Peeves
Just like yesterday, where I found inspiration in small places, I also have the ability to be annoyed by small things. Read this with an ounce of humor, please!
I get annoyed by that little green flashing light on Sweets’ crackberry. OMG, that thing drives me crazy. If it’s sitting on the coffee table while we’re watching TV, I make him turn it upside down so I can’t see the flashing light. If it’s on our dresser when we’re going to bed and the flashing light reflects off our wall, I make him hide it in his hat. If he has it in his pants pocket, I’ll notice it flash through the fabric. I’m not sure why it drives me crazy, but it does. And it drives Sweets crazy that I actually complain about it.
On a similar note, yesterday morning I was completely annoyed by the little red light that was flashing on my wireless mouse. Thankfully, that was resolved quickly with a new battery. Otherwise, it would’ve amounted to a work stoppage!
I get annoyed with people driving slow in the fast lane when they’re not passing anyone. People like that drive as if it’s a right and not a privilege. Hate to break it to you, but driving is a job; a job where you need to pay attention 100% of the time. And if you’re driving slow in the fast lane and not passing anyone and there’s a line of cars behind you waiting to pass you, it means you’re not paying attention. Tsk tsk.
I get equally annoyed with people who walk in the run lane. (Note: my gym has a track with three lanes that are clearly marked Walk, Jog, Run. There are a handful of members who find it necessary to cause logjams by exercising in the wrong lane.)
I get annoyed when people use Facebook status updates to tell me about the weather or the 5-minute update of their children. I don’t give a shit if it’s snowing by you (btw, you live in Boston, no shit it’s snowing in January) and I’m kind of over the fact your child hasn’t yet slept through the night or is sick (it’s winter; they’re around other kids; kids carry germs; there’s nothing new here). This is largely why I still don’t have a Twitter account and probably never will.
I get annoyed when friends are non-committal to plans. Either you’re interested or you’re not. I’m perfectly fine with someone not being interested. But, the acts that leave me hanging drive me up a wall.
Same holds true for events where an RSVP is requested. Umm, hello, party planners need numbers in order to plan. Like Heidi Klum’s designers, either you’re in or you’re out. Pick one.
I get annoyed with bloggers who only comment on your blog after you’ve commented on their blog. Give me a break. Either you read my blog or you don’t. And if you don’t, please don’t come here to leave sympathy comments because I commented on your blog. I’m not in the market for tit-for-tat readers.
I get annoyed when SoMi won’t poop. Yes, we live in a city where a million dogs share the same ground. Yes, I get dogs like their poop spots to be clean. But, OMG, she’s been in our lives for almost 3 years. I know she has to poop. She walks different. Her butt looks different. And I know that when we turn the corner and there’s no grass on the next block, she definitely won’t poop. So, hurry the hell up and poop. (It should be noted that I now have conversations with SoMi. She listens to me when I command her to poop and I”d say I have a 75% success rate with getting her to poop on command. Yes, I rock and yes, my dog is smart.)
I get annoyed when people talk as if they’re an expert on everything. Sure, we’re all smart regarding certain things. But, very few people can get away with being experts on everything. Therefore, it’d behoove you to show a little humility. Admit when you just don’t know. And don’t talk down to me as if you’re smarter than me. You’re not. (ha)
I get annoyed when people take out the trash, but don’t replace the bag in the trash can. Sweets is guilty of this often. I’ve been known to do it before, too. Because the next person to throw something away usually has something soggy or dripping or just gross and then you have to get a bag, clean up the trash can and once again dispose of your trash.
I get annoyed when the only decent blog post I can come up with is full of negatives. So, on that note, I think I’ll end this post on peeves. Your turn. C’mon, I know you’ve got some. Tell me, what are the minor (or major!) annoyances in your life???
January 28th, 2010 at 4:48 am
There’s a bloke at work who is one of those ‘expert’ talkers. Most of us laugh at him but when he talks rubbish about things that i actually understand it makes me want to stab him in the eyes.
I hate the never-ending cards and expected donations at work. Someone is dropping a sprog (having a baby) and we’re expected to fork out for it. I don’t even know the woman but the looks you get if you say no are scary!
January 28th, 2010 at 6:29 am
LOL, Check out this funny article on lame-o Facebook status updates. I wanted to rant about it on my blog, but didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings ;)
I have noticed people who only comment when I comment on their blog too. Of course, if I get a new commenter, it is likely I will check out their blog and leave a hello comment. But that’s just me.
I have been having issues with a coworker this week who wants to tell me how to do my job but doesn’t understand what I do. So… in a way, he thinks he is an expert. I am drafting up a list of work annoyances (that I have been working on for a long time) but am not sure if I should publish it.
I am really annoyed with people who talk forever and ever and won’t shut up.
January 28th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I get annoyed when people complain and complain and complain and do nothing to solve the problem.
I get annoyed when I am reading and someone tries to talk to me – over and over again.
I get annoyed when someone takes 20 minutes to tell a 2 second story!
And I am totally guilty of the facebook status thing. :-)
January 28th, 2010 at 8:25 am
That blog thing annoys me so so so much. I realize that people have real lives and sometimes just don’t have time to read and/or comment on my blog. Therefore, when I don’t comment on a blog, same thing. There are about ten people who I know will come comment on my blog almost minutes after I comment on theirs. It’s lame. We should leave a comment if we WANT to, not ransom them off to the highest of bidders!
January 28th, 2010 at 9:06 am
The not replacing the garbage bag is a huge peeve of mine. It drives me crazy.
Oh and not putting dirty dishes on the sink but leaving them next to the sink on the counter.
Oh and not putting clothes in the hamper but instead dropping them inches away!
Oh and people at work who when you send them an email question, and a follow up (sometimes more than one) and then they get a message from my boss asking for their help in my project and then getting the VP involved….and not getting a reply.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:11 am
I love my friends and their babies, but I definitely don’t love their status updates!
As for the blackberry — I get annoyed by my flashing light. Because I feel like I. HAVE. TO. CHECK. IT. Even if it’s midnight on a Saturday night. I have to make that light go away! And it is slightly annoying because it’s work-related and it shouldn’t interfere with your personal time. And I let it.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:31 am
So many things are annoying me lately that I am just going to pick one. I do not like when I am talking to someone and while I am talking, they pull out their phone and start clicking away and act distracted. I usually stop talking OR what I have started doing lately if I am pretty sure the person is not listening to me at all but just giving little “mmmhmmm’s” or “really?” when they hear me pause, I started adding in things like “and then the bear ate the mouse right in my kitchen” and other nonsense stuff spoken in a normal tone. And you know what? Half the time the person doesn’t even notice. It sucks to feel ignored and unimportant!
January 28th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Funny you wrote this today; I have a Gym Pet Peeves blog coming later today =)
Other non-gym related pet peeves:
* when the garbage men come & throw the garabage bins on the ground. In winter weather, the top is sure to wind up across the neighbor’s lawn thanks to the wind.
* People who call you, leave a message and then text you to ask you to call them back.
* Co workers who send emails and then walk up to my desk not more than 5 minutes later to ask me if I received the email…. I do check my email, but I don’t respond immediately all the time.
* My flashing blackberry light annoys me too. I turn it upside down and put it under my night table so that I don’t have to see it. Sadly my blackberry is my alarm clock, but I think I’m going to get a real alarm clock this weekend.
I think that’s enough for now =)
(side note: high speed rail between Chicago and St. Louis!? YES, please. They are announcing the project here today and I’m really excited. Although I guess I can’t bring Jack on the train!?)
January 28th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Ok, so I post when it snows here. It’s largely because I moved to Maine less than 2 years ago and still can’t believe it snows 2 feet in about 6 hours. I love the snow and Maine :)
As far as annoyances:
I hate when guys say they’ll call and don’t, but then get mad when you won’t go out with them again when they do actually call. Seriously. No second chances here, man.
I hate when stores keep half and half or milk on the shelves when it literally IS the expiration date and then I don’t check and my stuff is expired before I even get home. Com’on large organic food chain grocery store. Not cool.
I hate Farmville. I do. And I don’t care what horoscope you are, or what 60s icon you’re most like. Don’t share it.
I agree with the updates on the babies. I don’t need to know when they poop. I assume they do.
Last, as a nurse, I hate when I see the same patients for the same stuff over and over again. They never did what they needed to do and them proudly announce that they never follow their physician’s advice. Well, idiot, that’s why you’re back in the hospital yet again.
Thanks, Nilsa, I feel better :)
January 28th, 2010 at 9:40 am
My neighbor. The man is like 60 years old or thereabouts and I HAVE TO HEAR HIS GROSS 10 SECOND BEDROOM ACTIVITIES ON A WEEKLY BASIS. Ew.
I can totally see you having a conversation with SoMi about her pooping. I bet she looks up at you with a “no way in hell am I pooping here and not on grass lady” look.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:41 am
The Blackberry light annoys the hell out of me. I have to have a completely dark room to sleep, and those little bitty lights are SO. DAMN. BRIGHT.
I’m irritated by the walkers that don’t seem to realize they are in a gym. For example, we had some people that would bring their stroller to walk the indoor track. And not a mommy trying to walk off the baby weight, a group of 4 adults who would stroll along 4 abreast, taking up the entire track. It’s a GYM, not a Sunday afternoon stroll through the neighborhood.
At the moment, I’m really peeved at people on a power trip. There’s really no reason to make life a pissing contest.
January 28th, 2010 at 10:00 am
My biggest is the word “anywho”, “anyhoo”, however the idiots that use it want to spell it. When I hear someone use it it makes me want to stab them in the neck with a pencil. Seriously.
And I totally feel your pain with the dog poo thing. Nietzsche will refuse to poop for days when it is raining. We are fortunate enough to have a yard so I don’t have to walk him while he is refusing to go, but I do still have to be out with him!
January 28th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Right now I’m annoyed at a co-worker who just sent me an email starting with “First of all,…”. Gah! It’s ruined my morning!
January 28th, 2010 at 10:14 am
I sort of love this ornery post of yours. We’ve all got to let out these little grievances in order to stay sane and healthy! I was surprised by how many of yours I share: flashing lights, not replacing the garbage bag, no rsvps, baby updates.
January 28th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I agree with you on the slow cars in the passing lane. That drives me crazy. And with the garbage can thing, because thats just gross. It takes a few seconds to put in a new bag, its not hard.
One of my pet peeves in regard to facebook, is people who routinely use the incorrect spelling in their words. Drives me crazy. I have unfriended people for it because I cannot stand to see their status updates.
My boss has been on the pet peeve list lately for just about everything. Standing too close to me or leaning in too close to look at my computer monitor is a huge one. One of these days I’m just going to snap and yell “Get out of my personal space!”
Thanks, I feel better already. How was the show last night?
January 28th, 2010 at 10:39 am
Hehe. This post made me laugh. Sometimes it’s best to just get it out!
My greatest pet peeve is when I’m OBVIOUSLY ON THE PHONE and Gay Boyfriend AND/OR Other Boy just start talking to me and demanding my attention. If I point to the phone and turn around, they just START TALKING LOUDER! WTF?
January 28th, 2010 at 10:54 am
I share nearly every one of these peeves with you. At least we have a fenced yard so I don’t have to worry about the poop thing. But OMG when we were in an apartment and I had to wait for Montana to pee? And she learned real quick that if she didn’t pee right away, she’d get to go for a longer walk. Stupid smart dog!
January 28th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I have a peeve post in pre-production. You are not alone in these peeves my friend!
Be very glad you do not have Twitter.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:06 am
A. doesn’t replace the trash liner, either, and it makes steam come out of my ears. HOW HARD IS IT TO REPLACE THE LINER?!?!
I have the hardest time keeping my temper in check when people walk without picking up their feet, and you hear that dragging, LAZY ASS sound. Oh, my goodness. NOTHING drives me more crazy than someone who is so lazy they cannot pick up their feet to walk.
Argh!
January 28th, 2010 at 11:19 am
[...] if you want to read about other pet peeves, check out Nilsa’s post. A total coincidence that we each posted about pet peeves [...]
January 28th, 2010 at 11:49 am
i have a horrible issue with the blinking light on my blackberry. it’s bad, i HAVE to make sure everything is cleared so i DOESN’T blink.
i’m completely OCD about it!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
LOL you gotta hate my status updates on fb when whenever i do mention the weather or not sleeping cause my baby hates me. BUT i do at least try to add some humor to it. the rest of the peeves i totally get, esp the driving one and the trash bag one!!!!!!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
It drives me absolutely insane when people stand on the left side of escalators. Especially when it’s clearly posted – stand on the right, walk on the left. Every morning I have to use an escalator to get from my train station to the street and EVERY morning I have to ask someone to move over to stand on the right so I can pass. It makes my head melt.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I got to a point where I just couldn’t take Facebook anymore. Seriously. I haven’t looked at it at all. The update statuses are so useless. Twitter updates can be lame too; I definitely have mixed feelings about it.
I also don’t get the commenting thing. My updates are only worth a comment if I comment to your blog? Ridiculous. If I read your blog, I’ll comment when I have something to say and vice versa. (But if I like you I will probably comment more frequently — funny how these things work!) In the past I have commented on blogs of others who comment on mine, but only as an acknowledgement. Now that I have installed Intense Debate, I will probably just email a reply.
My pet peeve of late: Crazy commuters who lay on their horns. At six in the morning. On the street outside my window. It screws with my sleep cycle and makes me think stabby thoughts.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
My biggest annoying peeve is when I have to repeat the same information for someone, namely my boss, who seems to finally get it on the 7th or 8th time I tell him something. Conference calls are a painful experience.
So then when I have to repeat anything for others, I get that boss flashback that makes me more annoyed.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
i always like thinking, “i can’t think of ANY pet peeves” and then i read other people’s and go, “oh i HATE it when that happens…”
so, i haven’t read any comments from this post, til AFTER i post this. nilsa, i SO empathize with your flashing green light on the phone and red light on the mouse thing, but i didn’t know it was a thing, until the other day. the mouse was upside-down in our house when we were moving stuff and it drove me bonkers. i had to flip it up.
what also bugs me is when people BEG for people to comment on their blogs, then they never acknowledge that i’ve done so. obviously, they wanted comments….just not mine. but i think it’s tacky, unless you have a million readers, to do that.
i don’t beg for comments…i LOVE them, don’t get me wrong, but i haven’t quite gotten saavy enough to know when someone has commented, so many times, i don’t read them til WAY later. when i figure it out, i’ll totally acknowledge people….but i won’t beg for comments…until then ;)
January 28th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
ha! i share a lot of these and you know about many of them!
some of mine?
i hate when people keep checking their phones when you’re tying to have a conversation with them. i hate when people chew gum or suck on a hard candy really loud. it peeves me when you’re tying to make plans and someone doesn’t get back to you. it peeves me when someone doesn’t speak up if they have an issue and just gets in a mood about it.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
The driving one is definitely one of mine – I’m going on a teensy road trip at the weekend and I just KNOW when I hit the motorway the bitch in me is going to come out! If I overtake them in the “super fast” lane I usually send a glare their way and they swiftly move over!
I also hate people not replying to my text messages – it irks me to the point where I ring them and ask them if they got it. I know full well they did because I got a receipt but I just want to hear them squirm.
And I’ve just realised that if someone peeves me off, then I turn into a psychopath.
January 28th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
A guy in my business statistics class exhales explosively (or snorts? I’m not really sure) and it is SO distracting!
And you know about my issue with people parking into the red on either side of my driveway.
I have a friend who NEVER RSVPs, even when I specifically ask because my apartment really only fits four comfortably. I’ve stopped inviting her to things.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Oh, I agree with so many of your peeves! But today, these are mine:
The “look” I got yesterday when I left work 5 minutes early. I’ve been working anywhere from 3-5 hours every night at home, so bite me with the 5 minutes. Besides which, I’m salaried, so it doesn’t matter anyway.
When the cat wakes me up at 5:55. I know my alarm is going to go off in 5 minutes, but obviously so does the cat.
When my mom calls me and then proceeds to have a conversation with whoever is in the room with her instead of talking to me.
And finally, (because I could go on and on), when my health insurance f*#%’s up, and as a result I have to fight with collection agencies. Who hang up on me. And then refuse to apologize when it’s found that they are actually wrong and I’m not a deadbeat. Jerks.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I was loving your post until I got to the peeve about SoMi not shitting. I laughed so hard that I snorted, completely freaking out the cat! I’m laughing still but, fortunately, the snorting is subsiding.
January 28th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
The flashing light would drive me crazy too. You are not alone. Also, ticking clocks. I can NOT have one in my room. I can’t sleep if I hear the tick tick tick.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
SoMi and her poo! Bahaha!
Up until July when age got the best of her, we had a Weimeraner named Remington. She was a big goofy, loveable mess of a dog.
When we moved from Canada to Arizona with her – there was no grass. None! It never occured to us that this would be problem – but there we were in our new backyard of rocks and a dog that INSISTED on holding it. I knew she had to go! Finally, finally, days later, she went – but only once she found a large weed to straddle over.
Dogs are so funny. Thanks for reminding me of it.
January 28th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
pet peeve of the week: people at work who leave their desk to talk on their cell phone in another part of the office, so they won’t disturb their work neighbours, but end up disturbing the people in the new area that they moved to in order to take the call. My department’s hallway is NOT AN EFFING PHONE BOOTH!!!!!!!!!
January 28th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
If I tried to write down all the things that annoy me right now, I would end up with a set of encyclopedias. I’ll keep it to one…people who need constant attention at work. I can’t take it. And I wasn’t too keen when I sat on Mr. W’s toilet last week and fell in because he left the seat up.
January 28th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
Haha! You don’t want to know. That would require a whole blog dedicated to the topic!
January 28th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
The blackberry light makes me insane too. That’s why I keep my ringer off on the BB so I don’t have to see it. I’ll also turn my over or turn it off at night so I don’t have to worry about the warm glow against the walls. ICK.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Oh em gee, I have the same peeves. Especially with people breaking plans. The other stuff, I try to not be so intense about because I take things really personally and will let people driving slow and being inconsiderate ruin my day. But, the breaking plans and not RSVP-ing irks me to no avail.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:00 am
When I started reading this post I wondered, “I wonder if her driving stuff will be mentioned,” and ha ha, it was!
I hate that Mr. P falls asleep on the couch with his laptop in his lap. He is 43 and still won’t acknowledge when he is tired and just go to bed already!!!
January 29th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Totally guilty of the FB thing, but when you’ve gone 7 months without a full night’s sleep you don’t have the brain power to come up with anything creative and also feel the need to shout it from the rooftops when the baby does indeed sleep through the night!
As for my pet peeves, where to begin…
People who stop walking in the middle of the aisle at a grocery store or Target. Even more annoying when they have a cart and have now effectively completely blocked anyone from getting anywhere. You’re not the only one at the store, jackass!
Have to agree with the RSVP pet peeve. Especially on an Evite. Geez, people, it’s one click of the mouse.
I hate when I’m at the theatre/concert/movies (anywhere dark) and someone sitting in front of me has their phone ear piece on and I can constantly see the light blinking during the play/concert/movie. Take the thing off and enjoy the play/concert/movie!
I get super-annoyed when people ask me how I’m handling the winter weather since I’m from Texas. Look at a map. I’m from AMARILLO, TX. In the Panhandle. Near Colorado. We get tons of snow and are actually windier than Chicago.
I could go on and on.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Wow. Maybe I should make one of my pet peeves really long blog comments. Who knew I was so long-winded?!?!
January 29th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
During my debutante training (yes I’m one of THOSE Southern Belles), we were told that a cultured woman must know a little bit about a lot, but never claim to know all about everything. Seems to fit in with your pet peeve.
I also have the peeve about lights on mobile devices. LOL! But only at bedtime.
Like HotchPotchery, I am most annoyed when hubby falls asleep sitting upright on the couch. I loathe that head nod thingee. Go to bed already!!!
Note to self: don’t friend Nilsa on FB lest she should read my posts about teething, sleep-deprivation or sleeping more than 3 hours in a row or an unexpected snowfall. ;)
January 29th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
If you don’t like what people write about their kids on Facebook then I would suggest not being friends with them. I’m guessing I’m one of those people who are on your Pet Peeves list because I do write about my kids and I do talk about them being sick or how they aren’t sleeping through the night or how they just told me how much they love me and want to be like me when they grow-up. I’m a parent, it comes with the territory.
By the way, I fully expect that you will be “un-friending” me once you see this. Sorry.
January 31st, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I have the same pet peeves as you and so many more.
I get annoyed when people make repetitive noises such as clicking a pen, snapping their gum or drumming their fingers on the table.
I get annoyed when people (AI judges, I’m looking at you) say one million percent, or a billion percent or 500%. It’s either 100% or maybe 110% but that’s it.
I get annoyed when people don’t do their job. I get very annoyed by incompetence.
I get annoyed by customer service representatives who don’t speak english.
Oh boy…it looks like I could write a whole post about my pet peeves.
Hope you enjoyed the weekend without too many peeves.
February 2nd, 2010 at 1:13 pm
i am totally with you on the blackberry blinking light thing, except now…i have one too, so i can’t complain anymore. though the new curves don’t blink green, they blink red when there’s a message or something unread on it, which isn’t so bad. for some reason the red doesn’t bother me as much as the green…not sure why.
also, my dog will only poop twice a day if i’m lucky. if i’m not so lucky, she’ll go once and only pee the other 32 times i have to take her out. it’s aggravating to say the very least.
February 2nd, 2010 at 11:26 pm
My dog will poop on command, too. I am strangely proud of this fact. Forget the Sit and Stay commands — “go pee” and “go poop” are much more functional, if you ask me. Especially when it’s cold and/or raining!
February 12th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
I have acquired 2 rescue dogs that were forsaken by their former owners. They are the most adorable creatures I have ever experienced. It is deplorable how some individuals treat animals like belongings or worse. My hope is that more people will get learned about this topic.