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

[Quof]

You gotta tell them.  Sisterhood.

[Bastet]

Oh, yeah -- "Time to pluck your beard."

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/8/2018 at 3:51 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

OH, Pet Peeve:  Needing botox.

Pet peeve:  The forces that have convinced people to believe they need something like botox.  That's bad enough, but then you add in the fact that it's almost always women and not men, and it really really grates. 

[DeLurker]

I've just recently started to get commercial for botox for men in the past few weeks.  The models they chose are still models and not in the ballpark of starting to show age, mileage, wear & tear, ...

I keep hearing a variant the old Irish Spring tagline in my head   "Womanly, yes - but I like it too"

[SuprSuprElevated]

8 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

The human body is really bizarre.  Why do I have less hair on my legs and more on my chin?  lol 

So, if you are talking to family and friends and observe long chin hairs on them......do you tell them or just let it go?

 

I'm forever having to tell Mom that it's time to trim.  She's 87, but I refuse to allow her to grow billy goat hairs from her chin.  It's not necessary, and there are enough indignities that cannot be remedied at her age, goat chin hairs won't be one of them, as long as I can help it!

Edited May 10, 2018 by SuprSuprElevated

[Sun-Bun]

On 5/10/2018 at 10:01 AM, SunnyBeBe said:

The human body is really bizarre.  Why do I have less hair on my legs and more on my chin?  lol 

So, if you are talking to family and friends and observe long chin hairs on them......do you tell them or just let it go?

Yes indeed—-it’s the Golden Rule, after all: if *you* wouldn’t want to go around with a chin beard, then make sure your female loved ones don’t go around with chin beards either.

I’m a blonde who has had “peach fuzz” on my chin since I hit puberty—-20 plus years later and I *still* have to shave it daily. It’s just become part of my daily routine. I even have certain unruly hairs I pluck from my face and neck. Wish I could afford laser removal of some sort, otherwise I fear I’m going to be one hairyassed old lady if I ever lose my faculties and/or eyesight.

Speaking of which, I remember tending to my grandmother the last few years of her life before she passed at age 102; I literally had to make sure to pluck random wiry white stray hairs weekly that had suddenly sprouted all over her face. Hope I’ll be that lucky to have someone actually tend to my random facial hairs if I ever get anywhere near that old.

[SunnyBeBe]

Pet Peeve:  Encountering the checkout clerk at the grocery store who stays silent, never utters a word and never makes eye contact.  She rings up the items, lets the screen give the total, because she can't be bothered to tell you the balance due, never says thank you, never says anything at all.  Of course, she also has an annoyed look on her face like, she's doing you a favor. lol  I don't think it's company policy to act that way. 

[bilgistic]

My mother's response to that is to say loudly as she's walking away, "Thank you for shopping at [store name]! Please come again!"

[Blergh]

Here's a pet peeve: Having  immediately paid for ALL the   expenses of a minor check up via credit card earlier this week, what should appear today? A BILL stating that I owe them the  total amount (and it's dated a few days after my credit card transaction)- and, natch, the phone number to call to question this won't be in service again until Monday! ARRGH!!

[SuprSuprElevated]

15 hours ago, bilgistic said:

My mother's response to that is to say loudly as she's walking away, "Thank you for shopping at [store name]! Please come again!"

I have done this on more than one occasion.  Almost nothing annoys me more than not acknowledging my patronage.  I blame a lack of training in the art of customer service.  Salesmanship has always come naturally to me, but not for some.  Crappy employees are a direct reflection of management.

[bmasters9]

10 hours ago, Blergh said:

Here's a pet peeve: Having  immediately paid for ALL the   expenses of a minor check up via credit card earlier this week, what should appear today? A BILL stating that I owe them the  total amount (and it's dated a few days after my credit card transaction)- and, natch, the phone number to call to question this won't be in service again until Monday! ARRGH!!

Why would they bill you again for your checkup, even after you paid the bill (or thought you did)?! Doesn't make sense.

[SunnyBeBe]

4 hours ago, bmasters9 said:

Why would they bill you again for your checkup, even after you paid the bill (or thought you did)?! Doesn't make sense.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of times that there are screw ups with billing, payments, credits, etc.  And even after you clear it up by calling, they often need more calls to actually correct it in their system.  If I didn't have to spend so much time fixing other people's mistakes and/or failure to do their job, I'd have a lot more time on my hands.  I've figured out that much of my week is spent doing that.  I hope people of this caliber are not working in nuclear power plants. It is scary. 

Edited May 13, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Blergh]

6 hours ago, bmasters9 said:

Why would they bill you again for your checkup, even after you paid the bill (or thought you did)?! Doesn't make sense.

That's a VERY good question! The most charitable hypothesis I can think of is that the person who took my payment info  somehow   . . . accidentally typed 'to be billed' instead of 'paid in full' despite running my credit card through the machine.  ALL I can hope for is that somehow the 1-800 number will have the info of my actual payment and/or I can convince them of it via the credit card statement.  I sure do NOT want to have to pay this bill TWICE!

[Moose135]

Last fall, my doctor had me see a cardiologist. Nothing really wrong, but given my age, and the fact I hadn't ever been, she thought it was a good precaution.  He sent me for a cardiac CT scan at the local medical center, which they told me wasn't covered by my insurance and would cost $149. I paid up front, had the test, and everything went well. Two months later, I get a bill for about $100 from a radiology center for the same procedure. I called them, and they said the original payment was to the hospital for the procedure, and this was because the hospital sends them my test data to be read/interpreted. I objected, but they insisted...they did offer a discount so I ended up paying $73. Two weeks ago, I received a check in the mail from them for $73 with the notation "Overpayment". 

[SunnyBeBe]

2 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Last fall, my doctor had me see a cardiologist. Nothing really wrong, but given my age, and the fact I hadn't ever been, she thought it was a good precaution.  He sent me for a cardiac CT scan at the local medical center, which they told me wasn't covered by my insurance and would cost $149. I paid up front, had the test, and everything went well. Two months later, I get a bill for about $100 from a radiology center for the same procedure. I called them, and they said the original payment was to the hospital for the procedure, and this was because the hospital sends them my test data to be read/interpreted. I objected, but they insisted...they did offer a discount so I ended up paying $73. Two weeks ago, I received a check in the mail from them for $73 with the notation "Overpayment". 

I can relate to that.  I often pay my co-pay at the office and then get a check in the mail from the medical facility as a refund.  It kept happening, so, the last time, I told the office person and she said, okay, then, don't pay us this time.  No charge.  A few weeks later, I got a message on my online Chart with their office that I owed them a co-pay! lol   Go figure. 

Edited May 13, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[bilgistic]

In many places in the U.S., you are not required to stop for a school bus on any road with four or more lanes when you are driving in the opposite direction from the bus. You also don't have to stop if there is a median and you are going the opposite direction (MANY people don't know that). Look up your state laws and see if you can contest the ticket.

[Zola]

Yesterday (13th May) I posted in the "Chit Chat" thread that I was happily sunbathing in my back garden while the sun was out, and that I was doing so in my underwear because I couldn't be arsed to get my bikini out!

 

Anyway, about 30 minutes after posting that, my next door neighbour opens her bedroom window and shouts down at me, telling me to "cover up". I tell her this is my underwear and not at all revealing. But she says her kids might see me. And I say "so what? This is my garden, my private space. There's a big fence between my garden and yours". But she says "But my kids might see you in their bedroom window!" 

I reply, "well so what? I haven't exactly got my tits hanging out!"

She then slammed her window.

She really is a nosy PITA! I think next time the sun is out I will sunbathe smokeless! I think you're allowed to do that in the privacy of your own home/land. I really want to stick it to her, and her friggin' kids!

[DeLurker]

Considering official "swimwear" these days may cover significantly less than your underwear, I'm not sure what the difference might be.

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, Zola said:

I reply, "well so what? I haven't exactly got my tits hanging out!"

This made me laugh!

I've always been perplexed at how it's fine to walk around at the beach or pool in fabric cut to the same or less proportions as underwear. People aren't scandalized at the beach, so why are they when see someone in their underwear?

[GHScorpiosRule]

Is irritation at smug chefs considered a peeve? If not, I'll move the comment over to Chit-Chat. But I must get this off my chest. All I wanted was a basic recipe for gazpacho. I found on online, by some Chef John something or other. And while he's telling the viewers (youtube video), to make sure you get the tomatoes on the vine, and not the "ones you see in a grocery store, because they are NOT the same thing,") and by his tone, it was so smug and I was immediately irked, because hello! I don't own a house. I can't grow these speshial tomato on the vines. and I DO buy them at a grocery store! So he's saying if I use them, then the gazpacho will be subpar. STFU. And incidentally, you only see his hands and hear his voice as he's telling you how to make it.

Now I have to hunt up someone else's recipe. Because this guy was an ASSHOLE. Hmmm...mebbe I'll see if Gordon Ramsay has one. At least he's charming when he's talking about how to make stuff.

[Popples]

I think I know who you are talking about. I stopped watching his videos when he was making chocolate chip cookies and said people who liked soft, chewy ones were terrible and only thing and crispy would do. I  know he was being facetious, but that attitude grates. Especially when I was looking for a soft and chewy recipe to begin with.

Also, I remembered another chef going on about using really expensive extract and other ingredients saying that the common name brand used in the States was garbage. Well sometimes my budget doesn't even allow for that and generic is all I can get, but thanks for making me feel bad.

[Bastet]

Do these chefs really think most people don't know a dish is only as good as the ingredients it's made out of?  It's helpful to note when there's an ingredient it's important not to skimp on and offer suggestions of where to find a good version, certainly, but the snooty attitude is counter-productive -- like @GHScorpiosRule, they're just going to go elsewhere.

(Oh, and yeah - soft chocolate chip cookies all the way!)

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, Gordon's recipe is the non-chunky version. But the video was from when he was at least younger, and he was patient. Of course, he was hawking whatever device, Bamix? to show how smooth you could get the soup. STILL. He wasn't being snooty or an asshole. The way he teaches or shows someone how to make x, y, or z is one of the many reasons, I wish he'd come to my place and teach me! The personality he portrays on his shows are all an act. And I'm not fond of it.

Jamie Oliver also does the pureed version; both he and Gordon add stale bread to their recipe.

AAAND, they use Roman tomahtoes.

All I know is this: ingredients are tomatoes, a cucumber, two cloves of garlic, a jalepeno, red bell pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pepper; and salt to taste. To do the chunky version, both videos I've seen, the snooty asshole and another one--once you mix up the veggies, take about a little less than half, the juice from when you core the tomatoes, and put them in a blender, then add to the veggies and chill. Then add salt to your taste. Snooty chef says you "need" the sweet cherry tomatoes you find in the grocery store, for the blender part; So. those at the grocery stores are good enough, but not the tomatoes on the vine found in grocery stores? Whatever, asshole.

[Bastet]

I got curious as to whether this Chef John was anyone I'd ever heard of or seen on a cooking show, so I looked him up (answer: no), and here's his note with the written gazpacho recipe: "Only try this recipe if you're going to use some killer, end-of-summer, super-sweet tomatoes. There just isn't any substitute, so happy hunting, and I hope you find some so you give this a try."

Nothing wrong with that; it's too bad he decided to be an asshat in the video version. 

[peacheslatour]

My chunky gazpacho recipe has been a favorite around here for a while:

1 lg. tomato, chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, either frozen or jarred, chopped

1/2 cucumber, preferably English, chopped

4 scallions. chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped or minced

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

garlic, however much or little you like

1 small can black olives, sliced

1/2 cup sweet onion, minced

1 avocado, chopped

Salt, pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil

The only change I made to this recipe was to replace the cilantro (which I can't stand) with Italian flat leaf parsley.

Edited May 14, 2018 by peacheslatour

[ratgirlagogo]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

I got curious as to whether this Chef John was anyone I'd ever heard of or seen on a cooking show, so I looked him up (answer: no), and here's his note with the written gazpacho recipe: "Only try this recipe if you're going to use some killer, end-of-summer, super-sweet tomatoes. There just isn't any substitute, so happy hunting, and I hope you find some so you give this a try."

Nothing wrong with that; it's too bad he decided to be an asshat in the video version. 

Tomatoes have a really short growing season and that's why people CAN them.  Nothing wrong with canned (esp. your own home canned, if you have them) tomatoes the rest of the year - that's the whole point of them.

[MargeGunderson]

7 hours ago, forumfish said:

I frequently watch Lidia's Kitchen before I go to bed and the other night, she was advocating using canned tomatoes for pizza. I figure if canned is good enough for Lidia, it's good enough for me! FYI, most of her recipes call for San Marzano tomatoes.

If I've learned anything from Ina (the Barefoot Contessa), you should always use the best ingredients, which includes canned tomatoes and Hellman's mayonnaise (although I prefer Duke's).

[Katy M]

My boss emails me from the bathroom.  I don't know why, but it drives me nuts.  I know that he's in there because he'll walk by my desk, grab the bathroom key and head in that direction, spend what I think is way too much time in there by the way, and I'll get an email from him.  It's one thing to email people who don't know you're in the bathroom.  But he knows I know.

[Mindthinkr]

On 5/15/2018 at 12:44 AM, forumfish said:

I frequently watch Lidia's Kitchen before I go to bed and the other night, she was advocating using canned tomatoes for pizza. I figure if canned is good enough for Lidia, it's good enough for me! FYI, most of her recipes call for San Marzano tomatoes.

I get three big (1lb 12oz) cans of the San Marzano tomatoes at Costco for about $5. Obviously they’re imported from Italy and just the right size for making a pot of sauce. I love Lidia. 

@Katy M  Ewww...That just doesn’t sound right. 

[harrie]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

My boss emails me from the bathroom.  I don't know why, but it drives me nuts.  I know that he's in there because he'll walk by my desk, grab the bathroom key and head in that direction, spend what I think is way too much time in there by the way, and I'll get an email from him.  It's one thing to email people who don't know you're in the bathroom.  But he knows I know.

I had a boss who was a little rough around the edges, and our building was kind of old, so he (the company president) had a private bathroom off his office. He'd take the WSJ in with him (about 25 years ago, email wasn't so handy then) and spend quality time in the loo. One of the VPs made a crack once, and the boss replied "I do some of my best thinking in there."  His bathroom was also known as the library.  Sorry your boss seems to be cut from the same cloth; I hope he at least has some redeeming qualities. 

[bilgistic]

About 15 years ago, I worked as the executive assistant for a five-person holdings company. Every morning, the CFO, whose office was across the hall to the left of my desk in the foyer, would tuck the Wall Street Journal under his arm and walk from his office to the bathroom that was located in a nook behind a wall behind my desk. He'd spend 20 or so minutes in there and then come out and get back to work.

Everybody poops, but I have never seen a woman anywhere I've ever worked take reading material to the can with her.

[SunnyBeBe]

These bathroom stories are incredible! OMG.  No matter where I am, my goal is to get in and out, without delay.  I have never understood the idea of hanging out, reading, etc.   It must be a guy thing...sorry, if that sounds wrong, but, I have never heard of a woman doing that.  

[Bastet]

My best friend's niece used to, but that's when she was a little kid and in her "do everything Daddy does" phase - she saw him take the paper into the bathroom, learned why, and promptly started taking her book in there with her when she had to poop.

I suppose if it took me a long time to go, I'd want something to do other than sit there and think about it, so under those circumstances I'd take something to read.  But it doesn't, and I'm certainly not going to opt to stay in the bathroom longer, just hanging out on the toilet reading (in my own bathroom, never mind an office/public one)!

[auntlada]

I used to go into the bathroom at work and cry when I worked for awful people. I never took a book, though. I don't want to hold a book with unwashed hands, and I don't want to set it on the floor, which is not really clean, and I don't want to accidentally drop it in the toilet, which I'm pretty sure would happen.

I hate group texts. I have a friend who sent one out to people who don't know each other, and I understand why she did it. Her son -- at college several states away from her, but in my state -- is having surgery for a pulmonary embolism. When he was diagnosed, she was letting people who would care know. It was easier for her to send just one text rather than repeat over and over. When I replied to her, I did it in a separate text so that my reply went only to her. (It appears that you can leave group texts or reply only to the sender not to all on some phones, but my phone doesn't appear to offer that option.) But now, every time she sends an update, I get responses from people I don't know that say things like, "Glad it went well," and, "Let us know if you need anything." I blocked a couple of them today and hope I don't ever meet them and actually want texts from them. I doubt it because at least one is in her state.

It's like people who send emails out to lots of people who then reply all instead of just replying. If everyone doesn't need to be in the conversation, send it to yourself and bcc everyone so people reply only to you. I don't know if you can do that with texts because I'm new to smartphones, and mine is only sort of smart.

Edited May 16, 2018 by auntlada

[Quof]

I used to work in an office where the men would pick up the communal office newspaper from the lobby table, take it to the bathroom, then put it back on the table when they finished.  

[auntlada]

2 minutes ago, Quof said:

I used to work in an office where the men would pick up the communal office newspaper from the lobby table, take it to the bathroom, then put it back on the table when they finished.  

That's just gross. I was actually thinking of that when I was typing. If I took reading material to the bathroom, I'm not sure I'd want to read it again.

[AuntieL]

7 hours ago, Katy M said:

My boss emails me from the bathroom.  I don't know why, but it drives me nuts.  I know that he's in there because he'll walk by my desk, grab the bathroom key and head in that direction, spend what I think is way too much time in there by the way, and I'll get an email from him.  It's one thing to email people who don't know you're in the bathroom.  But he knows I know.

Just be grateful he doesn't call you from there. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

3 hours ago, auntlada said:

I used to go into the bathroom at work and cry when I worked for awful people. I never took a book, though. I don't want to hold a book with unwashed hands, and I don't want to set it on the floor, which is not really clean, and I don't want to accidentally drop it in the toilet, which I'm pretty sure would happen.

I hate group texts. I have a friend who sent one out to people who don't know each other, and I understand why she did it. Her son -- at college several states away from her, but in my state -- is having surgery for a pulmonary embolism. When he was diagnosed, she was letting people who would care know. It was easier for her to send just one text rather than repeat over and over. When I replied to her, I did it in a separate text so that my reply went only to her. (It appears that you can leave group texts or reply only to the sender not to all on some phones, but my phone doesn't appear to offer that option.) But now, every time she sends an update, I get responses from people I don't know that say things like, "Glad it went well," and, "Let us know if you need anything." I blocked a couple of them today and hope I don't ever meet them and actually want texts from them. I doubt it because at least one is in her state.

It's like people who send emails out to lots of people who then reply all instead of just replying. If everyone doesn't need to be in the conversation, send it to yourself and bcc everyone so people reply only to you. I don't know if you can do that with texts because I'm new to smartphones, and mine is only sort of smart.

Holy smokes, how did I miss this pet peeve?!  Yes!  I've tried unsuccessfully to convert group texts to singular conversations.  

I am amazed weekly by the people who seemingly do not know how to reply to emails sent en masse.  Your cursor is your friend...hover, read, learn.

[Moose135]

5 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Everybody poops, but I have never seen a woman anywhere I've ever worked take reading material to the can with her.

I think you're right - I don't really remember seeing a woman take a newspaper to the bathroom, even when I worked at the newspaper, and there were a ton of copies around and everyone read it.  One thing they did a the paper - at least in the men's rooms - was to install wire racks in the stalls so you could leave your newspaper behind for the next guy, without them cluttering up the floor.

[bilgistic]

4 hours ago, Quof said:

I used to work in an office where the men would pick up the communal office newspaper from the lobby table, take it to the bathroom, then put it back on the table when they finished.  

I'm never touching a periodical in an office lobby ever again.

[AgentRXS]

6 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Everybody poops, but I have never seen a woman anywhere I've ever worked take reading material to the can with her.

Nope. In today's world, they take their phone into the restroom with them and have loud, inappropriate-in-public conversations that everyone in the other stalls can hear. Gotta love it when they put the call on speaker so you get as much of the conversation as possible while you are doing your business.

[backformore]

18 hours ago, harrie said:

I had a boss who was a little rough around the edges, and our building was kind of old, so he (the company president) had a private bathroom off his office. He'd take the WSJ in with him (about 25 years ago, email wasn't so handy then) and spend quality time in the loo. One of the VPs made a crack once, and the boss replied "I do some of my best thinking in there."  His bathroom was also known as the library.  Sorry your boss seems to be cut from the same cloth; I hope he at least has some redeeming qualities. 

yeah, I had a boss like that.   I took the train to work, and I'd pick up a newspaper on the way in. Boss used to "borrow"  my paper, and head to the bathroom. Sorry, but YUCK! I don't want it back after that. So I'd let him keep it or throw it out.  But I hated it, because I liked to continue reading, or doing the crossword, on the train on my way home.   After I got comfortable with the job, I started telling him MY newspaper was not going into the mens room until I was finished with it. 

Whenever I see this, I think of my old boss:

 

Edited May 17, 2018 by backformore

[backformore]

16 hours ago, auntlada said:

I hate group texts. I have a friend who sent one out to people who don't know each other, and I understand why she did it. Her son -- at college several states away from her, but in my state -- is having surgery for a pulmonary embolism. When he was diagnosed, she was letting people who would care know. It was easier for her to send just one text rather than repeat over and over. When I replied to her, I did it in a separate text so that my reply went only to her. (It appears that you can leave group texts or reply only to the sender not to all on some phones, but my phone doesn't appear to offer that option.) But now, every time she sends an update, I get responses from people I don't know that say things like, "Glad it went well," and, "Let us know if you need anything." I blocked a couple of them today and hope I don't ever meet them and actually want texts from them. I doubt it because at least one is in her state.

A while back, I got a group text from a number I didn't know, announcing the sudden death of "William".  then bunches of texts expressing condolences.  Finally, one of the texts was from someone I knew.  I had to call her, find out who William was (turns out he's the husband of someone I knew from work, but I never knew her husband's name).  Then I blocked everyone on the group text, and expressed my condolences privately.    But it was pretty weird to be getting text messages like "I'm so sorry for your loss, your husband was a great guy," when my husband was in the room with me. 

[JTMacc99]

I use the restroom on the floor below my office because I have people on this floor who start meetings with me while I'm standing at the damn urinal. So I go downstairs to the restroom between the accountants and the engineers. They leave me alone. 

Their bathroom is generally speaking messier and smellier, but it's a trade off I'm willing to make. 

[bilgistic]

1 hour ago, backformore said:

yeah, I had a boss like that.   I took the train to work, and I'd pick up a newspaper on the way in. Boss used to "borrow"  my paper, and head to the bathroom. Sorry, but YUCK! I don't want it back after that. So I'd let him keep it or throw it out.  But I hated it, because I liked to continue reading, or doing the crossword, on the train on my way home.   After I got comfortable with the job, I started telling him MY newspaper was not going into the mens room until I was finished with it. 

Whenever I see this, I think of my old boss:

 

 

Ha! I think about that too!

[peacheslatour]

REBECCA: (Correcting. Stern) It's DeMornay. Rebecca DeMornay.

GEORGE: Oh.

REBECCA: (Opens the cover of the book) Oh, wait a second. This book has been in the bathroom.

GEORGE:  Wh-what are you talking about? That - that's rediculous.

REBECCA: It's been flagged. I know. I used to work in a Brentano's. Mister, we're trying to help the homeless heare - it's bad enough that we have some nut out there trying to strap 'em to a rickshaw!

GEORGE:  Alright, I, I'll just take fifty. Do - do we have a deal?

REBECCA: Yeah, and here it is: You get your toilet book out of here, and I won't jump over this counter and punch you in the brain!

Edited May 17, 2018 by peacheslatour

[riley702]

I had a former coworker chase me into the can because she wanted to talk to me. I got upset and told her I'm not having a private conversation while peeing or pooping!

[KittyMom4]

I wish I could expect that small appliances last longer than a couple years. My daughter purchased a coffee grinder for me for Christmas 2 years ago. We use it weekly and it's not an appliance that runs long, you put the beans in, hit the button, it grinds them and stops automatically. Last week I went to grind my beans, I load the hopper, latch the lid and hit the button. Nothing. I check the plug to see if maybe I'd popped a circuit, nope. I take the beans out, make sure the blades aren't jammed, reload, still nothing. WTH? It's not worth contacting the company since it only had a year warranty, and when I was talking about it with my coworkers a couple of them said they had the same issues with small appliances. I get it, these days things aren't made to last like they used to, but could I at least get 5 years out them? Seems so wasteful to have to throw it out after such a short time. And by "throw it out" I mean hold it until my town does their semi-annual appliance recycling. 

[peacheslatour]

I got a blender as a wedding gift in 1980 and it worked perfectly until 2 years ago. Now, my electric mixer was also a wedding gift and it still works a treat.

[DeLurker]

My brother and SIL got married in 1982.  Their wedding gift rice cooker kicked the bucket 2 years ago, but the electric mixer is still holding up well.