.

Mom??

[Sandman87]

12 hours ago, Moose135 said:

...and I run out of scotch tape.  No problem, I think, I've got more - the last time I needed some, I had to buy some silly 6 or 8 pack, that will last the rest of my life.  You all know where this is going.  Right, no tape to be found. 

I've been known to use band-aids in that situation.

One year I wrapped packages using gaffer tape. I happened to have part of a roll left over from setting up for a video shoot. BTW gaffer tape is great for when you don't want to leave a lot of residue when the recipient pulls the tape off. That's what it's designed for.

[zxy556575]

I've stapled wrapping paper to a box before. My most disappointing wrapping failures were when I'd run my scissors the wrong way over curling ribbon and it went flat instead of curling.

I don't think I'm OCD but I have to restock pantry items as soon as one is opened; absolutely no waiting until ketchup or toilet paper or cereal is partially used.

TV peeve for the day is stories told in flashback. I can deal with glimpses of a character as a child or going back in time to see how a couple met, etc. What nettles me are shows/movies that start their story, then go to a black screen with ... "THREE DAYS EARLIER." Just start the show three damned days earlier!

[backformore]

Linguistic pet peeve - STRONG is an adjective.  It has a 'G' in it.  The noun is STRENGTH - also with a 'G' - and the G is not silent.   The word is not "Strenth" it is "Strength".

[Quof]

How do you feel about "heighth"?

[auntlada]

3 hours ago, Quof said:

How do you feel about "heighth"?

Grrr.

5 hours ago, backformore said:

Linguistic pet peeve - STRONG is an adjective.  It has a 'G' in it.  The noun is STRENGTH - also with a 'G' - and the G is not silent.   The word is not "Strenth" it is "Strength".

I once dated a guy who said "inneresting." I should have broken up with him the first time he said that. It would have saved me a lot of trouble and heartbreak.

[topanga]

11 hours ago, lordonia said:

TV peeve for the day is stories told in flashback. I can deal with glimpses of a character as a child or going back in time to see how a couple met, etc. What nettles me are shows/movies that start their story, then go to a black screen with ... "THREE DAYS EARLIER." Just start the show three damned days earlier!

OMG, me too! When 'Scandal' did this the first time (in Season 1), it worked. Then Shonda kept doing it over and over and over. Besides the craziness of the plot and the overacting, these constant flashbacks ruined the show for me. 

 

3 hours ago, auntlada said:

Grrr.

I once dated a guy who said "inneresting." I should have broken up with him the first time he said that. It would have saved me a lot of trouble and heartbreak.

Sometimes it's the little things that are so telling. I once dated a guy who insisted on pronouncing 'documentary' as documen-TARY. He refused to change his pronunciation, even when I gently and playfully corrected him. And that was the nature of our relationship. He always insisted on being right, even when he was wrong. I should have known. 

Edited December 22, 2016 by topanga

[NutMeg]

14 minutes ago, topanga said:

OMG, me too! When 'Scandal' did this the first time (in Season 1), it worked. Then Shonda kept doing it over and over and over. Besides the craziness of the plot and the overacting, these constant flashbacks ruined the show for me. 

Agree with both Lordonia (I thought her quote would appear too) and you, and I have the same problems with the many books which start with what is sometimes the most interesting scene in the whole book. Not only is it annoying, but it's also a major spoiler, because if that scene is at the end of the book I spend the book going yeah, yeah, I know he/she'll be safe until we reach THAT point, so your tactics of trying to make me fear for this character are not working on me.

[backformore]

 

How do you feel about "heighth"?

Hate it.  I get it though, when people deal with the width, length, and height, sometimes they mistakenly add the th to height. 

I've been talking back to Queen Latifah on the radio, she has an ad where she talks about her mother's "strenth."  Every time I hear it, I correct her  - "it's STRENGTH!"   As many times as that radio ad is played, I fear that everyone who doesn't already, is going to start using that pronunciation.

[janestclair]

My dad says acrosst instead of across, and heighth instead of height and they both make me stabby. 

[Quof]

Quote

I once dated a guy who said "inneresting." I should have broken up with him the first time he said that. It would have saved me a lot of trouble and heartbreak.

The things you find adorable in the beginning are the things that will eventually make you smother him in his sleep. 

[riley702]

2 minutes ago, Quof said:

The things you find adorable in the beginning are the things that will eventually make you smother him in his sleep. 

LOL, I've heard that before. I've also heard you should decide if the sound of them eating is something you can put up with for the rest of your life. Heh.

[TattleTeeny]

On 12/21/2016 at 9:37 AM, Moose135 said:

There I was...10pm, wrapping the last of the Christmas stuff so I could pack it up and get it to the Post Office today - when most of it gets sent back to Long Island, I can't wait until Christmas eve - and I run out of scotch tape.  No problem, I think, I've got more - the last time I needed some, I had to buy some silly 6 or 8 pack, that will last the rest of my life.  You all know where this is going.  Right, no tape to be found.  Fortunately, I had an almost-new roll of clear packing tape, and got everything wrapped and boxed up.  It was a Festivus miracle!

In a similar vein, I have to hide extra Advil in my bathroom. I put a bottle in the kitchen cabinet that holds all that kind of stuff yet on the rare occasion that I need some, well, screw me, I guess! And why there's only one left in there, I have no idea. Is my BF taking more than two each of the (seemingly too-often) times he's using it? Did he deliberately take just one the penultimate time so as to not have to throw the bottle into the recycling and thus create a conspicuous Advil absence in that cabinet? I don't know, but come on!

Edited December 22, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[ennui]

7 hours ago, NutMeg said:

 books which start with what is sometimes the most interesting scene in the whole book. Not only is it annoying, but it's also a major spoiler, because if that scene is at the end of the book I spend the book going yeah, yeah, I know he/she'll be safe until we reach THAT point, so your tactics of trying to make me fear for this character are not working on me.

Love Story by Erich Segal. "What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died?" And yet the book sold millions and was made into a movie. The movie was better than the book, at least.

I only take one Advil. I find that one is effective, so I'm guessing that two is overkill.

[Quof]

We used to steal the Christmas cookies my mother put in the freezer starting in the fall.  One at a time.  But we always left one, so we neither of us would be the kid who took the last cookie. Stupid us.  Had we eaten them all, she would have gone to the freezer in December and said "But I'm sure I made cookies months ago, I guess I imagined it."  Instead, she found one lonely cookie rattling around in the Tupperware and we were busted.

[backformore]

7 minutes ago, Quof said:

We used to steal the Christmas cookies my mother put in the freezer starting in the fall.  One at a time.  But we always left one, so we neither of us would be the kid who took the last cookie. Stupid us.  Had we eaten them all, she would have gone to the freezer in December and said "But I'm sure I made cookies months ago, I guess I imagined it."  Instead, she found one lonely cookie rattling around in the Tupperware and we were busted.

I once saw an adorable Christmas project that I did with the boys.   Lorna Doone shortbread cookies, put together into little house shapes with frosting, then decorated with various little candies.  Before you do the top slanted roof, you put a ribbon or a licorice string through, so the houses can be hung on the Christmas tree.  we made a bunch, they were cute, perfect to hang on the tree because they were little.   MUCH easier than gingerbread houses.  This could be a family tradition, right?  Perfect craft for boys with short attention spans.

The next morning, each house had icing licked off, the decorative candies picked off, and bites taken out of the sides.  They couldn't have each taken one house to eat, no, they had to sneak little bites (so I wouldn't notice)  off each one.    Never did that craft again.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I only take one Advil. I find that one is effective, so I'm guessing that two is overkill.

At the rate these bottles are emptied, there's no way he's taking just one (except maybe that last time). Plus, two is the recommended dose--and I damn well want two when I have a headache...which his remorseless Advil greed is giving me, haha! Time to put that shit in a "lady vitamin" bottle.

[Quof]

Who the hell takes only one Advil/Tylenol/Aspirin???

For that matter, why do they still make regular strength since they've invented extra strength?

[TattleTeeny]

Haha, the goon I live with apparently -- but probably only at the time when he wants it to look like we still have a bottle to share! Or me, I guess, after he does this weird thing.

Edited December 23, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[backformore]

A bit off topic from pet peeves – there’s been some discussion of atheism/humanism here.  Well, Obama just signed an update to the religious freedom law which includes a category for humanism and recognizing non-believers as a religious group.

religious freedom law protects atheists

Quote

But for Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the nonprofit American Humanist Association, the change is a historic cause for celebration.

"That non-theists are now recognized as a protected class is a significant step toward full acceptance and inclusion for non-religious individuals, who are still far too often stigmatized and persecuted around the world," Speckhardt said.

[auntlada]

5 hours ago, Quof said:

The things you find adorable in the beginning are the things that will eventually make you smother him in his sleep. 

Well, he also turned out to be gay, so there's that. I don't kow if he just wasn't out to other people or to himself or what. We don't keep in touch. That's not why, though, although I suppose the reason could be related. He just treated me like crap. He wanted me on a string to come along when he wanted and support him, but everyone and everything else came before me. And since we were in college and had all the same friends, I had to be friends with him after -- at least until I started on the newspaper staff and began spending all my time there.

I don't  know if there is such a thing as gaydar, but if there is, mine sucks. I always had crushes on guys who turned out to be gay. 

[bilgistic]

7 minutes ago, backformore said:

A bit off topic from pet peeves – there’s been some discussion of atheism/humanism here.  Well, Obama just signed an update to the religious freedom law which includes a category for humanism and recognizing non-believers as a religious group.

religious freedom law protects atheists

That's really awesome, but what happens to that law in a month?

Edited December 23, 2016 by bilgistic

[Maharincess]

Hopefully now bashing atheists won't be as accepted as it has been. I'll never forget that asshole Trace Adkins saying about Penn Gillette "Until I met him,  I never thought I'd meet an ethical atheist". You know, because Adkins himself is so ethical with his drug use, multiple infidelities, multiple divorces etc, etc, etc.  I kept waiting for somebody to protest that and make him apologize but it never happened.  One of the women on the Today Show said something similar about how she's afraid to stand next to an atheist or some such nonsense. 

[AgentRXS]

So after our name discussion, I wanted to try an experiment and see what results I would get if I ordered food using the name Elizabeth (even though its not my name) instead of Beth. Working on the road on the night shift plus not knowing how to cook results in me eating out most nights.

Anyway, Tuesday and Wednesday, no problem. Tonight, I ordered from this new Mexican place in town.  The person picking up the phone was again someone who sounded like they were in their late teens-early 20s. I said the name, got the usual "Huh/What/Can you repeat that?" response. I was flabbergasted because I though surely I would have an easier time with Elizabeth since its a more common name.

When I went to pick up my food, the person who checked me out was a woman who appeared to be in her early-40s. She asked me my name, looked at the ticket, got puzzled and quickly apologized and whispered something to a young 20-something man standing close by.  I get my receipt and the name on the ticket? Elizbian.   LOL WTF?!

Experiment over. Conclusion: Elizabeths have just as much a hard time as Beths when it comes to name comprehension.

[zxy556575]

5 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

Experiment over. Conclusion: Elizabeths have just as much a hard time as Beths when it comes to name comprehension.

Maybe we should all just go with "Bob."

[topanga]

5 hours ago, lordonia said:

Maybe we should all just go with "Bob."

We'll probably end up with orders for "Barb." or "Bawb."

[DeLurker]

20 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Did he deliberately take just one the penultimate time so as to not have to throw the bottle into the recycling and thus create a conspicuous Advil absence in that cabinet?

My ex used to do this with my Cherry Garcia.  It was my ice cream of choice, but I can just eat a couple of spoonfuls and be happy, so the carton goes back in until the next time.  The ex liked it too so my rule was I'll buy you your own, but leave mine be.  Well, he would eat his and then tap into mine, but would never finish the carton and throw it out.  I would get my hankering, go to get some and find there was a miserable 1/2 spoonful left. 

There was a boatload of reasons to divorce him, but not recognizing the sanctity of my Cherry Garcia is an internal sore spot.

[TattleTeeny]

They're diabolical!

I'm the same way with B&J (the dairy-free versions); always have been--a bite or two at a time, and back in it goes. A bag of potato chips, however, is a different story entirely.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, DeLurker said:

My ex used to do this with my Cherry Garcia.  It was my ice cream of choice, but I can just eat a couple of spoonfuls and be happy, so the carton goes back in until the next time.  The ex liked it too so my rule was I'll buy you your own, but leave mine be.  Well, he would eat his and then tap into mine, but would never finish the carton and throw it out.  I would get my hankering, go to get some and find there was a miserable 1/2 spoonful left. 

There was a boatload of reasons to divorce him, but not recognizing the sanctity of my Cherry Garcia is an internal sore spot.

Early in our marriage, I told my husband a rule - if there is something chocolate in the house, he is not allowed to finish it off without asking me.   I like to KNOW that there is some chocolate available for "emergencies."   I don't need to eat it all at once, I don't need it every day, but I am happier knowing that there IS chocolate in the house.  You know, just in case.

[TattleTeeny]

Luckily, we hardly eat the same things. He'll eat the dinners I make on the nights he's home (he's not vegan), but our junk food preferences are pretty different; he's a sweet and I'm a salt!

[ratgirlagogo]

21 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

So after our name discussion, I wanted to try an experiment and see what results I would get if I ordered food using the name Elizabeth (even though its not my name) instead of Beth. Working on the road on the night shift plus not knowing how to cook results in me eating out most nights.

Anyway, Tuesday and Wednesday, no problem. Tonight, I ordered from this new Mexican place in town.  The person picking up the phone was again someone who sounded like they were in their late teens-early 20s. I said the name, got the usual "Huh/What/Can you repeat that?" response. I was flabbergasted because I though surely I would have an easier time with Elizabeth since its a more common name.

When I went to pick up my food, the person who checked me out was a woman who appeared to be in her early-40s. She asked me my name, looked at the ticket, got puzzled and quickly apologized and whispered something to a young 20-something man standing close by.  I get my receipt and the name on the ticket? Elizbian.   LOL WTF?!

Experiment over. Conclusion: Elizabeths have just as much a hard time as Beths when it comes to name comprehension.

If this new Mexican place is staffed by Mexicans or other Spanish speakers  I would find this understandable since Elizabeth really isn't a very common name in Spanish.  Of course it's a Bible name and everything but any Spanish girl named after the Virgin Mary's grandmother would have the Spanish form of  Elizabeth, which is Isabel.  

[Mountainair]

My first name is super easy but uncommon. 4 letters, shares a name with a popular award. People still could not grasp it. They want to add letters, substitute letters, etc. There is no other way my name could possibly be pronounced. It's like being named Verb but people call you Verba or Verbily. My last name growing up was Scottish of the Mc variety so I was never ever referred to correctly. I just learned to answer to anything and not bother correcting people. I married an Italian and took his last name which seems to be easier for people to pronounce so there is that. My first name though, still goes over people's heads. People just don't even try anymore. 

[riley702]

Tony? Obie? Clio? :)

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Final answer Emmy. Wrongly spelled as Emmie, Emmi, Emie and on and on. 

It sounds like the issue isn't with spelling, but with pronunciation -- people look at Emmy, and, even though the award should make it familiar even though it's an uncommon name, instead say Emma or Emily. 

[Sandman87]

3 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I can beat anyone's spelling or pronunciation story.

Challenge accepted: At one of my former jobs my boss's name was Antoinette. I once got a call from someone who asked to speak with "Ann tee oh wye oh net."