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

[Katy M]

4 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

If I had to choose my poison of all the natural disasters that could potentially occur in a region, I would still choose a hurricane over a snowstorm, tornadoes, or an earthquake.  Hurricanes give people time to prepare. And storms like Andrew/Katrina/Harvey/Sandy/Matthew which are deadly and tragic, fortunately are somewhat rare. The ratio to how many storms are formed each season vs how many make landfall is a bit amazing to me.

After Hurricane Andrew, there was a woman on the news who had moved to Florida from the Midwest, and she said at least a tornado just goes through and it's over and a hurricane could last who knows how long.  So, I guess everyone has a different perspective.  I'm from New England and I would take a huge snow storm over a hurricane any day  Snow storms inconveniecnes your for a couple of days, a week at the most, but then you're probably good to go.  Snow storms are also predictable so you can prepare form them also.

[bilgistic]

I've been very fortunate to have not been in any natural disasters. We rarely get real snow here in Charlotte, but we get ice storms that often kill power and cause wrecks because people think they need to drive no matter what.

There was a bad ice storm in 2002 that knocked out my power for six days. I had a gas water heater, so I had warm showers, but it was 55 degrees in my apartment. I know that's hardly suffering, and once the cats (two at the time) and I got in bed at night, we were warm and it was OK.

[ratgirlagogo]

I grew up in Los Angeles with earthquakes, flash floods, and wildfires.  Most earthquakes are just little wigglers but I lived through several huge ones that were quite devastating and impossible to prepare for.  One of my college hallmates died in the 1989 one in Santa Cruz (I went to school there in the late seventies and was so sad at how much of the downtown was destroyed).    I know both flash floods and wildfires are becoming more severe because of global warming, and because many more people are living in flood/fire prone areas that weren't built up when I was I was growing up there in the 60's -70's.  

I'd absolutely choose snowstorm as my disaster of choice.  I love when NYC completely shuts down FOR ONCE because of a blizzard - it's so quiet, and everyone is out playing in the snow.  If you don't insist on driving your car for no fucking reason you'll be fine, and so will your house/apartment.    Hurricane Sandy on the other hand - five years on and we still haven't recovered from it.  And NYC can look forward to plenty more hurricanes because of climate change.  The winters keep getting warmer here and we don't have as many big stop-the-city snowstorms as in years past.  Boo.

Edited September 2, 2017 by ratgirlagogo

[bilgistic]

@TattleTeeny, I think your old neighbors moved in downstairs. They just moved in, like, three days ago. They were loudly carrying on until nearly 3am last night. I am now smelling pot. Instant headache. I just talked to the "resource officer".

I don't get what's so hard about being courteous of others, not to mention that this is a non-smoking building, and that's part of the lease they had to sign to move in here. "Non-smoking" means not smoking anything, not just cigarettes. Go to a smoke shop or someone's house (unconnected to others). I support legalization. I don't think pot is the devil. I just don't want to smell it nor do I choose to partake.

Edited September 2, 2017 by bilgistic

[TattleTeeny]

Oy vey, man--and maybe it is them; they did just leave last week! In one final display of cluelessness, they parked their moving truck perpendicularly right behind about four people's cars! 

[bilgistic]

Assholes.

[auntlada]

2 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

I grew up in Los Angeles with earthquakes, flash floods, and wildfires.  Most earthquakes are just little wigglers but I lived through several huge ones that were quite devastating and impossible to prepare for.  One of my college hallmates died in the 1989 one in Santa Cruz (I went to school there in the late seventies and was so sad at how much of the downtown was destroyed).    I know both flash floods and wildfires are becoming more severe because of global warming, and because many more people are living in flood/fire prone areas that weren't built up when I was I was growing up there in the 60's -70's.  

I'd absolutely choose snowstorm as my disaster of choice.  I love when NYC completely shuts down FOR ONCE because of a blizzard - it's so quiet, and everyone is out playing in the snow.  If you don't insist on driving your car for no fucking reason you'll be fine, and so will your house/apartment.    Hurricane Sandy on the other hand - five years on and we still haven't recovered from it.  And NYC can look forward to plenty more hurricanes because of climate change.  The winters keep getting warmer here and we don't have as many big stop-the-city snowstorms as in years past.  Boo.

We had more than a foot of snow here one year. This is not a snow state. Everything shut down -- except the newspaper, so I still had to work. Getting to and from work wasn't great, but walking around and taking photos was fun. Also I and another editor brought slow cookers of stew and chili for the newsroom for lunch, so that was kind of fun. If it hadn't been for that we would not have had food without going home because no restaurants were open at all.

Snow, or the usual ice here, is better now because there is at least a chance I might get off work. When you work at a newspaper, you don't get off for anything. Someone has to tell people they can't go anywhere.

Generally for natural disasters, I prefer tornadoes because I can get to a shelter in time, and thhen it is over pretty quick. Also, they don't usually take out entire cities. And I've watched enough weather on TV that I can spot the place on the radar where a tornado is more likely. It's the hook echo, and it's part of the state's tornado bingo game.

Edited September 3, 2017 by auntlada

[peacheslatour]

I hate wind. Here in Seattle we have these really tall Douglas fir trees everywhere. Last year we had a wind storm and one came down on my parents roof in the middle of the night. Took out the upstairs bathroom and just about gave my mother a heart attack. I'll take a snowstorm any day.

Edited September 3, 2017 by peacheslatour

[bilgistic]

My apartment faces the apartment building's parking lot, which is adjacent to the tennis courts, which are adjacent to the pool. There were a lot of kids at the pool today, as there are on most summer weekend days. I'm all for kids having fun far away from me, but some of them were screaming like they were literally being tortured. Granted, because I'm a mutant, I can hear a conversation being held across a busy restaurant as well as I can hear one next to me. I know it's stupid to be irritated about kids yelling outside, but it's yet another thing that my mother didn't allow my sisters and I to do. "There's no need to scream at the top of your lungs. Act like you have some sense."

And someone is setting off fireworks now.

[AgentRXS]

I can't stand that parents today let their children scream at the top of their lungs. My parents never allowed that either.In other news, I've just about had it with my neighbor using his leaf blower to blow leaves on to my patio. He was gone for a month and it was so peaceful with out him and my patio looked great. Today I heard the machine, stepped outside a few minutes later, and saw my patio covered in leaves. He's clearly doing this to be an asshole, so no sense in saying anything to him. It's just annoying and tiring. 

[bilgistic]

How does he have leaves to blow in the summer?

[AgentRXS]

He has a huge tree over his patio that is always shedding dead leaves.  I am the corner unit, so there is no excuse for why he just can't blow them into the grass on the corner of the property. He blows just enough so they are all over my patio and stops. Its aggravating.

[peacheslatour]

I think someone has a little crush on AgentRXS ;)

[Petunia13]

I work at a grocery store. I often buy stuff for me or more often my dog sitter parents after I finish. I bought a bottle of wine and a wrapped slice of pizza after just ending my shift name tag on. The cashier says "Is that for here?" 

Yes I often guzzle a bottle of wine at work. 

[bilgistic]

Hilarious!

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

Yes I often guzzle a bottle of wine at work.

I guess it depends on your job...

[theredhead77]

Serious pet peeve: people who blindly like and share things on social media with no regard to accuracy.

[bilgistic]

My new neighbor is blazing up again, and it reeks in my place. I guess I have to have a talk with the management, as if that's going to make a damn bit of difference. They're going to tell me to call the cops. I did that the other day. The cop came and I don't think my neighbor answered the door, for obvious reasons. The cop told me to tell management. And around and around we'll go. I love that my lease ("quiet enjoyment" and "no smoking") means absolutely nothing.

[Zola]

I do find it quite irritating when supermarkets decide to move all their stock around!

If you're a regular patron you instantly know where the milk is, where the bread is, where the veg is etc. And then they decide to shift everything around so you have to spend twice as long trying to find the things you really need.

I mean I understand the reasoning why they do it, especially when they put the popular stuff right at the back of the supermarket so that you have to go down the aisles and hope you don't get distracted with things you have no intention of buying in the first place. But quite often you can find yourself spending 3 or 4 times as much as you originally intended!

I suppose that's one advantage of shopping online. 

[Blergh]

4 hours ago, Zola said:

I do find it quite irritating when supermarkets decide to move all their stock around!

If you're a regular patron you instantly know where the milk is, where the bread is, where the veg is etc. And then they decide to shift everything around so you have to spend twice as long trying to find the things you really need.

I mean I understand the reasoning why they do it, especially when they put the popular stuff right at the back of the supermarket so that you have to go down the aisles and hope you don't get distracted with things you have no intention of buying in the first place. But quite often you can find yourself spending 3 or 4 times as much as you originally intended!

I suppose that's one advantage of shopping online. 

  I agree! We had that happen in my city when they decided to finally sell wine in regular stores so that meant there was suddenly every store got a huge section to put in wines and moved everything else around to hither and yon!

 

 Not a bad point re easily finding stuff online but at least one can still inspect and smell produce up close in the stores BEFORE buying -unlike online.

[StatisticalOutlier]

5 hours ago, Zola said:

I do find it quite irritating when supermarkets decide to move all their stock around!

If you're a regular patron you instantly know where the milk is, where the bread is, where the veg is etc. And then they decide to shift everything around so you have to spend twice as long trying to find the things you really need.

I don't live in a fixed place, and instead travel around full time, and grocery shopping is the #1 irritant for that very reason.  There are always catastrophes when on the road, which are definitely no fun, but you usually survive them and might have a good story to tell.  But constantly navigating a new-to-me grocery store is torture.  Every once in a while I'll find a new/different product, and that's fun, but it doesn't make up for having to traverse the store three times every time I buy groceries.

ETA:  Which reminds me that I used to do the grocery shopping for my family when I was little, like 11 or 12.  My mother knew the store so well that she would write the list in the order that I would encounter the products, so I never had to backtrack.  There were six of us living there at the time, so there were a lot of groceries (and that was even with having milk delivered to the house, which I still see in some places).  I'd fill one cart and put it aside, and then fill others, and when I started checking out, I'd have the store manager call my mom to come get me, and she'd usually pull up just as I was finishing.  I thought it was fun, but with hindsight, I'm smelling a Tom-Sawyer-painting-a-fence sort of thing.

 

12 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My new neighbor is blazing up again, and it reeks in my place.

That's one thing about traveling full time:  I'm much more likely to have a cretin for a neighbor, but at least it's easier for me to move when I do. 

Edited September 5, 2017 by StatisticalOutlier

[Hanahope]

So has the price to replace/fix an iphone screen increased dramatically over the last four years?  four years ago, I broke my iphone 5 screen and apple charged me $75 for the repair, which I thought was outrageous at the time.  So a couple weeks ago, while on vacation, my daughter broke the screen on her iphone 5.  We had bought an insurance plan when our family bought phones for our two daughters.  When we looked up replacing the screen through the insurance last night the "deductible" was $89.  wtf?  If that's the deductible, how much does a new screen cost if you don't have insurance?

We decided instead to go to a repair store near us which will replace the screen for $49.

[rcc]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

So has the price to replace/fix an iphone screen increased dramatically over the last four years?  four years ago, I broke my iphone 5 screen and apple charged me $75 for the repair, which I thought was outrageous at the time.  So a couple weeks ago, while on vacation, my daughter broke the screen on her iphone 5.  We had bought an insurance plan when our family bought phones for our two daughters.  When we looked up replacing the screen through the insurance last night the "deductible" was $89.  wtf?  If that's the deductible, how much does a new screen cost if you don't have insurance?

We decided instead to go to a repair store near us which will replace the screen for $49.

It goes to show that most if not all of those insurance plans for appliances, phones, etc. are bogus.

[bilgistic]

Because I just haven't complained enough recently, I'll complain some more.

My internal medicine doctor won't call in a refill for my medicine because I haven't been in to see them since December. OK, first, that's only nine months ago, not a year. Most people see their GP only annually. Second, I told them I'm now out of work and can't afford insurance, so could we maybe call in a refill until I'm working again? I've been on the same medicine at the same dosage for years. This med is a migraine preventive and has mood stabilizing properties, so it behooves me to stay on it.

I guess I'm going to have to pay for insurance for a month because it'll probably cost the same as a visit to the doctor, but I've not gotten any information about insurance continuation from my former job.

I realize my problems are so minor compared to people who have lost everything in the hurricane, and people who are about to lose everything because of a political issue I can't get into in this forum.

I just want to take time to organically decide my next steps, take care of Bilgisticat, and not feel like everything's got to be so damn difficult.

I'm whining.

[Moose135]

11 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

I'm whining.

That's OK, we don't mind. ;-)

[auntlada]

21 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Because I just haven't complained enough recently, I'll complain some more.

My internal medicine doctor won't call in a refill for my medicine because I haven't been in to see them since December. OK, first, that's only nine months ago, not a year. Most people see their GP only annually. Second, I told them I'm now out of work and can't afford insurance, so could we maybe call in a refill until I'm working again? I've been on the same medicine at the same dosage for years. This med is a migraine preventive and has mood stabilizing properties, so it behooves me to stay on it.

I guess I'm going to have to pay for insurance for a month because it'll probably cost the same as a visit to the doctor, but I've not gotten any information about insurance continuation from my former job.

I realize my problems are so minor compared to people who have lost everything in the hurricane, and people who are about to lose everything because of a political issue I can't get into in this forum.

I just want to take time to organically decide my next steps, take care of Bilgisticat, and not feel like everything's got to be so damn difficult.

I'm whining.

The fact that there are people dying or who have lost more than you does not make your pain or problems less real. Unless your problem is that you can't go to Europe more than twice his year because you bought a pony and a yacht. Then I don't feel at all bad for you.

[Mindthinkr]

30 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Because I just haven't complained enough recently, I'll complain some more.

My internal medicine doctor won't call in a refill for my medicine because I haven't been in to see them since December. OK, first, that's only nine months ago, not a year. Most people see their GP only annually. Second, I told them I'm now out of work and can't afford insurance, so could we maybe call in a refill until I'm working again? I've been on the same medicine at the same dosage for years. This med is a migraine preventive and has mood stabilizing properties, so it behooves me to stay on it.

I guess I'm going to have to pay for insurance for a month because it'll probably cost the same as a visit to the doctor, but I've not gotten any information about insurance continuation from my former job.

I realize my problems are so minor compared to people who have lost everything in the hurricane, and people who are about to lose everything because of a political issue I can't get into in this forum.

I just want to take time to organically decide my next steps, take care of Bilgisticat, and not feel like everything's got to be so damn difficult.

I'm whining.

It's probably the standards set up for prescribing medication at work. With certain meds you have to see the patient X times in order to write a script for it. Annoying yes. I'm on a BP medication and my new Dr refuses to give refills so every month I have to call the pharmacy, ask them to send him a fax, then his ppl will decide if it goes under his nose for a signature. I just want to say it's a good thing my background is in medicine. They have made 5 medication errors in the past three months and he's going to get an earful next visit. 

You are going thru a difficult time so I imagine that your medicines are very important for you right now. Call HR in your old job and see if you are eligible for COBRA or can set up an equivalent insurance plan. You are correct. Without a job it shouldn't be too high if you need to pay out of pocket. Just remember to put yourself and your health first. You are important. 

[bilgistic]

I'm waiting on the COBRA paperwork. I talked to the HR rep from my former job earlier. She said, "it's in the mail". I'm going to have to suck it up and pay for at least a month of coverage so I can get my medication refilled. Insurance is probably going to be upwards of $500+++. Ugh. It's the same through "the marketplace".

This doctor's office makes this a part of their standard practice. I've been with them for years. I really do get it, and I know they can't make exceptions for one person and not another. That doesn't make it any less annoying or inconvenient.

[Mindthinkr]

@bilgistic  I hope that you can at least try to discuss any other options for you. One way of getting around this is to have the Dr prescribe it as 3 months of medication. Lol...I may have to try that. It's similar to how they do it with those companies that mail you your medications. Crap on the COBRA being so high. I'll give HR a 2 day pass because of the holiday mail to get you the paperwork but I hope for you that it gets in soon. Best wishes with this. 

[DeLurker]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I realize my problems are so minor compared to people who have lost everything in the hurricane, and people who are about to lose everything because of a political issue I can't get into in this forum.

I just want to take time to organically decide my next steps, take care of Bilgisticat, and not feel like everything's got to be so damn difficult.

I'm whining.

What people are coping with always comes in a spectrum - some people have it way worse, some people have it way better, but that does not mean that your challenges aren't real, aren't worthy enough to share and it does not diminish the difficulties they pose for you.

Harvey kicked the shit out of Houston, right?  Well, not making as many headlines or getting the same attention was a monsoon that killed more than 1,200 people in India, Nepal and Bangladesh that started mid-August.  And the monsoon season isn't over yet.  It is estimated that a total of 41 million people are affected.  Plus the flooding has heightened the risk of diarrhea, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis and other diseases.

Harvey damage sounds pretty minor compared to that.  But it doesn't make Houston any less damaged because an area of Southeast Asia has it quantifiably worse.

[MargeGunderson]

12 hours ago, Zola said:

I do find it quite irritating when supermarkets decide to move all their stock around!

My Target recently did that and 2 months later I'm still muttering curses as I walk around the store.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I don't live in a fixed place, and instead travel around full time, and grocery shopping is the #1 irritant for that very reason. 

Oh my, this would be me if I traveled full time -- I hate going into unfamiliar grocery stores!  I don't particularly enjoy grocery shopping under normal circumstances (it's fine, so long as I can go when there aren't many people - especially of the child variety - in there, but I don't go so far as to like it), and to have to wander around guessing where things are, double back when I guess wrong, etc. shoots it all the way over to substantial irritant.

[riley702]

22 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My new neighbor is blazing up again, and it reeks in my place. I guess I have to have a talk with the management, as if that's going to make a damn bit of difference. They're going to tell me to call the cops. I did that the other day. The cop came and I don't think my neighbor answered the door, for obvious reasons. The cop told me to tell management. And around and around we'll go. I love that my lease ("quiet enjoyment" and "no smoking") means absolutely nothing.

Can you sue management for breach of contract? Or make a stink in the local news? "My neighbor is smoking pot and neither the landlord nor the police seem to care!"

[Petunia13]

I have a new neighbor. The first time I saw him he automatically tried to pet or grab my dog and I declined. Ever since then he makes this ultra offended face each time I see him. 

 

He's my dog. And I realize he's cute, but it doesn't mean you are entitled to pet or hold him. Maybe my dog wasn't feeling well or I wasn't or we had to go inside for personal reasons. It's stupid and annoying me. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 8/27/2017 at 7:34 AM, Mindthinkr said:

This irks me when I'm out to eat. I like seltzer. Plain. No sugar or substitutes. NO SALT. Club soda has a pinch of salt in it. So if I go out and inquire "Do you have seltzer?", I usually receive the answer yes. Then when it comes to the table I taste the salt and know I've been given club.

That is astounding.  I recently figured out that the difference between club soda and seltzer is sodium, but didn't think I could detect a difference in taste.  But I'm usually a super-taster, so your post got me to wondering, and tonight I did a blind taste test of club soda vs. seltzer, both Safeway brand (no Pelligrino or Perrier for this cheapskate) in a can.

I think there's a very slight difference in taste to me, but I don't have a clear preference for one over the other, even though I'm not usually a fan of salt.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to have Mr. Outlier serve up the same one twice in a row to see if I realized it wasn't different, but that will have to be for another time because (1) the two cans are empty, and (2) even with a mighty burp, I just don't have room for more fizzy water right now.

I'm actually kind of disappointed by the lack of rigor in this test--that's not like me.  I'm big on blind tests, to determine what I actually like rather than what I think I like.  So I know for sure which toffee I want to waste calories on.  And that I don't really care about root beer, but have definite preferences in chocolate (updated test of six different ones just a couple of days ago).

Oh, and on the subject of fizzy water, it irks that it's usually more expensive than soft drinks, which have flavorings and sugar that the manufacturer presumably has to pay for.  But speaking of expensive, I saw a bottle of club soda yesterday called "Q" that was about the size of one of those green Pelligrino bottles and it was $9.99 CDN!  It has Himalayan pink salt.

[bilgistic]

5 hours ago, riley702 said:

Can you sue management for breach of contract? Or make a stink in the local news? "My neighbor is smoking pot and neither the landlord nor the police seem to care!"

I went to the leasing office today and complained. Supposedly they are going to say something to him. :|

[Mindthinkr]

5 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That is astounding.  I recently figured out that the difference between club soda and seltzer is sodium, but didn't think I could detect a difference in taste.  But I'm usually a super-taster, so your post got me to wondering, and tonight I did a blind taste test of club soda vs. seltzer, both Safeway brand (no Pelligrino or Perrier for this cheapskate) in a can.

I think there's a very slight difference in taste to me, but I don't have a clear preference for one over the other, even though I'm not usually a fan of salt.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to have Mr. Outlier serve up the same one twice in a row to see if I realized it wasn't different, but that will have to be for another time because (1) the two cans are empty, and (2) even with a mighty burp, I just don't have room for more fizzy water right now.

I'm actually kind of disappointed by the lack of rigor in this test--that's not like me.  I'm big on blind tests, to determine what I actually like rather than what I think I like.  So I know for sure which toffee I want to waste calories on.  And that I don't really care about root beer, but have definite preferences in chocolate (updated test of six different ones just a couple of days ago).

Oh, and on the subject of fizzy water, it irks that it's usually more expensive than soft drinks, which have flavorings and sugar that the manufacturer presumably has to pay for.  But speaking of expensive, I saw a bottle of club soda yesterday called "Q" that was about the size of one of those green Pelligrino bottles and it was $9.99 CDN!  It has Himalayan pink salt.

Kudos to you for trying the blind taste test. I rarely eat salt although I will use some in cooking. I never salt food that has been brought to the table and can occasionally find eating out difficult as some places just use too much of it. I have learned that if I use a lemon wedge, that even if the "seltzer" is salted, than it least becomes more palatable to my taste. My father had issues with salt (MD imposed diet when I was 10) and growing up without it has left me super sensitive to it now that I am getting older. It burns my tongue and kills my taste buds. 

I agree that it's a rip off to charge us more for plain bubbly water. The cost of water has inflated and it disturbs me that even city water (which has to be paid for) costs a lot of money and can even be polluted (Gen-X in my neck of the country). I can even begin to imagine that "Q" water costs $9.99 just because of the fad with the pink Himalayan salt (which I have actually tried cooking with). Alas, I'm left with little choice as it is a necessity (both water and salt) in life and health. 

As a fellow chocolate lover I'm going to have to go back and check out your blind taste test. I applaud y'all for checking these things out on your own and even think these blind taste tests could be fun. I should do one with my grandchildren. For the fun and educational value of it. You have my mind working! 

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

As a fellow chocolate lover I'm going to have to go back and check out your blind taste test.

Nah, it's milk chocolate I like, which real chocolate lovers turn their nose up at.  But I'll have to post my new results in the chocolate thread, for the edification of fellow philistines.

 

Quote

I applaud y'all for checking these things out on your own and even think these blind taste tests could be fun. I should do one with my grandchildren. For the fun and educational value of it. You have my mind working!

The other day, I bought a 12-pack of fizzy water that was half price because the carton had been opened and taped back shut.  Doesn't bother me...it's cans.  Well, apparently someone had taken one can of the water, and the sneaks at Safeway put in a can of fake Dr Pepper and taped it all back up.  So it was an 11-pack of water and a 1-pack of "Dr Dynamite."  (Not sure if they used a period after "Dr.")   Oh well.  But I thought, "What the hell..." and tried it, and it was indeed a fake Dr Pepper and tasted okay.  Now I wonder if I might like the fake stuff better than the real, and I did a sugar-Dr-Pepper vs. corn-syrup-Dr-Pepper test once and honestly can't remember the results.  A three-way test would be fun, but do I want to know if I prefer the fake stuff?  Will I feel comfortable holding a can of Dr Dynamite at the beach?  I'm not a slave to name brands, but I think I have my limits. 

I think blind taste tests would be great for kids.  They could find out for themselves what they actually like, and they would get an early start on not falling prey to marketing.  Although not being prey to marketing can be a lonely and frustrating life.

[Katy M]

24 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I think blind taste tests would be great for kids.  They could find out for themselves what they actually like, and they would get an early start on not falling prey to marketing.  Although not being prey to marketing can be a lonely and frustrating life.

I was a kid when the whole Pepsi Challenge thing was going on.  I wanted to do it, so my mom poured one in a pink cup and the other in a blue cup and then I guess she couldn't wait until I took two sips because she disappeared.  I had to go look for her so she could tell me which I liked better (I can't remember now, so hope you weren't interested).  Then, I decided to see what they tasted like mixed together and that was the most disgusting thing EVER!!!

[bilgistic]

My nine-year-old niece doesn't like soda because it is "spicy". That's a very cute way of describing the combination of carbonation, artificial flavor and sugar.

[auntlada]

My son has a similar reaction, @bilgistic, only he says "hot," probably because we often use that word to mean spicy. I'm afraid that someday he will change his mind, and then I will have to share my Cokes.

Yesterday I was at the gym, and this older man came in and wanted to change one of the TVs. How old he was doesn't really play a part in this story, except that he wasn't a kid so I can't yell about kids these days. Anyway, he looked at me and pointed at a TV, which happened to be the one I was watching. I nodded to say, "Yes, I am watching that," only he was apparently asking, "Can I change this one?" and since I said yes, he did.

It was a miscommunication, so although it was annoying, I wasn't too peeved. I figured I could read the close captioning on the one that didn't have the sound on, which I had not discovered until I started exercising. Except then the guy turned up the sound on his phone so he could listen to his TV through the app. He did not have headphones. Also, he was watching news, which I hate while working out. Exercise is a relaxing time for me. TV news -- of any bias -- is not relaxing. It all makes me mad.

So I had to pause my machine so I could turn up the sound on the TV I had originally wanted to watch. For some reason, someone turned it all the way down. (The sound does not come out the TV speakers. To listen, you need a smartphone or tablet with the app. And you are supposed to use headphones.)

[Bastet]

I had to call both Vanguard and Citibank this morning, and it's a good thing I didn't put any money on my hunch, because going in I was fully expecting the call with Vanguard to be straightforward and the one with Citibank to be an argument, and it was the exact opposite.  And, yes, we are obviously talking First World Problem here, but my fundamental peeve was that the Vanguard rep didn't know one basic thing and gave me wrong information on another (both of which I had to correct her on, but had I been equally ignorant, she could have really messed things up for me) and when it turned out they couldn't do things the way I'd been told they could, which cased a timing issue for me, I'm the one who had to come up with a solution.  You shouldn't be employed to assist on brokerage accounts and not know/get wrong the stuff she screwed up.  And she's been there for eons, I've just never needed to deal with her before.  I won't be dealing with her tomorrow when I follow up, that's for sure.

(I have to follow up with Citibank on Friday, so the opportunity for hassle remains, but for now they're on my "Wow, I just had a completely pleasant transaction with a major corporation" list.  It's a short list.)

[Qoass]

I have had to call Citibank on a couple of occasions and found them well informed and helpful.

[bilgistic]

Citibank is on my DEAD TO ME list. They were my mortgage lender on my old condo. They "bought" the mortgage from the original servicer; I had no choice over them taking over my mortgage. They are completely incompetent, total liars and actual thieves. It's a loooong story, but in short, they can burn in hell.

I will never get another major loan through any institution other than my credit union, not that I foresee being in that position anytime soon.

[rcc]

Credit unions are the way to go. The bigger the bank, the more crooked they are.

[ratgirlagogo]

23 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

He's my dog. And I realize he's cute, but it doesn't mean you are entitled to pet or hold him. Maybe my dog wasn't feeling well or I wasn't or we had to go inside for personal reasons. It's stupid and annoying me. 

It also reminds me of the old joke about the man sitting on the stoop with a dog - a second man walks up and asks him, "does your dog bite?" and the first man says "no."  So the second man reaches out to pet the dog and the dog immediately bites him in the hand.  "You said your dog doesn't bite!!!???!" says the second man.  "That's not my dog," says the first man.  Assumptions, assumptions.

[Petunia13]

11 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

The other day, I bought a 12-pack of fizzy water that was half price because the carton had been opened and taped back shut.  Doesn't bother me...it's cans.  Well, apparently someone had taken one can of the water, and the sneaks at Safeway put in a can of fake Dr Pepper and taped it all back up.  So it was an 11-pack of water and a 1-pack of "Dr Dynamite."  (Not sure if they used a period after "Dr.")   Oh well.  But I thought, "What the hell..." and tried it, and it was indeed a fake Dr Pepper and tasted okay.  

That's not intelligent they did that. What they could have done was take the single cans and sell them in the grab and go cold cases for .50 or .99 for customers wanting a a cheap soft drink/on lunch vs the 2.50 or whatever for the taped up case. They probably did that because the case scans and the single cans aren't authorized for individual purchase and won't scan on it's own...that is why you use a plu to ring general individual cans of soft drinks and bottle water.  

[topanga]

1 hour ago, ratgirlagogo said:

It also reminds me of the old joke about the man sitting on the stoop with a dog - a second man walks up and asks him, "does your dog bite?" and the first man says "no."  So the second man reaches out to pet the dog and the dog immediately bites him in the hand.  "You said your dog doesn't bite!!!???!" says the second man.  "That's not my dog," says the first man.  Assumptions, assumptions.

Funny. Speaking of pets, why are people so stupid when it comes to other people's nervous pets? My dog isn't exactly nervous,  but he's a territorial little Boston terrier mutt who barks and jumps at strangers. Inevitably, we'll be walking down the street, and when he starts tugging at his leash and barking at a person across the street, the person will go, "Look it him! He's so riled up. Hey, dog! Hey, dog!" which gets topangadog even more excited. Really? Why would you do that? I usually give the person a quick, dirty look then hurry us down the block. But I want to let my dog off his leash and let him chase the ignoramous. 

I feel like Shirley MacLaine's character in 'Steel Magnolias' when it came to her dog: "Drummond, stop egging him on!!"

[Zola]

WARNING - Don't read if you're of a nervous disposition, or about to eat!

It doesn't happen often but I caught a bus into the city centre earlier this morning. Being the rush-hour it was almost packed out. But fortunately, there was a standing area near the front of the bus, and I managed to squeeze into a space and grabbed hold of one of the many poles running down the centre of the bus.

Inevitably I began to people-watch because I couldn't be bothered to get my phone out. And that's when I saw a woman about my age (mid 20s), also standing next to her pole about 2 metres further down the bus. She was deeply engrossed with her phone: probably listening to music given she was wearing 'phones. But then she started to pick her nose!

She was quite deliberate and open about it; not a hint of discreetness at all. Instead, it looked like she was digging for buried treasure, and ultimately she did dislodge a .... <well, I'll gloss over that bit> ..... and then gave it a quick glance before wiping her wet finger on the pole she was holding onto until the contents were firmly removed from said finger.

She then carried on with her other nostril........ by which time it was my stop, so I hastily disembarked. And as soon as I reached my destination, I visited the ladies restroom and washed my hands, worried that I may have picked up some similar "leftovers" during my time holding my bus pole!

What the hell is wrong with some people!?

[Mindthinkr]

@Zola  Simply put...GROSS 

Handwashing is our best defense.