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

[DeLurker]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

  My sister always takes a picture of her Friendly's clams strips and posts it.

Friendly's serves something other than ice cream?

(joke.  I know they do, I just can't imagine eating anything other than the ice cream (strawberry) from there.)

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, Blergh said:

My pet peeve is folks who can't lay down the gizmos long enough to actually enjoy a complete meal for the bounty of good food and better company.

I was just reading online reviews for a restaurant that serves family style, where people sit at big tables, with strangers, and pass the food around.  They have a no-cell-phone-at-the-table policy, and so many of the reviewers were lauding them for it, saying how it's great to interact with other people, and talk to strangers, sometimes become friends with them, etc. etc. 

Apparently these people need a rule against using their phones in order to not use their phones?  Hey, how about just making your own decision not to use your phone?  I know it's all been designed to make us addicts, but I still can't quite believe people's inability to, of their own volition, put the fucking thing down.  And then to be happy when someone makes them. 

And frankly, I'm kind of okay with letting strangers be on their phones (as long as they're not talking out loud so other people have to hear it).  If they're at a family-style table and choose not to put their phone down and interact with the other people there, then they're probably not the kind of people I want to interact with in the first place, much less become friends with.  So it's useful information to me that they're addicted and will choose the phone over people in social situations, so I don't really want to talk to them anyway.

 

On 8/3/2018 at 7:43 PM, bilgistic said:

The wife was yelling at one of the big dogs earlier because it WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!ed when the FedEx guy came by. She shouted at the dog, "SHUT UP, JAKE, DAMMIT!" I think she said Jake. Like, damn, the dog's gonna bark at the FedEx guy because dog's gonna dog, but maybe if you spent some time interacting with the dogs outside, they wouldn't be so wound up all the time.

Never mind that yelling at the dog just makes the dog think he's getting approval for what he's doing, and even more excited. 

 

On 8/3/2018 at 9:19 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

Pet peeve of the day - people who work from home without a private place to work. Away from the kids, away from the dogs. I spent 45 minutes trying to train someone on something that should have been easy, but the dog was barking so loud I had to keep repeating what I just said. According to my co-worker there is "nothing she can do about it" because if she put the dog in another room it would scratch the door and ruin it. Here's something you can do about it toots, go into your office where it's quiet!

Damn, I'm glad I'm unemployed.  Because if I had a job I'd probably be fired ten seconds after I told this co-worker that wherever she is is too distracting and I'll train her when we can concentrate, even if that's outside my authority.

I was on the phone with an insurance agent once and it became clear, from the background noise, that she was at home.  It just reads to me as really unprofessional and made me not want to do business with her (and I didn't use her for my policy).  I don't care where you are as long as it doesn't affect the quality of our interaction, but if it does, then I reserve the right to get all judgy.

[theredhead77]

12 hours ago, Stenbeck said:

I'm peeved by my friends: We go out to dinner, food is served and BAM! friend whips out their cell phone and proceeds to spend 3 minutes taking pictures of their food.

I was taught to begin eating at the same time as everyone at the table. So...here I am looking at them like a freak for 3 minutes.

Nobody gives a shit about your steak/tacos/potatoes/soup/whatever.

LAST TIME... my plate looked more appetizing than theirs...so she reached over the table and started taking pictures of my food.

Aaaaarrrghhhhhh! 

I have a friend who does that. I don't wait for him to finish before I start eating. No one cares about your 80millionth tilted photo of a glass of wine. 

11 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Unless someone is some ultra-expensive restaurant where the food is presented in a cool/unique way,  I really don't get this trend at all. 

Yep! A really cool presentation, or a one in a lifetime experience is the exception, at least in my book.

3 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Taking photos on the phone for 3 minutes is better than watching someone text all through a meal. That happened to me last night. I was peeved. 

Did you say something??

[backformore]

14 hours ago, Stenbeck said:

I'm peeved by my friends: We go out to dinner, food is served and BAM! friend whips out their cell phone and proceeds to spend 3 minutes taking pictures of their food.

I was taught to begin eating at the same time as everyone at the table. So...here I am looking at them like a freak for 3 minutes.

Nobody gives a shit about your steak/tacos/potatoes/soup/whatever.

LAST TIME... my plate looked more appetizing than theirs...so she reached over the table and started taking pictures of my food.

Aaaaarrrghhhhhh! 

I agree.  Photos of a plate of food, unless it is at a high-end restaurant with intricately composed plating (not the kind of place I go to)  is just pointless.  I've seen people post photos of a salad, or a burger and fries, a beer -  WHY?  

I am also bugged by people who have to take multiple photos of everything they do.  If a bunch of friends get together, why not  have someone take a photo, and then the person whose phone it is - send it to everyone.  no need for everyone involved to get multiple photos of every moment of an encounter.  IF I have a couple of hours to spend with a group of friends, I want to TALK with them - not spend half the time taking photos.     My son's last girlfriend used to take selfies of the two of them on every date.  Then she'd post them, and leave her phone on the table so she could see all the "likes", and the comments.  She'd want to get photos of the two of them sharing a drink with 2 straws, or posing with appetizers in their hands, getting ready to bite, etc.    He got tired of it, because he felt like he wasn't on a DATE, he was on a photo op.  

For some, the PHOTO of the even becomes the event itself.  It's not "let's go on a picnic," because a picnic might be fun, it's "lets set the stage for a picnic photo, we have to buy the right blanket, coordinate our outfits, and get food that looks good on camera." So the "fun" part is the photos, not just hanging at the park talking and eating.     Similarly, people go to a live concert, and watch the entire concert through their phones, so they can capture it, and miss the experience of being THERE, seeing the band/singer  live in front of them.  

sorry for the long post.  It's just that we're becoming a society where we forget to live in the moment, and we care more about recording what we're doing than actually living life.  

Edited August 6, 2018 by backformore

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

Did you say something??

No, because it was someone else’s child. I didn’t think it was my place to. I didn’t like getting conversation interrupted by “Oh, look at this” and the constant need to be interested in what was on the iPhone. I tried to bring up subjects that the young person (I know her well) would be interested in, but playing the game was more important. My grandchildren are not allowed to use electronics at mealtime and especially if out to eat. They are left in the car or at home. If she was an adult I would have spoken up. What also annoyed me was that after ordering a big meal the child hardly ate as she was too busy on her device. What a waste of money and food. (Mom said she doesn’t eat leftovers so there was no sense in wrapping it up). Urgh 

[theredhead77]

Instagram Husband

[2727]

23 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I don't understand why people even bother to "like" these posts. I've seen friends post run-of-the-mill chicken,rice & beans, and vegetable on a paper plate with a plastic fork and get over 20 likes for it. Why? 

 

Most likely because they want to get likes in return for their own low-effort posts.

The thirsty "please acknowledge me!" social media culture, I swear. Your life is parched and hopeless unless you have [X] number of followers. Mostly strangers.

Edited August 7, 2018 by 2727

[Quof]

See, I don't "post" anything, because I don't do social media.  I do take pictures of food while travelling, even if it's just something rather ordinary, and send it to specific friends so they can live vicariously.   "See, this is the fried chicken and waffles I am having for dinner.  How's you reheated meatloaf?" 

[theredhead77]

On 8/4/2018 at 1:51 PM, theredhead77 said:

I'm peeved at myself. Logged in to pay my rent on the 1st, like I always do but I apparently forgot to hit submit. I only noticed it when the rent hadn't cleared the bank today, so I paid it today. Well yesterday was the last day to pay without a late fee so I've got an extra $160 coming on my next bill. Totally my fault but meh. I did email the leasing manager to see if he can waive it since I've always paid on the first and have never been late but I don't expect them to, obviously.

WOOHOO! Leasing manager said not to worry about it - I paid it before the late charges could be applied. Being consistently on time also helped.

[Nordly Beaumont]

A friend of mine recently moved out of state. He texted me that he found a great place for take-out noodles. And he sent a picture of the bowl of noodles setting on his counter. A bowl of noodles. Take out noodles. 

That reminds me of a workplace pet peeve. It's a small one, I know, but it bugs me when someone sends an email with an unnecessary screen print. Like if I ask you what your application's name is, you can just tell me. I don't need a screen print for proof. I believe you since you have no reason to lie.

[StatisticalOutlier]

6 hours ago, backformore said:

sorry for the long post.  It's just that we're becoming a society where we forget to live in the moment, and we care more about recording what we're doing than actually living life.  

Did you happen to see James Corden's Carpool Karaoke episode with Paul McCartney?  (It's available online.)  McCartney gave a surprise performance in a pub, just for the people who happened to be there.  Some curtains part, and there he is with a band.  It was amazing, but the best part about it was that everybody there was just experiencing it, and there were no cell phones being held up above people's heads.  Of course it helped that most of the people there were old (a/k/a McCartney's age) and are able to live in the moment.  And I think the rest of them were in shock.

Then they started letting people in off the street, and slowly but surely, more and more phones started being held up in the crowd.  But of the people who were there initially, I didn't see any of them later holding up a phone.  For a little bit, it was magical.

[Sun-Bun]

6 hours ago, backformore said:

For some, the PHOTO of the even becomes the event itself.  It's not "let's go on a picnic," because a picnic might be fun, it's "lets set the stage for a picnic photo, we have to buy the right blanket, coordinate our outfits, and get food that looks good on camera." So the "fun" part is the photos, not just hanging at the park talking and eating.     Similarly, people go to a live concert, and watch the entire concert through their phones, so they can capture it, and miss the experience of being THERE, seeing the band/singer  live in front of them.  

Amen to all that. Admittedly I’ve posted a few short concert clips just to share with friends/fellow fans, but the people who practically record entire shows bug the shit out of me. Take a few pics/clips and then just enjoy the show!

As for the PHOTOS of an event becoming the point of the event, your comment made me think back on an acquaintance of mine; she’s a former model and she’d have these extensive photo sessions set up and require themes and costumes for all her parties. I’m talking *majorly elaborate* photography to capture these events, complete with a hired professional photographer and huge staged photo sets!

The thing is, the parties themselves were rather lame; she wasn’t much of a hostess because she was always an hour or two late due to her extensive hair/makeup/costume prepping for these parties. Meanwhile, it was expected for all guests to bring a dish and a bottle—-yet she *never* had enough to eat or drink otherwise, so we’d literally all be standing around waiting for her to get done and finally start the prolonged photo session while we impatiently sipped at our one measly cup of whatever while hungrily making bemused, stilted smalltalk. 

After three annoying occasions of her “party” bullshit, I quit going: those were not parties, they were photoshoots!!

Edited to add: the former model acquaintance invited me to her wedding a few years ago(she’s since divorced—-it barely lasted a year). Surprise-surprise, even her wedding had a theme: Great Gatsby. Hubs and I were conveniently traveling at that time so we didn’t attend. The photos did look absolutely gorgeous and she was stunning as usual. But as expected, I later heard from various guests who attended that it was a total shitshow otherwise because she was over an hour late to the ceremony, their food was cold and bland as a hospital meal, and the bartenders ran out of all the booze midway through the reception. 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Sun-Bun

[AgentRXS]

25 minutes ago, Sun-Bun said:

en to all that. Admittedly I’ve posted a few short concert clips just to share with friends/fellow fans, but the people who practically record entire shows bug the shit out of me. Take a few pics/clips and then just enjoy the show!

I'll admit, I'll use my phone to record cool moments or songs that I like but aren't really danceworthy. However, if its a song I really,really like, I'm totally in the moment.

Its kind of crazy how you'll go to concert expecting a certain crowd and get totally different people than what you expect. When I went to Pink's Truth About Love tour, I was seated in 100-level seats, and thought I'd meet some really cool people. Turns out I was surrounded by Real Housewife-type women who were there to record themselves at the event and that's about it. I nearly lost my shit when these 4 women in front of me continuously held up a freaking IPAD in front of my face so they could take selfies of themselves throughout the concert. They were tipsy if not wasted and at one point nearly dropped it over my head.Security finally came along to informed them that the IPAD needed to go, they lost their shit on him, and got thrown out. People in the front row started fighting over getting to shake Pink's hand and she had to stop the concert and address the immature behavior.

I saw Justin Timberlake during his FutureSex/LoveSounds and 20/20 Tours and both times the fans surrounding me were pretty cool. There were a few vapid teenage girls recording themselves, but they were pretty much laughed at in my section of the arena and quickly disappeared to look for others in their own age group.

So I guess the theme of this peeve is people who act like jackasses at concerts. I do have to laugh when I see clips of people being escorted out of Beyonce concerts  or remembering old clips of seeing people escorted out of MJ concerts. How the hell do you throw down that much money to see someone and get kicked out mid-concert? How stupid do you have to be to throw away money like that?

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

their food was cold and bland as a hospital meal, and the bartenders ran out of all the booze midway through the reception

That's a wedding peeve of mine. I'm not looking for a debate over open bar vs cash bar. Regardless of the bar you have, make sure you have more than enough for the event. Same with food. It doesn't have to be a 5 star plated meal and mass produced catered meals aren't always great but have enough food for everyone. 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

The thing is, the parties themselves were rather lame; she wasn’t much of a hostess because she was always an hour or two late due to her extensive hair/makeup/costume prepping for these parties. Meanwhile, it was expected for all guests to bring a dish and a bottle—-yet she *never* had enough to eat or drink otherwise, so we’d literally all be standing around waiting for her to get done and finally start the prolonged photo session while we impatiently sipped at our one measly cup of whatever while hungrily making bemused, stilted smalltalk. 

Did she just keep picking up new friends constantly, for these parties to continue to be attended?  Because I can't imagine many people continuing to stick around once it became clear this was not an isolated bad party or two, but her MO -- I'd think most would do as you did, and quit going. 

9 hours ago, backformore said:

sorry for the long post.  It's just that we're becoming a society where we forget to live in the moment, and we care more about recording what we're doing than actually living life.

You can't rail against that nonsense too much for me; it boggles my mind how many people are too busy documenting their activities to actually experience them.

[backformore]

11 minutes ago, Bastet said:

You can't rail against that nonsense too much for me; it boggles my mind how many people are too busy documenting their activities to actually experience them.

I saw an interview one time with Barack Obama where he talked about meeting people, and how he enjoyed face-to-face meetings, but not when people just want a selfie, and they turn away from him, and toward the phone. he wanted to stop posing for selfies with fans, and opt for talking to them instead. 

Ok - found a quote - I guess he's said this more than once:  

Quote

"To see young people organizing in states all over the country through social media is amazing," Obama said. "But [if you are] blocking yourself from having a conversation or seeing somebody and recognizing them and listening to them because you are so busy trying to get a picture ... then you are, I think, in some ways, contributing to what separates us rather than trying to break through" to other people.

"It will also allow Michelle and me to have actual conversations with you, which will be nice," Obama quipped.

It's kind of the same thing -opting for the documenting of meeting someone famous, instead of actually MEETING them.  I heard something similar about someone meeting the pope.  they show the pope the back of their head, and take a selfie, and then the opportunity to actually MEET him is gone. 

[AgentRXS]

That's exactly how I ended up shaking hands with a former presidential candidate at their rally 2 years ago. When she got to our section, everyone turned their back to her to get a "selfie", and I was the only one still faced forward. She reached out to the only hand not on a phone. Of course, by then everyone else was scrambling to turn around and shake hands with her too and it was too late. I remember the handshake better than anything else at the rally. I'd much rather a personal encounter than a photo.

Edited August 7, 2018 by AgentRXS

[ratgirlagogo]

People take pictures of each other:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwqiqsfoZw

 

One of my very favorite songs by my favorite band.

[Bastet]

Quote

I'd match rather a personal encounter than a photo.

As would I.  There are a lot of wonderful experiences of which I have no photograph or video.  There are many of which I do (often because someone else captured it on film or "on film" while I was, you know, having it).  If it works to have the experience and memorialize a moment/moments of it on camera, great.  But that's far from my primary thought; it's more important to live it. 

During an unplanned encounter, I had a brief conversation with Gloria Steinem I'll carry with me until my memory fails me completely.  I still smile remembering it.  If someone had recorded that talk or photographed a moment of us having it, sure, that would have been quite a bonus (hell, I'd probably frame a photo).  But - this was well before the selfie/social media era, but let's pretend this happened recently, when I could have awkwardly held my flip phone or happened to have had my camera on me and snapped a picture - I would never have thought of delaying or interrupting the encounter to photograph it; that's a notion that would have come as we were preparing to walk away, at which point I'd have thought to ask if we could take a picture together. 

That's it.  I'd love to have a picture of it.  But I'd sure as hell have rather had the minutes to talk and have it captured only in my mind than to have focused on shoving a phone camera in our faces to get the shot and then had her carry on to some actual interaction, never having had a reason to talk to me.

Edited August 7, 2018 by Bastet

[Sun-Bun]

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

Did she just keep picking up new friends constantly, for these parties to continue to be attended?  Because I can't imagine many people continuing to stick around once it became clear this was not an isolated bad party or two, but her MO -- I'd think most would do as you did, and quit going. 

You got that right, @Bastet! She had maybe 3-4 close friends who were there for most of the shitshows(they liked to dress up as much as she did), but she otherwise was known for picking up random new acquaintances like me who didn’t know any better until they finally did.

[janestclair]

13 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

I'll admit, I'll use my phone to record cool moments or songs that I like but aren't really danceworthy. However, if its a song I really,really like, I'm totally in the moment.

Its kind of crazy how you'll go to concert expecting a certain crowd and get totally different people than what you expect. When I went to Pink's Truth About Love tour, I was seated in 100-level seats, and thought I'd meet some really cool people. Turns out I was surrounded by Real Housewife-type women who were there to record themselves at the event and that's about it. I nearly lost my shit when these 4 women in front of me continuously held up a freaking IPAD in front of my face so they could take selfies of themselves throughout the concert. They were tipsy if not wasted and at one point nearly dropped it over my head.Security finally came along to informed them that the IPAD needed to go, they lost their shit on him, and got thrown out. People in the front row started fighting over getting to shake Pink's hand and she had to stop the concert and address the immature behavior.

 

I have been to more concerts than I can count - going to one Saturday in fact.  I cannot stand people at concerts with their phones out. The iPad women would've had me seething.  I once yelled at a woman in the front row who had an umbrella open. I was in the second or third row, and her umbrella was right in my face.  It wasn't even raining that badly, just a drizzle really, so she didn't even need the umbrella.  Other people piped in after I yelled at her and she did eventually put that shit away.  How rude can you be?  Not only blocking people's view but also potentially poking someone in the eye because you're too special to get drizzled on.  Same concert, another guy in the front row (why was the front row all douchebags at that show?) got heckled by the band for vaping in their face.  

I used to take pictures at concerts, but back in the day when people had disposable cameras. I actually got pretty good at it.  I haven't taken a picture at a show in years.  Even meeting the artist, I don't do pictures anymore.  In fact one of my favorite post concert memories is of a time I didn't take a picture.  There was a group of us after a show, maybe like 20-25 people, just hanging around waiting to talk to the band and get an autograph/picture and then at the end of it someone suggested a group picture with all of us and the lead singer.  So everyone goes to give their camera to the security guy and somehow I forgot to do that as we're all getting into position for this picture.  Long story short it took a very long time to take all those pictures, and he had his arm around me the entire time.  If looks from the other fans could kill, I'd be dead.  Worth it.   Second favorite is having a conversation about the use of the word autotroph in a song because I'm a biology nerd, and third is when it was freezing cold and they shared a giant Hershey bar with everyone waiting.  I have pictures of none of those either.

[StatisticalOutlier]

And speaking of Paul McCartney, he talked about the concert on the roof at Apple Studios, and how there's no way that could happen today.  What a shame.

I always assumed selfies are annoying to the celebrity, but never thought about how the fan is putting the back or side of his head to the person he presumably adores.  That's so rude, and commodifies the celebrity even more.  But the celebrity has to grin and bear it or be trashed on social media for being an asshole.  What a stupid system.

I was at an international gathering of Jackie Chan fans many years ago, when he was still just a Hong Kong movie star, and they had an event with him one night, and at the end you form a line and get a photo with him.  I figured okay, I'll do it.  I generally don't like to impose on people, even celebrities.

After I got the film developed, I got a look at the photo and I looked like shit, as usual, but poor Jackie looked EXHAUSTED.  I felt so sorry for him.

[Quof]

I stagedoored at a Broadway matinee recently, something I rarely do.  The show is popular, with a large cast, and they were all generous with their time. One of the last to come out was the leading female, who went down the line talking to people and signing every autograph requested.  I heard her say, repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I can't do selfies today. There are so many people."   She did still talk at least briefly to everyone who called her name, but there was a lot of moaning and complaining about a "stuck up bitch".  Turns out, she was hosting an event that night, and I'm sure barely had time to change and get to the venue, even without waiting while hundreds of people adjusted their cameras.  I was happy to just call out "Thanks for a great show."

[KittyMom4]

On 8/5/2018 at 7:00 AM, Katy M said:

Sounds like you're lucky he didn't let you open any product before telling you.

I once filled out something to win something.  I got a call the following week, saying I won. I was so excited because I'd never won anything before.  But, to collect my prize, I had to install a security system in my home.  I can't remember what the prize was, but it was not on par with installing a security system.  Plus, I rent.

Same thing happened to me, only I had to purchase a gym membership to collect my prize. After that I would no longer fill out those entry forms and I warn anyone one I'm with to not do it either. Such a scam.

On 8/4/2018 at 10:11 PM, Merrilin said:

@TattleTeeny, I had a scary moment at the Kroger up the street from me when I did the same thing, so you are not alone.  She actually nudged my cart, can you imagine?  And I know it was intentional by the look she gave me when I gave her my "WTF" face.

I once had a group of young people, college age, come up while I was paying for my transaction, the male of the group literally was at my shoulder as I started to enter my PIN for my credit card. I stopped, looked up at him expectantly without saying a word. He stood there for a few seconds and then realized I wasn't going to complete my transaction with him standing there so he backed up. I heard one of the females whisper "jeez, what's her problem." Good grief....

[theredhead77]

On the "sneaky freebies" topic - this is a peeve and a warning about Hilton. Somehow after booking a room last year I ended up on their Hilton Grand Vacations call list. Never mind that I didn't actively sign up for this call list 1) I am not married so I don't qualify and 2) I don't make enough money to qualify. It too awhile but I finally found a way to get off the list. Telling them to stop calling didn't work, they called from all sorts of numbers so it was impossible to block them and the do-not-call list is irrelevant and not applicable since I am already a customer of Hilton. Changing my number wouldn't work either, since I book rooms through Hilton and they'd get my new number right away.

Anyway, my company is hosting an out of town meeting and we're staying at a Hilton property. I called the hotel to make a room request (quiet room, facing away from the street) and at the end the guy was telling me about a $250 credit towards my next stay or some absurd amount of Honors points or something else. I asked him what the catch was (he made it sound like it was just going to be tied to my Honors program, which I did not provide them the number for) and he said no catch, it's free something something Hilton Grand Vacations. NOPE!

Edited August 7, 2018 by theredhead77

[Quof]

13 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

I am not married so I don't qualify

What reward program has marriage as a prerequisite for eligibility?  Did I step into a time machine without noticing?   

[theredhead77]

1 minute ago, Quof said:

What reward program has marriage as a prerequisite for eligibility?  Did I step into a time machine without noticing?   

A lot of time-shares still have a marriage requirement.

[Quof]

Jeezuz H Christ

[MargeGunderson]

One of my pet peeves - when the announcement of the next subway train is not the same as the train that actually pulls in to the station. I realized it too late and had to get off and go back a station. I’m partially peeved at myself because if I had listened to the announcements once I was on the train I could have corrected it sooner (the line splits several stops after I get on so I had plenty of opportunity to switch trains before it involved going back a station).

Edited August 7, 2018 by MargeGunderson

[bilgistic]

51 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

A lot of time-shares still have a marriage requirement.

Say the female in a married hetero couple kept her maiden name. How would the timeshare place know they were married? Do they have to show a marriage certificate?

Do same-sex couples qualify for timeshares?

I should ask my parents, I suppose. They have a timeshare-ish situation with Wyndham.

[ParadoxLost]

1 hour ago, Quof said:

What reward program has marriage as a prerequisite for eligibility?  Did I step into a time machine without noticing?   

My guess is that its like what I hear about most cruises.  Its supposedly hard to find a normal cruise you can go on by yourself without it getting really pricey.  They don't like to waste space on singles because its more profitable to have two people in a room spending twice the money on other stuff.  I'm guessing that the Hilton vacations thing gets you a room but there is something about that package that gets them money elsewhere.

[theredhead77]

I stand corrected and will take this to chit-chat

[Nordly Beaumont]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

One of my pet peeves - when the announcement of the next subway train is not the same as the train that actually pulls in to the station. I realized it too late and had to get off and go back a station. I’m partially peeved at myself because if I had listened to the announcements once I was on the train I could have corrected it sooner (the line splits several stops after I get on so I had plenty of opportunity to switch trains before it involved going back a station).

As someone who lives in Minneapolis and has ended up in St Paul more times than a half-way intelligent person should - I understand! The light rail now has a loud and clear announcement at each stop up until it splits to St Paul. I guess I wasn't the only one! Although I did get on the wrong train again a couple weeks ago, but the announcement saved me!

Light rail and bus peeve, people who spread their stuff out taking up two seats during rush hour. And I don't even mean when you have a bunch of shopping bags, sometimes it can't be helped. But just a backpack and maybe a lunch bag or whatever - if I can fit my stuff in my lap, so can you! And don't give me the stink eye when I ask you to move it so I can sit. Travel time is my reading time and I'm not balanced enough to stand while holding my stuff and turning pages!

[partofme]

2 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

One of my pet peeves - when the announcement of the next subway train is not the same as the train that actually pulls in to the station. I realized it too late and had to get off and go back a station. I’m partially peeved at myself because if I had listened to the announcements once I was on the train I could have corrected it sooner (the line splits several stops after I get on so I had plenty of opportunity to switch trains before it involved going back a station).

At least you have an excuse.    I did this because I didn't read the letter on the subway train that pulled in, my train should be the only train on that track but it was a Sunday night and I guess the other train was rerouted, I too could have gotten off sooner if I had noticed, I probably would have gone more than one stop wrong if my stop wasn't supposed to have been the next stop.

[theredhead77]

My left ear has been clogged for about 5 days now. It started right after I plugged in an air freshener (that I like and use in a different gel form). No headaches, no other congestion, just my left ear.

I just took a decongestant this morning and again 4 hours later. Nothing. I am flying this weekend and next week. This should be fun!

[auntlada]

9 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

My left ear has been clogged for about 5 days now. It started right after I plugged in an air freshener (that I like and use in a different gel form). No headaches, no other congestion, just my left ear.

I just took a decongestant this morning and again 4 hours later. Nothing. I am flying this weekend and next week. This should be fun!

I had a clogged ear once and tried all kinds of over-the-counter drops and the whole vinegar and alcohol thing, but nothing worked. I finally had to go to the doctor, who cleaned all the wax out of that ear with something that was kind of like a Waterpik for ears. And then I could hear just fine. It was just ear wax. You'd think it would have happened gradually, but it didn't. It was all of a sudden. The really bad part was that if I slept on my other side (which I usually did), I couldn't even hear my alarm.

[theredhead77]

11 hours ago, auntlada said:

I had a clogged ear once and tried all kinds of over-the-counter drops and the whole vinegar and alcohol thing, but nothing worked. I finally had to go to the doctor, who cleaned all the wax out of that ear with something that was kind of like a Waterpik for ears. And then I could hear just fine. It was just ear wax. You'd think it would have happened gradually, but it didn't. It was all of a sudden. The really bad part was that if I slept on my other side (which I usually did), I couldn't even hear my alarm.

It comes and goes with a weird synthesizing of my voice when I speak. I tossed the new scented things to see if it helps. If not I'll have to go to the doctor when I get back.

[Brookside]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_selfie-related_injuries_and_deaths

A little opportunity for schadenfreude for those of us whose pet peeve is selfies.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Brookside

[StatisticalOutlier]

28 minutes ago, Brookside said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_selfie-related_injuries_and_deaths

A little opportunity for schadenfreude for those of us whose pet peeve is selfies.

Oh my god!  I kept scrolling and scrolling and the list didn't end!

I was thinking that at least these idiots generally only hurt themselves, unlike texting drivers, but in the first story, "killed by a train while posing for a selfie, which is just visible in the final picture they posted to Facebook along with the caption 'Standing right by a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!," the guys who were driving the train have to live with it even though they were 100% not at fault. 

These people need to be falling off cliffs in remote (so nobody sees it) but easily accessible (so rescue workers aren't endangered) areas. 

[NutMeg]

22 hours ago, auntlada said:

I had a clogged ear once and tried all kinds of over-the-counter drops and the whole vinegar and alcohol thing, but nothing worked. I finally had to go to the doctor, who cleaned all the wax out of that ear with something that was kind of like a Waterpik for ears. And then I could hear just fine. It was just ear wax. You'd think it would have happened gradually, but it didn't. It was all of a sudden. The really bad part was that if I slept on my other side (which I usually did), I couldn't even hear my alarm.

I had exactly the same thing, including not hearing the alarm, and I had it a couple of times, years ago. Got the same treatment you got, and there was this magical feeling of getting your hearing back!

As I understand it, it's not so much a build up of wax, but a case of a piece of wax, can be big or small, that gets right where it shouldn't. Could be the shape of your ear canal, or whatever else (happened to me when I lived in South East Asia, never before, never since, so go figure; one GP told me they were used to seeing European patients with that problem.)

But (and this is way more than a pet peeve), after a number of occurrences, I decided to consult an ENT specialist rather than the usual GP, just in case there was an underlying reason that would be spotted by a specialist. The guy I saw (supposedly a well reputed specialist in his field) looked at my ear, dismissed any possibility of ear wax as it was all clear, sent me to hearing tests which indicated major loss of hearing (well, dah...), then to an MRI, because he thought it was likely that I had whatever the name was (weird that I can't remember the name now, but at the time it was in my mind all the time, and googling it let me know that it was the cause of Beethoven's surdity, so yeah, pretty dire prognostic, although nowadays there is a way to operate, but the results are not garanteed ...), on the basis that it happened more often with "Caucasians".  The MRI came out inconclusive, meaning that it was possible I had that bone issue that was causing hear loss. Between the diagnostic, the tests and the results, I lived weeks of hell, and became a horrible person. I started getting angry at people for the flimsiest reasons, like my child telling me "but I told you" when I obviously couldn't hear a thing, or the staff at counters that I felt weren't listening to me. It was hell, I felt bad, and I was scared, and I felt no one understood. Music had always been important for me, but everything sounded weird, like a stereo turned to mono, and it sounded so bad. I went to a concert that I was very much looking forward to, and only heard very flat music. I was doing my best to get used to losing my hearing and still enjoy it while I could, and it was harder than I could have expected (I don't know if anyone ever did the "if I HAD to lose one sense, which one would be the worst?").

Then one day, I don't know why, I said to myself, sod it, I'm going back to the GP, won't tell him anything, just see how it goes. And, halleluiah, there WAS a tiny piece of wax lodged near my eardrum, so tiny that all the sophisticated machines had missed it, but the syringing dislodged it, and let me tell you, after that, getting my hearing (and future hearing) back felt like the most amazing miracle.

And that was the last time I ever had that problem. 

@theredhead77, I hope you flight was not too painful (and sorry about highjacking your post with my very long tale)   

Edited August 10, 2018 by NutMeg

[theredhead77]

I went to a Minute Clinic and she said my ears are super clear. Now I'm wondering if she missed something. Everything sounds like its being put through auto-tune and it's still feeling clogged.

[ginger90]

Ear problems aren’t always ear based. Ears, nose, throat. My daughter many moons ago, had one ear infection after another, it seemed. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed, and never had another ear infection. (This was 25 years ago)

[Brookside]

People. Who. Put. Periods. After. Every. Word.

[auntlada]

9 minutes ago, Brookside said:

People. Who. Put. Periods. After. Every. Word.

They're right up there with people who type in all caps. The only person I know who types in all caps that I'll excuse is my great-uncle who is somewhere around 99 years old. I'm just impressed he's using a computer and posting on Facebook.

[ParadoxLost]

Showing up in disguise as random people

A newspaper mysteriously delivered to your door

Auditory and visual hallucinations of George Michael and random musical numbers

These are acceptable ways to get TV characters to do good deeds.

Texting is not.  If I see hear, hearing is the problem, that promo for that God Friended Me one more time...and its on now...I may have to quit CBS.

These things are not allowed on television

iPhones vibrating

the text message ding

door bells ringing

They evoke the pavlovian response of 'where's my phone' and 'who's at my door' and 'who's trying to reach me' and interrupts my relaxation.  I do not like it.

Its added to the list of these things are not allowed on the radio

Police sirens

Car crashes

[TattleTeeny]

So annoyed right now. My laptop was fine yesterday. Today I get home to see an alert from the security app I use saying "Your computer is not protected." I go to the site to see how to fix it. I follow the instructions exactly, multiple times. The instructions don't do what they say they should do. And now I have to keep closing this stupid pop-up alert every 30 seconds to use my laptop until I hear back from customer service, which likely will be tomorrow while I am at work.

[raven]

That actually sounds like a program attempting to spoof your app @TattleTeeny.  Can you run a security scan using your security app (NOT anything suggested in the pop up)? 

[NutMeg]

22 minutes ago, ParadoxLost said:

Showing up in disguise as random people

A newspaper mysteriously delivered to your door

Auditory and visual hallucinations of George Michael and random musical numbers

These are acceptable ways to get TV characters to do good deeds.

Texting is not.  If I see hear, hearing is the problem, that promo for that God Friended Me one more time...and its on now...I may have to quit CBS.

These things are not allowed on television

iPhones vibrating

the text message ding

door bells ringing

They evoke the pavlovian response of 'where's my phone' and 'who's at my door' and 'who's trying to reach me' and interrupts my relaxation.  I do not like it.

Its added to the list of these things are not allowed on the radio

Police sirens

Car crashes

I quite like the idea of a newspaper mysteriously delivered to my door. Although it would depend on the kind of newspaper, I guess.

3 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

So annoyed right now. My laptop was fine yesterday. Today I get home to see an alert from the security app I use saying "Your computer is not protected." I go to the site to see how to fix it. I follow the instructions exactly, multiple times. The instructions don't do what they say they should do. And now I have to keep closing this stupid pop-up alert every 30 seconds to use my laptop until I hear back from customer service, which likely will be tomorrow while I am at work.

Every 30 seconds is weird. I have the same alert sometimes, I click on my antivirus icon and update, and it says I'm already up to date. But if it keeps popping up, it might me an annoying malware or some such. Maybe try activity monitor?

[TattleTeeny]

12 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

Every 30 seconds is weird. I have the same alert sometimes, I click on my antivirus icon and update, and it says I'm already up to date. But if it keeps popping up, it might me an annoying malware or some such. Maybe try activity monitor?

I may have been hyperbolic about the 30 seconds—but it’s annoying as hell! I am running a scan now and I have never had any problems with viruses or malware before, which is good. But, man, with this pop-up! Ugh, I thought Ye hnomovy was supposed to make my life easy, damn it!

[TattleTeeny]

OK, everyone, I have NO IDEA what “Ye hnomovy” means. “Technology” was what I was typing! But it made me laugh really hard, so that’s good. Like, really, autocorrect—THAT is what you thought I wanted to say?!

Edited August 10, 2018 by TattleTeeny