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

[Betweenyouandme]

This evening, while I was still at work and he was at home "on Daddy duty", my boss sent me a picture of his three-year-old son standing on their patio, leaning back and peeing into the landscaped playground area (the photo was of the boy's clothed back and his shirt covered his bottom). My reply: "Uhhhh..." His response: "That is parenting, bilgistic." Me: "Your son pisses in a sandbox just like mine does."

I was referring to my cat.

Did I need to tell my boss at some point that I didn't want pictures of his kid pissing?

He sounds inappropriate. It's like...do you two have a playful relationship or he just sends you weird stuff? Doesn't really matter either way..that's just the thought that pops into my mind.

Certainly not trying to be nosey. I mean, I personally find the picture inappropriate, especially to be sending to a coworker, and why is he lecturing you? "This is parenting?" I could see a friend doing that if the two are often joking about one really not wanting kids, etc. but, the key there to me is *friends* and *joking.*

[bilgistic]

He tries to be some version of "funny", but it generally lands in the category of tone-deaf privileged white male humor. I thought the picture was inappropriate. I'm particular about there being boundaries between work and personal lives. He wanted to "friend" me on Facebook, and I wouldn't approve it. I have only 13 or 14 friends and I'm related or quasi-related to all but two of them.

He and my coworker are quite different from me. They are 33 and 26, married, white males from privileged upbringings, and I'm a 40-year-old, single/never married, white female who grew up with a single mother with three kids and little family support.

I honestly think he's been sheltered and coddled and has never had his views challenged. Once in a while, I call him on it. I questioned something one day last week, he said I was "one of those people that just likes to find something to complain about". It really irritated me, because I feel like sometimes I'm not taken seriously as a woman. He's a bit of a bully. I can't imagine how it must feel to be his wife.

*I'm not saying it's inherently bad to come from a place or position of privilege. To use it to oppress others is a bad thing.

Edited May 13, 2015 by bilgistic

[applecrisp]

I think if they can't bother to hire enough baggers then I should get a discount for bagging my own groceries. As well as a discount for using self-checkout. Am I soon going to have to stock the shelves or unload trucks too??

Is anyone familiar with Aldi's, I think they are mostly in the Midwest.  They actually own Trader Joe's.  You have to rent a cart for .25 cents, they have things on shelves, but still partially in boxes, you bring your own bags or buy them.  They also leave out some boxes you can use.  They have mostly high quality food and they are substantially cheaper than other grocery stores.  They don't carry every thing and have little in the way of personal care items or vitamins etc.  

 

You bag your own groceries.

 

I love it because I save a lot of money.

[topanga]

You need to use these questions as distractions when you need to change the subject.  I don't mind someone yammering on about whatnot if I know that I deliberately baited them into the topic specifically to avoid something else.

 

A lot of times, I am genuinely interested in someone else's kid/garden/whatnot so I don't mind their tales.  I'm pretty good about extracting myself if I am not in the mood or too busy.

I actually don't mind stories about people's children (and I share my own when asked), but I don't like looking at pictures of other people's children. If they're not related to me or I haven't watched them grow up, then seeing their pictures does nothing for me. I know I sound like a Scrooge, but I actually like children. I just don't want to see a picture whenever I ask a parent how their kids are.

[Qoass]

I can't stand children-- if anybody in the room is going to be loud, a little sticky and incredibly self-centered, it's gonna be me-- but I will admit I felt very guilty throwing out a pile of pictures of bald-headed babies because I didn't know who they were.

[FormerMod-a1]

Is anyone familiar with Aldi's, I think they are mostly in the Midwest.  They actually own Trader Joe's.  You have to rent a cart for .25 cents, they have things on shelves, but still partially in boxes, you bring your own bags or buy them.  They also leave out some boxes you can use.  They have mostly high quality food and they are substantially cheaper than other grocery stores.  They don't carry every thing and have little in the way of personal care items or vitamins etc.  

 

You bag your own groceries.

 

I love it because I save a lot of money.

 

At the Aldis in my area, you get the $0.25 back when you return the cart.  And they do have vitamins and supplements.  That's where all my friends get their glucosamine (all my friends that need it, that is).  It is also where I can get the best deal on cheese and fruit.  Seafood is cheaper there, too, but I have a hard tie finding wild caught.

[backformore]

I actually don't mind stories about people's children (and I share my own when asked), but I don't like looking at pictures of other people's children. If they're not related to me or I haven't watched them grow up, then seeing their pictures does nothing for me. I know I sound like a Scrooge, but I actually like children. I just don't want to see a picture whenever I ask a parent how their kids are.

Tell me about it!   Babies are cute.  Mine were cute.  But a photo of a baby, especially a newborn, is equally as cute as every other photo of a baby, IMHO.

 

Ok - here's a good one.  I have a friend who has a tiny dog.  She brings him everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.   And, when I see her, she wants to show me PHOTOS OF THE DOG THAT IS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME!  

 

Here he is on the grass, on the couch - here he is looking out the window, here's a photo of him sleeping in the car.  with a hat, in a shirt, with another dog..........  photo after photo, until I want to scream.  I try to be polite, but I find ways to avoid her.  

 

(I'm collecting photos of my husband cutting the grass, sleeping, watching TV, wearing a hat, drinking a beer,  and I swear I'm going to make her look at them the next time I see her. )

[DeLurker]

(I'm collecting photos of my husband cutting the grass, sleeping, watching TV, wearing a hat, drinking a beer,  and I swear I'm going to make her look at them the next time I see her. )

Ha!  Do this and report back! 

 

Of course, you need to make her look at the photos when your husband is right next to you.

[Sara2009]

I think if they can't bother to hire enough baggers then I should get a discount for bagging my own groceries. As well as a discount for using self-checkout. Am I soon going to have to stock the shelves or unload trucks too??

Part of the issue is that baggers have other tasks they're required to do too especially when it's busy. I know whereas I speak.

[Mountainair]

Right on red! Argh!!!!

I love the right on red law. It serves a purpose. There is one intersection on my way to work, in the heart of downtown where traffic is a nightmare. You can turn right on a red light at this intersection but you'd be surprised how many people don't! They just sit there and wait for the light to turn green which on a normal day could take 20 minutes.

Aldi: I get most of my groceries at Aldi and the rest I get at my local grocer. My one biggest pet peeve with Aldi and its one that is just a bit of personal snobbery on my part is that they just chunk your groceries in the cart. Sometime you get a good cashier but for the most part they don't make eye contact or talk they just scan, scan, scan because they are busy and under staffed. When my boys were little they wouldn't leave the front part open after transferring the groceries so I'm left with a cart of smushed food, a toddler and an infant with no where to go. But, the prices reflect the service so I get it.

[harrie]

We have an Aldi, but I am not a fan because you can't count on stuff being there - plus the two I to which I have access have spotty-looking produce.  I know the layouts of the (non-Aldi) stores where I shop, so the list is in a certain order, and I know where to find everything. The merchandise at Aldi - at least in my area - changes, and you might not be able to find something you purchased on an earlier trip and loved.  By the same token, you might be pleasantly surprised by coming across something you didn't expect, but that's not enough of a draw for me.  I like consistency in my shopping trips, so I don't end up running around looking for something I thought a store would have,  but doesn't. 

Edited May 14, 2015 by harrie

[auntlada]

We have a relatively new Aldi, but I haven't been in it yet because it's on the other side of town. It's not a big town, and probably wouldn't take more than 10-15 minutes to get to it, depending on the lights and time of day, but it's the thought of going all the way to the other side of town. I grew up in a really small town and would prefer to get where I'm going in five minutes or fewer. (My mother used to say that she knew they'd moved to a small town when people would go home and come back later if they couldn't park in front of the store they were going to downtown.) Also, the Aldi is on a busy road that needs to be bigger than it is, and you have to turn left across traffic. They put in a stop light with a left turn signal, but there isn't really a left turn lane, so you might have to sit behind people a while if it's changed to a green light instead of an arrow. Honestly, I plan trips to avoid that road.

 

Earlier this year, I was happy I hadn't been because we had a measles case in town, and that was one of the places the patient had been. I've been vaccinated (twice because I had to have a repeat in high school since I got the first one when I was too young), but they say that there's still a very slight chance of getting them. Also, I'm not sure if my son has had the booster shot yet. I keep meaning to call and ask, but the person who can get those records at the clinic where his doctor practices is only there certain hours of certain days and every time I call, it's the wrong time on the wrong day. That's another pet peeve that would take too long to get into.

[bubbls]

Ooo, I love Aldi. I don't at all mind doing my own stuff there because it's so affordable and the cashiers are so fast.

 

 

Part of the issue is that baggers have other tasks they're required to do too especially when it's busy. I know whereas I speak.

 

That's perfectly fine and I understand that, but I still want a discount if I have to both pay and work at the grocery store.

Edited May 14, 2015 by bubbls

[DeLurker]

Self Peeve:  I hate the futility of clearing my kitchen island.  I regularly clear everything off but the necessities and within a day or two it is re-covered with an assortment of kitchen related items.  I would love to blame my children, but it really is me that is doing it.

 

The things that get added are always things I want to see so we eat them before they go bad - usually bakery items like rolls, french bread or bagels.  I currently also have out a fine assortment of seasonal allergy medicine (my normal product wasn't working this spring so I kept buying other OTC products in hopes of finding a workable solution).

 

Good thing it is a pretty long island because I do manage to keep about 1/2 clear for actual food prep.

[bilgistic]

OMG, allergy meds! I had been using an RX nasal spray for YEARS that worked quite well. My insurance, in their infinite wisdom, suddenly decided they wouldn't pay for it anymore, b/c there are "suitable alternatives" available for purchase OTC. So, I dutifully bought an OTC brand (that used to be RX), which I had used years ago, but obviously quit at some point b/c it didn't work for me (but I had forgotten that until I used it and recalled the scent...and the headaches it gave me. Furthermore, my insurance wouldn't reimburse me via my FSA plan for the OTC medicine that THEY TOLD ME TO BUY b/c I DIDN'T HAVE A DOCTOR'S PRESCRIPTION FOR IT.

 

WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING FUCK.

[ALenore]

Re: Grocery bagging.  I actually bag and price scan my groceries as I shop.   ( I go to Stop & Shop, where this is called "Scan It").  I actually prefer this since I know exactly how much I'm spending as I go along.  I put the groceries into specific bags, the produce seperate bags (which happen to be green), pantry goods in another, freezer good in another (which happens to be blue).  When I go to check out, there's (almost) never any line, I just scan the barcode at the register, then swipe my credit card.  

 

The one pet peeve I have is that sometimes the specials are coded right.    A couple of times Engish muffins were on sale, buy one, get one free, but the scanner chaged me for both and I had to go find a clerk to correct it.  This happened twice before I realized that I just should have "removed" one of the charges.   Now I watch for this, and if I don't get the second item for free, I just push the "remove" button and re-scan it.

[Mountainair]

Re: Grocery bagging.  I actually bag and price scan my groceries as I shop.   ( I go to Stop & Shop, where this is called "Scan It").  I actually prefer this since I know exactly how much I'm spending as I go along.  I put the groceries into specific bags, the produce seperate bags (which happen to be green), pantry goods in another, freezer good in another (which happens to be blue).  When I go to check out, there's (almost) never any line, I just scan the barcode at the register, then swipe my credit card.  

 

The one pet peeve I have is that sometimes the specials are coded right.    A couple of times Engish muffins were on sale, buy one, get one free, but the scanner chaged me for both and I had to go find a clerk to correct it.  This happened twice before I realized that I just should have "removed" one of the charges.   Now I watch for this, and if I don't get the second item for free, I just push the "remove" button and re-scan it.

j

Oh, how cool! I wish we had a store like that around here! I was at SAMs Club a few months av and while waiting in line an employee came up and offered to scan my groceries while I waited. I didn't really understand what she meant or what the benefit was but she scanned my card and the groceries with a handheld machine. When it was my turn in line I just handed the cashier my card and all my purchases were already stored and I just had to pay. Easy Peasy!

Now that brings me to a SAMs pet peeve that I have to wait in line to exit the store and have someone check my receipt. I have to wait behind people with pallets full of groceries while I usually only have a handful of items.Bugs the crap out of me!

[Bastet]

At my local Costco, the employees checking the receipts are really fast (probably because they're not actually checking them against the items in the cart unless they see you're hauling out a big-ticket item), but I've also seen them wave to the front of the line someone who's just holding a few items.

 

That takes me to another peeve of mine: People unloading a cart full of groceries who don't invite the person standing behind with just one or two items to go ahead of them.  They're under no obligation to do so.  But when they look right at the person and see that's all they're buying, and it's obvious that person could be checked out and gone before they even finish unloading their cart, I think it's the polite thing to do to extend the offer.  Especially when the store has no express lines open.

[magicdog]

Now that brings me to a SAMs pet peeve that I have to wait in line to exit the store and have someone check my receipt.

 

 

This bugs me too but there is a reason for that.  Once upon a time, some customers would try to sneak something out of the store by burying it under something else.   It's always the good ones who have to pay for the bad deeds of others. 

[Mountainair]

This bugs me too but there is a reason for that. Once upon a time, some customers would try to sneak something out of the store by burying it under something else. It's always the good ones who have to pay for the bad deeds of others.

Yea, I get the reason why but they should have an express exit line or something for people with 10 or fewer items. Usually the line doesn't move too slowly but I hate shopping and that doesn't help :) our SAMs did finally get self check out registers this year so that has come in handy except almost every time I get stuck behind someone that doesn't understand how to use it and I'd have been better off waiting in the regular check out line.

It doesn't bother me when people don't let me jump in line if I have fewer items. It bugs me when people ask if they can jump in front of me because they have fewer items than I do. How do they know I didn't just let three people jump in front of me? I need to have my turn too. Also, I usually time my shopping trips for when the boys are in preschool so if I let everyone jump ahead of me that cuts into my time to get errands done without my kids. You wait your turn just like I waited my turn. People have offered to let me jump ahead in line particularly when I have my boys with me but I always graciously decline the offer. It's your turn, by all means, take your turn.

ETA: that brings me to a related traffic pet peeves here people will stop the flow of traffic to let someone make a dangerous left turn out of somewhere. On coming traffic doesn't know you are being nice and trying to let someone out so situations can get dicey. Just follow the rules of the road people. So what if homeboy has to wait 10 hours to make the left. He could take a right, turn around somewhere up the road and then head in the intended direction.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Mountainair

[Bastet]

It doesn't bother me when people don't let me jump in line if I have fewer items.

 

Me, neither, in general, it's just the specific circumstances above (not when Person 1 has 20 items and Person 2 has 10, but when Person 1 has a cartful and Person 2 has a handful) that my annoyance kicks in.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Bastet

[Betweenyouandme]

Me, neither, in general, it's just the specific circumstances above (not when Person 1 has 20 items and Person 2 has 10, but when Person 1 has a cartful and Person 2 has a handful) that my annoyance kicks in.

That's interesting to me. I was going to write the following but had decided against it. Now, I think I will...

This afternoon I stopped in an Einstein's Bagels bakery. I was in line behind/standing beside a man. We waited a minute for the cashier. When she arrives the man orders a total of about 50 bagels. 4 Asiago cheese. 7 sesame. 6 onion. Etc. sliced. Creamed cheese. Pastries......

Finally, he's done. While he's waiting for a heated item, I order my one, unheated cheese bagel and a cup for self serve soda.

I, of course, said not a word. It was his turn. I have no clue if he was in a hurry. It was fine either way. I just know had the situation had been reversed, I would have asked the one other person in line if they had a small order. It took me less than 2 min to order, get the bagel handed to me, and pay.

Plus, he took the bagel I wanted :/ the one little bagel while he off the top of his head rattled off (random?) numbers and types of bagels. He had no exact list. He was looking at the case just saying whatever. At the end he even said...."hmmm...I'll take about 5 more of....surprise me!" He emptied out 3 bins of bagels.

Just not considerate. Don't worry, I didn't hit him or curse him out ;) Just...thought it was inconsiderate.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Betweenyouandme

[applecrisp]

Self Peeve:  I hate the futility of clearing my kitchen island.  I regularly clear everything off but the necessities and within a day or two it is re-covered with an assortment of kitchen related items.  I would love to blame my children, but it really is me that is doing it.

 

The things that get added are always things I want to see so we eat them before they go bad - usually bakery items like rolls, french bread or bagels.  I currently also have out a fine assortment of seasonal allergy medicine (my normal product wasn't working this spring so I kept buying other OTC products in hopes of finding a workable solution).

 

Good thing it is a pretty long island because I do manage to keep about 1/2 clear for actual food prep.

Wow I do the same thing but for me it is the dining room table.  And it is the mail that piles up.  I think I should have a shredder in there. 

 

Also, when letting people in whether in the grocery aisle on the road,  I would be in a mood and maybe ignore that person.  Someone else comes along and lets them in.  Then I feel like a real heal. It really does not take that much time out of your day.

 

This is not a pet peeve but something I swear happens a lot to me.  The minute I go to check out everyone else decides to as well. 

[Quof]

Now that it is actually spring here (the snow has finally melted), I'm already in a mood to scream at the teenagers scuffing along in their sandals "Lift your damned feet!"

[bilgistic]

Quof, that made me laugh. You sound like my mother. When I was a kid, she would always say, "Pick up your feet!"

I say out loud (but not loud enough for people to hear me) that these damn kids need to pull up their pants! I don't want to see their underwear, and they look like Gumby walking without moving their thighs apart because the crotch of their pants is between them, constricting their movement.

I'm old.

Edited May 15, 2015 by bilgistic

[P2C2E]

I am sure I am a pet peeve of others: I get great pleasure, not a humble brag, but a sincere little bit of pleasure by letting people merge in traffic. It drives my husband insane but I do it anyway.

 

Yesterday I had to drive through a major city during rush hour traffic in the pouring rain. I drove the whole commute leaving about 6-10 car lengths between me and the car in front. If someone merged in, there was still plenty of time for me to stop safely if traffic stopped short. At one merging point, 4 cars merged in front of me. I didn't care at all. It's the difference of a few seconds and I would much rather take my time and drive safely.

 

I don't commute through rush hour, but I honestly think traffic would flow much more smoothly if people didn't drive bumper to bumper. If everyone left space for someone to merge in front then traffic wouldn't have to stop completely to let the merging traffic in.

 

I'm just glad I don't have to do that twice a day. 

[auntlada]

I yelled at some woman this morning for stopping to let me turn in front of her. Had it been bumper-to-bumper traffic, I would have been happy. (I was making a right turn, so it was safe.) But it wasn't bumper-to-bumper in the outside lane into which I was turning. No one was behind her. She didn't need to stop to let me turn. If she just kept moving, I would have turned right behind her, and then we would both have made the green light. My son wasn't with me, so I yelled at her. I was already ticked off because I'd sat in the Braum's drive-through line for 15 minutes.

[ramble]

I am sure I am a pet peeve of others: I get great pleasure, not a humble brag, but a sincere little bit of pleasure by letting people merge in traffic. It drives my husband insane but I do it anyway.

I feel a bit of this too, the genuine enjoyment. I love letting someone in line & they're thankful. However, the happiness fades if they don't wave a little thank you, or at give least a partial nod. Then I become unreasonably upset & wish I had a Nerf car so I could ram them or a paint ball gun to splat their car with. I think my issues with expressing anger melt freely away when in traffic.

And speaking of traffic & pet peeves, I was at a stoplight today in a residential area, 4 lanes with turn lanes, so not rural, but not highway either. As we, the cars, sit waiting on the light to turn the dump truck beside me honks at the dump truck across the lanes & the other truck honks back. The horns honestly sounded a bit like a train's whistle. I jumped it my car, but fortunately kept my foot on the brake. A couple of cars in other lanes sort of jumped into the intersection. Fortunately no one was hurt because the light was green for the turn lanes but no one was turning. But let me tell you my traffic anger issues were definitely touched on & hard. What the crap was that? Why would they do that? Couldn't they just wave at each other? I so would have paint gunned them with the color assigned to idiots if I had my imaginary paint gun. (And yes I honestly have dreamed up colors for various issues: idiotic, doesn't know driving laws, distracted & dangerous, etc.)

[Maharincess]

Ooo, I love Aldi. I don't at all mind doing my own stuff there because it's so affordable and the cashiers are so fast.

That's perfectly fine and I understand that, but I still want a discount if I have to both pay and work at the grocery store.

But it's not like you're bagging somebody else's stuff. You're bagging your own possessions. I prefer bagging my own, I'm just standing there anyway.

Self Peeve: I hate the futility of clearing my kitchen island. I regularly clear everything off but the necessities and within a day or two it is re-covered with an assortment of kitchen related items. I would love to blame my children, but it really is me that is doing it.

The things that get added are always things I want to see so we eat them before they go bad - usually bakery items like rolls, french bread or bagels. I currently also have out a fine assortment of seasonal allergy medicine (my normal product wasn't working this spring so I kept buying other OTC products in hopes of finding a workable solution).

Good thing it is a pretty long island because I do manage to keep about 1/2 clear for actual food prep.

Put a couple of pretty baskets or other kind of containers on the counter. That way the stuff is still there but it doesn't look so cluttered.

[Qoass]

Does it occur to all you nice people waving others ahead of you in traffic that you frequently condemn everybody behind you to sit through an additional cycle at the next traffic light?

 

 

[Betweenyouandme]

When someone is in a class or meeting but shakes their leg uncontrollably (?). It often either shakes a row of seats or their shoes make a squeaking noise. I understand if it's compulsive but can't they alter some factors at all?

[DeLurker]

Does it occur to all you nice people waving others ahead of you in traffic that you frequently condemn everybody behind you to sit through an additional cycle at the next traffic light?

My Dad would often allow others to go ahead of him in a 4 way stop.  His intention was to be polite, but he did it even if there were cars behind him.  He created many-a-snarls at intersections and no amount of talking to him about it would change his thinking.

 

When someone is in a class or meeting but shakes their leg uncontrollably (?). It often either shakes a row of seats or their shoes make a squeaking noise. I understand if it's compulsive but can't they alter some factors at all?

My brother does this and for him he normally is not aware it is happening.  I would suspect this is probably the same.

 

I would have no problem politely asking them to stop due to the noise or carried vibration.  If that isn't comfortable for you, I would discreetly relocate myself ASAP. 

 

 

Put a couple of pretty baskets or other kind of containers on the counter. That way the stuff is still there but it doesn't look so cluttered.

I tried that, but my clutter collection quickly outgrew it!  I use baskets to hold different things around the house for containment purposes and it normally works pretty well. 

[Betweenyouandme]

Does it occur to all you nice people waving others ahead of you in traffic that you frequently condemn everybody behind you to sit through an additional cycle at the next traffic light?

To me, this is when I try to be aware. Has a car been sitting in a driveway for longer than we've been at the lights or did they just roll up? Are there breaks in traffic? I do think it's fair to let a car in every so often. It's like the zipper method when a lane is closed/ blocked on a road.

Tangent......Certainly, I see a lot in driving that often people don't want to wait one more second than they utterly have to wait. The issue is, on the road, we're all going somewhere. We all *generally* have an interest in not wrecking our cars or getting into an accident. We have to sort of play nice even when we don't want to do so. Key word is "we." There are some ppl who never let anyone in if they can help it. There are others who usually let lots in the lane. It works out how it is. Driving isn't a videogame. And the fact that it takes constant decisions- exactly what speed am I going, what lane do I drive in, etc means ... well, there are endless opportunities to annoy or be annoyed. I think it also matters where you live. Jay walking is almost like two different things in many ways when comparing Manhattan to Fort Worth, TX. And, of course some people have baaaaabies with them ;) Sorry, wanted to throw that out there. Meant in a humorous way.

DeLurker, I normally just try to ignore it unless it's my dad. Then I sit on him ;) between his bony legs and my bony butt, it gets the point across. I didn't try this at church last night with a stranger! Group too small to move without seeming rude I thought.

B

Edited May 15, 2015 by Betweenyouandme

[DeLurker]

DeLurker, I normally just try to ignore it unless it's my dad. Then I sit on him ;) between his bony legs and my bony butt, it gets the point across. I didn't try this at church last night with a stranger! Group too small to move without seeming rude I thought.

 

Sitting on a stranger in church probably would not go over to well...fortunately, we are people of habit so maybe you can figure out his "preferred" location and sit away from there.  And you have the advantage of the pregnancy excuse for moving - you need to get up and stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, get some air...no one is going to think a pregnant woman is being rude for any of those reasons!

[Qoass]

I can live with that!

 

What I have trouble with is trying to turn into my own driveway while people inch up towards a red light blocking my way.

[Quof]

For the sake of karma, I let a vehicle into traffic in front of me once per trip. 

 

But never a vehicle that is coming from, or going to, McDonalds or Tim Horton's.

 

I judge those people.

[bilgistic]

Where I live, people beep at you if you aren't practically jumping the light before it turns green. I very sweetly give them a single-finger salute.

[bilgistic]

I'm getting my toes done because I work like a mule and it's the only thing I do for myself one in a while, but I'm very anxious and irritated (instead of relaxed) because a woman here brought along her son, who is under a year old. He's alternately standing in her lap (she's in another pedicure chair--I'm just waiting for him to take a header onto the tile floor), squirming and fussing. I would be, too, if I were that age in this place.

Edited May 16, 2015 by bilgistic

[bubbls]

 

But it's not like you're bagging somebody else's stuff. You're bagging your own possessions. I prefer bagging my own, I'm just standing there anyway.

 

 

Again, I wouldn't mind working at the store if I got a discount or groceries were exceptionally affordable like they are at Aldi. Other than that, I don't care who's groceries they want me to bag; it's not my job. I'm not an employee. Are they going to ask me to start stocking shelves soon? Or unloading trucks? Sweeping floors? Cleaning bathrooms?

Where I live, people beep at you if you aren't practically jumping the light before it turns green. I very sweetly give them a single-finger salute.

 

 

I'm on both sides of this coin. I honk at people taking too long even by a second and I give that salute if I get honked at. You just can't win with me, hehe!! I once accidentally honked at someone in front of me and it ended up we were going the same way for miles. The guy in the back seat spent the whole time giving me the stink eye in a very threatening manner so my mom and I spent that time obviously laughing at him. He was seething. I'm just glad I didn't get shot.

[Quof]

I very sweetly give them a single-finger salute.

 

I find blowing them a kiss is even better.

[Betweenyouandme]

Hmph. Several years ago in a Walmart parking lot I honked at a woman who cut across lanes and almost hit me. I parked. She passed me as I was walking. I waved and gave a big smile as she flipped me off. I ran in to get one item. Came back. My car was keyed around the entire car. I waited for her to come back. She denied it. I called the police.

Even though they had her go by my car one way to get a cart and back the other way around my car with the cart on video, the video quality was too poor for them to actually see her key it. She denied it when they visited her house.

We had to pay 3 grand to get my car repainted.

I was angry with her and the police (though yes, I get it)... But, I did learn that even though it's not fair, people can do really nasty things even when they started the inappropriate behavior. It's not worth 3 grand to show my ass to even a "deserving" person. Now I rarely honk...And only if I'm not close to home or my destination.

That experience burns my butt every time I think about it.

[DeLurker]

Having been married to that overly aggressive driver who would become irrationally incensed if he were the recepient of being flipped off by you (after he tailgated you for miles, passed and then cut you off) I can guarantee that there are ticking timebombs out there who will go off on you for little or no provocation.  In light of all the road rage (and parking lot rage) incidents, I'd rather not engage with any of them (and I hated being a passenger in the car of one).

 

Just be safe and realize that being right doesn't always make you safe when you are dealing with a nutjob.  And if you are ever followed by one of these drivers, go to the nearest police or fire department.  Most likely they won't follow you there.

[Betweenyouandme]

Having been married to that overly aggressive driver who would become irrationally incensed if he were the recepient of being flipped off by you (after he tailgated you for miles, passed and then cut you off) I can guarantee that there are ticking timebombs out there who will go off on you for little or no provocation. In light of all the road rage (and parking lot rage) incidents, I'd rather not engage with any of them (and I hated being a passenger in the car of one).

Just be safe and realize that being right doesn't always make you safe when you are dealing with a nutjob. And if you are ever followed by one of these drivers, go to the nearest police or fire department. Most likely they won't follow you there.

I think that's why I've made a major effort to cut down getting angry or annoyed at driver behavior. I can be right all day, but in the end, what can be done? I just take a deep breath and avoid the person. You're right- keep safe best I can. I have no idea who is in a car or what state of mind they're in while driving. It's like metro riders who don't make eye contact or talk to strangers. Sure another passenger can be annoying but they'd rather not get stabbed. I think being inside a car makes ppl feel invincible. Well, they're not.

[DeLurker]

I think that's why I've made a major effort to cut down getting angry or annoyed at driver behavior. I can be right all day, but in the end, what can be done? I just take a deep breath and avoid the person.

I think back on all the times when I made a stupid mistake or had bad judgment (I have horrible spatial skills so gauging the speed and distance of an oncoming car is something I totally suck at) and give the other driver the benefit of the doubt - maybe they are just having an off day.  But I keep watch for that chronically aggressive driver and avoid him/her at all costs.

 

I have a harder time finding any latitude for drivers who are talking on the phone, texting....

[auntlada]

I have a non-driving pet peeve. We're having bad storms in the state tonight, and there have been tornadoes. (Welcome to spring.) Earlier, a person I know was complaining on Facebook about one channel only showing a town where there was actually a tornado at the time. One, it wasn't true, and I know because that's the channel I was watching. It's the channel with the best weather (and the one that used to have what I call the godfather of meteorology -- well, he's still there sort of, but no longer on the air). Two, and this is what I wanted to tell her but didn't, it was the place with an actual tornado. If the channel is showing a tornado and isn't showing or talking about your area, then your area is OK. You don't have a tornado. (Also, get some brains and look online while you watch TV. I mean, we've got the TV on, I'm tracking the radar on weather.com, looking at our state's Mesonet and following news sites on the computer, and I'm following Twitter on the iPad. Do some legwork on your own to keep up with the weather when you're in a severe thunderstorm and tornado watch. It's not the 1980s anymore. You can find stuff out on your own.)

 

And people complaining about the local TV channels overhyping the weather. There have been actual tornadoes on the ground in several spots in the state. Just because they aren't in your area doesn't mean they don't exist. I think people think the TV channels can target their broadcasts so that only certain parts of the state see the weather reports while everyone else gets the regular shows (which frankly probably aren't anything you want to watch on a Saturday night anyway).

Edited May 17, 2015 by auntlada

[auntlada]

Hee! It's like a comedian once said -- one day, this Dopplar Radar will be so precise that the weatherman will get on TV and say, "John Smith on Fifth Street -- run!"

 

It's pretty close to that here now. But our TV meteorologists get a lot of practice. We've had a lot of advances in tornado forecasting come out of our state.

[auntlada]

I think most people here don't rely on just one meteorologist. Well, they probably do (everyone has a favorite), but ought to know better given how many storms and tornadoes we get. A lot of people are outside looking at the skies as soon as they hear there might be a tornado. And most towns (if not all) have a tornado siren. Some have sirens that are connected to the electrical supply, though, so if the electricity is out, they're out.

[DeLurker]

If you live somewhere that has non-eventful weather usually, it was probably his BIG day! He wanted to make the most of it.

I loathe the naming of winter storms. As far as I have been able to tell, they are bad winter storms but not unusually bad (unlike when you name a hurricane). Maybe I am wrong about that since I don't live in a place with winter storms, but my friends and relatives who do are like "same old same old" when I have asked them.

[auntlada]

Tornadoes are rare here in NC. The last one was back in the early 80's. My two son's are on the fire department. The sun was shining here. If we had not had their beeper go off giving coordinates of the tornado we would have never known it was right on top of us.  We heard it coming, right after the pager went off saying it was 20 miles away. 

 

I think my peeve about weather and tragedies, like the marathon, the Amtrak train, etc, is that news people do not know how to do news anymore. Yes we want to stay informed when things happen. But if there is nothing happening, there are not any updates to be reported then just show the regular show. Have updates at the top or bottom of the hour when you get new information. But to just take up the whole day with "we don't know what happened, we don't know what is happening" or the dreaded "let's discuss all possible senarios that will never happen", is wrong from a news point. Getting people gathered, experts to drone on endlessly, is NOT NEWS!

 

I'm in Oklahoma, so when they are on all night with tornadoes, there's a lot going on. If it's just thunderstorms with no real chance of tornadoes (and they are pretty good here at knowing when they might happen -- as are many residents), they usually just come on during commercial breaks and you don't miss any of your program. (That's actually what they say.) Of course, in many springs, like this one, taking up all night if there are tornadoes means you do miss a lot of shows. I've become pretty addicted to watching the weather, though, and it can be pretty exciting, especially if we don't have to go to our shelter. I'm not sure if we have connectivity down there. I should probably check that out sometime, but I really hate going down there. I much prefer having enough time to get to my husband's office, which is in what the university considers one of its storm shelters (it's in the basement). They have their own power and his office has a TV and computers.

 

Naming winter storms is stupid, I think. I'll go along with it when the National Weather Service does it, but until then, I'm not calling winter storms by name.

Edited May 17, 2015 by auntlada

[tribeca]

I often wonder if I cause someone a pet peeve.  Sometimes I feel I have a face that says I would be an easy target or something.  There have been times I have been places with long lines. Someone will come up to me & start a conversation.  Not because they actually want to talk to me but because they want to cut in front of me.  Sorry to say I fell for this a few times to many.  One day at Walmart and elderly lady started this trick with me.  I was in a bad mood but talked to her.  When the next cashier opened I went and put my stuff down.  Elderly lady humped and made it seem like I cut her.  To top that off I felt so dumb.  Like why did I care if she cut me?