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

[krimimimi]

For the ipad you can try purify. Let's you pick and choose who / what sites can place ads, which I like. Some sites use so much advertising, and then it's all stuff that takes forever to load, that it really changes the speed you can surf. 

 

(Writing an update on our evening with the Moochersons (love that!). Shall post tomorrow, for those following the saga...)

[zxy556575]

I'm on the fence about ad blocking software. Ads are why sites like this are free and I wouldn't like having to pay a subscription fee, and would be even unhappier if it went out of business for lack of funds.

So I consider ads to be the price of admission, however I only recall clicking on maybe 2-3 ads in my online lifetime, which means I'm freeloading either way.

[Qoass]

I agree, but inevitably, advertisers become more and more intrusive and that just makes us want to escape them more.  If there's anything I hate it's when I'm sneak-surfing at work and an ad starts blaring its audio and I cannot turn it off.  When that happens, I just close out of the page and that can't be good for the host either.

I also was given pause this week when some ad using a slogan like "find the gator" or something similar came up while that Disney tragedy was everywhere.

ETA: It's "go gator" for some John Deere vehicle.  Timing is everything.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Qoass

[janestclair]

I have ad blocking software, and I'm ok with it.  Back in the old days of the internet, any ads were just a simple banner, and you could easily ignore it.  Then they started with pop-ups.  Now there's pop-unders, ads that cover the whole screen and load before letting you see anything on the page, ads with a tiny little X that's impossible to find to shut the page, and like Qoass said, ads with autoplay music or videos.  Screw that.  If advertisers want me to view their ads, go back to the simple ones, and I'l happily turn off my ad blocking software.  

Today's peeve is that I just found out about a concert happening Thursday, that apparently went on sale about a week ago. Ticketmaster lied to me and said there were still a few left, until I tried to look for tickets, and it's already sold out.  I am sad.  Why do you tease me, Ticketmaster?   

[BooksRule]

Quote

Yes, yes, it's "click bait" but I REFUSE to click on that link! I did it for one where supposedly I would read about "12 things I didn't know about Dallas and the first thing I read? Who actually shot JR!???

I clicked on those stories a few times until I realized that I was never going to get the story that I was promised in the description.  They always had a photo that I really, really wanted to know more about and that photo was never in the bunch (and what they showed was usually boring).  Then, I noticed that they would have a photo that didn't match the title at all ('20 child stars who have died.'--and one photo would be of the kid who played Jake on 'Two and Half men' or one of the kids from 'Home Improvement'.  The first time I saw one like that and said to myself 'hey, he isn't dead', I quit clicking).

[Petunia13]

When someone asks you to do something but inserts shade "i hate to ask since you look so tired/sick" or "here. I need this (redone thing I lost due to stupidity or issue fixed because of my negligence) NOW!!!" Then they chuckle.

Or the idiotic "no one ever helps me do blah blah!" (My brain says - I do things for you all the time otherwise you wouldn't be here expecting this currently. And if you forgot I have paperwork of 10 examples). 

Or when I help a person with something but they act like they are doing me the favor all sighing and shit when I bring them the paperwork or report and give some passive aggressive response. Do you want this or the answers you require or not? Cuz if it's such a chore to spend 2 minutes listening or taking the documents from my hand, you can spend the hour or 2 doing it yourself next time. Also thank you. I'm not your butler but a higher up. Of course I can't say anything but I wait patiently and smile. People sometimes don't know work etiquette. I hope I don't come across that way to others. Luckily 95 % it's me doing something that enriches their workload. But still there are  some who turn it into an asshole opportunity. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 6/17/2016 at 9:57 AM, Quof said:

The worst?  When you finally find the perfect bra, and they stop making it.

A long time ago I found some Jockey underwear that didn't crawl up my ass.  (I'm old, and don't think being positioned up my ass from the get-go is an acceptable solution.) 

One day I was on a ski trip to Park City, Utah, with Mr. Outlier a couple of months into our relationship.  Our hotel was across the street from the outlet mall there, so we went walking around one evening, and there was a Jockey outlet.  I saw some of my favored underwear on the rack and was struck with the fear they were discontinuing it.  I pressed (a somewhat confused) Mr. Outlier into service and said, "Find every one of these in either a size 6 or 7, I don't care what color."  

I ended up with probably 30 or more pairs.  That was almost 20 years ago, and I still have plenty in reserve, and they definitely made the cut when we moved in to a (non-tiny-house) downsized 400 square feet.  I have my priorities.  I deployed a few of the reserves a couple of years ago and they're in perfect shape.

At this rate I'm thinking it's possible I'll never have to audition new underwear again.  Oh, the sweet, sweet peace of mind.   

[bilgistic]

Hmm, maybe I need to try Jockey because the quality of Hanes and Fruit of the Loom has been TERRIBLE for a number of years. Elastic raveling and fraying is a common occurrence.

We are all so fancy, aren't we??

[harrie]

Also a Jockey fan. Don't know what I'll do if I ever can't find them. Go commando?

[bilgistic]

I guess I'm going to Ross this weekend! Watch out, world.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Well, despite the Jockey love, I'd give anything if Henson Kickernick were still in business and making the lace one that not only didn't crawl, but had no VPL.  My last ones were in tatters when I went to get more, and nada.  Lesson learned.

Speaking of underwear, back in the 1970s, when denim wrap skirts were popular, I was on campus during class change and a girl was walking 50 feet or so in front of me and her skirt had flown open to expose her white underwear, and stayed there.  She had no idea, of course, and to this day I regret not telling her.  I realized after that fact that I would PAY for that information if it had been me, and resolved to never let that happen again.

So that's a pet peeve--when people don't tell you something, I guess because they think you'll be embarrassed, but the thing they're not telling you is itself embarrassing.  If you're dragging toilet paper on your shoe, I'll tell you even if you're a stranger.  If you're eating with me and get anything on your face, I'll issue an alert. 

At a Panera once, there was a meeting in the glassed-in room, and I was sitting just outside it.  I could see a guy with a big glob of something on his face, and surely everyone who was actually in the room could see it, too.  I didn't want to, you know, tap on the glass or anything, so I just kept watching hoping he'd look my way, and when he did, I got his attention and motioned for him to wipe his face.  He did, saw what came off, and mouthed a "thank you!"

So, coed with denim skirt and white underwear 40 years ago?  I apologize, and I'm doing what I can to make amends.

[bilgistic]

The terribleness of Hanes underwear now is especially hurtful to me because my grandmother worked there for most of her adult life. She first worked in the factory making stockings. Not pantyhose...stockings. She turned 90 in March and is a force of nature.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, harrie said:

Also a Jockey fan. Don't know what I'll do if I ever can't find them. Go commando?

Only if you want to be in one of those Cottonelle commercials...

[backformore]

My peeve today- there's a tornado about 100 miles away from Chicago.  So every major station has to stop programming and cover the progress of the storm.  I get it, if you're in the path, you need to know.  But why can't they just announce that there's a storm, have the coverage on one station, and have announcements about what station to tune to for in-depth coverage?  So if want to take a look, find that it's not going to affect me, and go back to watching my show, why can't I do that?  Especially when I'm watching on DVR, the weather is irrelevant by the time I'm watching.  

Edited June 23, 2016 by backformore

[ABay]

When I lived in northwest Ohio, every Toledo station had its own special tornado icon that sat in a  top corner of the screen from June through October. If anything actually happened, there would also be a news crawl at the bottomr. And then you'd get the network or station logo and those annoying ads for the next show that take up a third of the screen. I don't have it any more, but I had on tape an episode of a show that had so much going on at the top, bottom, and sides you could only see about a quarter of the show.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, ABay said:

When I lived in northwest Ohio, every Toledo station had its own special tornado icon that sat in a  top corner of the screen from June through October. If anything actually happened, there would also be a news crawl at the bottomr. And then you'd get the network or station logo and those annoying ads for the next show that take up a third of the screen. I don't have it any more, but I had on tape an episode of a show that had so much going on at the top, bottom, and sides you could only see about a quarter of the show.

I'd prefer THAT to the stations here that all STOP the show to cover a tornado moving across several counties.  photos, videos, maps - all to tell me that I don't need to do anything, because it's not coming HERE.    (so why can't I watch my show?) 

[StatisticalOutlier]

Back when David Letterman was on after the Tonight Show (i.e., really late), he had a running thing with a guy in a bear suit.  On the night they were going to reveal who was in the bear suit, the local station in Austin interrupted it right at the crucial moment with a tornado alert in some far flung county.  By the time they put Letterman back on, it was over and I never did see the big reveal. 

I called the station right then and left a message, and the weatherman called me right back.  I thought it was to apologize, but it turned out it was only to educate me on the importance of weather.  I said the tornado wasn't even in Austin, and he countered that the people in the county affected needed to know.  I pointed out that I could pretty much guarantee nobody out there was even awake, much less watching David Letterman.  He said lives were in danger, etc.  The matter remained completely unresolved, but I have the distinction of talking to the TV weather guy on the phone at midnight. 

 

Quote

I don't have it any more, but I had on tape an episode of a show that had so much going on at the top, bottom, and sides you could only see about a quarter of the show.

I hate it when they have promos for shows that have images of people walking around at the bottom of the screen. 

I have an old TV that isn't widescreen, and there are interview shows where literally all I see on my screen is a table and occasionally some hands fluttering about on the sides.

[zxy556575]

33 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I called the station right then and left a message, and the weatherman called me right back.

In 1985 I moved from San Francisco to Grand Forks ND and was chapped that the local NBC station did not carry Saturday Night Live. It bothered me enough that I called the station and spoke to whoever there was tasked with talking to viewers. The station began airing SNL shortly after that. Even through the decision probably had nothing to do with me, it was still pretty shocking.

[Moose135]

12 minutes ago, lordonia said:

In 1985 I moved from San Francisco to Grand Forks ND...

On purpose?

[zxy556575]

23 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

On purpose?

Ha! For a job, yes. I'd never lived anywhere it snowed before but ended up not minding the cold. The state as a whole is, uh, lacking in scenic splendor, but there were no traffic jams or crowding. Cheap real estate. People were a lot more religious than I was used to and I had to stifle my initial amusement at the accents, but I enjoyed it there.

[Moose135]

I was in the Air Force back then, flying tankers out of Indiana.  Had friends stationed up that way, spent a cold night in Minot once, but I never made it to El Forke Grande.

[ratgirlagogo]

44 minutes ago, lordonia said:

The state as a whole is, uh, lacking in scenic splendor,

Yeah, I suppose.  My dad grew up there and I still have a lot of family there.  Grand Forks is not that "splendid" I suppose I'd have to agree, but there are the Badlands and also the area closer to the Canadian border has some lovely rolling country, with plenty of lakes and "sloughs."  Also the  most glorious purple sky imaginable in the summer.

 

Edited to add:  I should add I didn't spend a ton of time there but we did visit a lot and I did enjoy it.  I was always so impressed at how much more competent my country cousins were than most of us city kids - they all knew how to drive a car (a truck really) and handle a shotgun by the time they were 7 or 8.  Living out in the middle of nowhere their parents made sure they did.

Edited June 24, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[auntlada]

1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

I was in the Air Force back then, flying tankers out of Indiana.  Had friends stationed up that way, spent a cold night in Minot once, but I never made it to El Forke Grande.

I knew a guy in college from North Dakota. He always said, "Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason." He also thought 30-40 degrees was just a little brisk and perfect weather for shorts.

They interrupt shows a lot here in spring for tornadoes, but since they can't really target the broadcast and since there's a good chance people know people in the area or the tornado/storm may be coming your way next, people don't complain too much. Most of the state is covered by the stations in the capital city so they cover a lot of area. And everyone has their favorite station and meteorologist to follow. That's a good way to start an argument. Ask people which TV weather they prefer.

Tornado coverage also a good state geography lesson because they mention all the tiny towns by name and show them on the radar map.

We're generally pretty sensitive if it's an actual tornado because we get them a lot in spring. If they're just breaking in to say there's a storm and no tornado, then people get pretty mad. Most of the time, though, if there's not a tornado, the first words out of the meteorologist's mouth is, "You're not missing any of your program," as they break in to the commercials.

Edited June 24, 2016 by auntlada

[Moose135]

40 minutes ago, auntlada said:

I knew a guy in college from North Dakota. He always said, "Why not Minot? Freezin's the reason."

Brings back memories! I heard that many times around the squadron from guys who had done a northern tour.

[Blergh]

Never been to North Dakota but here's a pet peeve of mine: folks who move to a new town and spend all their time  griping about how it's not like their birthplace but don't even bother to look around or accept guided tours just so they can hear themselves complain. But the good news is that if one's not related to them, one's exposure to them is only temporary.

[auntlada]

I hate those people. Most of the time I bite my tongue, but I have once or twice told such people that if they don't like it here, they can go back to wherever the hell they came from.

[bosawks]

I live in New Jersey, you get used to it.

If you can't find the beauty in my state, you're just not looking, your loss.....

[auntlada]

Everywhere has something beautiful, even if it's not your particular taste. Even though I prefer prairies with big open spaces where I can see, I can still appreciate forests. But if all you want to do is complain about how this place isn't like your old place, then leave. The only excuse for that behavior is if you are a kid forced by parents to move, and even then, you ought to get over it pretty quick. If you are an adult, you chose to come here (even if the reason is that it is the only job you could find) so shut-up.

[janestclair]

54 minutes ago, bosawks said:

I live in New Jersey, you get used to it.

If you can't find the beauty in my state, you're just not looking, your loss.....

NJ gets a lot of hate, but aside from traffic that makes you want to shoot yourself regularly, it's really pretty nice.  I can go down to south Jersey and there's lots of wide open spaces and farms with awesome produce, northwest has more mountains and lakes, and of course, everyone goes down the shore in the summer, which is great.  Plus, I can be in NYC in less than an hour, depending on the traffic.  The unfortunate thing is that people passing through the state only see what they can see from the turnpike, which is admittedly not lovely.  I have no plans to move, probably ever.  Ok, so my job means I have to stay in state, but I would even if I didn't have to.  

[ABay]

1 hour ago, bosawks said:

I live in New Jersey, you get used to it.

If you can't find the beauty in my state, you're just not looking, your loss.....

Please. I'm from Buffalo. People who can't even spell Niagara correctly think they know something about it. To which I would say "here. Take this beef on weck and shove it. In your mouth. Because a lot of people think they're delicious. " 

[Qoass]

I'm reading my latest issue of Entertainment Weekly and am really annoyed that virtually every article is preceded by a title page and a photo or graphic so essentially there are two wasted pages for every one page of editorial.  Hey, I like pictures too but I'm a grown up and when I buy something to read, I want something to read, not hang up in my locker at school.

[Moose135]

51 minutes ago, Qoass said:

Hey, I like pictures too but I'm a grown up and when I buy something to read, I want something to read, not hang up in my locker at school.

Just like Playboy... ;-)

[zxy556575]

6 hours ago, auntlada said:

Everywhere has something beautiful, even if it's not your particular taste. Even though I prefer prairies with big open spaces where I can see, I can still appreciate forests.

I went on vacation to Cape Cod with one of the native North Dakotans I met when I moved there, and it ended up creeping her out -- she felt all hemmed in with no open spaces. She also took exception to what she viewed as an overabundance of roadside foliage. Heh.

Personally, as someone unused to driving on snowy/icy roads, I appreciated the fact that sliding off Highway 2 was pretty much the same as being on Highway 2.

[auntlada]

The worst I ever had was driving through Illinois in summer. It was very Children of the Corn-ish and claustrophobic. But once we got through the corn, I was OK.

[ABay]

When I moved to northwest Ohio, I thought I would never adjust to how flat it is. I mean flat. Like the highest hill in town was the man-made mound on the golf course. Trees were so far back from the highway. The wind never stopped because there was nothing to block it. We could sit on the front porch and watch as the front edge of the rain came across the land. Also, the sky was orange at night. Not sunset, deep night. It was probably from the lights on I 75.

And then when I moved to Connecticut, everything felt so closed in and weirdly circuitous, like they were trying to have the same amount of road as in Ohio but due to space had to serpentine it. Also, if you try to make 3 rights turns to get back to the street you started on, you end up in Rhode Island. Trees come right up to the roadside on major roads. 

I do miss how easy it was to get everywhere in Ohio, that  it was safe for my cat to go outside, and I really miss being able to buy wine in a supermarket like the good lord intended. However, I like the scenery here better. 

[Sandman87]

12 hours ago, Blergh said:

Never been to North Dakota but here's a pet peeve of mine: folks who move to a new town and spend all their time  griping about how it's not like their birthplace but don't even bother to look around or accept guided tours just so they can hear themselves complain. But the good news is that if one's not related to them, one's exposure to them is only temporary.

One always wonders why they moved there. It's one thing to grumble a bit, but some people talk like they've moved to the fourth circle of Dante's Inferno.

[Petunia13]

When personal belongings go missing at work. Apparently I'm not allowed to leave stuff in the shared corporate refrigerator or hell on my own desk. First it was full cups of coffee, phone charger, pens, lunch, now my dog harness, makeup bag with new nice makeup. ??

I'm talking like after an hour the shit is gone. I don't touch anyone else's crap. There's 300 other employees with random stuff. I don't get why mine is so compelling. Seriously my dogs leash and harness? 

[janestclair]

Petunia, I have to lock up all my stuff at work.  I lock up my purse and lunch in a desk drawer in my classroom.  I've gotten used to room temperature yogurt so much that I actually prefer it now.  

The coworker I share the room with for one stinking period is forever taking my stuff if I accidentally leave it out.  Dry erase markers are not cheap.  It's infuriating. Over the summer, my room is used (not by me, even though I teach summer school), and I have to lock up and/or label everything else, otherwise it's gone in September.  A coworker had the mouse from  her computer taken.  I have to put my name on my damn chair, and it's not even a good chair. 

People suck.  

[Jaded]

I remember one time in school I accidentally left my locker room locker ajar slightly because my attention was on how bad I had to pee. When I came back there were 3 girls standing around my locker with my purse open about to grab my wallet to go into it. After that I've always been a bit paranoid about my stuff when I have to leave it anywhere.

[Quof]

I was once at a small house party, perhaps 30 adults (no kids or teens).  I left my handbag in the closet, as did a number of other women.  Someone went through the bags and stole all the cash.

[Blergh]

Have had personal stuff (and food) stolen by colleagues, classmates, etc. over the years and I agree it sucks. Nothing more to add on my part here.

 

 To change the subject. Not a 'pet peeve' per se but more a 'why are they doing it?' deal- folks sitting in chairs with their legs folded in lotus positions. As I stress, 'to each their own' here BUT I gotta admit I've been tempted to call out 'You're in a perfectly good chair on terra firma so why are you doing the leg pretzel deal like you're at a campfire on the edge of a cliff?'

[GHScorpiosRule]

I hate my post office. Or, rather, the people who "work" there. Too bad as its not that far from my home, but after today, I will go the other one which is about a mile in the opposite direction.

Why? Well, I'll tell you. 

I went to drop off my passport renewal application and they could not have been the most extrem opposite of helpful to me.  They were all smiles and chatty Cathys with the other people but couldn't be bothered to answer a simple question I had. Maybe they're forbidden by law, I don't know.  See, I couldn't make out my passport number and asked if the agent could tell me. "NO!" 

That's a direct quote. I asked if they had a magnifying glass.

Agent turns her back on me, flicks her fingers in a 'shoo shoo, go away' motion and mutters "no we don't have  any."

i mean I'm holding the passport right there-it's in my hand. And I'll be putting it in the mailer. It's not as if I was asking her to provide me with information I didn't have.

So I'm squinting and narrowing my eyes to make out the numbers. If it's wrong, hopefully, the State Department won't accuse me of fraud because u mailed in the freaking original passport! I have kerataconus and wear special lenses. But I also have to wear the cheap reading glasses one can get at CVS because I need them to read.  Clearly I'm going to have to see if I can get specialized bi-focal spectacles or maybe have my optometrist install magnifying glasses power onto them.

Oh, did I mention that I'm a different race than the other customers and Agents? They who are of the same race and were speaking and talking to each other in their language? I'm a person of color myself.  I don't want to accuse them of being racists, so should I just say rude and unwilling to help?

Next time I think I'll just go to the main official passport office to renew.

Or maybe I'm just being paranoid?

[Blergh]

I get where you're coming from, GH. I've had bad customer service at post offices but that's happened in cases in which we were all the same pigmentation.

 

 However; on the flip side, I was furious with another CUSTOMER once who loudly dissed the solo postal worker trying to do her job the best she could while dealing with the line going out the door. After his rant, I actually TOLD him that he shouldn't have taken it out on HER because she was trying her best to take care of this huge line ALL ON HER OWN (and I've been in that spot more than once in my job life). He snarled that 'she didn't care' then left the Post Office. I usually would have let this go but, having been in that spot, I hated seeing someone who WAS trying to do the best with what resources with no one helping her get dumped on just because the customer happened to be on the end of the line. I mean, his rant didn't help the situation nor make anything better.

[StatisticalOutlier]

11 minutes ago, Blergh said:

 To change the subject. Not a 'pet peeve' per se but more a 'why are they doing it?' deal- folks sitting in chairs with their legs folded in lotus positions. As I stress, 'to each their own' here BUT I gotta admit I've been tempted to call out 'You're in a perfectly good chair on terra firma so why are you doing the leg pretzel deal like you're at a campfire on the edge of a cliff?'

Do you mean lotus like the feet are on top of the legs, or Indian style where the feet are under the knees?

If it's Indian style, I'm doing it right now, sitting on a dinette bench.  I also do it in the chair I read or watch TV in.  I know it's terrible for my joints and circulation, but even when I try to sit normal, before I know it, my legs have curled themselves up without my realizing it.

For some reason it's more comfortable for me, even though sometimes if I've been sitting long enough, I'm almost crippled when I try to get up.

[Blergh]

SO,

 

 More often than not I've seen feet atop legs than beneath knees. Again, I stress 'to each their own' and if you're more comfortable with this than not that's your own call even if it stresses joints and circulation in the longrun but I just was wondering the MO for those options where chairs are available.

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 minutes ago, Blergh said:

 More often than not I've seen feet atop legs than beneath knees.

Well that's just crazy.  :-)

[bilgistic]

I find "Indian style" slightly humorous in how non-PC it is, but that's what we all learned back in our collective childhoods. I've heard it called "criss-cross applesauce" lately, but I'm rarely around kids (thank your chosen diety), so I must've heard that on TV.

[bilgistic]

OK, Jockey undies wearers, I went to Ross today, and it was a level of hell. No Jockeys to be found. None at Target either (for women, mind you). I won't shop at Walmart. What are my other options?

[bilgistic]

OK, Jockey undies wearers, I went to Ross today, and it was a level of hell. No Jockeys to be found. None at Target either (for women, mind you). I won't shop at Walmart. What are my other options?

[StatisticalOutlier]

I've seen Jockey for women at Kohl's.  If you find them, buy 30.  You'll thank yourself later.