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

[Dimity]

I haven't noticed the loud phone conversations too much - most of the time people who are glued to their phones IME seem to prefer texting.  But what drives me mad are the people in public places who think everyone else wants to hear the game they are playing or the movie/tv show they are watching.   I've actually gotten up and left places when this has gotten out of hand.

[PRgal]

I had to email my son's teacher to get an alternate assignment for him.  They're working on 100s in math right how and for the week, they're supposed to make 100 snowballs at home.  We live in a condo.  We don't have a backyard where we can make 100 snowballs.  I get that we are probably the only family in a condo, but please offer indoor work in the winter!  Some people are also not fans of being outdoors or are TIRED of being in the snow after having to spend more than an hour outdoors clearing the driveway!

note:  assignments are turned in virtually - students/parents upload photos of their work onto an app/portal for their teachers.

[fastiller]

@PRgal - does the assignment say they MUST be made of snow? I would've cut out 100 paper snowballs & sent an image of that.

[PRgal]

10 minutes ago, fastiller said:

@PRgal - does the assignment say they MUST be made of snow? I would've cut out 100 paper snowballs & sent an image of that.

The teacher specifically wrote that with all the snow we've had over the weekend, it was the perfect chance to make them (the alternative she posted was to make footprints and mark them with food colouring.  We can't mark footprints with food colouring at a park.  Plus many are smudged and it's a lot easier to lose count).  A LOT of the kids' assignments are outdoor centric.  I get that Grade 1 homework is supposed to be fun, but at least offer an indoor alternative upfront so we don't have to email you!  

Edited February 18 by PRgal

[EtheltoTillie]

This sounds like it calls for the response "you're not the boss of me."  This teacher can't force people to go out and do things in the snow.  You should just email her and tell  her you're doing something different with a similar result.  Don't ask, just tell. 

[Anela]

I've been trying to work off this restless energy, and I'm looking forward to 45 degree weather, in a week. 

I hate how easily I forget things, though. I'm finally making more potato soup, but I forgot that I had it simmering, and was supposed to be stirring it frequently. Dad walks in, and says, "Oh, no, Angela's in the kitchen again." 

"Yeah, I'm cooking, I'm making soup... oh my god, I forgot about the potatoes!!" 

[meep.meep]

On 2/14/2025 at 8:06 PM, Absolom said:

 

I start the day with two hour intervals and they get longer as the day goes on.  So that isn't a bad approximation.  They are supposed to all be more mini-meals so snack isn't quite enough.  I just thought it would be funny in light of our discussion of what meal is what name.  I do like the idea of calling one of the last three of the day tea.  

Make one of the morning ones "elevenses"

And another can be "recess"

[Absolom]

Let's see breakfast, elevenses, lunch, recess, dinner, and tea. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

When you order something online and the business is quick to put a pending charge on your account and then conveniently tells you your order is delayed.

I ordered a laptop from Best Buy yesterday morning and their website said I could have it by today. I liked the model and thought the shipping was a good deal so I place my order, I got a UPS tracking number, etc. This morning when I’m checking my emails? They let me know at 3 am that my order was delayed and that I should get it between Friday and Monday. And they won’t let me cancel the order but expect me to wait until March 6 (!!!!) for a refund and a cancellation if it doesn’t ship which they claim is “unlikely.” 

I’m sorry. But who can be without a laptop for almost two weeks in this day and age (there are way too many risks with using a public computer for me to find one to use; I will only do that for impersonal tasks that I otherwise can’t wait several days to do) and how is it acceptable to say I need to wait two weeks for a delivery before I can request a refund? If anything I should have that option available to me if I don’t have the computer in my hands by this coming Wednesday. Telling me it will be two weeks before they refund me when they printed a shipping label and put a charge on my bank account is ridiculous. I know it’s only pending but guess what, I still can’t use the money! 🤬

Oh and when I looked on their website they are still saying if you order the computer today you can have it by Saturday. I guess they only bait and switch after you order and they hold the money 

Edited Thursday at 10:58 PM by Cloud9Shopper

[Browncoat]

Remember those ice storms I was peeving about a couple of weeks ago?  I just got an estimate for cleaning up the downed branches and tidying up the broken ones still barely attached to the trees.  $5,000.00.  Unfortunately, this is not something I can do myself -- some of the cleanup will require a bucket truck, and some will require a big-ass chainsaw, and some will require both.  The only "good" thing about it (and I use that term loosely) is that they can probably get it done by the end of next week.  

[SoMuchTV]

30 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Remember those ice storms I was peeving about a couple of weeks ago?  I just got an estimate for cleaning up the downed branches and tidying up the broken ones still barely attached to the trees.  $5,000.00.  Unfortunately, this is not something I can do myself -- some of the cleanup will require a bucket truck, and some will require a big-ass chainsaw, and some will require both.  The only "good" thing about it (and I use that term loosely) is that they can probably get it done by the end of next week.  

Isn’t that the kind of thing your homeowners insurance would cover? Or is this one of those deals where, because of high deductibles or fear of rate increases/non-renewal, it’s better not to get them involved?

[Browncoat]

59 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Isn’t that the kind of thing your homeowners insurance would cover? Or is this one of those deals where, because of high deductibles or fear of rate increases/non-renewal, it’s better not to get them involved?

I can ask, but since the house was not involved, I doubt it.

[SoMuchTV]

8 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I can ask, but since the house was not involved, I doubt it.

I’m pretty sure when an icy limb fell onto my car, it came under homeowners, not auto. But maybe best to do a “soft” inquiry first to make sure whether it would be for the best to make the claim. 

[annzeepark914]

I really loathe that cheap-a$$ Jeff Bezos. All of the books in my Kindle "library" are gone. We certainly didn't get much of a warning. 

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

I really loathe that cheap-a$$ Jeff Bezos. All of the books in my Kindle "library" are gone. We certainly didn't get much of a warning. 

So far I haven't noticed any changes to mine but I've also just cancelled two pre-orders and have decided to purchase them in paperback when they are released.

I am also (as a Canadian) looking into purchasing a Kobo - our version of the kindle - and using that going forward. 

Bezos is already getting as little of my money as possible, but if he starts messing with kindle that is the straw that breaks this Canadian's back!

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I really loathe that cheap-a$$ Jeff Bezos. All of the books in my Kindle "library" are gone. We certainly didn't get much of a warning. 

What's he doing?  Making content unavailable?  

I'm on a news blackout, or I'd look it up myself.  But I'm interested because if that's what it is, it's also what I hate about streaming--anything there can vanish, with or without warning.  I really do think it adds to the increased feeling of anxiety these days.  Not to mention wondering if you're losing your mind:  "I swear I had _____ somewhere on my streaming but I can't find it anywhere."  When yes, it was there, but they took it away without telling you, leaving no trace.

[Anela]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I really loathe that cheap-a$$ Jeff Bezos. All of the books in my Kindle "library" are gone. We certainly didn't get much of a warning. 

Wait, what?? I’ll check mine.

I think I still have mine, on my kindle app, on my iPad. 

[annzeepark914]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

Wait, what?? I’ll check mine.

I think I still have mine, on my kindle app, on my iPad. 

I only checked the Kindle app on my Tablet. Just checked the Kindle app on my phone and my "library" appeared!  Strange 🥴

Edited Saturday at 07:05 PM by annzeepark914

[Anela]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I only checked the Kindle app on my Tablet. Just checked the Kindle app on my phone and my "library" appeared!  Strange 🥴

I've just read that kindle apps won't be affected, but I want to have control over the books I actually own. I hate this - that anything digital can just be deleted, because we don't have full ownership of it. 

[Dimity]

4 minutes ago, Anela said:

I've just read that kindle apps won't be affected, but I want to have control over the books I actually own. I hate this - that anything digital can just be deleted, because we don't have full ownership of it. 

I'm confused.  Where are the e-books disappearing from?  I have them on my kindle, on my amazon fire and also through an app on my laptop.  So far all three seem fine.

[supposebly]

Supposedly, it's going to happen February 26. 

https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/amazon-kindle-download-policy-change/

Edited Saturday at 07:43 PM by supposebly

[Caoimhe]

40 minutes ago, Anela said:

I've just read that kindle apps won't be affected, but I want to have control over the books I actually own. I hate this - that anything digital can just be deleted, because we don't have full ownership of it. 

I’ve been purchasing ebooks for decades from defunct sites like Fictionwise and BooksOnBoard plus others like Baen (who have always been DRM-free). Because of that I began using Calibre many years ago to store my purchases so I wouldn’t lose them.  I still lost some very old MSLit format ebooks that I didn’t decrypt in time but my Kindle ebooks up to now are saved on my computer. I’ve just cancelled two Kindle books I had pre-ordered for later this spring and will start buying from Kobo or other places that will allow me that control. I’m just happy I wasn’t in a mad panic like so many others I’ve seen trying to download years of purchases in just a week!

[Cloud9Shopper]

I haven’t moved away from Kindle entirely in my journey to buy physical books because I want to have my Kindle for travel and other times where it’s not practical to take a paperback along. I don’t download anything to my computer though so hopefully things will be OK. Otherwise I will just focus more on buying physical books and maybe get a tote bag for carrying them back and forth. 

 

[Caoimhe]

23 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I haven’t moved away from Kindle entirely in my journey to buy physical books because I want to have my Kindle for travel and other times where it’s not practical to take a paperback along. I don’t download anything to my computer though so hopefully things will be OK. Otherwise I will just focus more on buying physical books and maybe get a tote bag for carrying them back and forth.

I believe you’ll be fine. I am a control freak, own ebooks from many sources other than Amazon, and want the option to move my huge ebook library to a Kobo device with page turn buttons when my last Kindle Oasis dies. Much of my library is side loaded from my old files, Amazon wants me to upload them to their cloud instead which I won’t do. But most people will not see any changes to what they do now and how they use their Kindles.

[roseha]

My understanding is that what is changing is the ability to download books you have bought over Kindle, I guess that means they will exist but only online and could disappear?  I have downloaded all of my Kindle books on the Ipad (and will do so on the Android tablet I bought also) but actually I am trying to limit Amazon purchases as much as I can for the time being.

[Calvada]

I love to read but I am very much old school.  I like having an actual book in my hands.  Over the years many people have told me I should get a kindle and since I'm tired of the inevitable arguments that ensue when I say I don't want one (because obviously my preferences are wrong - LOL), I say I'm thinking about it.  But hearing of these issues makes me glad I am a fuddy duddy.  I buy some books, but mostly rely on public libraries.  

This gets me into another pet peeve - when people try to argue about my choices.  I'm in my 60's and in those 6+ decades, I have developed preferences for food I like to eat, the type of clothes I like to wear, the books I like to read, the TV shows I like to watch, etc  Why are some people so convinced that what they like is what everyone should like?  I'm fine with a suggestion, in fact I especially love to get book recommendations, but allow me to decide whether it's right for me.  

[Annber03]

11 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I love to read but I am very much old school.  I like having an actual book in my hands.  Over the years many people have told me I should get a kindle and since I'm tired of the inevitable arguments that ensue when I say I don't want one (because obviously my preferences are wrong - LOL), I say I'm thinking about it.  But hearing of these issues makes me glad I am a fuddy duddy.  I buy some books, but mostly rely on public libraries.  

This gets me into another pet peeve - when people try to argue about my choices.  I'm in my 60's and in those 6+ decades, I have developed preferences for food I like to eat, the type of clothes I like to wear, the books I like to read, the TV shows I like to watch, etc  Why are some people so convinced that what they like is what everyone should like?  I'm fine with a suggestion, in fact I especially love to get book recommendations, but allow me to decide whether it's right for me.  

I agree with every last word of this post. And I'm 40. So if you're "fuddy duddy", then I am, too :p. 

[EtheltoTillie]

7 hours ago, Calvada said:

I love to read but I am very much old school.  I like having an actual book in my hands.  Over the years many people have told me I should get a kindle and since I'm tired of the inevitable arguments that ensue when I say I don't want one (because obviously my preferences are wrong - LOL), I say I'm thinking about it.  But hearing of these issues makes me glad I am a fuddy duddy.  I buy some books, but mostly rely on public libraries.  

This gets me into another pet peeve - when people try to argue about my choices.  I'm in my 60's and in those 6+ decades, I have developed preferences for food I like to eat, the type of clothes I like to wear, the books I like to read, the TV shows I like to watch, etc  Why are some people so convinced that what they like is what everyone should like?  I'm fine with a suggestion, in fact I especially love to get book recommendations, but allow me to decide whether it's right for me.  

Ha, just as many people try to convince me that I should read hard copy books instead of ebooks.  For the record, I switched to ebooks for the convenience but there is something missed.  I still don't want to go back to carrying around a heavy book on the subway, though.

[Browncoat]

I read hard copy books (mostly from the library) at home, and e-books when I travel.  My iPad takes up less space in my personal bag than even just one book, and I usually need more than one book on my vacations.

[Caoimhe]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Ha, just as many people try to convince me that I should read hard copy books instead of ebooks.  For the record, I switched to ebooks for the convenience but there is something missed.  I still don't want to go back to carrying around a heavy book on the subway, though.

I remember heavy carry on bags with several books for my frequent air travel, I couldn’t be sure what I’d feel like reading so I needed options. Between the convenience and the lack of storage space needed (not to mention a large number of moves) digital content just suits my life better. My husband has a small bookshelf of paperbacks but I find them difficult to hold these days.

The other advantage was that I could read at night in bed without waking my husband. I’ve never been a good sleeper and having a book to distract me is how I would get through the night. Now I have earbuds and Audible!

[EtheltoTillie]

2 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

I remember heavy carry on bags with several books for my frequent air travel, I couldn’t be sure what I’d feel like reading so I needed options. Between the convenience and the lack of storage space needed (not to mention a large number of moves) digital content just suits my life better. My husband has a small bookshelf of paperbacks but I find them difficult to hold these days.

The other advantage was that I could read at night in bed without waking my husband. I’ve never been a good sleeper and having a book to distract me is how I would get through the night. Now I have earbuds and Audible!

I used to do that too!  Too many books.  The iPad Kindle app solves this problem (both for weight and bedside lighting).

[Bastet]

I don't have any sort of e-reader, so when I travel what I do to not be weighted down by books is take one with me for the airport/flight (I don't read the entire time, also watching TV or listening to music, so one is plenty even for an international flight), but going forward I just buy a book where I am (often something related to the location*) and drop it off at a library when I'm done (or leave it in a bookshop/cafe if I don't spot a library).  Lather, rinse, repeat for however long the trip lasts.

*After I toured the house in which Anne Frank wrote her diary, I bought a copy in the gift shop and re-read it.  In Limerick, I finally got around to reading Angela's Ashes.  Stuff like that.

[Dimity]

My mother was an early adopter of e-readers.  She was losing her sight thanks to macular degeneration and e-reader was a life saver for a devoted reader!  I got into them when Covid coincided with us moving to a small town with a very small library.  Having a kindle kept me sane!

[Wiendish Fitch]

On 1/28/2025 at 8:17 PM, Mountainair said:

I hate going to the dentist. 

I've come to hate going to the dentist, because even though I am super fastidious about my teeth (I brush twice a day and I even floss regularly), it's never enough, and everyone there is so goddamned condescending to me. I recently got chastised because I stopped using my WaterPik (the lid on the damn water chamber broke, what a waste of $40) and the hygienist loves to tell me about her poor dad losing all his teeth. I also once had a hygienist wipe the scraper on my bib at regular intervals as she worked (passive aggressive much?!). Insult to injury? Last year I had to have a very deep cleaning that involved getting numbed, and everyone had a healthy giggle when I tried to talk.

Well, I hope all their teeth fall out, and they realize in horror that it isn't just a dream...

 

[Browncoat]

This morning, I got my cereal bowl down off the shelf, and there was a stink bug in it!  I did not use that bowl.

[Ohiopirate02]

On 2/21/2025 at 8:20 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I’m pretty sure when an icy limb fell onto my car, it came under homeowners, not auto. But maybe best to do a “soft” inquiry first to make sure whether it would be for the best to make the claim. 

Insurance may cover this, but I believe @Browncoat lives in the same state as I do, and I would not be filing a homeowner's insurance claim here if not absolutely necessary. If you live between I77 and I95, then you may be okay. But, I know of multiple people living east of I95 who have had their insurance drop them for where they live, and insurance companies are going to take a harder look at the area west of I77 after Hurricane Helene.

[KittyMom4]

1 hour ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I've come to hate going to the dentist, because even though I am super fastidious about my teeth (I brush twice a day and I even floss regularly), it's never enough, and everyone there is so goddamned condescending to me. I recently got chastised because I stopped using my WaterPik (the lid on the damn water chamber broke, what a waste of $40) and the hygienist loves to tell me about her poor dad losing all his teeth. I also once had a hygienist wipe the scraper on my bib at regular intervals as she worked (passive aggressive much?!). Insult to injury? Last year I had to have a very deep cleaning that involved getting numbed, and everyone had a healthy giggle when I tried to talk

@Wiendish Fitch I am in the same boat as you. I am fastidious as well (my dad did lose all his teeth due to poor dental hygiene) I brush 2-3 times a day, I floss every night, and use a fluoride rinse. At my last visit the hygienist said I had a lot of tartar build up, I asked what I could do to prevent that, and she recommended an electric toothbrush. Said the rotating movement is better to remove the tartar buildup. We'll see at my next visit, although I have noticed a difference when I feel my teeth. 

On 2/23/2025 at 12:02 AM, Calvada said:

This gets me into another pet peeve - when people try to argue about my choices.  I'm in my 60's and in those 6+ decades, I have developed preferences for food I like to eat, the type of clothes I like to wear, the books I like to read, the TV shows I like to watch, etc  Why are some people so convinced that what they like is what everyone should like?  I'm fine with a suggestion, in fact I especially love to get book recommendations, but allow me to decide whether it's right for me.

I'm close to 60 and feel the same way as you! It took a long time for me to be comfortable with who I am and what I like and I am enjoying every minute of it. I will not have fashions, trends and fads dictating what I'm allowed to wear, eat, do, or feel. 

[PRgal]

@KittyMom4 & @Calvada:  I'm 45 and feel the same way!  My parents always criticize me on what I eat, telling me it's not "nutritious enough."  I eat a lot of plant based proteins and they think I'm nuts (no pun intended)!  And since the pandemic, I'm basically wearing leggings and a long top.  At least in colder months.  I'll dress up a bit more in the summer.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Insurance may cover this, but I believe @Browncoat lives in the same state as I do, and I would not be filing a homeowner's insurance claim here if not absolutely necessary. If you live between I77 and I95, then you may be okay. But, I know of multiple people living east of I95 who have had their insurance drop them for where they live, and insurance companies are going to take a harder look at the area west of I77 after Hurricane Helene.

I'm along I81, north of I77, many miles out of the reach of Helene, but I'm not going to bother with insurance for the trees.  I suspect it wouldn't be covered anyway.

[annzeepark914]

6 hours ago, KittyMom4 said:

@Wiendish Fitch I am in the same boat as you. I am fastidious as well (my dad did lose all his teeth due to poor dental hygiene) I brush 2-3 times a day, I floss every night, and use a fluoride rinse. At my last visit the hygienist said I had a lot of tartar build up, I asked what I could do to prevent that, and she recommended an electric toothbrush. Said the rotating movement is better to remove the tartar buildup. We'll see at my next visit, although I have noticed a difference when I feel my teeth. 

Waterpik's Sonic-fusion 2.0 was highly recommended to me by a dental hygienist back in October.  I think it's helping. No "discussions" during my recent dh visit re: being better at flossing (even the dentist acknowledged it's hard for him to work on teeth way in the back 😉). I use the waterpik/toothbrush, then floss, & rinse with mouthwash. 

@Wiendish Fitch Can you find another practice? Patients don't deserve to be treated that way.

[Absolom]

I complained to the dentist about a hygienist who was harpy and nearly rude and she was replaced. 

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

@Wiendish Fitch Can you find another practice? Patients don't deserve to be treated that way.

Agreed.  The nice thing about dentists is, well, they're kinda a dime a dozen compared to doctors and in almost every case (at least in my area) they are always accepting new patients.

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

I've come to hate going to the dentist, because even though I am super fastidious about my teeth (I brush twice a day and I even floss regularly), it's never enough, and everyone there is so goddamned condescending to me.

Well that's just ridiculous.  I had a friend who had to get her teeth cleaned every three months no matter what she did.  She just had terrible teeth.  I, on the other hand, can go ten years and need only an unremarkable amount of cleaning, and I'm strictly twice-a-day manual brushing and try-to-remember-to-floss. 

I had braces on my teeth when I was in my mid-30s for a couple of years and when I got them off, I scheduled a cleaning and the dentist said they were the cleanest post-braces teeth he'd ever seen.  That's just how my teeth roll.

Surely the people at your dentist's office know how variable people's teeth are, regardless of how well they take care of them.  I'd be finding a different dentist.  You'd think bedside manner would be a high priority in a dental practice, of all places.

(Although I remember someone cleaning my teeth once and wiping the scraper on my bib.  I guess I assumed it was normal, and I don't get my teeth cleaned often enough to have compiled a lot of data.)

 

[Cloud9Shopper]

Show-off singers. Whether it was the guy behind me at Mass the other day who was practically shouting as he went up an octave on a song that I already can’t stand (it’s like beating a dead horse; the choir director loves this song so we sing it over and over and over) or the national anthem singer at a sporting event treating it like their audition for The Voice or American Idol. (Also: how are those shows still on?) Even as a choir member and sometimes cantor/soloist myself, I know good church choir singers are basically a dime a dozen and I hate when someone tries to act like they’re above everyone else in the choir. I’ve also sat through many a mediocre performance at a hockey or baseball game from a singer trying to do vocal gymnastics or go up super high on the last “o’er the land of the free” or who got the gig because they won some local beauty pageant even though they have no singing talent.

It reminds me of Maya Rudolph’s Pamela Bell skit on SNL in the late 2000s/early 2010s:

 

[PRgal]

14 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

Show-off singers. Whether it was the guy behind me at Mass the other day who was practically shouting as he went up an octave on a song that I already can’t stand (it’s like beating a dead horse; the choir director loves this song so we sing it over and over and over) or the national anthem singer at a sporting event treating it like their audition for The Voice or American Idol. (Also: how are those shows still on?) Even as a choir member and sometimes cantor/soloist myself, I know good church choir singers are basically a dime a dozen and I hate when someone tries to act like they’re above everyone else in the choir. I’ve also sat through many a mediocre performance at a hockey or baseball game from a singer trying to do vocal gymnastics or go up super high on the last “o’er the land of the free” or who got the gig because they won some local beauty pageant even though they have no singing talent.

It reminds me of Maya Rudolph’s Pamela Bell skit on SNL in the late 2000s/early 2010s:

 

Karaoke was a MUST HAVE at all Chinese banquets in the 90s (at least in Toronto and Hong Kong)!  If you booked a private room for your multicourse dinner, you probably had karaoke.  Most of the singers were people your parents' age so we kids drowned the noise out listening to our mixed tapes on our Walkmans.  One or two kids might also have their GameBoys with them.   

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

It reminds me of Maya Rudolph’s Pamela Bell skit on SNL in the late 2000s/early 2010s:

I don't care how anyone sings the anthem (well, I'll take a pass on Roseanne Barr's version) - it's a shitty song*, I don't want to hear it at sporting events unless it's an international competition and one team is playing as Team USA to begin with, so have at it - but I still love that take on the vocal shenanigans.

*My favorite description is from the music professor who called it an “aggressive, unsingable, relatively-recently-adopted, ill-constructed descendant of a raunchy bar ballad turned celebration of obscure military stalemate”.