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

[Bastet]

My make-up peeve is people who quiz me on why I don't wear it (something I have not done for over 20 years now).  I have never once interrogated a woman who wears make-up on why she makes that choice.  But I get questions as to why, incredulous "But don't you wear it when you go to court/take a photo/are in a wedding/etc?"  "I don't wear make-up" is a pretty simple statement; why the fuss?

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yes!   I had some time to kill the other day, and I went to a carson's department store.  the woman at the Clarins counter offered a free consultation for "the right foundation for your face", which came with some samples.   OK.  I am very pale, and have a brown "age spot"  on my cheek which bothers me - it's dry, and when I cover it, the makeup flakes off.  If I leave it alone, I'm self-conscious, because, quite honestly, it almost looks like a splashed coffee on myself.  I use a BB cream -  very light coverage, but was looking for something a little more. 

The "consultant"  was close to my age, very nice lady, and she color-matched me with a shade and recommended a medium-to-heavy coverage cream makeup.   She applied it, also used some under-eye concealer, and gave me the samples.   I must say, I was very happy with the result (but didn't make the $60 purchase).  My skin tone was even, all the splotches of brown were gone.   A couple hours later, at home, I looked in the mirror.  I looked OLD.   Well, I am, kind of old, but the heavy makeup had somehow soaked in and showed every line in my face - lines I didn't have when I used lighter makeup!  I Wish I had a photo - it just seemed to settle into all the fine lines, making me look   - well, like an old lady, but  with very even skin tone. I couldn't wash it off fast enough. 

So a choice between splotchy and old -  I guess I'm choosing splotchy.

 

Guys!!!! Why do I seem to have the opposite experiences with you all?

 

Like, at TWoP, Howard was my favorite mod! I never had any issues with her (and yes, she was a she), she slapped me down when I needed it, even when I didn't, but could see why she did it; mainly because I loved the control she had in the soaps thread. Meaning that she didn't let the trolls...troll, and moderated it well, instead of letting her own biases control whether or not to do anything when things started to derail.

 

And now Clarins.  I was at Bloomingdales on Tuesday, at a Lolly Locks event, and I was speaking to them about my experience with Lolly Locks and the wigs they offer.  Free champagne (I never say no to champagnee, as I call it and it was GOOD champagne, not cheap!), mini tomato cream based gazpacho, mini, mini roast beef sandwiches--like half the size of my index finger, and wee coconut shrimp thingies. I can't eat seafood, allergic, so I can't say if it was good or not. I'd say, good, due to how rapidly they disappeared.

 

I also got a free make-over, and the two consultants (gee, all one needs is to be a cancer survivor or have cancer to get such royal treatment [sarcasm]) were super nice, not at all condescending, though we did have an issue with lip color. I'm medium toned (East Indian) and I prefer bronze lip color; she said I needed more color so that I wouldn't look..."monotone" I think she said. Now, I'm not fussy, it was free, and if I didn't like it, she would use a color I wanted. It was odd to see such brightness, but they, and everyone else said it looked great, so maybe I've been too set in my ways and wasn't willing to try new things? I got lotsa samples.

 

And speaking wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

 

We had a DJ and I asked if he had any Eagles.  Since this was a happy event, I didn't ask for Hotel California, because, well, not a cheerful song, but I did ask for Take it Easy, but he didn't think he had it. I say anything by them, and guess what? Turned out he did have Take It Easy.

 

I made new friends, and I'm happy, because a lot of my friends who have been my support, don't live near me. They live in Texas, Arizona, Maine and New Jersey.  And forget about my relatives and other local friends. it's like when my parents were here during my surgery and recovery and treatment, they were all there, asking if there was anything they could do, etc., Once mom and dad left, so did they. Like, they did the barest minimum. Look, I'm not asking for pity; and I understand not everyone is comfortable with the subject. But don't give me lip service because you think that's what you should say. I'd rather you not call or say anything about all I need to do is call if I need you, and just ask how I'm feeling if that makes you comfortable.

 

Sooo, this event made me feel good. I still have final surgery, which will happen in the Fall. Wow. I didn't expect to type all that out. Didn't realize these feelings were festering inside me still.

Edited April 7, 2016 by GHScorpiosRule

[Quof]

 

I've seen that pretty much all the other paralegals, legal secretaries, and associates have their ears plugged into their phones while they work.

 

 

This was never the case at the last large firm I worked at.

 

Have you encountered this one yet, GH?   In my last firm, one of the legal assistants was going into her lawyer's office to do some filing. She took her cellphone with her.  I said "Why do you need your cellphone, Mary?"   She looked puzzled.  I said "If someone in this department needs you and you're not at your desk, they'll know to look in lawyer's office.  If someone from another department calls your desk and you don't answer, they will leave a message.  Of if it's urgent, they'll call the assistant at the next desk and ask if they know where you are.  So who needs to reach you on your cellphone while you are filing?"   She muttered under her breath, then put her cellphone back in her purse.  Too bad.  We're not paying you to text your friends.

 

My doctor's offices trains med students.  I once mentioned to my doctor that the medical student who saw me had her cellphone on the desk, and kept glancing at it, during my appointment.  I'm pretty sure she wasn't on call to perform emergency surgery.   I expected her full attention. She can text between patients.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

Have you encountered this one yet, GH?   In my last firm, one of the legal assistants was going into her lawyer's office to do some filing. She took her cellphone with her.  I said "Why do you need your cellphone, Mary?"   She looked puzzled.  I said "If someone in this department needs you and you're not at your desk, they'll know to look in lawyer's office.  If someone from another department calls your desk and you don't answer, they will leave a message.  Of if it's urgent, they'll call the assistant at the next desk and ask if they know where you are.  So who needs to reach you on your cellphone while you are filing?"   She muttered under her breath, then put her cellphone back in her purse.  Too bad.  We're not paying you to text your friends.

 

 

 

Oh Jeebus Cripes. No, I haven't. But I did see something similar on The Grinder. And the way that show portrays law offices is just as bad as Suits.

 

I will admit, though, when I worked at larger firms, I had a Blackberry, so if I needed to leave my desk, to do some document production or, check on some other assignment, and if someone needed me, they would email me. I'd get back to them when I returned to my desk.  The only time I had to answer immediately was when I was being paged and I didn't hear it.  I can't recall why they needed me so urgently...I think my paralegal supervisor wanted to make sure I was okay, because I normally respond right away.  So, yay? for the concern?

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Sooo, this event made me feel good. I still have final surgery, which will happen in the Fall. Wow. I didn't expect to type all that out. Didn't realize these feelings were festering inside me still.

It's a lot to go through and I know that the societal pressure to be Strong! and Positive! can be one of the harder aspects.  All my best wishes for a successful outcome.

[backformore]

I've been at meetings where people of a certain generation (under 30)  have their phones in hand, and are constantly scrolling, checking, typing.   Large meetings with 100 + people, department meetings with less than 10 people - same thing.   constantly looking at their phones.  

While my phone was - on my desk or in my purse,  in my office. 

 

I can see, if you have kids, having your phone with you - in case of an emergency.  But if you're in a meeting - ignore the phone.

[ABay]

I have to say, Quof, even as someone who frequently forgets to carry a phone with me and sometimes misses texts and calls because the phone is on vibrate in my bag across the room, my sympathies are with Mary unless she was otherwise a lousy employee. If she was a good employee, got her work done, showed up on time, etc. then micro-managing her gets my hackles up. With the medical student, I probably would've asked if she was expecting an important text (not too snarkily in case she was) and if she was not and didn't take the hint to focus on me, the patient, then I would rat her out to the doctor.  I resent micro-managing even second-hand.

 

I do take my ipad to meetings, because I think it's better for me to have something productive to do, like answer work-related email, rather than fall asleep. 

[Quof]

I can see, if you have kids, having your phone with you - in case of an emergency.

 

Entire generations of parents have raised children without cellphones "in case of an emergency".  In an emergency, the childcare provider called the parent's office or other workplace, or called the restaurant where the parents were dining, or the theater the parents were attending.... Really. We all turned out okay.

 

I have to say, Quof, even as someone who frequently forgets to carry a phone with me and sometimes misses texts and calls because the phone is on vibrate in my bag across the room, my sympathies are with Mary unless she was otherwise a lousy employee.

Nope.   Employees are paid to work.  Personal business is for personal time.  You get breaks, you get lunch.   You can go without endless chatter with your friends for a few hours at a time.  Again, a generational thing.  I'm not talking about timing how long an employee spends in the washroom.  But an employer is entitled to demand a full day's work. 

[auntlada]

I've been at meetings where people of a certain generation (under 30)  have their phones in hand, and are constantly scrolling, checking, typing.   Large meetings with 100 + people, department meetings with less than 10 people - same thing.   constantly looking at their phones.  

While my phone was - on my desk or in my purse,  in my office.

 

I do that with the iPad, which is actually a work iPad. I take notes on it during meetings, but I also sometimes do other things because the meetings go on too long while people talk about stupid things that we don't need to be meeting about or talk all around doing something and if we can and how we can while I'm sitting there thinking, "Just do it."

 

I hate meetings.

[topanga]

I've been at meetings where people of a certain generation (under 30)  have their phones in hand, and are constantly scrolling, checking, typing.   Large meetings with 100 + people, department meetings with less than 10 people - same thing.   constantly looking at their phones.  

While my phone was - on my desk or in my purse,  in my office. 

 

I can see, if you have kids, having your phone with you - in case of an emergency.  But if you're in a meeting - ignore the phone.

I work at a doctor's office, and every day I have to tell at least half the patients to get off their friggin phones so I can examine them. Candy Crush or that life-or-death text can wait.

 

I will say that I've entered the room to find a patient on the phone, and occasionally one will tell me, "I'm so sorry, Dr. Topanga, but this is my health insurance company. I've been calling them all day, and I'm finally able to talk to a real person." In those cases, I'll step out of the room and come back in 5 minutes.

 

 

Like, at TWoP, Howard was my favorite mod! I never had any issues with her (and yes, she was a she), she slapped me down when I needed it, even when I didn't, but could see why she did it; mainly because I loved the control she had in the soaps thread.

A true blast from the blast! I got my only TWOP warnings from Howard (I didn't know she was a she) and Couch Baron. Things sometimes got heated in the "Veronica Mars" forum.

 

Glad you're on the road to recovery,  GHScorpiosRule. And I'm sure your speaking enagagement with Lolly Locks inspired many people.

Edited April 8, 2016 by topanga

[BookWoman56]

Nope.   Employees are paid to work.  Personal business is for personal time.  You get breaks, you get lunch.   You can go without endless chatter with your friends for a few hours at a time.  Again, a generational thing.  I'm not talking about timing how long an employee spends in the washroom.  But an employer is entitled to demand a full day's work. 

While I agree that an employee should not be chatting with friends instead of doing the work he/she is getting paid to do, isn't it possible the employee just wanted to listen to music on her phone while doing the fairly tedious task of filing? While I can't speak for that particular employee, I am perfectly capable of listening to music on my phone while writing/editing insanely complex technical documents, so it should be possible to listen to music while filing, without the music in any way affecting the quality of work. It may be a generational thing to some extent to expect to have a phone with you at all times, but I am way the hell over 30 and generally keep my phone with me always. I'm not necessarily using it, but it's within reach. I telecommute full-time so it wouldn't be an issue to anybody but me if I had music playing loud enough for others to hear, but when I was still working in the office, I often listened to music on my phone, with the earbuds in, so as not to inflict my musical tastes on others.

[Quof]

This was before smartphones. She was either texting or talking on the phone, no music.

[hoosier80]

It's my general opinion that the workforce is much lazier than it was in years past.   People will not do the legwork and try to figure and learn things on their own.  I had at least 3 examples of it today; everyone has access to online process guides, but no they asked me.  I've sent the guides out multiple times, even to their managers but get the response back that we just don't understand it.  It's part lazy/part we don't want to accept responsibility.  If the answer is wrong, then they can blame me - they didn't make the mistake.

 

One pet peeve, co-worker has now decided a system is now 'hers', even though I'd worked on it for a good 2 years previously.  I think she realized she needs to beef up her skill set, which is weak as hell.  The problem is, this person does not catch on quickly, and if there's an issue, it is back in my lap, and she bails.  We were told earlier this week, when something new is introduced, abcd will need to be tested after each upgrade.  It has to be tested in a test environment, so I set up test scenarios.  I should've asked her if she was going to handle it, since it's hers.  My bad.  Anyhow, today, I was asked to test it.  Management still comes to me for this shit, no matter what co worker says about it being 'hers'.  If you say it's yours, then own it.  Own your shit.

 

I had a cashier at the gas station texting as I went to the window; stupid store shopper card (for a discount) wouldn't scan.  He looked annoyed like I'd bothered his texting or gaming.  I said I needed the discount card scanned.  How much do you want?  No,not my credit card.  He then said well I suppose I can come out and show you how to work it.  Whaaat?  I said this is NOT rocket science,forget it, I'll go somewhere else.  It was like an out of body experience, I was so pissed.  Normally, I wouldn't have said that, but the attitude got my dander up.  A friend said a cashier at Kohl's was also on her cell on a personal call and made her wait to get checked out.  Oh, hell no.  I'd have had the manager there in a heartbeat.

[Maharincess]

Entire generations of parents have raised children without cellphones "in case of an emergency". In an emergency, the childcare provider called the parent's office or other workplace, or called the restaurant where the parents were dining, or the theater the parents were attending.... Really. We all turned out okay.

Nope. Employees are paid to work. Personal business is for personal time. You get breaks, you get lunch. You can go without endless chatter with your friends for a few hours at a time. Again, a generational thing. I'm not talking about timing how long an employee spends in the washroom. But an employer is entitled to demand a full day's work.

Unless you're the one paying her, how does it affect your life? How is it your business?

I agree with ABay.

[Quof]

Because I am the one paying her.  I'm a lawyer, she's a legal assistant.  Her slacking off affects my bottom line.  If she can do all of the work she is assigned, not find more work to do, and still find time to text her friends, we can make the position part time.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Quof

[krimimimi]

Welp, *I* wouldn't leave my mobile lying around at my desk, and I know Mr. Mimi doesn't, because the damn things are expensive and have a way of magically sprouting legs and walking off.

 

Uber-peeve - why on earth apple decided to make it possible to enable airplane mode from a locked screen??? (Being able to do so means that in seconds a thief can make it impossible for you to activate anti-theft software. Assuming, of course, you noticed it was gone that quickly (as you foolishly left it behind at your desk...), and were able to gain access to said software. You can deactivate that possibility by turning off all your locked screen options, but that means sacrificing quick access to the camera, timer, calculator and flashlight, all of which I probably use several times a week, if not daily. I think the timer was the only weird thing (unexpected) on that list, and I use it for the ridiculous amounts of tea I make. Ergo bibamus!)

[ABay]

I'm not sure if my pet peeve is that people do these things or the feeling that something changed while I wasn't paying attention.

 

1. When I was growing up, I was taught that if you have to walk in the street because there's no sidewalk, you walk facing the traffic. More than half of the walkers and runners I pass now are not facing oncoming traffic. Since they also usually have earbuds and are listening to music, I am amazed that more of them don't become traffic fatalities.

 

2. I was also taught that if I was going to jaywalk, I should wait until there's enough time between cars to walk across the street, and not to dawdle. People now seem to expect cars to stop so they can slowly mosey their way across 4 lanes while texting.

 

3. When I learned to drive, I was taught:

A. The car going straight has right-of-way, not the car turning left.

B. When turning left, it's OK to pull into the intersection rather than sit at the corner blocking everyone behind you from going straight or turning right.

C. When parked, check for traffic before opening the driver's side door.

[Quof]

Agree with all of those, ABay, except the "pull into the intersection to make a left turn".  You don't enter the intersection if you can't get out of the intersection.   Sitting in the intersection waiting for traffic to clear so you can turn left is dangerous, and illegal in many jurisdictions.  Even worse is pulling into the intersection and cutting your wheels left even though you can't go - if you are rear-ended, you will be pushed into the path of vehicles coming toward you.

[ABay]

God damn it, I *knew* my Driver's Ed instructor hated me! Or was hoping to create a sequel to Signal 30. Do they still show that?

[Wiendish Fitch]

2. I was also taught that if I was going to jaywalk, I should wait until there's enough time between cars to walk across the street, and not to dawdle. People now seem to expect cars to stop so they can slowly mosey their way across 4 lanes while texting.

 

 

You know?! If people absolutely insist on jaywalking, why don't they fucking hustle???

[Petunia13]

People are going to have peeves that others are cool with. That's the point of peeving it requires some judgmental, anti "live and let live" component.

[auntlada]

Agree with all of those, ABay, except the "pull into the intersection to make a left turn".  You don't enter the intersection if you can't get out of the intersection.   Sitting in the intersection waiting for traffic to clear so you can turn left is dangerous, and illegal in many jurisdictions.  Even worse is pulling into the intersection and cutting your wheels left even though you can't go - if you are rear-ended, you will be pushed into the path of vehicles coming toward you.

We had an accident on the highway several years ago where this happened. The people were waiting to turn left and had turned their wheels. A guy behind them did not see them until the last minute. He swerved but still clipped them, and they crossed into the other lane into the path of a semi. They did not survive. The irony was that the driver who rear-ended them was a former state legislator who had tried for 10 years to have that highway widened to four lanes with a center turn lane, but couldn't get it passed. It got widened not long after that. It's too bad someone had to die for it to happen.

[bilgistic]

It is not illegal (or it wasn't then, and I've never heard of anyone ever being ticketed for it) in my jurisdiction (Charlotte, NC) to pull forward in your lane into the intersection when waiting to make a left turn. I know this because the girl who hit me years ago in the side of my car as I was going straight through the intersection didn't get ticketed for her action, and the police officer said it wasn't illegal (but she was at fault, because she hit me in the side, yet lied to the officer, as if I could have somehow managed to simultaneously slam on my brakes as I saw that she was moving through the intersection ahead, continue my forward trajectory AND move to the left on four forward-facing wheels). I still think of that every time I go through that intersection. There are few sounds more sickening than that of a car crash.

Edited April 9, 2016 by bilgistic

[Quof]

Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's smart or safe.

[Bastet]

Well, I'll continue doing it until my dying day - although with my wheels facing straight ahead - because I think it's rude to create a situation in which no one behind you gets through on that light and traffic backs up (which is why people get their asses honked off around here when they do it).  I think not pulling into the intersection when waiting to make a left was one of the first peeves I listed here; it drives me crazy.  Vive la différence.

[auntlada]

It probably depends on the intersection, the community and the expected behavior of drivers in the area.

[bosawks]

It probably depends on the intersection, the community and the expected behavior of drivers in the area.

The expected behavior in my community is "douchebag".

[DeLurker]

God damn it, I *knew* my Driver's Ed instructor hated me! Or was hoping to create a sequel to Signal 30. Do they still show that?

Signal 30 was fucked up.

 

When my son tool Driver's Ed a few years ago they did not show it, but something called the Ultimate Driving Challenge with Bill Clinton, Rue McClanahan, Tim Allen, MC Hammer, Scott Bakula...I suspect most of the kids knew who very few of these folks were.  My son would - he has basically an encyclopedia knowledge of movies and tv (even if he has never watched a program or it was on 30 years before he was born).

[bilgistic]

I'm going now to Google Signal 30. I would look up the Ultimate Driving Challenge, but I loathe Tim Allen. That bunch sounds like the cast of a VH1 celebrity reality show cast from 15 years ago.

[auntlada]

Did you watch The Newlydead Game?

[bilgistic]

I just watched a few minutes of Signal 30 on YouTube. It goes into the training an Ohio State Patrol officer undergoes for the job, complete with footage of trainees doing push-ups. Riveting stuff. It's probably my 2016 brain on current TV (like The Walking Dead), but it was very mild.

I was in Driver's Ed in 1991-ish, and I remember watching a corny 1970s-era film, which must've been Red Asphalt. I don't remember anything about it, so it clearly didn't make an impact.

Edited April 9, 2016 by bilgistic

[ABay]

You didn't get to the part with the graphic footage of crashes and bodies.

[harrie]

I have never heard of Signal 30, but now am intrigued.  Took Drivers' Ed in the late '70s and don't remember any gory films. Our instructor was rumored to have a metal plate in his head, though.  

[bilgistic]

Thanks to all of you for sending me down the rabbit hole of driver's ed scare flicks on YouTube. Who knew there are so many?! I have no idea now what I watched back in school.

[Maharincess]

People are going to have peeves that others are cool with. That's the point of peeving it requires some judgmental, anti "live and let live" component.

You know what? You're absolutely right.

My apologies. It's just been a bad, bad, horrible, sucky couple of days, I apologize for peeving on somebody's peeve.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Maharincess

[backformore]

I'm confused by the discussion of left turns. At a green light, you pull up into the intersection, and then turn when the oncoming traffic clears. If you don't move into the intersection, there better not be cars behind you, because if there are, the drivers will be honking and swearing.

I was taught to drive into the intersection, and that is how everyone drives. (Chicago area) I have never heard that it is wrong, and I'm not sure it is. Are you talking about when there is no stoplight? Because that would make sense, I guess. But with a stoplight, I don't get the problem.

My driving pet peeve is when I'm waiting for someone to go through, and they turn, with no signal. If I know you're turning, it makes my life easier. Just use the signal.

[ABay]

backformore, that was my understanding of left-turn protocol as well. I remain baffled--and peeved!--by people who sit at the corner and block everyone.

 

Today's peeve: shelf blindness. This is when you know (KNOW!) that you have a book and yet can't see it on your bookshelves. You look and look and it's not there. But you know you have it. Amazon confirms that you purchased it. You remember what it looks like. You've even read it. But no matter how many times you scan your shelves, you can't see it. And then the minute you re-order from Amazon it miraculously appears, right where you thought it was.

Edited April 10, 2016 by ABay

[auntlada]

backformore, that was my understanding of left-turn protocol as well. I remain baffled--and peeved!--by people who sit at the corner and block everyone.

 

Today's peeve: shelf blindness. This is when you know (KNOW!) that you have a book and yet can't see it on your bookshelves. You look and look and it's not there. But you know you have it. Amazon confirms that you purchased it. You remember what it looks like. You've even read it. But no matter how many times you scan your shelves, you can't see it. And then the minute you re-order from Amazon it miraculously appears, right where you thought it was.

 

I have that issue. I can't find almost all of my Louisa May Alcott books. I'm pretty sure I own them, and in fact I know I have two copies of one book, but I can't find any of them. I'm beginning to wonder if I only have the others on Kindle.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I was never shown any videos when I took Driver's Ed in high school. Just had those simulators, and the booklet to read and study for when I applied for my permit and license.

 

But yeah, those intersections, where there aren't any traffic lights, but I need to make a left turn or U-turn, I turn in as much as I can, before safely making that turn. In MD, usually, there's are lanes dedicated for left/U-turns, so that you're not holding back traffic.

 

It's been 16 years since I was in California--was there for two weeks, attending a cousin's wedding, and we went to Arizona and Nevada, so my memory's fuzzy on the roads. I was the designated driver after my dad got a speeding ticket our first day in. Talk about lead foot. Plus, unless I'm in the front, I get carsick if I have to sit in the back for long drives. So I prefer to drive. Except in India. Couldn't pay me enough to drive there. I'd kill myself.

[BooksRule]

I am so tired of the phrase 'clean eating'.  I thought it was gradually going away until the new Panera commercial that advertises their 'clean pairings' menu.  Yes, I eat clean food.  I don't eat dirty food.  The whole concept just sounds pretentious to me.  Just call it 'healthy' or 'fresh'.  

[potatoradio]

 

I'm confused by the discussion of left turns. At a green light, you pull up into the intersection, and then turn when the oncoming traffic clears

 

I remember learning this in driver's ed and thinking it was very counterintuitive, because it was a tad scary as a new driver (especially after watching Red Asphalt or whatever horror show we were treated to back then) to pull into an intersection with cars travelling toward you, but I was assured that was what you did. And now it drives me bonkers when someone doesn't do it. Traffic flow is everyone's responsibility, yo. 

 

My driver's ed class also doubled as a 'health' class, so we learned how to treat snakebites and ask "Do you need an ambulance?" and watched teens who were high on something think they could fly and jump off a roof. Very helpful stuff when navigating parallel parking; if anyone had gotten bitten by a rattlesnake or tried to jump out of the car while high, I could have taken care of the situation and gotten extra credit. Which I needed. Parallel parking sucks.

 

My peeve today is when someone discovers a song in your music collection and assumes you must love the artist. "Oh my god, you're a Jane Doe fan??" No, I like that song. I couldn't care less about Jane Doe. Also, I know it's a stupid song. Stop acting like I'm disgracing the serious human race by listening to it.

 

 

 

[Sandman87]

Today's peeve: shelf blindness. This is when you know (KNOW!) that you have a book and yet can't see it on your bookshelves. You look and look and it's not there. But you know you have it. Amazon confirms that you purchased it. You remember what it looks like. You've even read it. But no matter how many times you scan your shelves, you can't see it. And then the minute you re-order from Amazon it miraculously appears, right where you thought it was.

Yeah. I have that problem fairly frequently. In my case it's compounded because many of my books are part of a series, and I like to re-read them back to back, which means that there's that much more of a likelihood that at least one of the books I want will be hiding. Plus there are so many of them that they're two rows deep on the shelves, so I'll only be able to see half of them unless i move stuff around...which is probably how they go into hiding in the first place.

 

A related peeve: Paperback books that are slightly larger than the standard 4 1/4" x 7", because they make organizing shelves a pain.

[Qoass]

I am tired of so many recipes being described as "comforting".  If your life's problems can be solved by a plate of mashed potatoes, count your blessings.

[33kaitykaity]

People who abandon pets.  

Hi, they call me Mama. I am 3 years old and weigh about 10lbs. I used to have a home, but they left me and the kind lady nearby started feeding me.

 

I want the people who did this to her to suffer karmic justice.

[JTMacc99]

I am tired of so many recipes being described as "comforting".  If your life's problems can be solved by a plate of mashed potatoes, count your blessings.

LOL! True.

 

On the other hand, sometimes a big bowl of macaroni and cheese is the only thing that didn't suck that day.

[Qoass]

Yup, a common phrase in my vocabulary is, "Nothing a Snickers bar won't cure!".  It's just that "comforting" has become the new "rustic" and is frequently applied to anything served hot and could be fed to a typical six year old.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Qoass

[topanga]

Today's peeve: shelf blindness. This is when you know (KNOW!) that you have a book and yet can't see it on your bookshelves. You look and look and it's not there. But you know you have it. Amazon confirms that you purchased it. You remember what it looks like. You've even read it. But no matter how many times you scan your shelves, you can't see it. And then the minute you re-order from Amazon it miraculously appears, right where you thought it was.

I cleared out my bookshelves for that very reason. If I couldn't find a book I knew I had, then maybe I had too many books. I ended up donating about 1/3 of my books to the local library. 

 

 

Speaking of clearing out, here's my very personal pet peeve of the day. I'm sorry if no one else can relate, but shit is pissing me off:

 

My mother-in-law died a year ago (that's not my pet peeve), and she lived alone in a house she was renting, so the entire house had to be emptied after her funeral. And she had a lot of stuff. Not quite a hoarder, but definitely a pack rat: lots of books, clothes, kitchen gadgets (some brand-new and in the package), furniture, artwork prints, etc. Anyway, most of it ended up at our house or my sister-in-law's apartment. My husband initially made efforts to give it away, throw it away, or donate some of the stuff, but about 6 months ago, he just stopped doing any of it. So now my living room, dining room, and kitchen are filled with bags, crates, and canisters of my MIL's crap--crap that no one in our house will use, and these piles have not moved in the past year. I offered once to help him with the books since I'm the one who donates books to the library, but he politely declined, and I've never asked him again. 

 

I'm not a neat freak, but all of this junk is driving me crazy. I had to rearrange my dining room so we could actually eat meals at the table, and half the room remains filled with old dressers, turntables, 8-track albums, books, trinkets, and toys (her youngest grandchildren were my teenagers, and they don't play with toys). And my husband IS a neat freak, which is the baffling part. I can't believe he's allowing himself to stare at this crap every day. I know that part of it is emotional: he's still mourning the loss of his mom, and this stuff reminds him of her. But my husband is also a person of faith and believes his mother is in heaven. He knows his mother is not here in these inanimate objects. So I don't get it. 

 

Which finally brings me to my peeve: my husband gets on the kids (and by extension, me) about little things we leave in the living room or the dining room: "Whose granola bar wrapper is this?" "Whose water bottle is that? Why is it on the coffee table? Take your shoes upstairs, now!" Granted, my children and I are a little lax when it comes to keeping the house tidy, but I can't believe my husband flips out about a water bottle on the coffee table when ten feet away, there are 3 garbage bags full of bootleg DVDs that have been sitting in that same spot for over a year!!!!!

Edited April 11, 2016 by topanga

[Petunia13]

LOL it's different when its everyone else!!

About shelf blindness that absolutely can happen. I worked in a library and many x had to track down missing things or requests and would scan every single row and not see it then revisit it and BLAM there it is. Or my current (main) job find an a item in a store or number in a sequence in a screen and not see it. Then later see it.

I have dyslexia though so there's that.

[DeLurker]

My kitchen gadgets hide from me.  I'll be looking for the egg slicer, meat thermometer, or some other thing I don't use everyday but I know know know I have, but I can't find it.  Until the next day when I no longer need it.

[Sandman87]

Hi, they call me Mama. I am 3 years old and weigh about 10lbs. I used to have a home, but they left me and the kind lady nearby started feeding me.

People who abandon pets.  

...

I want the people who did this to her to suffer karmic justice.

Yeah, that's how we ended up with my mom's cat. She just showed up one day starving (as in "just a few days away from death") and covered with ticks, and demanded to be fed. Loudly. She had to have been an abandoned pet, because there was no way she would have been that friendly if she were feral. Pissed me off that people would do that to such a sociable cat.