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

[Qoass]

I totally agree:  that they should put down the phone and in thinking so that we are old!

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, MrsMoltisanti said:

Why not put the phone down and actually be in the moment with the toddler and play?  

In the bathroom stall, just no. That ain't right.  

But I'll cut the mom's a break. If you're taking care of your very young children 24/7, you take adult conversation whenever you can get. I'm guessing that she spends plenty of hours every day being in the moment with her child. 

1 hour ago, Qoass said:

I totally agree:  that they should put down the phone and in thinking so that we are old!

I believe I owe you this one back:

You are not old.

[BookWoman56]

I have encountered a few people who would use a workplace bathroom stall for phone conversations because that was one of the very few places they might get some privacy.  That is, if they used their cell phone to make a call while they were still in their cubicle, then their neighbors would hear the conversation. The break room almost always had random people in it. Getting out of the building to make a private phone call was not easy.  So they would take a chance that they might be able to make a personal call in the bathroom with a smaller audience than elsewhere in the building. I have heard more than one person calling from a bathroom stall to make a doctor's appointment or something similar, presumably because they didn't want to have their cubicle neighbors listen to them describe their symptoms or why they needed the appointment, etc. 

Minor confession here: While I do not use a workplace bathroom stall to make phone calls, in the past I have used one sometimes to play free cell or solitaire on my phone. When I was still working on site rather than from home, a few of my colleagues took smoking breaks every damn hour; in addition, many of my cubicle neighbors were insanely loud and irritating. As a result of my own resentment about those two things, I eventually decided that I could take an occasional 5-minute game break. The closest bathroom to me had 4-5 stalls but was almost always empty; it just so happened that in that part of the building, most of the employees were male and so the ladies' bathroom was routinely empty. Obviously, had the bathroom filled up, I would have quickly vacated the stall for anyone who actually needed it; however, that never happened. So, yes, I am guilty of going into the ladies' room and using a stall as my designated "quiet" space to relax for a few minutes playing solitaire. It was one of the ways I helped preserve my sanity until I could transition into a position that allowed me to telecommute full-time. 

[bmasters9]

Fast food workers' annoyances, from a British perspective (as this is from a British perspective, there is a good bit of foul language, but that does not, IMO, take away from the excellent points that this lady makes, which are likely as important there as here)

[annzeepark914]

Does anyone have the solution for the annoying calls from "Private Caller"?  We've been getting this call for maybe 4 months now, at different times of the day and evening, sometimes several times a day.  There is no number listed when I back up to look at phone calls & their numbers.  We have something that cuts off most phone calls (the unwanted ones) after the first ring but this one rings 4 times then goes to voicemail (when of course it hangs up). We've also written letters to the appropriate agencies stating we do not want these crappy calls.  But "Private Caller" is something new.  There must be a way of stopping it.

P.S.  I believe there are some members of Congress who want to enact legislation that will allow robo calls.  So this crap is going to get worse unless we contact our reps in the House & Senate and make sure they know we've had it with this harassment.

[Qoass]

So.... the phone companies make money selling our information to robocallers and then make more money selling us additional service to avoid robocallers. Delightful.

[MrSmith]

On 5/28/2017 at 5:43 PM, AgentRXS said:

Here's my peeve: My co-worker was in a jam the other day and asked to borrow $10 bucks until payday. I was nice enough to say "Sure, and don't worry about paying me back", but she insisted.

So yesterday, I'm walking down the hallway, and she gets in my face and rudely says "Here ya go" and basically shoves the money in my face. I say '....Thanks?" and she keeps walking. End of conversation. Hasn't spoken to me since (and we are usually work buddies).  This isn't the first time I've had rude encounters when someone's paying back a loan I've offered.  Unless it is a an extremely large amount or I need it, I never press anybody and never think about it. But I usually get a brisk attitude anytime someone has taken it upon themselves to repay me.

It makes me never want to help anyone else out again---and I hate feeling like that.

Sorry to hear this. I've borrowed money from friends and co-workers before. I've always paid it back and done so happily. It makes me feel good to pay them back because I feel like I'm rewarding their trust in me. Plus, I don't want to have bad relationships with the people I work with and that's what happens if I don't pay them back.

[MrSmith]

On 5/28/2017 at 11:38 PM, theredhead77 said:

And people who area always looking for a designated driver but never want to be the DD. It sucks being the DD but for fucks sake, take one for the team once in awhile and DD for us. 

I don't drink alcohol. So, when family wants to go out and go drinking, then I'm happy to be the designated driver. They know the deal is that if they're going to a place I don't want to be, they have to call me to pick them up (and I will).

[MrSmith]

On 5/30/2017 at 8:19 AM, Qoass said:

If I loan something to somebody, I don't loan them something else until they've returned the previous item.  I'm just not that generous, I guess.

I am also a big ride mooch.  I have a car but I hate to drive.  I suck at it and I'm worse when I have a passenger.  If it's a long trip, though, I make sure to treat the driver to a snack or small gift.

I never really mind driving. I spent the time I was 18, 19, and 20 (1990 to 1992) commuting from Milwaukee to UW-Parkside (between Racine and Kenosha on County Highway E) .... at 100 to 120 mph. At those speeds, you have to plan your route through traffic at least 1/4 mile ahead. I learned to put my turn signal on for lane changes well in advance to give people time to see it. When someone is going that fast, the best thing to do is to continue with whatever you're doing because they've probably already planned their route to account for that. People changing lanes to try to get out of my way, while I appreciated their intent, was actually unhelpful.

So, I'm actually a much better driver than most people and can tell what other people on the road are going to do. My wife loves it because when I'm the passenger, I'll be able to tell her who wants to change lanes (before they signal and before they start changing lanes) or who's going to do something unpredictable/dumb before they do it. It's saved us from a couple of crashes because I was able to tell her to stay away from someone because I could tell they wanted to exit the Interstate even though they were in the left (or middle) lane; sure enough, they suddenly just went - no turn signal, no checking blindspot, nothing - just "Here I come! Get the F outta my way!"

On 6/1/2017 at 2:27 PM, PRgal said:

As someone who has struggled (and still struggling) to start a family, I really dislike it when people say that adoption is "easy."  It isn't - at least not like it was in the 80s (most people who say the wait is fairly quick are older, with kids in their late 20s-40ish, basically people my parents' age).  Waiting can be forever.  And when you're a mixed race/religion couple, it's even MORE difficult (especially when one of us (me) is Asian).

WOW! I am sorry to hear you're having trouble with this. I am surprised at the shit that people think matters. Why does ethnicity even matter? Or religion? Neither are important considerations for whether a couple will be good parents or not. My wife is a non-practicing Wiccan and I am a Deist. I'd love to know what adoption counselors (is that the right word?) would make of that!

[MrSmith]

On 6/1/2017 at 8:51 PM, forumfish said:

I had a "you kids get off my lawn!" moment today. I was working at the Mac when I heard loud obnoxious music coming from the elementary school across the street. I figured it was the last day of school and they were celebrating, so I tried to ignore it. Twenty minutes of the same song, playing over and over and over, and I'd finally had enough. No one answered the phone when I called the office, so I walked across the street. The young man I later learned is the principal caught my attention. I motioned and said, "it's too loud!" and he just nodded, so I knew he'd do nothing. I walked past him into the school and asked a woman if she worked there. The principal followed me inside.

He began by saying "it's the last day of school and we want to give our outgoing fifth graders a fun sendoff," to which I replied, "I get that -- I went to school here, and I'm all for having fun. But when my sister and I can hear the music in the back of our house across the street, it's too loud. And it's definitely too loud for the students' young ears."

He said, "no, it's not." And made some comment about 5-10 minutes not being too much -- even though the music had been going on nearly a half hour. He then said he could turn it off, and I said I wasn't asking for it to be turned off, just down a little.

By the time I walked back home, the music stopped. I told my mom that I am officially a cranky old lady (I've been 51 less than a month).

I would have ended up taking it further and filing a complaint with the school district over it. I have hearing damage from listening to music too loud (largely from going to a Cranberries concert in 1994 and my seat was 3 rows back from and directly in front of the speakers). Where my wife can stand in our kitchen with the windows closed and hear the neighbors arguing in their kitchen (also with the windows closed), I hear the refrigerator running. I also need the TV turned up about 20 increments higher than my wife requires it. So, we compromise by splitting the difference and turning on the closed captioning. (I'm 45 since you're probably going to ask.)

Anyway, my point is that your concern for the children's hearing was real, right, and well-founded. And that asshole principal should be taught a lesson. I would be pissed to be an adult with hearing loss and be able to trace the start of that damage back to my fifth grade school principal's insistence on playing music entirely too loud to be safe for anyone's hearing.

On 6/2/2017 at 11:48 AM, Sun-Bun said:

Group texts---God I hate them. The hate turns to burning, firey loathing as soon as a couple of idiots start continuing the conversation within the group text. Just text the main person back directly, but NOT IN THE GROUP TEXT; how difficult is this to understand?!

Completely agree with you here. My wife's family likes to do group texts. My parents are starting to use them with my brothers, aunts, uncles, friends, and me. What makes it worse with my family is that my parents will start an exchange with someone privately, then they'll suddenly decide to continue it in a group text. Then my mother wonders why I don't respond to group messages and gets upset about it.

[MrSmith]

On 6/5/2017 at 7:08 AM, TurtlePower said:

As a former lifeguard (and as someone who still works on a waterway/lake), we wish we knew how to reduce drownings. We've looked at the data and the rate never seems to change and the drownings occur all over. Oftentimes we get reports that the person in the water "is a good swimmer." Unless you train daily, you are likely NOT a good swimmer (pet peeve). I think overconfidence probably plays into it--when I train, there's a rescue tube attached to me in case I wind up taking a face full of wave (and I've got skills). Anyone can drown and no one seems to accept that until it happens to them or someone they know. 

As a child, I took years' worth of swimming lessons every summer until I was 17. I was one class away from being a lifeguard. Since then, I've hardly done any swimming and I have no illusions about just how badly those skills have rotted in the intervening years. For most people though, you're right: they have entirely too much confidence in their own skills. I was going to go swimming now, I'd want floaties just to make sure I don't drown myself. :D

[PRgal]

22 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

 

WOW! I am sorry to hear you're having trouble with this. I am surprised at the shit that people think matters. Why does ethnicity even matter? Or religion? Neither are important considerations for whether a couple will be good parents or not. My wife is a non-practicing Wiccan and I am a Deist. I'd love to know what adoption counselors (is that the right word?) would make of that!

Because social workers (often) feel that those who are from a certain background will better understand the kind of discrimination a child might go through for one (and I have to admit that people from my background ((Han)Chinese) can be very ignorant of certain ethnicities IN ADDITION to believing in bloodlines/protecting the "family name")) and others (birth parents AND social workers alike) might have certain stereotypes of Asians and/or Jews.

[MrSmith]

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Because social workers (often) feel that those who are from a certain background will better understand the kind of discrimination a child might go through for one (and I have to admit that people from my background ((Han)Chinese) can be very ignorant of certain ethnicities IN ADDITION to believing in bloodlines/protecting the "family name")) and others (birth parents AND social workers alike) might have certain stereotypes of Asians and/or Jews.

Fair enough on the italicized part. The bolded part I would fight over because that is their personal problem, not mine (or yours). I have a very low tolerance for injustice or inequality and when my sense of justice and/or equality are offended, I have a very deep well of anger and energy to draw upon to correct the offense. And I have used that to fight for other people in the past, too. Nobody gets to slag someone else off for their ethnicity or disabilities when I'm around because I'll take the fight to you over that.

Edited June 7, 2017 by MrSmith

[PRgal]

6 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

Fair enough on the italicized part. The bolded part I would fight over because that is their personal problem, not mine (or yours). I have a very low tolerance for injustice or inequality and when my sense of justice and/or equality are offended, I have a very deep well of anger and energy to draw upon to correct the offense. And I have used that to fight for other people in the past, too. Nobody gets to slag someone else off for their ethnicity or disabilities when I'm around because I'll take the fight to you over that.

Unfortunately, there's no actual proof.  It's pure speculation, but not something completely unrealistic, either. 

[MrSmith]

Just now, PRgal said:

Unfortunately, there's no actual proof.  It's pure speculation, but not something completely unrealistic, either. 

You should try to get proof. Do it in person and have your phone set to video record rather than just take a picture. That's what I would do, but I hunt for windmills at which to tilt. That's one reason I got elected to be a union steward at my job three jobs ago.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Does anyone have the solution for the annoying calls from "Private Caller"?  

That's me; sorry, I'll stop calling you.

My number is private, meaning neither my number nor name show up on people's caller ID, and the way it does display is as "Private Caller."  My parents have one of those things that blocks most calls after one ring, too, and they had to program me in so my calls would go through, because its default setting was to block private numbers; I think that means other private numbers come through as well, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, maybe your call blocker can be tweaked to block private callers.

[ennui]

21 hours ago, BookWoman56 said:

Minor confession here: While I do not use a workplace bathroom stall to make phone calls, in the past I have used one sometimes to play free cell or solitaire on my phone.

1 hour ago, MrSmith said:

So, I'm actually a much better driver than most people

I have never met anyone who didn't think they were an above average driver. And if you're rolling at 100-120 mph in traffic, I'm glad you live in another part of the country. Those speeds should be reserved for track days. Imho, of course.

[MrSmith]

42 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's me; sorry, I'll stop calling you.

My number is private, meaning neither my number nor name show up on people's caller ID, and the way it does display is as "Private Caller."  My parents have one of those things that blocks most calls after one ring, too, and they had to program me in so my calls would go through, because its default setting was to block private numbers; I think that means other private numbers come through as well, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, maybe your call blocker can be tweaked to block private callers.

I worked for a phone company for 10 years. On a landline phone, you could dial *67 and it would block your caller id from displaying for that phone call. There was either a feature that let you do the reverse (have your number always blocked) or the phone company could cause your number to always be blocked; whereas *82 would allow you to reveal your number to called parties (and therefore not be blocked by anonymous call rejection). *77 turns anonymous call rejection on (blocks anonymous calls), and *87 turns ACR off (allows anonymous calls through).

In the early days, telemarketers would come up as "private number", "blocked number", "private caller", or the equivalent. Once people realized that ACR blocked them and started turning that on in droves, then telemarketers started displaying their phone number as 000-000-0000 or 555-555-5555 or some other nonsense number. This drove customers to complain to the FCC and the phone companies, and telemarketers were forced to start using real numbers. So, then telemarketers started spoofing their caller id, and their number started showing as random real people's numbers (whom you may or may not have known, most likely not). This again drove complaints to the FCC because "people I don't know are calling me" and "people are calling me accusing me of calling them!" So, then they had to use their real numbers and so they would just have those numbers set up to send incoming calls into a black hole, basically.

[backformore]

On ‎6‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:55 AM, HoosierJen said:

I teach drivers' ed at our school during the summers. The school is about five miles away from my house in our small town, and I have several students who live within a block or two of my house. Every summer I have parents asking me to drive their kids to/from drivers' ed. I know it's not a big deal, it's only a short trip, and getting your kid to and from school for a four-hour class each day is a pain, but I don't want to haul your kid around! And they never offer to pitch in for gas because I'm going anyway. It annoys me so much. I like my quiet time in the car and I don't want to ride around with teenagers! 

Ah - easy fix on that one - tell them you're an employee of the school and it's against the rules.  

If they want their kids to learn to drive, they will figure out a way to get them there.  And if not, they can go to a private driving school, where they DO pick kids up for the behind the wheel lessons.

[MrSmith]

2 minutes ago, ennui said:

I have never met anyone who didn't think they were an above average driver. And if you're rolling at 100-120 mph in traffic, I'm glad you live in another part of the country. Those speeds should be reserved for track days. Imho, of course.

Well, I drove those speeds when I was young and dumb - and when traffic was considerably lighter than it is today. I had a friend who was an overnight nurse taking care of people in their homes. She worked at a house down out I-43 a ways. I would go meet up with her from time to time in the middle of the night and that section of highway was always empty. Nowadays, that section of highway is always busy. And the stretch from Milwaukee down to County E is nearly always congested. If I were 18 to 20 today, I wouldn't be able to pull such shenanigans because of the traffic.

And I agree with you: Those speeds should be done on a track. I was very stupid to have driven like that on public roads. Nonetheless, I did get an unexpected benefit from it, which is that sixth sense about what people are going to do next while driving down the road.

[backformore]

On ‎6‎/‎6‎/‎2017 at 11:19 AM, MrsMoltisanti said:

While I am on this roll,  I see this young woman all the time in my neighbourhood pushing her toddler in a stroller and yapping on her phone.  I see her up and down the street, in the park pushing toddler on swing and still yap yap on the phone.  Am I getting old?  Why not put the phone down and actually be in the moment with the toddler and play?  

yeah, I see this all the time, and it's so weird to me.   I remember loving taking my kids to the park, pushing the stroller and talking to them about what we saw, pushing them on swings and playing with them.   I see a lot of moms today on their phones basically ignoring their young child who is right there in front of them.  Young kids need that one-on-one attention  in order to develop cognitive and language skills. 

[riley702]

45 minutes ago, MrSmith said:

that sixth sense about what people are going to do next while driving down the road.

I call it body language for cars and I have it, too. I just know when some dip is about to merge right into me or in front of me. Or go veering across multiple lanes and make everybody hit their brakes reflexively. Always someone screwing up my cruise control to gain one more car length.

[FormerMod-a1]

I've got it, too.  For all the bad things you list above, and for all the good things that let me drive smoothly across lanes or turns when needed.  (basically for all things driving. :D )

[BookWoman56]

1 hour ago, ennui said:

 

Many years ago I worked for a company that had a very high level of stress. At that time, our main building was located at the end of a residential boulevard with little traffic. A lot of the employees patronized a regional barbecue chain that had a store a few blocks away, which gave out those huge insulated mugs (with lids) for which people could come in and get refills for iced tea. Often people just used them for water, going down to our cafeteria and getting ice, then filling them with water.  Also, on the corner as you were coming out of the boulevard was a convenience store. However, toward the end of the week, it always seemed like there was increased traffic to the little convenience store, which I had observed without really paying attention to it. One day I had to go there for something, and observed a fellow employee in there at 2:00 in the afternoon buying a pack of chilled wine coolers.  When I got through and went back out to my car, he was still in the parking lot in his car, busily pouring the contents of one wine cooler into his insulated mug, and then he drove back to work.  After that, I began noticing that several other employees had a habit of taking a break mid-afternoon, declaring that they wanted to go run to the barbecue place, and they would return with their giant mug, which I suspect was not full of tea but wine coolers, etc.  This is probably part of what contributed to the joke at one local rehab clinic that our company had its own wing there.

[ennui]

I guess I have a driving sixth sense, too, but I always considered it a combination of experience and defensive driving. I grew up with "Watch Out for the Other Guy." They should bring those ads back. 

I will always remember an accident on I-5, near Los Angeles. Climbing the Tejon Pass, a small car passed everyone, weaving in and around, probably going around 100. A couple of curves later, that same car was upside down on the hillside. I felt for the passengers. 

I have nothing against speed (it can be fun when you have the road to yourself), but there are so many variables. Mostly, it seems like a lot of people are exceeding their vehicle's capabilities. 

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, ennui said:

I have never met anyone who didn't think they were an above average driver. And if you're rolling at 100-120 mph in traffic, I'm glad you live in another part of the country. Those speeds should be reserved for track days. Imho, of course.

I think I'm a terrible driver.  Actually I know I'm a terrible driver.  But, I haven't killed anyone.  I absolutely refuse to use my phone in any capacity while driving.  But, what kills me is that my best friend texts and drives.  I've gotten her to stop when I'm in the car with her because she doesn't want the nagging.  But, before she stopped, I've seen her almost rearend people, cut people off, etc.  And, then one time she told me about a small fender bender she got into while texting.  OK, this is the part that kills me. We'll be in the car and see someone talking on the phone and she complains about them cutting people off, or whatnot.  When, I point out that she also uses her phone while driving, she informs me that she is able to do safely.  Although, she has at least stopped texting since the accident,but she still uses the phone.

[Quof]

Agree, everyone believes they are not the problem driver.  Every driver who texts while driving thinks "Oh, I know all the studies show that you can't do this safely, but that's all the other people. I'm gifted."  Also, every driver who drinks before driving thinks "Oh, I know other people can't drive with .08 blood alcohol, but I can."  And they can't.  Unless they're Johnny Fever. 

[DeLurker]

I'm a decent driver since I know my weak points.  I have limited spatial skills (and am truly envious of those who do), but that makes me very cautious.  I make sure I have plenty of clearance before changing lanes or merging.  Parallel parking skills evade me too - the only time I could do it was when I had a tiny car.  I will gladly walk a 1/4 mile to avoid parallel parking.

[Quof]

Parallel parking is one of the things I do best.  I used to live in the downtown of a historic city, where no one had off street parking, so I parallel parked at least once a day, every day, for years.   There were also a lot of one way streets, so I can parallel park on the either side of the street.  I can park on a dime.  Funny, cuz that's the thing that caused me to fail my first driving test as a teen.

[Bastet]

I'm very good at parallel parking (and I can do it on either side of the street, too), but every once in a while I blow it completely - and when I do that, it's always with a huge space to work with. 

I've always been a good driver; when we all first got our licenses in high school, my friends' parents would request that I be the one driving when the group of us went out.  I certainly had my foolish and reckless moments as a young driver, with the stuff we'd get up to, but in normal daily driving I was good.  I first learned to drive when I was about 14 (this was out in the country), and my parents gave me a lot of practice when I had my learner's permit, so by the time I got my license I was very comfortable behind the wheel.

I'd say 25-35 were probably my peak performance years.

I'm impatient, prone to road rage (that merely manifests as me yelling obscenities within the confines of my car), and don't leave enough space between me and the car ahead of me.  I've never rear-ended anyone, or even had a close call, but I should pull back since my reflexes are only going to get slower.

[MrSmith]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I think I'm a terrible driver.  Actually I know I'm a terrible driver.  But, I haven't killed anyone.  I absolutely refuse to use my phone in any capacity while driving.  But, what kills me is that my best friend texts and drives.  I've gotten her to stop when I'm in the car with her because she doesn't want the nagging.  But, before she stopped, I've seen her almost rearend people, cut people off, etc.  And, then one time she told me about a small fender bender she got into while texting.  OK, this is the part that kills me. We'll be in the car and see someone talking on the phone and she complains about them cutting people off, or whatnot.  When, I point out that she also uses her phone while driving, she informs me that she is able to do safely.  Although, she has at least stopped texting since the accident,but she still uses the phone.

Man, oh man. I only "text and drive" when my wife is in the car so that she can read the text for me and send the response. Otherwise, I won't even pick up the phone to see who sent me a message until I'm pulled over somewhere and the car is in park. I'll talk on the phone while I drive, but I use a headset. So my phone is never in my hand. Also, my father taught me that when you're on the road, drive. Conversation and everything else comes second. So I'll interrupt my conversation or hang up whenever necessary.

My sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law all think they can text and drive safely. I think I finally got through to my brothers-in-law by telling them it's the same as driving drunk. Since they both have two DUIs, they could relate and I think they've given up the practice.

Driving takes a lot of energy, concentration, and attention. There's very little you can safely do at the same time as driving.

[FormerMod-a1]

It's funny, I used to consider myself an average driver until more then one friend, independently (i.e. they weren't together at the time) told me they like driving with me because they feel safe with me and/or consider me a good driver.  I speed, and am good spatially so I'm not leaving large spaces, etc - basically no one would call me a cautious or tentative driver, so that's not what they meant.  Then, many years later, I was driving someone around after they had a head injury and they said they would only get into a car with me.  So, I seem to have this rep for being a good driver, but not a slow* driver.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

ETA: *not that I speed excessively either, just the 5-10 over depending on where and traffic conditions.

[MrSmith]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

I'm a decent driver since I know my weak points.  I have limited spatial skills (and am truly envious of those who do), but that makes me very cautious.  I make sure I have plenty of clearance before changing lanes or merging.  Parallel parking skills evade me too - the only time I could do it was when I had a tiny car.  I will gladly walk a 1/4 mile to avoid parallel parking.

Yeah, I have a very good sense of exactly how wide and long my car is. I try to make sure I have a comfortable distance between myself and anyone in the lane I want to move into. To do otherwise is just rude and I try not to piss anyone else off on the road. We're all trying to get somewhere safely and being respectful and considerate helps make sure that happens.

[bubbls]

On 6/4/2017 at 9:23 PM, ennui said:

So, I am downsizing two households (long story). I took a car load of stuff around to Goodwill, and lo and behold, they have exceeded capacity and are not accepting donations. WTF? All I could think is, what in h*** am I supposed to do with all this stuff?

Dear Goodwill -- call the f* distribution center and tell them to send a couple of trucks. Who's in charge over there? Jeez.

(Goodwill is not my preferred charity, but the Salvation Army has incredibly limited hours for donations and I can't meet their window.)

Maybe if they didn't charge an arm and leg for their junk that was given to them for free they'd sell more and have more room. Just a thought, Goodwill......

[Qoass]

Quote

Agree, everyone believes they are not the problem driver.  Every driver who texts while driving thinks "Oh, I know all the studies show that you can't do this safely, but that's all the other people. I'm gifted."  Also, every driver who drinks before driving thinks "Oh, I know other people can't drive with .08 blood alcohol, but I can."  And they can't.  Unless they're Johnny Fever. 

These are the same people who use their phones at movie theatres but are convinced that they're doing it in a manner that doesn't bother anybody because no one has ever confronted them about it.

I'm Qoass and I'm a lousy driver.

[TattleTeeny]

10 hours ago, bubbls said:

Maybe if they didn't charge an arm and leg for their junk that was given to them for free they'd sell more and have more room. Just a thought, Goodwill......

Really? Our Goodwill must be a weird anomaly -- especially because it's really neat and well organized. I'm no stranger to thrift shopping (I like old clothes, random mismatched picture frames, and ugly tchotchkes, particularly cat figurines of the "who the hell would even make this?" variety), and I seriously could not believe my eyes when I first walked in that place. Plus, that was where I found a pair of never-worn Fly London shoes in my size for $12!

PEEVE: Higher-ups (and self-perceived "higher-ups") at work who are awful about replying to e-mails. Seriously, assholes, maybe set an example as far as effective communications go regarding work stuff? You think I'm e-mailing you for fun, that I have no one else to communicate with (like you good people here in this forum--thank you!)? FFS, this rampant "I'll get to it later (if ever)" attitude is stupid and counterproductive. I am by no means implying that everyone here should drop everything to cater to me, but why would you bother adding a two-second "task" to a to-do list instead of just--oh, I don't know--doing it at the moment? Dumb asses.

Edited June 8, 2017 by TattleTeeny

[NutMeg]

On 6/8/2017 at 1:42 AM, Bastet said:

That's me; sorry, I'll stop calling you.

My number is private, meaning neither my number nor name show up on people's caller ID, and the way it does display is as "Private Caller."  My parents have one of those things that blocks most calls after one ring, too, and they had to program me in so my calls would go through, because its default setting was to block private numbers; I think that means other private numbers come through as well, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, maybe your call blocker can be tweaked to block private callers.

The same happens when you make a Skype call to a phone rather than another Skype account: it either shows up as Private Caller or with the code of a random country, by random I mean not the one you're in. I use Skype calls when I travel, but  when I Skype call my mom, she often doesn't answer at first, and I need to inform her via texts and then she picks up. Meanwhile, my missed call lists during the night, when  I mute the phone, includes calls from Samoa and Guinea this month, and in the past I've had a few from Nigeria and other African countries. And I'm sill puzzled as to why they call a number in a timezone where people would logically be sleeping... Are scam calls really targeting insomniacs?? 

[ennui]

7 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

Are scam calls really targeting insomniacs?? 

Maybe they think if they wake you up, you'll be groggy and vulnerable. 

[NutMeg]

1 minute ago, ennui said:

Maybe they think if they wake you up, you'll be groggy and vulnerable. 

Fair enough :)

[Katy M]

6 minutes ago, ennui said:

Maybe they think if they wake you up, you'll be groggy and vulnerable. 

I yelled at someone for waking me up once.  It was probably like 10 on Saturday, but I was still sleeping because my cat had cancer and was throwing up all night.  I'd get up like every 3 times to clean it up. Anyway, Reader's Digest or TV Guide called to sell me a subscription and I was like "I WAS SLEEPING!!!!"  She apologized and I actually felt a little bad because she's just doing her job, but I hung up and went back to bed.

[NutMeg]

I was rather unpleasant to the various people who woke me up over the years too, even when I had no better reason than I was sleeping! whether I had gotten to be super late because of partying or needed to catch up on sleep or was sick made no difference: if you wake me up, expect me to verbally rip your ear off.

Two exceptions though: if my mom called me at a time I was supposed to be up and ready for a class that I had planned to skip during my university years, I pretended to be up and about, and to this day I have no idea if she bought it or not.

The other exception is my landline ringing in the middle of the night. By the time I emerge from my slumber and make it (too late) to the room where the phone is located I'm so stressed out that I have a hard time getting back to sleep. More often than not, I later learn that it was a relative who had forgotten to think about time zones or my mom who thought she was sending me a text (apparently, a text sent to your landline won't reach you, but your phone will ring, and if the sender is 8 hours behind that can be anxiety inducing). But until the identity of the caller is confirmed, I'll be running multiple catastrophic scenarios in my head. 

[janestclair]

I don't think I'm that great of a driver but I also can tell what other drivers are going to do before they do it, and it has saved my ass on more than one occasion.  I'm good with merging and maintaining appropriate distances at speed, but I hate with a burning passion pulling out onto the highway from a full stop.  I find it difficult to judge distances when other cars are moving that fast, especially at night. To compensate, I usually floor it when I pull out.  I also suck at parallel parking, but I live in suburban NJ, so it's not much of an issue.   I've never texted while driving, and I give people who I see doing it a wide berth on the road.

[ennui]

43 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

a text sent to your landline won't reach you, but your phone will ring

A-ha! That would explain the dead air when I pick up the phone. I get a lot of those.

[NutMeg]

There is a kind of drivers that I have a hard time with when I'm not driving: the aggressive driver, i.e. the one who alternated (too) fast accelerations with sharp braking.

Give me smooth driving any time.   

[Qoass]

Our office gets reams of paper in sturdy cardboard boxes with matching lids.  Each box is bound with two plastic straps.  Once empty, they have tons of uses but most of my darling coworkers are too freaking(stupid/lazy) unwilling to grab a pair of scissors to remove the plastic straps.  Better to tear the lid apart rendering it good for nothing but the trash barrel.  Grrrrr.

[Katy M]

12 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Our office gets reams of paper in sturdy cardboard boxes with matching lids.  Each box is bound with two plastic straps.  Once empty, they have tons of uses but most of my darling coworkers are too freaking(stupid/lazy) unwilling to grab a pair of scissors to remove the plastic straps.  Better to tear the lid apart rendering it good for nothing but the trash barrel.  Grrrrr.

I would actually think it would be harder to tear the lid up around those plastic strips then to find a pair of scissors. But, hey, that's just me.

[harrie]

10 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Really? Our Goodwill must be a weird anomaly -- especially because it's really neat and well organized. I'm no stranger to thrift shopping (I like old clothes, random mismatched picture frames, and ugly tchotchkes, particularly cat figurines of the "who the hell would even make this?" variety), and I seriously could not believe my eyes when I first walked in that place. Plus, that was where I found a pair of never-worn Fly London shoes in my size for $12!

 

The Goodwill outlets near me appear to be doing very well.  In one town, Goodwill closed their existing (rented) outlet and moved to a facility that they built on a nice piece of property (corner lot, frontage on a well-traveled state road) they had purchased. In another town, a Goodwill store is opening in a brand new shopping center that looks quite ritzy. I've gotta say, it does color my perception of the organization and sort of makes me gravitate towards the more humble Savers when donating stuff.  It's not that I think a Goodwill store should be a dump or doesn't deserve to look nice, with a good location; but I get a sort of inferiority complex about the stuff I'm donating and wonder whether it will pass muster. 

[ennui]

51 minutes ago, harrie said:

I get a sort of inferiority complex about the stuff I'm donating and wonder whether it will pass muster. 

I wouldn't worry about it. They are good at sorting and routing. They do throw a lot away, too. 

The Goodwill near me has a store, and a large donation center at the rear. I like it because they take just about everything -- including e-waste. I haven't been back, but hopefully the trucks have been and gone and they are once again accepting donations (even if they do throw a lot away).

I like the American Cancer Society Discovery shops, and one of the churches has a thrift shop, and I save the best things to take to those places; however, their hours are limited. Goodwill is open until 7 p.m.

[riley702]

6 hours ago, NutMeg said:

I was rather unpleasant to the various people who woke me up over the years too, even when I had no better reason than I was sleeping! whether I had gotten to be super late because of partying or needed to catch up on sleep or was sick made no difference: if you wake me up, expect me to verbally rip your ear off.

Eons ago, when I worked nights (got off at 7:30 am), my aunt once called me at noon and upon hearing my sleepy voice, asked "Are you still asleep?" I'm afraid I was not even slightly nice pointing out that I'd gotten off work about four hours ago, and maybe I should call her at 1 am and ask her why she was still asleep. She has never ever called me again. That works, too.

[bilgistic]

6 hours ago, Qoass said:

Our office gets reams of paper in sturdy cardboard boxes with matching lids.  Each box is bound with two plastic straps.  Once empty, they have tons of uses but most of my darling coworkers are too freaking(stupid/lazy) unwilling to grab a pair of scissors to remove the plastic straps.  Better to tear the lid apart rendering it good for nothing but the trash barrel.  Grrrrr.

I wouldn't be able to restrain myself from saying something to the jackknob who was doing that. Is that the modern-day equivalent of tearing a phone book in half?

1 hour ago, ennui said:

I wouldn't worry about it. They are good at sorting and routing. They do throw a lot away, too.

Goodwill topic: two stories. Grab a seat.

1) Several years ago, my sister "got up in a girl's face" at her daughter's school because the girl had been bullying my niece, supposedly. I say supposedly because my sister...tends to make up things for attention. (She's ALL ABOUT some Facebook!) My other niece's "identity was stolen" recently, as an example.

Unsurprisingly, the child-accosting was recorded because schools have cameras everywhere nowadays. A teacher saw the exchange and the girl's parents were insistent upon something being done to my sister. She said she didn't touch the girl, but there was a video, and whatever happened was bad enough (she had no record, supposedly) that she was given community service, which she served at...Goodwill. She had to help intake and sort donations for maybe 60 hours. I don't remember how much, but it wasn't insignificant. Supposedly.

2) I very badly sprained my ankle and foot in July 2015. I was in an immobilizer boot for months. I kept it in my trunk and would hobble to and from the driver's side of the car and the trunk to put on/take off the boot when I got to/from my destination. When I was finally done wearing that thing, I just never took it out of the trunk because what am I going to do with it?

I also had in my trunk a pair of size-10 Crocs I found on sale at Marshalls. I wear a seven, but I had to have a big enough shoe to allow room for the compression wraps on my foot. It was a good look--a navy Croc clog on my right foot and a sensible sandal on my left.

Months and months and months later (like, only recently), I finally stopped at the Goodwill I was about to pass by one day. I opened the trunk and the intake guy starts grabbing my toilet paper out of the trunk. I took it back from him as he's eyeballing my clothes detergent. Excuse me, I just came from Target; those are mine.

I fish out the Crocs and give them to him and start to hand him the boot. He tells me they can't take it "because you could have fungus or whatever", as he's taking a pair of shoes from me.

.

.

.

(I imagine they just probably can't take used medical equipment/supplies.)