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

[PRgal]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

I don't think it is limited to the south. I grew up going to Nova Scotia and they'd always ask what sort of Coke I want, meaning Coke, Sprite, etc...

Ironically enough, despite the Coke HQ being in Atlanta, no one ever asked me what type of Coke I wanted when I ordered a coke. I also never heard anyone call soda "pop".

 

Not even when you were in Nova Scotia?  I thought “pop” was standard in Canada.  Though restaurants tend to call them “soft drinks.”

[nokat]

1 hour ago, PRgal said:

Not even when you were in Nova Scotia?  I thought “pop” was standard in Canada.  Though restaurants tend to call them “soft drinks.”

West coast of the US it is soda. I got made fun of in Colorado. There is some line.

[Caoimhe]

Will “soda pop” work everywhere?  I grew up calling them “fizzy drinks”.

[partofme]

1 hour ago, Caoimhe said:

Will “soda pop” work everywhere?  I grew up calling them “fizzy drinks”.

I've lived in the nyc area my whole life and I've never heard anyone call it soda pop.  Its just soda.  Or maybe soft drink like someone mentioned at restaurants.

[peacheslatour]

I need a sane opinion on something. An acquaintance was talking about making their au pair sleep in their child's room. I said they were essentially forcing this person to work 24 hours a day which is akin to slavery. They replied as long as they're paying them, it's not slavery. It got pretty heated. What are your thoughts?

[Bethany]

Definitely agree with you!  That's wrong.  And depending on if they are getting an au pair through an agency there are rules about that kind of thing!  

[Suzn]

I think slavery is over-stating the situation, but it is excessive to expect round the clock.  An employee needs time off the clock.

[Wiendish Fitch]

I'm with @Bethany. That arrangement sounds utterly inappropriate on so many levels, and they should be mortified for even entertaining the idea. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

37 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I need a sane opinion on something. An acquaintance was talking about making their au pair sleep in their child's room. I said they were essentially forcing this person to work 24 hours a day which is akin to slavery. They replied as long as they're paying them, it's not slavery. It got pretty heated. What are your thoughts?

While I might not hang the "slavery" tag on it, I would be inclined to say that if you're fancy enough for an au pair, you're fancy enough to add a room onto your house for the person raising your kid.

[PRgal]

Wait a minute.  This would depend on whether the child in question is special needs.  But in that case, they’d be hiring someone who is properly trained to handle that kind of situation.  And you’d likely have two or three people, working shifts.  
 

question:  is the family from abroad, where it’s not uncommon for a nanny to roomshare with a child?

Edited June 2, 2023 by PRgal

[Quof]

7 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

I grew up going to Nova Scotia and they'd always ask what sort of Coke I want, meaning Coke, Sprite, etc...

I have never heard a single soul in Nova Scotia say that. It's "pop", everywhere, every time. 

I've lived in 3 Canadian provinces, decades in each one, and in not one of them did people say "Coke" unless they specifically meant Coca Cola. 

Perhaps you asked for Coke and they said "Is Pepsi okay?". That happens a lot.

Edited June 2, 2023 by Quof

[annzeepark914]

When I first moved to Raleigh and was working in an office, I asked where the soda machine was located. A sweet woman with a lovely drawl said, "We call it the Coke machine, no matter what's inside it".  Interesting! When you place an outline of the US over a map of Europe, we could so easily be a mixture of a lot of different "countries" inside our borders. 

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

While I might not hang the "slavery" tag on it, I would be inclined to say that if you're fancy enough for an au pair, you're fancy enough to add a room onto your house for the person raising your kid.

I believe that one's home should be a sanctuary from the demands of your job.  Having no room of your own other than the one that the kids occupy, when this is supposedly your home is an massive invasion of human dignity.

[theredhead77]

9 hours ago, PRgal said:

Not even when you were in Nova Scotia?  I thought “pop” was standard in Canada.  Though restaurants tend to call them “soft drinks.”

Yes, I heard "pop" but when I'd go out to eat and order a Coke they asked what kind of Coke I wanted but they weren't asking I I wanted regular or diet, it was Coke, Sprite, Orange, or whatever else was available.

[SuprSuprElevated]

11 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I believe that one's home should be a sanctuary from the demands of your job.  Having no room of your own other than the one that the kids occupy, when this is supposedly your home is an massive invasion of human dignity.

I understand. I wouldn't want to live with unicorns or duckies on the walls, but I would want to raise my own kids too. I've never quite understood the live-in caretaker concept as it pertains to children. 

[Blergh]

The other day I had just paid for a restaurant bill when the server told me there was a problem due to them being suspicious of the $20 bill I'd given them due to it being 'too crisp'! I told them that that's how I'd received it from my BANK which often gets fresh currency direct from the Treasury Department. They reluctantly accepted that.

Sakes, I was dressed in clean clothes and was perfectly clean. Why would they have thought I'd have resorted to using counterfeit cash?

And for that matter, why were they so antsy about a crisp bill - yet had processed how many plastic transactions ? I can't recall the last time a retailer actually checked  my signature on the plastic much less asked to see my Driver's License to ensure there was no credit card fraud (and I doubt that there haven't been establishments who've not gotten burned by that ) yet they seemed oblivious to watching out for credit card fraud while hopping up and down over a crisp bill! Balderdash!

Edited June 5, 2023 by Blergh

[Bethany]

16 minutes ago, Blergh said:

And for that matter, why were they so antsy about a crisp bill - yet had processed how many plastic transactions ?

I always wonder that with the newfangled (well to me) tap feature on debit and credit cards now.  When my husband lost his wallet last year the first thing we did, of course, was cancel his cards but if we hadn't noticed the loss or he'd only lost one card and we hadn't realised it soon enough, anyone could have used his cards until we did!

1 hour ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I wouldn't want to live with unicorns or duckies on the walls, but I would want to raise my own kids too. I've never quite understood the live-in caretaker concept as it pertains to children. 

My cousin and her husband are both doctors who work crazy hours.  For them having someone live in made sense.  For me I wouldn't have chosen this, not because I would have thought I was letting someone else raise my kids but because I just wouldn't want someone else living in my house!

[theredhead77]

15 hours ago, Quof said:

I have never heard a single soul in Nova Scotia say that. It's "pop", everywhere, every time. 

I've lived in 3 Canadian provinces, decades in each one, and in not one of them did people say "Coke" unless they specifically meant Coca Cola. 

Perhaps you asked for Coke and they said "Is Pepsi okay?". That happens a lot.

No, I clearly remember this happening at McDonald's. They never served Pepsi. In addition, I ask that you don't dismiss my experience and memory because it differs from your experience.

[PRgal]

2 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

No, I clearly remember this happening at McDonald's. They never served Pepsi. In addition, I ask that you don't dismiss my experience and memory because it differs from your experience.

Maybe they wanted to know if it’s regular or diet?  Though one would say Diet Coke if that’s what they meant!

[Wiendish Fitch]

I live in the south, and I generically refer to soft drinks as "coke". It baffled our friend from Detroit when he came to visit. 

My peeve, and I want you to tell me if I just expect too much from people: Even barring our post-Covid* world, why are there people who still don't cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough?!?!? I was grocery shopping recently, and some dude was hacking out a lung practically right on the food (it was packaged, but still)!

 

*Okay, it's not really "post", but indulge me. 

[TattleTeeny]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I need a sane opinion on something. An acquaintance was talking about making their au pair sleep in their child's room. I said they were essentially forcing this person to work 24 hours a day which is akin to slavery. They replied as long as they're paying them, it's not slavery. It got pretty heated. What are your thoughts?

There was not an appropriate icon thing to click for me to register my shock and appalled-ness (at the acquaintance, in case that was unclear).

[Quof]

I've never had a fast food employee, anywhere in the world, ask me what kind of soda/pop/Coke I would like. They ask "what do you want to drink?" 

[Blergh]

4 hours ago, Bethany said:

I always wonder that with the newfangled (well to me) tap feature on debit and credit cards now.  When my husband lost his wallet last year the first thing we did, of course, was cancel his cards but if we hadn't noticed the loss or he'd only lost one card and we hadn't realised it soon enough, anyone could have used his cards until we did!

 

What's even more whacked is how Smartphones now can have credit cards and even airline tickets scan directly for services rendered. ..but again, no one bothers to check to see if the said cards/tickets scanned actually belong to the card/ticket holders. Let that be a warning to make sure NEVER to let one's Smartphones lost or stolen -especially if one puts the cards/tickets on them.

[Quof]

There are no "airline tickets" anymore, just electronic confirmations. One can have a boarding pass on a smartphone, but that gets matched to the presenter's identification when at the airport.  

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, Blergh said:

What's even more whacked is how Smartphones now can have credit cards and even airline tickets scan directly for services rendered. ..but again, no one bothers to check to see if the said cards/tickets scanned actually belong to the card/ticket holders. Let that be a warning to make sure NEVER to let one's Smartphones lost or stolen -especially if one puts the cards/tickets on them.

The only reason why I still have a wallet is because I keep my ID there.  I use my phone for everything else.  It’s just easier.  So yeah, don’t lose your phone…even if it has face recognition to unlock.  As for a tap card…Canada has had tap for over a decade, so I won’t call it new.   New would be numbers at the back.  

[Blergh]

7 minutes ago, Quof said:

There are no "airline tickets" anymore, just electronic confirmations. One can have a boarding pass on a smartphone, but that gets matched to the presenter's identification when at the airport.  

That's how it's supposed to work. Yet how tough would it be for a thief to find an either overworked or oblivious  ticket monitor to scan them through without question (and if a Smartphone has ALL one's personal identification stored, then how tough would it be for a thief to have bogus drivers' licenses. ..or passports made ?) It's incredible to me how identity theft has become more rampant in the last few years yet becoming harder to stop/ recover from in no small part due to Smartphone possession having become literal carte blanche re retailers,etc.

[EtheltoTillie]

@peacheslatour I think everyone has covered the au pair issue well, but I'll agree it sounds wrong and crappy.  If it's a real au pair program, as I understand it, they are not supposed to work all the time.  Some of this is related to US immigration rules as to whether the au pair can legally enter the US and work here at all.  But are you required to have a separate room for them?  I don't know. 

If they're using the term au pair as a substitute for nanny, who knows?  Maybe they're hired a local person.  Anything goes if the nanny is paid properly (with overtime and on the books) for the time worked and agrees to the sleeping arrangement.  Also depends on labor rules in your state. 

3 hours ago, Quof said:

There are no "airline tickets" anymore, just electronic confirmations. One can have a boarding pass on a smartphone, but that gets matched to the presenter's identification when at the airport.  

I always print out the boarding pass because the phone battery can run low.  Many people I know don't have a home printer anymore, but I wouldn't be without it. 

[Bethany]

6 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Many people I know don't have a home printer anymore, but I wouldn't be without it. 

I guess this is a bit of a peeve of mine, although mostly I'm ok with it.  Anyway we do have a printer and we seem to have become the Friendly Family and Friends Printer Service.  It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but sometimes as I am printing out pages of applications for some thing or another (and why are these always at least 10 pages long??) I do wonder why people don't seem to bother with printers.

 I suspect the main reason isn't the cost or space or  whatever it's because most people I know don't even have computers anymore.  Everything is done on their phones or Ipads or whatever.  Why have a printer if you don't have a computer?

[TattleTeeny]

5 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

There was not an appropriate icon thing to click for me to register my shock and appalled-ness (at the acquaintance, in case that was unclear).

Quoting myself because I’m still all aggro about this! I mean, really—why pay the caregiver at all if you’re not even going to give the person any time off to use the money they’ve earned anyway? Boom, solved. (That was sarcasm; I certainly do not suggest what I just typed!)

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, Bethany said:

I guess this is a bit of a peeve of mine, although mostly I'm ok with it.  Anyway we do have a printer and we seem to have become the Friendly Family and Friends Printer Service.  It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things but sometimes as I am printing out pages of applications for some thing or another (and why are these always at least 10 pages long??) I do wonder why people don't seem to bother with printers.

 I suspect the main reason isn't the cost or space or  whatever it's because most people I know don't even have computers anymore.  Everything is done on their phones or Ipads or whatever.  Why have a printer if you don't have a computer?

We have a very nice Canon printer but we don't have any space for it. Have I mentioned that my DH is a bit of a hoarder?

[Bastet]

30 minutes ago, Bethany said:

Anyway we do have a printer and we seem to have become the Friendly Family and Friends Printer Service. 

The people I know who don't have printers at home all do their printing at work, but I do get the occasional "Can you print this for me?" email from an unemployed neighbor.

[theredhead77]

Printers are so inexpensive now. HP inkjets can frequently be found on sale for $50 - $60. If it's within your normal gift-giving budget you can give these people a printer as a gift.

44 minutes ago, Bethany said:

Why have a printer if you don't have a computer?

A computer is no longer required for printing. I can print to my home printer via WiFi from my phone via the HP SmartPrint app.

Edited June 3, 2023 by theredhead77

[SoMuchTV]

20 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

A computer is no longer required for printing. I can print to my home printer via WiFi from my phone via the HP SmartPrint app.

I was coming here to say something similar.  Our printer is several years old, but people in the house can print to it from their laptop or phone via wifi.  But I did originally set it up using a pc.  I'm not sure how it works if you never had a pc to being with.  I do suspect you can do everything through an app now.

[Gramto6]

I haven't had a printer in years. The very few things I need to copy for my reference, I go to the local drug store and they copy for me. I haven't tried printing anything from my phone there, maybe I could. But I am retired and have so few needs for a printer I just get by without one.

It isn't the cost of the printer itself that is expensive, it is the ink you have to buy to refill it.

[Kitty Redstone]

9 hours ago, Blergh said:

The other day I had just paid for a restaurant bill when the server told me there was a problem due to them being suspicious of the $20 bill I'd given them due to it being 'too crisp'! I told them that that's how I'd received it from my BANK which often gets fresh currency direct from the Treasury Department. They reluctantly accepted that.

Sakes, I was dressed in clean clothes and was perfectly clean. Why would they have thought I'd have resorted to using counterfeit cash?

Wonder why they didn't use one of those special markers or lights to verify it was real? Even crumpled up 20s get the marker treatment here!

I can understand why being clean and nicely dressed wouldn't have allayed their suspicions, though. Years ago I sold at artisan markets and the two that were in the wealthiest areas and the customers were expensively dressed were the ones where most of my stuff was stolen. Successful criminals get by with being criminals because they defy expectations.

[Bethany]

Just now, Kitty Redstone said:

Successful criminals get by with being criminals because they defy expectations.

In our local sushi place there is a photo up in the entranceway of a family group that skipped out on paying their bill.  Nice looking Mom, Dad, possibly Grandma and two children.   They look like your typical middle class family. Which is probably one reason they were able to sneak out without paying.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

The people I know who don't have printers at home all do their printing at work, but I do get the occasional "Can you print this for me?" email from an unemployed neighbor.

But it’s a lot of retirees. I have relatives with no printer.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying someone a gift like that as they have made a conscious choice not to have it. The printer is also a scanner. Yes you can scan from the cell phone but it really is not the same. I often need documents from clients. They all think it’s okay to take a photo of the folded letter and send it to me. Oy.
 

There’s no paperless world in my world. Even if I didn’t need the home printer often it makes more sense to have it than run to a copy center. It’s people who had printers and got rid of them that make me shake my head. Sorry for this rambling post. 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

My earlier post is screwy. Sorry. I also committed the sin of hittin quote instead of edit. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by EtheltoTillie

[Gramto6]

I didn't get rid of my printer, it died a natural death, when I was self employed I worked it to death. By then, I was retired and just didn't need to replace it.

[oliviabenson]

The library has a printer/scanner/copier. I don’t have a printer or need one. I had one in college and the ink was very expensive. That’s why once I graduated I got rid of it. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I use the printer all the time. I print my NYT crossword puzzles so I can do them with a pen. I don’t want to do them on an app. I print out a downloaded recipe or knitting pattern.  I also use the home printer for work even though I have an office.  YMMV. 

[roseha]

I have a fine art Epson inkjet printer that I use for printing my photographs - it's big and weighs about 30 pounds, I had to ask one of my doormen to place it on a table for me and I then cut it out of the box as I couldn't lift it  - but it does work very well for the most part.  The inks are expensive though but you can get very nice prints with it.

However for letters and the like I do need a regular black and white printer.  I have a laser printer that works over wifi and I print all my letters and labels when I have to ship something for example.  I suppose I could walk to Fedex to do that but that would be a pain to me.

[Bethany]

Yeah we're definitely printer people.  I don't disagree on the price of ink of course but it balances out for us in the convenience of being able to print what we want, when we want it.   I remember a summer job I had years ago where one of the things I did was do research and write articles on the subject of the office of the future.  One of the articles was on the paperless office.  I'm sure this is the reality for some, but it's not our reality yet!

Edited June 4, 2023 by Bethany

[Bastet]

14 minutes ago, Bethany said:

Yeah we're definitely printer people.  I don't disagree on the price of ink of course but it balances out for us in the convenience of being able to print what we want, when we want it.   I remember a summer job I had years ago where one of the things I did was do research and write articles on the subject of the office of the future.  One of the articles was on the paperless office.  I'm sure this is the reality for some, but it's not our reality yet!

I can't imagine ever having a paperless office, and I'm not even paperless in my non-work life, although I do print far fewer things than I used to.  I have always had a printer, and would still have one even if I didn't work from home.  Same with a scanner (mine are old, so I have one of each rather than an all-in-one unit, which is what I'll switch to when these die).

[Kitty Redstone]

1 hour ago, roseha said:

I have a fine art Epson inkjet printer that I use for printing my photographs - it's big and weighs about 30 pounds, I had to ask one of my doormen to place it on a table for me and I then cut it out of the box as I couldn't lift it  - but it does work very well for the most part.  The inks are expensive though but you can get very nice prints with it.

However for letters and the like I do need a regular black and white printer.  I have a laser printer that works over wifi and I print all my letters and labels when I have to ship something for example.  I suppose I could walk to Fedex to do that but that would be a pain to me.

Same! I need printers for my work and have five total plus a thermal label printer. @roseha may I ask what model is your Epson printer? I have an Epson ecotank which I like (and the ink is very economical) but the quality is nowhere near as good as my HP color laserjet. However, the laserjet is essentially a doorstop at this point because the cost for oem toner is ridiculous.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 5/30/2023 at 8:15 PM, Leeds said:

Oregon is another state where self-serve gas is prohibited,

A few years ago they changed the law so stations in sparsely populated rural areas can have self-service gas.  But in urban areas like Portland and Eugene, self-service gas is prohibited.

When I've spent time in Portland, I make a point to get gas across the border in Washington because I can't stand having someone do it because they're always doing more than one car at a time and I hate waiting after the pump shuts off for them to amble over and take the nozzle out of the car and put it in the pump and wait for my receipt to print out to hand it to me, all of which I can do in just a few seconds.

[EtheltoTillie]

49 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

A few years ago they changed the law so stations in sparsely populated rural areas can have self-service gas.  But in urban areas like Portland and Eugene, self-service gas is prohibited.

When I've spent time in Portland, I make a point to get gas across the border in Washington because I can't stand having someone do it because they're always doing more than one car at a time and I hate waiting after the pump shuts off for them to amble over and take the nozzle out of the car and put it in the pump and wait for my receipt to print out to hand it to me, all of which I can do in just a few seconds.

In New York State they trust us to pump our own gas but not to leave the pump unattended. Thus they must disable the little prop that would hold the trigger in the on position.  You have to stand there the whole time holding the pump.  A long time ago I saw someone who had carried a rubber wedge to prop open the trigger. Surprisingly I never saw this again.

If traveling through Connecticut I can gleefully flip the switch and put the pump down. The first time I tried it I felt a frisson of excitement.  What happens in other states?  

[roseha]

1 hour ago, Kitty Redstone said:

Same! I need printers for my work and have five total plus a thermal label printer. @roseha may I ask what model is your Epson printer? I have an Epson ecotank which I like (and the ink is very economical) but the quality is nowhere near as good as my HP color laserjet. However, the laserjet is essentially a doorstop at this point because the cost for oem toner is ridiculous.

Hi @Kitty Redstone it's the Epson Surecolor P600.  It can print sheets up to 13 inches wide though I mainly print between 8-1/2 x 11 to 11x14 or so though I have made a few panoramas on it.  I think there is a newer model called the P700 which is probably similar.

Aside from being heavy and using a lot of inks I find it works well as long as I don't let too much time go between printing (a week or so is probably best but I get away with longer and just run a head cleaning if it looks strange).  I did have a bad experience with it giving me a bad error message once but I was able to solve that by replacing one of the inks.

My laserjet is a Canon which is fine, I just need it for letters, labels etc. 

[Bastet]

54 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

What happens in other states?  

Here (CA), you don't have to stand there and hold it the whole time, you can engage that little lever that will lock it in the full on position until it senses it's time to turn off.  There was talk years ago of doing away with it, but it never happened.  Individual stations could choose to disable that trigger lock, but I've never come across one.

[Caoimhe]

We have two printers. My husband does some editing work on the side so he has a Brother laser printer. He ends up printing the text multiple times to proofread and an inkjet wasn’t cost effective. I have a Canon inkjet with (most importantly) a paper feed slot in back where I can use heavier papers for crafting because the trays just end up jamming the printer.