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

[Bethany]

1 hour ago, Quof said:

The internet has been in existence for 40 years, and has been in widespread use for probably 30.  Anyone in their 80s today was probably exposed to computers, and the internet, in their workplace. 

You are assuming they would have had office jobs that involved computers.  IME with my parents and others their age (Dad is 87) their introduction to computers didn't come at work but came in the home.  Some embraced it (my parents certainly did) but many did not.  

Anyway I don't think it's really wrong to be concerned that elderly people are being specifically targeted and taken advantage of by scammers - however the scam is being conducted!  I am not nearly as worried for my Dad and the Internet as I am for my Dad and the cell phone.  Grandparents Scams Get More Sophisticated.

 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[PRgal]

2 hours ago, Quof said:

The internet has been in existence for 40 years, and has been in widespread use for probably 30.  Anyone in their 80s today was probably exposed to computers, and the internet, in their workplace. 

We had a modem/dial-up in our home back in the early 90s, but my mom used it to dial into her office's system.  We didn't get "real" dial-up until 1995 (NETSCAPE!!!), which was still before a lot of people.  Not everyone's home was like Ferris Beuller's!  

[supposebly]

My parents got broadband internet around 2004 because I made them, so I could email and skype with them across the Atlantic.

My father who is 81 has steadfastly refused to touch a computer or a cellphone, never even mind a smartphone. So, he's quite safe from those kinds of scams. And my mom only texts, and calls and skypes. No social media. And she doesn't use her email either, so I'm not too worried about phishing emails either. I've looked into her account and the crap went right to her junk folder. And it wasn't much and just very obvious stuff.

They've had a few phone calls from "Microsoft tech support" on their landline but it was in English and they didn't understand, so they hung up. You'd think scammers who call a German number would try to speak German.

I've talked to them about some of the scams. They don't have grandchildren, so that won't work. I do worry sometimes about someone showing up at their door pretending to be police and try to get money out of them that way. Or telling them that something has happened to me. My parents are very polite people and trust the authorities, so, it would probably be quite easy to get them to fork over money that way.

[theredhead77]

3 minutes ago, supposebly said:

I do worry sometimes about someone showing up at their door pretending to be police and try to get money out of them that way. Or telling them that something has happened to me. My parents are very polite people and trust the authorities, so, it would probably be quite easy to get them to fork over money that way.

Does the German version of the IRS, or other government agencies publish documents as the US does, reminding people they will never call and demand money, or show up at your door and demand money? If so, would showing them that help?

Here is a link to the IRS notice

 

 

[supposebly]

Probably. But I don't know if that would help in the moment. My parents might be very shocked that the government or possibly the police comes calling (since they never do), they would automatically assume they did something wrong or something happened. I don't know. I don't think of my parents as gullible but they get flustered with authority figures. The good news is that they never have much cash in the house and it would take a while to get to the bank, and that would give them enough time to think it over.

[BlueSkies]

But to add to my above condescending people really suck 

[Bethany]

12 hours ago, supposebly said:

My parents are very polite people and trust the authorities, so, it would probably be quite easy to get them to fork over money that way.

This has always been my concern with my parents as well.  My Dad had a pretty high profile job in his working days but he still addresses someone in a store as sir or ma'am and if a person were to present themselves to him as an authority figure like a police officer I think, at least initially, he would never question that.  Where they'd lose him is if they gave him time to think and I suspect these scammers, sadly, know exactly what to do and say to hurry people along and get them to fork over money ASAP.

[Meredith Quill]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

This has always been my concern with my parents as well.  My Dad had a pretty high profile job in his working days but he still addresses someone in a store as sir or ma'am and if a person were to present themselves to him as an authority figure like a police officer I think, at least initially, he would never question that.  Where they'd lose him is if they gave him time to think and I suspect these scammers, sadly, know exactly what to do and say to hurry people along and get them to fork over money ASAP.

Tell elderly parents to always, always check credentials - anyone who's legit will never object to someone making a phonecall to check all is above board.

Even go so far as to say to your parents "If you feel awkward about saying anything, blame your children, a la 'Sorry my son/daughter/children insist that I check the credentials of all callers, I hope you understand' then go call the local relevant authority, but do NOT use any number they may provide under any circumstances. If they do raise even the slightest objection, that's a major RED FLAG - so shut the door in their face then go make the call anyway."

[peacheslatour]

I got a call from my dad's bank telling me he was trying to withdraw $5,000. because he had "won" 5 million. Thank all the gods and goddesses I got a heads up. He was going around town telling everyone about it too. 

[RealHousewife]

This didn’t just happen, but when it takes you forever to undo something you did by an accidental click. 

[Bethany]

People who have to talk back to the TV.  Oh sure I know we all do it now and then but my husband is getting on my last nerve.  I won't watch the news with him as he has to comment on every news item.  And now he's started on the commercials too.  I don't know if anyone out there uses the services of places like Hello Fresh  but you may be interested to know that you're wrong if you do.  For various vague reasons that are not based on actual first hand knowledge.  Sigh.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[annzeepark914]

My stepdaughter's MIL received one of those scam calls. He said he was her son, was in jail and needed $3,000. She never called her son's family to find out what was going on but withdrew the money and sent it via Walmart. Got another call a day later, never checked with family, returned to Walmart and started sending the money. The employees got suspicious and called the police who came and handled the situation. MIL was 85 at the time & was very embarrassed. Scamming the elderly--how low can one go? 

[TattleTeeny]

2 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

People who have to talk back to the TV.  Oh sure I know we all do it now and then but my husband is getting on my last nerve.  I won't watch the news with him as he has to comment on every news item.  And now he's started on the commercials too.  I don't know if anyone out there uses the services of places like Hello Fresh  but you may be interested to know that you're wrong if you do.  For various vague reasons that are not based on actual first hand knowledge.  Sigh.

I am not laughing at your pain, @Elizabeth Anne -- just at your description of it.

[SuprSuprElevated]

20 hours ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

People who have to talk back to the TV.  Oh sure I know we all do it now and then but my husband is getting on my last nerve.  I won't watch the news with him as he has to comment on every news item.  And now he's started on the commercials too.  I don't know if anyone out there uses the services of places like Hello Fresh  but you may be interested to know that you're wrong if you do.  For various vague reasons that are not based on actual first hand knowledge.  Sigh.

I think I'm your husband, which is awkward since I'm a woman. My own husband might be put out.  Eeks! 

Edited March 22, 2023 by SuprSuprElevated

[GHScorpiosRule]

Packing. Can that be considered a peeve? 

I honestly, truly thought that the stuff my Mum wanted, plus my regular clothes (three capri pants, and light tanks and blouses) wouldn't weigh more than 40 pounds. I have an old-fashioned scale and it kept saying it near to 60! So I readjusted and switched a few to my carry on. Limit is 15 lbs. for economy class. Dammitalltohell. It came to 20! And now, after buying one of those digital thingamobobs, carry on is at 16.94 and the suitcase about 46!

I had to ditch the Anarkali suit. So the carry on only has a sari and lengha. ARGH!

The suitcase I got from my uncle and it's a 22 incher. or maybe 24. I bought a 29er from Target, which is arriving on Friday. I'm going to see if a bigger suitcase, allowing me to "spread" stuff around, instead of it being jammed tight, will make a difference.

I KNOW my parents had bought MORE stuff when they were here last summer and mine is a third of that.

I HATE packing. I've ended up stuffing an extra set of clothes and sari blouse pieces I want altered in the one hand baggage I'm allowed.

Edited March 22, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[PRgal]

17 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I think I'm your husband, which is awkward since I'm a woman. My own husband might be put out.  Eeks! 

I can do that sometimes.  And I'm ALSO a woman.  You know that Norton ad where there's a guy being interviewed and the woman asks him about his reputation she found on a search?  I often comment on how he even got to the spot he was in (something that sounds like a final round interview) to begin with!!  LOL

Edited March 22, 2023 by PRgal

[Bethany]

Site related - choosing just the right emoticon.  It's easy if the post is about one specific theme.  However sometimes several points are raised - some funny, some sad, some...well you get the idea! 

[peacheslatour]

59 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

Site related - choosing just the right emoticon.  It's easy if the post is about one specific theme.  However sometimes several points are raised - some funny, some sad, some...well you get the idea! 

I know Maybe we could try to make separate posts or we could have an emoji that is both laughing and crying?

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

or we could have an emoji that is both laughing and crying?

So like a sad clown emoji?

Or maybe the comedy/tragedy masks in emoji form?

 

[theredhead77]

Just now, JTMacc99 said:

So like a sad clown emoji?

Or maybe the comedy/tragedy masks in emoji form?

 

No clowns!!!!!

[SuprSuprElevated]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I know Maybe we could try to make separate posts or we could have an emoji that is both laughing and crying?

Or quote the post and add however many you like, from sites like this, where you simply copy and paste them to your post.

getemoji.com

[peacheslatour]

  😂  🥹  😭

Like this?

[GHScorpiosRule]

10 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Or quote the post and add however many you like, from sites like this, where you simply copy and paste them to your post.

getemoji.com

 

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

  😂  🥹  😭

Like this?

Or you can choose emojis from the editor bar which is between the " and GIF icons.

[JustHereForFood]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

Or you can choose emojis from the editor bar which is between the " and GIF icons.

Great idea! 👍😉

[SoMuchTV]

On 3/21/2023 at 5:52 PM, SuprSuprElevated said:

I think I'm your husband, which is awkward since I'm a woman. My own husband might be put out.  Eeks! 

Pro tip: the first time something on tv annoys you, you can say it to your spouse. Second and subsequent times, find an appropriate thread and post about it here. Works for me anyway. 

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Pro tip: the first time something on tv annoys you, you can say it to your spouse. Second and subsequent times, find an appropriate thread and post about it here. Works for me anyway. 

My cat gets to hear all about it and she always agrees with me!

[SoMuchTV]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

My cat gets to hear all about it and she always agrees with me!

Lucky you. Mine judges me and haughtily walks away.  Kind of like when I sneeze. 

[BlueSkies]

Sometimes I just ponder how weird it is you can be extremely tight with somebody for years and then all of a sudden you can become a stranger to that person.  

 

I'll admit though I am guilty of this as well 

[GHScorpiosRule]

ETA: Well I’ll be durned! Got me a 28 incher, removed a couple of pants and tanks and the weight is circa 40lbs! The number won’t lock as it does for the carry on, because DUH! it’s over half the weight. But I can transfer a few things from it to the suitcase.

I’m done. If the weight is over by a pound or two, I hope they let it slide. 

Now all I have to do is pack for my work trip to New York for next week. Just two suits and toiletries. When I come back Thursday night, the toiletries go into my hand baggage as I have a 17 hour layover in Doha and I won’t have to dig through the carry on.

NINE MORE DAYS!

Edited March 23, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[SuprSuprElevated]

6 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

Or you can choose emojis from the editor bar which is between the " and GIF icons.

Yes or  key & the period, simultaneously for a pop-up menu.

 

[Leeds]

Yesterday I bought glasses from Costco (the kind you wear, not the kind you drink out of).  When I logged onto Amazon a couple of hours later, the first ad I got was for the things you put on your glasses to wear them around your neck (like your granny's chains, but made of neoprene).

Coincidence?  I think not.

[Kitty Redstone]

Our surveillance society is pretty creepy when you stop and think about it. Honestly I can't believe how many people pay to have spy machines like Alexa in their homes, agree to let Facebook track their every online interaction, give TikTok insights into every aspect of their behavior, etc. No thank you.

[oliviabenson]

I got so many packages stolen for about a year that now I send my packages to a neighbor. It’s ridiculous how many people steal!

[theredhead77]

The morning always comes before I'm ready to wake up.

[Bethany]

People who change their plans with regard to meeting up but don't bother to let you know.  In fairness I reached out to her to firm things up which is when she told me but she had known since last night that she wasn't going to be able to come and didn't bother to let me know.  I am left to wonder if she ever would have or if she'd just have not shown up.  I am not impressed.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Elizabeth Anne

[oliviabenson]

1 hour ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

People who change their plans with regard to meeting up but don't bother to let you know.  In fairness I reached out to her to firm things up which is when she told me but she had known since last night that she wasn't going to be able to come and didn't bother to let me know.  I am left to wonder if she ever would have or if she'd just have not shown up.  I am not impressed.

So many friends did this to me that I don’t even bother to make plans with anyone anymore.

[TattleTeeny]

Trying to keep an ice pack on a foot! It's a real trick that adds insult to literal injury. (Oh, also, I reinjured my stupid-ass foot that had a fracture a few months ago. The original injury doesn't appear to be the problem and there doesn't seem to be a new fracture. Wondering if it's a tendon/ligament thing, as I heard and felt a POP, ugh.)

ETA: In case you wondered, I am not good with "stay off your feet" advice!

Edited March 25, 2023 by TattleTeeny

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

Trying to keep an ice pack on a foot! It's a real trick that adds insult to literal injury. (Oh, also, I reinjured my stupid-ass foot that had a fracture a few months ago. The original injury doesn't appear to be the problem and there doesn't seem to be a new fracture. Wondering if it's a tendon/ligament thing, as I heard and felt a POP, ugh.)

ETA: In case you wondered, I am not good with "stay off your feet" advice!

I just googled feet ice packs and a slew of different types showed up on Amazon. Some look like slippers, others wrap around the foot. Maybe something like that will work.

[chitowngirl]

A frozen bag of peas or corn might work….

[TattleTeeny]

Maybe I’ll look at the sock-like ones. The trouble is when I try to sit back to “relax” after I arrange it. It’s like a Sisyphean comedy of errors. But I’m actually hoping for this to get better before a new ice pack would even arrive. Please let that be the case! 

[theredhead77]

1 hour ago, TattleTeeny said:

Maybe I’ll look at the sock-like ones. The trouble is when I try to sit back to “relax” after I arrange it. It’s like a Sisyphean comedy of errors. But I’m actually hoping for this to get better before a new ice pack would even arrive. Please let that be the case! 

I feel your pain (literally, sometimes). They just slide right off the area you want to ice. I've tried wrapping it with an ace bandage, or a towel but nope, it doesn't stay where I want it to. Fingers crossed your foot better soon. 

[thosme]

I've seen people in movies taping icebags to their clothes (or skin but don't recommend that) so it rested on the needed part of their body.  Maybe that would work.  I have quite a collection of different types in my freezer some which stick by themselves.

[annzeepark914]

On 3/24/2023 at 5:44 PM, oliviabenson said:

So many friends did this to me that I don’t even bother to make plans with anyone anymore.

That's so rude of them. I had a friend who began to cancel plans more frequently as the years went by. My husband detested her because of this.  We eventually moved away and she emailed that she really missed me, had become so accustomed to my always being around. 🙄 I hope you can find some new friends.

[BlueSkies]

It’s annoying as you get older not being able to eat like you used too.

 

I saw a special on Zinburger and at this point in my life all I could think of is how bloated my belly would feel after eating a nice big juicy hamburger and how it would feel coming out of my backside so to speak 

[nokat]

2 hours ago, BlueSkies said:

It’s annoying as you get older not being able to eat like you used too.

Fresh vegetables, even steamed, and bloating is happening. Also beans. I ate a bean burrito for dinner today, and it will smell like something crawled up inside me and died. They're so good though (the veggies and the beans).

[nokat]

I have a list of peeves today.

People have become so worried about using "she and I" correctly, they've now over corrected. "Mom baked cookies for Sally and I" instead of "Mom baked cookies for Sally and me." Subject vs object. I always want to say would you write "Mom baked cookies for I?"

Reign for rein. How does this make sense to use one for the other? You use reins on a horse to control it. You don't reign it in.

Regime for regimen. You don't have a face cleansing regime.

Loose for lose. How did this one get started? I'll loose my mind if I read it one more time. o_O

My rant is over. I collapse onto a chaise lounge and wave a fan to cool my face and call for smelling salts.

[Bethany]

1 minute ago, nokat said:

Loose for lose. How did this one get started? I'll loose my mind if I read it one more time. o_O

I used to think this was a typo then I started seeing it far too often.  The other one that I thought was a typo but apparently isn't is alot for a lot.  I actually got into an argument with someone who claimed his grade 4 teacher had taught them that this was a word.  No.

[peacheslatour]

42 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I used to think this was a typo then I started seeing it far too often.  The other one that I thought was a typo but apparently isn't is alot for a lot.  I actually got into an argument with someone who claimed his grade 4 teacher had taught them that this was a word.  No.

Are you kidding? We had a spelling test every Friday in my seventh grade class. The last thing was always two words. A LOT. Miss Hardy was adamant about it.

[SoMuchTV]

46 minutes ago, Elizabeth Anne said:

I used to think this was a typo then I started seeing it far too often.  The other one that I thought was a typo but apparently isn't is alot for a lot.  I actually got into an argument with someone who claimed his grade 4 teacher had taught them that this was a word.  No.

I know this isn't the original source (Google or whoever will find you lots of others) - https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-alot

but here's an alot:

[Blergh]

On 3/24/2023 at 3:37 PM, Elizabeth Anne said:

People who change their plans with regard to meeting up but don't bother to let you know.  In fairness I reached out to her to firm things up which is when she told me but she had known since last night that she wasn't going to be able to come and didn't bother to let me know.  I am left to wonder if she ever would have or if she'd just have not shown up.  I am not impressed.

Agree. Along those lines, invitees who spring 'last minute' additions (for non-emergency reasons)  when one had specifically invited ONLY the invitees themselves to venues. If I'd wanted the other additions to . .whatever, I'd have invited them myself  but  since I'm unexpectedly now  having to include them in our activities, don't be surprised if I can't go any deeper than merely civil chat-chat instead of the deeper convos I had originally intended with the invitees.