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

[Browncoat]

I am beyond peeved that the local Regal cinemas are apparently not going to show either The French Dispatch OR Encanto! 

[peacheslatour]

20 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I am beyond peeved that the local Regal cinemas are apparently not going to show either The French Dispatch OR Encanto! 

But I bet they have James Bond and Eternals on every screen. Movie distributors won't take a chance on adult movies.

[KittyMom4]

15 hours ago, Calvada said:

How do I always manage to be behind someone who has a small child, about 3 to 4 dozen books, and allows the 2 year old to slowly feed the books in?  Why aren't these parents like my mom, who would have immediately said, "Calvada, let the person who only has 1 book go ahead of us."   I'm glad people are using libraries and encouraging children to read, but teaching one's child to be courteous is also a good thing. 

These are the same parents that encourage their little ones to tell the ice cream server what flavor they want with a line of 5 people waiting while the child bashfully smiles and mumbles, or hides behind mom's leg or whispers in dad's ear. Teaching children to be aware of other people who are waiting is a thing of the past. 

 

[peacheslatour]

42 minutes ago, BexKeps said:

These are the same parents that encourage their little ones to tell the ice cream server what flavor they want with a line of 5 people waiting while the child bashfully smiles and mumbles, or hides behind mom's leg or whispers in dad's ear. Teaching children to be aware of other people who are waiting is a thing of the past. 

 

I can't tell you how many times my little boy held doors for people just to have them brush by him without so much as a word or a smile.

[SuprSuprElevated]

On 11/8/2021 at 2:34 PM, shapeshifter said:

I've known recent immigrants who rely on television to increase their ESL skills. 
Some PhD student should write a dissertation on the effects of bad English grammar on TV on ESL skills.

 

Lawd help 'em if they're internetting for practice.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Stress rashes Bad enough being stressed, but must my skin freak out too??!

Stress makes any pain, rash, etc. worse for me.
Maybe something related to autoimmune response? 
I wonder if it's like this for everyone, but not everyone is prone to hives, migraines, piriformis syndrome, etc. 
So, for instance, smokers and drinkers feel the need to have more of those substances when they're stressed.

Anyway. I keep all fragrance products away from my laundry so I don't start itching if I'm sweaty or stressed or just have insomnia.

[SuprSuprElevated]

A bit of advice regarding front-load washers - 

A certain buyer of same, who looks much like me, opted out of the ridiculously expensive storage drawer which is typically sold for these to sit upon. As a result, the stoop-and-snatch motion required to retrieve the contents of these cavernous behemoths becomes more challenging as one ages.  

Go with the storage pedestals.  Trust and believe.

[SoMuchTV]

26 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

A bit of advice regarding front-load washers - 

A certain buyer of same, who looks much like me, opted out of the ridiculously expensive storage drawer which is typically sold for these to sit upon. As a result, the stoop-and-snatch motion required to retrieve the contents of these cavernous behemoths becomes more challenging as one ages.  

Go with the storage pedestals.  Trust and believe.

Trust and believe. But also measure. My washer space has a cabinet above it, and the potentially back-saving pedestal would have made it about half an inch too tall. 

[peacheslatour]

28 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

A bit of advice regarding front-load washers - 

A certain buyer of same, who looks much like me, opted out of the ridiculously expensive storage drawer which is typically sold for these to sit upon. As a result, the stoop-and-snatch motion required to retrieve the contents of these cavernous behemoths becomes more challenging as one ages.  

Go with the storage pedestals.  Trust and believe.

My mom had my dad build wooden platforms for her washer and dryer, being vertically challenged is well..a challenge.

[SuprSuprElevated]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My mom had my dad build wooden platforms for her washer and dryer, being vertically challenged is well..a challenge.

Hubs and I have oft lamented not having the foresight to have them built, though time was of the essence when we purchased the W/D, and neither of us are blessed with that skill set.  I'd wager that the $250/$300 storage peds would rival the lumber/labor in today's market.

Edited November 12, 2021 by SuprSuprElevated

[TattleTeeny]

Car peeve update: the dealer called me today (car has been there since Saturday) and said that it is the battery itself that is the issue. This car was there 2 weeks ago for a whole week because of constant and unexplainable dead battery issues—why was this not the first thing that was checked then? (And never mind, I guess, that my previous battery kept dying as well or that AAA told me multiple times that both batteries were good?)

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

Car peeve update: the dealer called me today (car has been there since Saturday) and said that it is the battery itself that is the issue. This car was there 2 weeks ago for a whole week because of constant and unexplainable dead battery issues—why was this not the first thing that was checked then? (And never mind, I guess, that my previous battery kept dying as well or that AAA told me multiple times that both batteries were good?)

Years ago I had a car with a chronic/unexplained electrical problem that chewed through batteries.  Like you, I kept being told "it's the battery".  I kept saying "yes, but what is killing these batteries?!?"

Long story short, I traded the car sooner than I wanted to, as I tired of the issue.  Best of luck to you in finding a quick resolution.

[SuprSuprElevated]

14 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Trust and believe. But also measure. My washer space has a cabinet above it, and the potentially back-saving pedestal would have made it about half an inch too tall. 

Yeah, we also have overhead cabinets, but there would have been clearance.  I will say that they would have been uncomfortably tall to use for folding, etc. if on the peds.  Plus, kitties would have to work harder to "ride the dryer" (aka nap).

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Car peeve update: the dealer called me today (car has been there since Saturday) and said that it is the battery itself that is the issue. This car was there 2 weeks ago for a whole week because of constant and unexplainable dead battery issues—why was this not the first thing that was checked then? (And never mind, I guess, that my previous battery kept dying as well or that AAA told me multiple times that both batteries were good?)

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Years ago I had a car with a chronic/unexplained electrical problem that chewed through batteries.  Like you, I kept being told "it's the battery".  I kept saying "yes, but what is killing these batteries?!?"
Long story short, I traded the car sooner than I wanted to, as I tired of the issue.  Best of luck to you in finding a quick resolution.

@TattleTeeny, shortly after I sold my 11-year-old Yaris with just 50K miles on it back to the dealer in January for a mere $3K, used car prices started going through the roof due to Supply Chain Issues. This might be a good time to sell it privately with a new battery. 

The other option is to "talk to the manager" at the repair place, but I personally have zero success in that area, and it sounds like you've already done that.

Speaking of peeves. 
Have I mentioned that I now hate Home Depot? 
Whether it's flooring, laundry appliances, or shower curtain rings, I hate Home Depot. 
Can I divorce Home Depot? Just not shopping there any more doesn't see like enough. 
Hmmm. Maybe I can have a virtual Divorce From Home Depot party here?
But it will have to be after the second team of installers leave tomorrow.
Hopefully they will level the washing machine that the first team refused to do.
The next day the Dryer Vent Wizard guy came out and told me as he was leaving that he had leveled the dryer for me because it needed it--which I really appreciated not just because he did it at no additional charge, but because I hadn't even mentioned to the Dryer Vent Wizard guy that I thought the dryer needed leveling, so it validated that I'm not a crazy person.
Well, at least not crazy with regards to washers and dryers needing leveling on tilting floors.  
 

 

[TattleTeeny]

2 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Years ago I had a car with a chronic/unexplained electrical problem that chewed through batteries.  Like you, I kept being told "it's the battery".  I kept saying "yes, but what is killing these batteries?!?"

Long story short, I traded the car sooner than I wanted to, as I tired of the issue.  Best of luck to you in finding a quick resolution.

This is probably what I’m going to end up doing — but NOT with this particular dealer!  I’m toying with the idea of collecting my car, saying thanks (for nothin’!), and driving right over the grass divider to their competitor literally right next door, hahahhahaa! (Not really that last part [though I do prefer the cars of the competitor], but that would be so funny — and also save me the time of making 2 U-turns on the highway!)

[theredhead77]

I made cookies straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook. The recipe said it made 52. I got 36 normal sized cookies. I cannot imagine how tiny the cookies would be if it made 52.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

I made cookies straight out of the Betty Crocker cookbook. The recipe said it made 52. I got 36 normal sized cookies. I cannot imagine how tiny the cookies would be if it made 52.

That's happened to me literally every time I've ever made cookies. I think the recipe on the back of the Nestle's bag for Toll House Cookies claims you get something like  5 dozen cookies and I've never gotten more than 2 and 1/2. And all my Fanny Farmer recipes are the same.

[ABay]

My chocolate chip cookie peeve is that I can never get them flat enough.

I've heard many complaints that the recipe on the back of the bag yields cookies that are too flat, but that's what I want--flat cookies with chips that rise up like chocolate islands. I've tried substituting milk for one egg, leaving out the baking soda, adding a little more liquid, lowering the oven temperature, different scoop sizes.  But still I get puffy cookies.

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, ABay said:

flat cookies with chips that rise up like chocolate islands

Beautiful cookie prose!   
   “flat cookies with chips that rise up like chocolate islands”

I rarely “cook” anymore, but my credentials from bygone eras include a 1970s job as the Cookie Maker at the Strawberry Fields natural food store in Urbana IL.

So, taking this suggestion with some grains of sea salt—heh:   
In addition to all or some or none of the things you tried above, I would try:

• increasing the fat content a bit, whether you use oil, butter, or even lard
• Use pastry flour, which has less gluten; before gluten was maligned on social media, it was primarily known to enable baked goods to maintain their risen shapes.   
  If pastry flour is not available, oat flour is just as good, if not better, and, being currently in vogue because of its lack of gluten, is probably more readily available.

 

[Mondrianyone]

10 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

If pastry flour is not available, oat flour is just as good, if not better, and, being currently in vogue because of its lack of gluten, is probably more readily available.

That's a good idea. And it's no big deal if you can't find ready-made oat flour. All you need to do is whiz regular rolled oats in a blender or food processor to make your own. I love oats in any form in chocolate-chip cookies.

[Jane Tuesday]

Are you chilling the dough before you scoop the cookies onto sheets?  You might bringing them to room temperature before you bake them.  Then the hot oven will cause them to spread out faster.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, ABay said:

My chocolate chip cookie peeve is that I can never get them flat enough.

I've heard many complaints that the recipe on the back of the bag yields cookies that are too flat, but that's what I want--flat cookies with chips that rise up like chocolate islands. I've tried substituting milk for one egg, leaving out the baking soda, adding a little more liquid, lowering the oven temperature, different scoop sizes.  But still I get puffy cookies.

Handy guide.

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Handy guide.

Yep.  I'm a dough chilled 24 hrs person, because that's exactly how I want my chocolate chip cookies to come out.  I hardly ever make them, and I'm not one of those people with my own recipe I've perfected through years of experimentation; I just use the old standard from the back of Nestle Toll House bag (but I use different chips, the Ghirardelli 60%).  But I take the time to chill the dough (okay, not always 24 hours) because it gives me that soft texture I want.

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Yep.  I'm a dough chilled 24 hrs person, because that's exactly how I want my chocolate chip cookies to come out.  I hardly ever make them, and I'm not one of those people with my own recipe I've perfected through years of experimentation; I just use the old standard from the back of Nestle Toll House bag (but I use different chips, the Ghirardelli 60%).  But I take the time to chill the dough (okay, not always 24 hours) because it gives me that soft texture I want.

I basically do too but I use 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white sugar instead of the 3/4 cup each recommended on the bag. I used to do this thing where I was trying to make them healthier by cutting back 1/4 on the butter and sugars but I gave up because they just didn't have the same kick although my family said they couldn't tell the difference.

[Browncoat]

I cut the flour down a little if I want flatter cookies.  The dough isn't as stiff and it spreads out more.  

[bilgistic]

Give me all your thick, chewy cookies with tons of chips!

Appliance peeve: we are out of a dishwasher for the second time in a year. The current one was installed last December. The complex spent maybe $100 on it, which is probably why it lasted 11 whole months. Apparently, the "actuator" melted, which is why it smelled like burning rubber when I ran the dishwasher Thursday night. Then it wouldn't run through the cycles, didn't drain and proceeded to leak onto the floor. Now there's several inches of dirty water in the bottom of the dishwasher.

And now, because of supply chain issues, who knows if the maintenance guy will be able to get the part.

There's also something going on with the wiring in the kitchen, but the maintenance guy didn't believe me. When I tried restarting the dishwasher at one point Thursday night, it tripped a separate kitchen circuit. He said it had nothing to do with the "renovations" the shitty contractors did in June, and yet, I didn't have any trouble with my hand blender—or the dishwasher—tripping the circuit until then.

Cool cool cool. What's a little electrical fire going to hurt?

[Anela]

When you specifically say that you'll get two recipes out of one chicken, and then someone you're related to, gives the leftover chicken to the animals. Not a massive peeve, but I'd have given it to them, if I wasn't going to use it. 

[Anela]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

Give me all your thick, chewy cookies with tons of chips!

Appliance peeve: we are out of a dishwasher for the second time in a year. The current one was installed last December. The complex spent maybe $100 on it, which is probably why it lasted 11 whole months. Apparently, the "actuator" melted, which is why it smelled like burning rubber when I ran the dishwasher Thursday night. Then it wouldn't run through the cycles, didn't drain and proceeded to leak onto the floor. Now there's several inches of dirty water in the bottom of the dishwasher.

And now, because of supply chain issues, who knows if the maintenance guy will be able to get the part.

There's also something going on with the wiring in the kitchen, but the maintenance guy didn't believe me. When I tried restarting the dishwasher at one point Thursday night, it tripped a separate kitchen circuit. He said it had nothing to do with the "renovations" the shitty contractors did in June, and yet, I didn't have any trouble with my hand blender—or the dishwasher—tripping the circuit until then.

Cool cool cool. What's a little electrical fire going to hurt?

We have needed to replace something on our dishwasher, for years. Not long after it was installed, the door stopped latching properly, so we have to balance a chair against it, if we want to use it - and the space isn't tight enough, so it's fiddly. My dad prefers to just hand-wash things, but I miss the dishwasher. 

When I went to an orientation at the dog pound, five years ago, they showed us around, and it turns out they have the exact same dishwasher, with the same problem. 

Also, dad changed the filter for something downstairs, and now there's a thump-thump sound whenever the heating comes on. I kind of jokingly asked if it was going to blow up, and dad just said "I don't know". Comforting! He was talking about calling someone to look at it.

[Sun-Bun]

On 11/11/2021 at 3:00 PM, emma675 said:

I get cramps so bad they've caused me to vomit, pass out, given me migraines, etc. so I wouldn't call a hysterectomy at any age "barbaric." When a body part makes you miserable, you do whatever is necessary to solve the problem. 

Not to suddenly get all grossly TMI here, but this sad reality makes me think of all the teenage female special needs students I’ve worked with over the years as a Sped teacher; it’s beyond cruel to watch these young women with the literal minds and/or bodies of toddlers or small children suddenly be forced to deal with bloody pads/heavy bleeding/cramps. Most of them have NO idea why they feel so shitty/get so yucky once a month, and we their teachers are left to deal with their severe mood swings.

This inevitably gets me very ticked off at their parents who allow them to go through that monthly mess, when they could easily get them a period-pausing Depro shot and/or explore a variety of other options for helping these poor young ladies control and/or delay their period pains. 

I had a fellow teacher who used to shake her head and say, “God must be an evil man” when having to put maxi pads in the diapers of her wheelchair-bound intellectually-delayed female students…just saying, it’s an ugly little secret out there that special needs young women are every bit as affected by period pains as normally functioning young women.

[DrSpaceman73]

My main chocolate chip pet peeve is raisin cookies are pointless and exist only to confuse people about what kind of cookie they are about to bite into

Seriously who likes raisin cookies?  

 

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

My main chocolate chip pet peeve is raisin cookies are pointless and exist only to confuse people about what kind of cookie they are about to bite into

Seriously who likes raisin cookies?  

 

I kind of like them if someone else makes them and they're kind of stale and chewy. But I'm not going to make them. Why use up valuable cookie making time and ingredients just so you can disappoint people?

[Mondrianyone]

The aforementioned T-shirt:

[MargeGunderson]

Raisins are Satan’s candy.

@ABay, these cookies might be worth a look. 

[supposebly]

People have strong feelings about raisins, I see. Not a pet peeve, just an observation.

[ABay]

Thank you all for the feedback, as it were, about the cookies! More butter, increased white v. brown sugar, and a mix of baking soda and baking powder seem like the ways to go. I'll have to conduct a highly scientific experiment over the holidays. Best part: I get to eat both the results whichever way the cookies come out.

[peacheslatour]

15 minutes ago, supposebly said:

People have strong feelings about raisins, I see. Not a pet peeve, just an observation.

It's just that thinking you were biting into delicious chocolatey goodness only to run into a series of dried grapes is the kind of disappointment you don't get over easily.

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Seriously who likes raisin cookies?  

 

Me.  My favorite cookies are soft oatmeal raisin cookies.  I will eat chocolate chip cookies, but I don't seek them out.

[Sun-Bun]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

The aforementioned T-shirt:

Especially potato salad!!!

[MargeGunderson]

I used to work with someone who preferred oatmeal raisin cookies to chocolate chip, so when we got catered bagged lunches we would trade cookies if necessary. He saved me from many a raisin.

[TattleTeeny]

So, Petco tends to overstuff the bags when you do curbside pickup. It’s annoying (but not a gigantic peeve—probably because the convenience of curbside cancels it out a little—though it is annoying that they use such flimsy bags.*). Today, the girl who brought it to me proudly told me that she doubled up. But the inside bag’s handles were tied together! Meaning that the weight that the outside bag was carrying was exactly the same, rendering her effort moot! (I will note that her way is definitely far less annoying than when they tightly tie two overstuffed bags together so that they’re nearly impossible to get into the house.)

*When I go in the store myself, I bring reusable
bags. Today was not one of those times.

 

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

My main chocolate chip pet peeve is raisin cookies are pointless and exist only to confuse people about what kind of cookie they are about to bite into

Seriously who likes raisin cookies?  

 

 

24 minutes ago, Suzn said:

Me.  My favorite cookies are soft oatmeal raisin cookies.  I will eat chocolate chip cookies, but I don't seek them out.

I also like oatmeal rasisin cookies. That is the batch I was referring to when I peeved about the quantity discrepency. But I never make oatmeal raisin cookies that masquerade as chocolate chip. That's just cruel.

And a peeve is that I miss these Golden Fruit cookies

 

14 minutes ago, Sun-Bun said:

Especially potato salad!!!

Who the F puts raisins in potato salad??

[Mondrianyone]

2 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Who the F puts raisins in potato salad??

Nazis, maybe? Is that what they mean by German potato salad?

I could be wrong.

[RealHousewife]

7 hours ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

Seriously who likes raisin cookies?  

Probably the same person who likes fruit cake. 

 

[Jane Tuesday]

I love raisin cookies, but I hardly ever get any, because my dad doesn't like them. One year my little nephew gave me a tin full of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies as a Christmas gift, and I hoarded them through January. Best gift ever. LOL

Tip: any time you use raisins in a recipe, plump then first by soaking them in hot water, juice, or spirits for 15 minutes and then straining before adding to your recipe. The raisins themselves will be juicier, and they won't dry out the surrounding baked item. 

[ABay]

Raisins are fine in sweet potato muffins. Dried cranberries are also good.

[Suzn]

11 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Probably the same person who likes fruit cake. 

 

That was me and yes I like fruit cake.  I like the purchased ones and also it can be made with flavorful moist cake surrounding the dried fruit.

11 hours ago, Jane Tuesday said:

I love raisin cookies, but I hardly ever get any, because my dad doesn't like them. One year my little nephew gave me a tin full of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies as a Christmas gift, and I hoarded them through January. Best gift ever. LOL

Tip: any time you use raisins in a recipe, plump then first by soaking them in hot water, juice, or spirits for 15 minutes and then straining before adding to your recipe. The raisins themselves will be juicier, and they won't dry out the surrounding baked item. 

Absolutely makes a huge difference.

[kristen111]

18 hours ago, Suzn said:

Me.  My favorite cookies are soft oatmeal raisin cookies.  I will eat chocolate chip cookies, but I don't seek them out.

I love soft oatmeal raisin cookies.  I think Costco’s are the best.  Can’t eat just one.  Or BJ’s.

 

12 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Probably the same person who likes fruit cake. 

 

I was tempted to buy the fruit cake on QVC, but I would be the only one to eat it. It looked out of site.  They had one in chocolate also.

[Mondrianyone]

If you all can stand it . . .

I just got this link in an email from Food52, and there's a bunch more stuff about chocolate-chip cookies and Dorie Greenspan. It's nice that she credits the original Toll House recipe on the back of the bag, not so great that that was how Nestlé established itself in the US. Fortunately there are better chips available now.

[kristen111]

Never mind.

[GaT]

22 hours ago, supposebly said:

People have strong feelings about raisins, I see. Not a pet peeve, just an observation.

 

21 hours ago, Sun-Bun said:

Especially potato salad!!!

I don't mind raisins, they're good as snacks & if someone offers me a cookie with raisins, I'll happily eat it, but in potato salad??????? That is so gross. There is a Jewish holiday dish called Kugel that is made with noodles. And raisins. It's supposed to be so delicious, but I think it's just disgusting. Noodles & raisins are a hard pass for me.

21 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

And a peeve is that I miss these Golden Fruit cookies

 

 

I remember those! I miss them too, they were delicious.