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

[Random Noise]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep. I was in gymnastics when it happened to my team mate. She also was paralyzed from the neck down. They didn't eliminate the gymnastics program but they did remove trampolines from every school in the district. I liked the tramp too but after that I wouldn't get back up on one for anything.

My high school got a trampoline and day 1 of gym class that year one of the guys went too far onto the edge. One leg went through on one side of a spring, the other leg on the other side of the spring. No one else dared go on it after that so it collected dust in a storage room.

The poor guy who suffered the mishap sounded like Michael Jackson for almost a week and grabbed his crotch a lot. If we had only known ... he might have had a future in the recording industry.

[JTMacc99]

My daughter recently asked for a trampoline.

I said no.

And I reminded her of two things. One, America's Funniest Home Videos. Two, this Simpsons bit, because The Simpsons tells it like it is.

[Hanahope]

My first car out of college was a Toyota Celica.  Although technically a 4 person vehicle, the back seat was built for short people/kids.  It was great for just me, or just me and hubby. 

When I had my first child, it was pretty difficult to get the carseat into the backseat, as it was only a 2-door vehicle.  We actually had an incident where someone from my daughter's daycare called the cops of my husband because he put the carseat in the front passenger seat, picking her up one day.  We lived 2 blocks from the daycare, so it wasn't very far, and the streets were very quiet (usually he just walked to pick her up, but it was raining very hard that day).  By the time the cop got to our apartment, hubby and baby were already inside, so the cop couldn't ticket him, but gave him a warning.  Shortly after that, we were able to afford a second used car, so we made sure to get a 4-door.

When I got pregnant with our second child, we traded in the Celica for a minivan.  Definitely easier with kids, and there's room for my in-laws as well.  It was cheaper than an SUV and had more room (as we could get the second row as a 'bench' - which can fit 3).

[bilgistic]

Today's peeve is spray bottles. They work until I get about 2/3 of the way through whatever is in the bottle, and then they stop working. I squeeze the trigger endlessly and nothing happens. I run the spray nozzle and straw thing under hot water and it works for five sprays, then quits working again. It's not just one brand/line of products. Why, lord, why?

[Random Noise]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

Today's peeve is spray bottles. They work until I get about 2/3 of the way through whatever is in the bottle, and then they stop working. I squeeze the trigger endlessly and nothing happens. I run the spray nozzle and straw thing under hot water and it works for five sprays, then quits working again. It's not just one brand/line of products. Why, lord, why?

They always make the suction tube too short inside the bottle, which is probably intended to get you to buy another bottle rather than use up what you have left.

I usually try to fit on a nozzle from a taller bottle if I can find one. I save old spray nozzles for that specific purpose. Otherwise, get a drinking straw, stick it in the bottle until it hits the bottom, then cut it just below the upper lip of the bottle. You can tape the straw to the suction tube at the point where it enters the nozzle. Scotch tape will dissolve after a couple uses, but electrical or duct tape works good.

[bilgistic]

I meant 1/3, not 2/3. Damned fractions got me again.* There's still plenty of fluid in the bottle and plenty of straw left; it's the spray nozzle that's faulty. Two bottles I have from the Method brand are like that. The other is Nature's Remedy(?)...something or another cat stain/mess spray. Totally different bottles and brands.

*My sister's boyfriend's son (13YO) taught us fractions at Thanksgiving. Clearly, I need a refresher course.

[Bastet]

This thread has triggered so many happy memories of my best friend's trampoline.  When they moved into the house (right around the time we became friends at five/six years old), it was left behind by the previous owners, who didn't have room for it at their new house.  It was the greatest!  They moved when we were in junior high, and left it for the next family, and, yeah, we were using it far less by then, but had they brought it with them we'd have kept using it occasionally - probably right up until now.  There's just something about it.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

We had a trampoline when I was a kid, probably around 1970, before a lot of people had them.  Jesus.  I can still remember that it was from Sidlinger, in Fort Worth.  Our cable had like 4 channels, and one of them was from Fort Worth and Sidlinger had ads on that channel.

Our house backed onto a relatively busy street, and the traffic could see all the kids' heads bouncing up over the fence.  We would jump on that thing for HOURS.  I didn't use it that much once I hit high school, and when I came home during my first year of college, I decided to reacquaint myself with the trampoline.  I jumped for just a couple of minutes and was so winded I could barely breathe.

Actually, I've been thinking about going to a trampoline park or whatever they're called, where they have a bunch of them side by side and I don't think you can fall off.  But I'm not sure if unaccompanied adults are allowed.  I never did get the nerve to do a back flip as a kid, even though it's technically easier than a front flip, and kind of want to give it a try. 

In other news, it's dangerous to have grammar peeves here because they can easily take over the whole thread, but this was in another thread, and I just wonder if the poster was trying to kill me: 

Quote

i must of went thru 2, 3 pages of comments.

[Random Noise]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

I meant 1/3, not 2/3. Damned fractions got me again.* There's still plenty of fluid in the bottle and plenty of straw left; it's the spray nozzle that's faulty. Two bottles I have from the Method brand are like that. The other is Nature's Remedy(?)...something or another cat stain/mess spray. Totally different bottles and brands.

*My sister's boyfriend's son (13YO) taught us fractions at Thanksgiving. Clearly, I need a refresher course.

The IRS teaches fractions every year. That's 1/3 for you, 2/3 for them.

Edited December 14, 2017 by Random Noise

[bubbls]

Continuing on with my no-decent-Christmas-music theme, yesterday I heard that old Coke commercial song on the Christmas station--- I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I like this song. This song, however, is not a Christmas song. I'll trade them a Dominique the Donkey, Coke commercial, Paul and John's garbage, and every freaking Rockin Around the Christmas Tree version for Silver Bells, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, earworm that it is. 

 

And another thing! I'm tired of pulling strands of my long hair out of my nether regions!

Edited December 14, 2017 by bubbls

[Random Noise]

2 hours ago, bubbls said:

And another thing! I'm tired of pulling strands of my long hair out of my nether regions!

Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13

[walnutqueen]

3 hours ago, bubbls said:

And another thing! I'm tired of pulling strands of my long hair out of my nether regions!

It's uncanny!  Someone needs to study the migration patterns of long hairs.  

Also, it gives me an appreciation for the saying "she's got a wild hair up her ass".

[DeLurker]

My brother's neighbor has a trampoline although their kids are in high school now and don't use it much.  Their slightly overweight, senior golden retriever uses it a lot to nap on during the warmer months since it is nicely shaded in the afternoons.  Sometimes I see the daughter come out and snuggle with Baxter and just hang out.

[Qoass]

Quote

Continuing on with my no-decent-Christmas-music theme, yesterday I heard that old Coke commercial song on the Christmas station--- I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I like this song. This song, however, is not a Christmas song. I'll trade them a Dominique the Donkey, Coke commercial, Paul and John's garbage, and every freaking Rockin Around the Christmas Tree version for Silver Bells, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, earworm that it is. 

One of my holiday CDs has "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" on it and it had me seat dancing all the way to work in the snow this morning.

[Sun-Bun]

8 hours ago, bubbls said:

And another thing! I'm tired of pulling strands of my long hair out of my nether regions!

Here!Here!! Feeling your pain there---as a fellow lifetime long haired lady, my only slight complaint is that I've always shed like a sheepdog so therefore I constantly find my hair everywhere, nether regions included. No matter how much I comb/wash it, my wavy strands will still randomly fall like leaves from trees. My vacuum is filled with it, my sweaters are covered in it, my chair backs are layered in it...I even had an ex joke to me once that he still found my hair in his car for months after we broke up. On the flipside, I guess if I were ever to go suddenly missing, they could likely follow the trail of my hair.

I ain't complaining though---it's nice to have healthy hair that's still long and wild, even despite these messy hair trails.

[riley702]

10 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

In other news, it's dangerous to have grammar peeves here because they can easily take over the whole thread, but this was in another thread, and I just wonder if the poster was trying to kill me: 

So of course I had to go looking for it! Whew! Not a topic I play in.

[LilWharveyGal]

9 hours ago, bubbls said:

Continuing on with my no-decent-Christmas-music theme, yesterday I heard that old Coke commercial song on the Christmas station--- I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I like this song. This song, however, is not a Christmas song. I'll trade them a Dominique the Donkey, Coke commercial, Paul and John's garbage, and every freaking Rockin Around the Christmas Tree version for Silver Bells, Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, earworm that it is. 

Must have been the Don Draper Christmas Channel.

[DeLurker]

Waiting for my car at the dealer serving (oil change, tire rotation & balance and pre-trip double check).  Parents- if I can tell your toddler needs a diaper change, you can too.

[bilgistic]

Reading that was levity after watching the net neutrality vote.

Edited December 14, 2017 by bilgistic

[walnutqueen]

35 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Reading that was levity after watching the net neutrality vote.

Don't even get me started ...

(I HATE America, I LOVE America, I HATE America, I LOVE America ...).  ;-()

[Zola]

I know I have probably ranted about this before on this thread, but it still goes on and it still bugs the crap out of me.

Why-oh-why do some IT guys not accept having a woman sharing their domain space? Why do they feel so affronted when I come in and advise them on certain aspects of IT that perhaps they overlooked or had no previous knowledge of in order to fix a problem? And why, when I'm trying to be nice and friendly, it is instantly misconstrued as some kind of come-on? And why do guys always want to know if you're dating anyone even though I barely know them, and being a consultant, will probably never see them again once my contract with the company is over?

It really grinds me down sometimes: there are some good guys that I have enjoyed working with, but by and large its always an IT department totally dominated by different-aged guys who should know better, but still can't quite accept having a woman telling/advising/recommending them to do something. Its as if I have veered outside of the "kitchen" and interfering in things I shouldn't even know about. 

perhaps I should wear a little placard around my neck saying "I'm a dyke, and a fully qualified dyke at that; now kindly fuck off!"

 

<rant over, sorry> 

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, riley702 said:

So of course I had to go looking for it!

Oops.  I didn't know that it was findable through searching.  Although I'm wondering if it'll actually become adopted, in a two-wrongs-make-a-right or multiplying-two-negative-numbers sense. 

"I must have went" = wrong

"I must of gone" = wrong

"I must of went" = right.

My only hope is that the foundation--that the first two are wrong--won't be accepted.

 

Quote

Whew! Not a topic I play in.

Wise decision.  (I'll confess it's Teen Mom, but invoke the usual "I'm here only for the snark" defense.)

[Moose135]

43 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

That’s because the FCC plan would restore power to police the internet to the Federal Trade Commission.

<snip>
The FTC and the Justice Department can also prohibit unfair competition by enforcing the Sherman Antitrust Act

Assuming either of those agencies will act to enforce those regulations...

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

Assuming either of those agencies will act to enforce those regulations...

And that's assuming either one of them will continue to exist.

[bubbls]

4 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

Here!Here!! Feeling your pain there---as a fellow lifetime long haired lady, my only slight complaint is that I've always shed like a sheepdog so therefore I constantly find my hair everywhere, nether regions included. No matter how much I comb/wash it, my wavy strands will still randomly fall like leaves from trees. My vacuum is filled with it, my sweaters are covered in it, my chair backs are layered in it...I even had an ex joke to me once that he still found my hair in his car for months after we broke up. On the flipside, I guess if I were ever to go suddenly missing, they could likely follow the trail of my hair.

I ain't complaining though---it's nice to have healthy hair that's still long and wild, even despite these messy hair trails.

 

I shed like mad too. I find it everywhere, and God forbid I'm behind the wheel when a piece slithers around my back and starts tickling my arm! My younger brother used to gripe to my mom about finding long pieces in his underwear. His wife has long hair. I wonder if he's still complaining. Anyway, I don't understand how I can lose 500 pieces each day and still have enough hair on my head for several people and a few small furry dogs. 

[Petunia13]

20 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Today's peeve is spray bottles. They work until I get about 2/3 of the way through whatever is in the bottle, and then they stop working. I squeeze the trigger endlessly and nothing happens. I run the spray nozzle and straw thing under hot water and it works for five sprays, then quits working again. It's not just one brand/line of products. Why, lord, why?

Once you find one that works well consistently you can swap that among products. Also Mac Cosmetics and Beautylish sell ala cart spray nozzles/pumps. Also check the hoses on the devices sometimes they're gummed up, but sometimes there's a crack or tiny hole on the straw.    

[Random Noise]

3 hours ago, Zola said:

Why-oh-why do some IT guys not accept having a woman sharing their domain space? Why do they feel so affronted when I come in and advise them on certain aspects of IT that perhaps they overlooked or had no previous knowledge of in order to fix a problem? And why, when I'm trying to be nice and friendly, it is instantly misconstrued as some kind of come-on? And why do guys always want to know if you're dating anyone even though I barely know them, and being a consultant, will probably never see them again once my contract with the company is over?

I hate IT people, and that's from someone who got into the field when we were still DP (Data Processing) people and had to know enough electronics to repair interfaces and hardware problems rather than simply swap out a plug-in card. I'm sure a lot, if not most, women in the field experience the problems you have but I've had more than my share of ego-driven competition flung at me over the years.

I know there are women who are smarter than I am in several ways, and offer a fresh perspective of managing a project or problem. I wish more were inclined to pursue technical fields.

[Random Noise]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

"I must have went" = wrong

"I must of gone" = wrong

"I must of went" = right.

i gone and went?

[auntlada]

4 minutes ago, Random Noise said:

i gone and went?

I done gone and went.

[walnutqueen]

"Mansplaining".

99.8 % of enough said.

[Whimsy]

There is no political talk. Any post with any part of it political is removed. 

[Random Noise]

There goes my "a rabbi, a priest, and a politician" story ...

[Mindthinkr]

I'm pretty much done Christmas shopping. Now we come to my Pet Peeve. WRAPPING. 

I guess I'll do it tomorrow after I've bought a bottle of wine for incentive. 

[walnutqueen]

A small corner of my hoarder inspired, cobwebbed garage is filled with wrapping paper (mostly of the Xmas ilk) & such.  I converted to gift bags (clearance priced, of course), and ran out of Xmas spirit long before I ran out of Xmas supplies.

Bag it, babe.  ;-)

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

A small corner of my hoarder inspired, cobwebbed garage is filled with wrapping paper (mostly of the Xmas ilk) & such.  I converted to gift bags (clearance priced, of course), and ran out of Xmas spirit long before I ran out of Xmas supplies.

Bag it, babe.  ;-)

THIS. I got a bunch of good sized gift bags at Bartell's for under $2.00 each and got some brightly colored tissue paper at Amazon. I wrapped each gift in tissue and dropped them in the gift bags. Took like fifteen minutes. Never shall my back ache all the next day.

[Katy M]

I love wrapping presents.  But, that may be because I have a very small family and don't have that many to wrap.

[peacheslatour]

I wouldn't mind but I have no where except the floor to do it and the knees and hips aren't what they used to be,

[walnutqueen]

7 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I wouldn't mind but I have no where except the floor to do it and the knees and hips aren't what they used to be,

Isn't it a fucking BITCH that our elderly bodies are giving out just as our minds are starting to kick into high gear?  ;~)

[harrie]

17 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I love wrapping presents.  But, that may be because I have a very small family and don't have that many to wrap.

Me too. I'll wrap for family, friends - I would for complete strangers if they knew to ask!

[Mindthinkr]

7 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Isn't it a fucking BITCH that our elderly bodies are giving out just as our minds are starting to kick into high gear?  ;~)

Oh gosh yes. Energy is wasted on youth (other than for growing). 

1 minute ago, harrie said:

Me too. I'll wrap for family, friends - I would for complete strangers if they knew to ask!

You say this now as I'm 90% finished? Next year. Wine and nibbles provided. 

I almost forgot the most important part....PLEASE? 

Edited December 16, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Most important part added.

[harrie]

5 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Oh gosh yes. Energy is wasted on youth (other than for growing). 

You say this now as I'm 90% finished? Next year. Wine and nibbles provided. 

I almost forgot the most important part....PLEASE? 

You betcha. I'll mark my calendar.

[bilgistic]

43 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Isn't it a fucking BITCH that our elderly bodies are giving out just as our minds are starting to kick into high gear?  ;~)

My mom was taking/eating gin-soaked (golden) raisins at the beach, and I was quite curious about them. She told me they were for arthritis, and they really helped. I did some Googling, and there's actual science behind it, and tons of anecdotal accounts. The raisins have antioxidants, and gin is made with juniper berries, which are anti-inflammatory (if I'm remembering this all correctly; I'm not looking it up at the moment).

She made me a batch and brought it to me at Thanksgiving. It is hands-down some of the nastiest stuff I have ever put in my mouth (keep your comments to yourself), but damn if my knees don't feel better! I've been taking the raisins for maybe a couple weeks. My mom eats them straight and licks the spoon (ugh!), but I have to throw them back with a glass of water.

[Mindthinkr]

7 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

My mom was taking/eating gin-soaked (golden) raisins at the beach, and I was quite curious about them. She told me they were for arthritis, and they really helped. I did some Googling, and there's actual science behind it, and tons of anecdotal accounts. The raisins have antioxidants, and gin is made with juniper berries, which are anti-inflammatory (if I'm remembering this all correctly; I'm not looking it up at the moment).

She made me a batch and brought it to me at Thanksgiving. It is hands-down some of the nastiest stuff I have ever put in my mouth (keep your comments to yourself), but damn if my knees don't feel better! I've been taking the raisins for maybe a couple weeks. My mom eats them straight and licks the spoon (ugh!), but I have to throw them back with a glass of water.

Never heard of this but have some friends who'd probably live the idea of trying them out. I personally can't stomach the taste of juniper berries (gin) but applaud you for taking them and then washing them down with water. Glad they are helping. 

[peacheslatour]

There's a alternative medical column in our local paper (Seattle Times) that has been recommending the gin soaked raisins for years now. How many (ugh) do you have to eat each day?

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

My mom was taking/eating gin-soaked (golden) raisins at the beach, and I was quite curious about them. She told me they were for arthritis, and they really helped. I did some Googling, and there's actual science behind it, and tons of anecdotal accounts. The raisins have antioxidants, and gin is made with juniper berries, which are anti-inflammatory (if I'm remembering this all correctly; I'm not looking it up at the moment).

She made me a batch and brought it to me at Thanksgiving. It is hands-down some of the nastiest stuff I have ever put in my mouth (keep your comments to yourself), but damn if my knees don't feel better! I've been taking the raisins for maybe a couple weeks. My mom eats them straight and licks the spoon (ugh!), but I have to throw them back with a glass of water.

True story.  I had a scientist boyfriend (shocking, I know!!!) back in the 70s who went to Amsterdam for a conference, and didn't bring me back any marijuana or a prostitute.  He arrived with a tall crock of something "like gin".  It was all that and so much more.  Painkiller extraordinaire, and so smooth you could drink it straight & chilled.  Juniper berries were involved, and I always think of Lady Guinevere when I try to remember the name of the stuff.  I've encountered reasonable facsimiles thereof, but much like the Thai sticks of my youth, nothing else comes close.

[DeLurker]

Christmas eve at my house growing up was always the same - Mom is madly sorting presents she acquired for everyone and sorting them into piles to make sure that the distribution of gifts* is generally fair.  I discovered this when I got to be a teenager and would go out on Christmas eve with my friends.  I'd come home and find Mom surrounded by this mass of presents that she finally started wrapping, but hadn't gotten too far on because she would go back to evaluate the fairness factor.

I'd tell her to just tell me which pile is for which person and I would start wrapping.  Once I started she would begin to breathe easier and start to relax.  She'd scurry off with the pile of stuff for me and wrap them herself.

*when we were growing up (large family on a very modest income) only one kid would get a "big" present each year - something like a bike.  We all knew it and were ok with it because that was just the way things worked in our family.  Given that there were 5 kids, we each only got a big present every 5 years.

[Petunia13]

I think gift bags are adorable. My dog likes unwrapping presents ? so I wrap all the presents. Last year after he opened his (treats, clothes, and a robot that looked like him but as a girl) he was on a roll and then opened mine for me. 

[Mindthinkr]

14 minutes ago, Petunia13 said:

I think gift bags are adorable. My dog likes unwrapping presents ? so I wrap all the presents. Last year after he opened his (treats, clothes, and a robot that looked like him but as a girl) he was on a roll and then opened mine for me. 

I'd like to see a picture of this on the pet thread after Christmas please ?

[bubbls]

My mom read about those gin raisens but tried the vinegar ones instead. She gets them down about twice a month. 

As for peeves, just fill in with my ongoing bad Christmas music saga because it continues, and I'm still peeved. 

Edited December 17, 2017 by bubbls

[auntlada]

I like the idea of gift bags, but can't put them under the tree. Gifts in bags must leave the house almost immediately. The cats seem to think that all bags are for them, and they will try to climb in.

I also can't put ribbons or bows on presents until we leave because one cat will try to eat them, which is bad for her and also disgusting when she barfs up the ribbon. So we are a ribbon-free house. It makes packing presents in the car easier anyway. Bows just get smashed.