This page was inspired by Kim Corpening's Grrrrrr! Pet Peeves page. Partial inspiration also came from That Loser Upstair..
Both those pages are now down.. which annoys me too.
I add new entries when I have time to be annoyed..
on December 5th, 1998.
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Comment: In the six years that this page has been up, twice I've gotten hate emails calling me racist along with lots of profane names. I've been called racist against Chinese by an Asian person. This page was written a couple of years back, when I was a bit angrier & annoyed at the world and the people around me. I've mellowed since. I'm going to leave all the text the way it was written originally. I've received many emails telling me they found the page hilarious. Well, I guess I can't please everyone. June 2001 |
Gotta be careful..
Ever borrow a video with the Copy Protection tab still on the tape. Please.. PLEASE.. take the tab off. I'm stuck worrying the whole time I have it that I or someone else will accidentally press RECORD & erase part if it.Type this..
Some people type up something, print it and then erase what they typed. I'm left to RETYPE the whole thing. Why not save the document as a text file and give it to me on a diskette?CAPS LOCK
Can't stand it when PEOPLE TYPE EVERYTHING IN ALL CAPS. I end up retyping everything in small letters. Don't waste my time, please.Hmm.. very nice
What type of ink do they use on the bags that bread comes in that makes it stick to the top of the microwave? I doubt that it's ever going to coming off.I have an addition courtesy of my buddy Chris Rodgers
[Jodeman comment: Thanks for the submissions, Chris!]April 13th, 1998, Subject: Annoyed
Traffic.
Now much can be said about traffic and driving in the city, but the thing I see most which bugs me to no end is the way people make their turns. Left or right. Either way, most people do it WRONG.Signal light? Yeah right. You've got more chance of getting CAA in the middle of a snowstorm. The main thing is this. If you are turning from a two lane, to a two lane, stay in the same lane after your turn! Left lane to left lane, right lane to right.
But no. There's buddy turning right and immediately cruising across the boulevard to the farthest left lane he can find. No signal at all. The worst part is that HE THINKS HE'S DOING IT RIGHT. Wrongo.
Closer please..
When taking group photos, I like to stand as close to the other person taking the photo as possible. I've seen two people taking the same group photo standing about eight feet apart. The result is, half the people in the photo are looking at one camera & half the people are looking at the other.May I *click*
People who don't leave phone messages should get a good slap in the head! Ever have someone say, "No it's okay.. I'll call back." & get all flustered when you ask them for their name? What's the big secret? I hate it when I walk in & hear, "Someone called for you but didn't leave their name." Oh.. okay then."May I take a messa.. *click*" Guess not.
It takes HOW LONG?
About those 1-hour photo development places.. They can develop your film in one hour but it's less expensive "if you get the 5-day development". I'm not all that impressed with the quality of the developments from some of these places. Quite a few photos/reprints are underexposed or overexposed or have dust noise when you get your photos back. An alternative.. you can submit your film at certain pharmacies, who in turn send them out for developing. It's 50% cheaper ($9 as opposed to $18) than the 1-hour places & I can get the film back the following day. Reprints will take about 10 days but that's bearable.When I was in Taiwan a few years back, they had a 1/2 hour development place. It was the best that I've ever seen. It was a very popular place to bring photos for development & reprinting. One time, I stood in line to give my negatives in for reprints. I needed to get 360 reprints from a dozen rolls of negatives for friends. The total time it took for them to have it ready for me was 2 hours despite the fact that they had dozens of other people also submitting negatives for reprints. Total cost was $18 Canadian. That averages out to 5 cents/reprint. Here, the cheapest reprint price that I've been able to find is 45 cents/reprint.
90%.. 91%.. *click*
I was downloading a 5.6 meg program that took about 50 minutes on a 28.8 modem. At 90% downloaded, the computer hung on me & I had to abort the download.Zap.. Ouch..!
My friend, Mike, used to turn off his computer by pulling the plug out of the wall. I saw him do this while still in Windows. Believe me, it's more painful to see it than read about it. He had about 2 megabytes of lost allocation units when I did a CHKDSK. Significantly faster afterwards.Ack.. Cough..
Ever have food go down the wrong way & choke on a tiny grain of rice?Mosquito Season!
Ever see a mosquito & then have imaginary mosquitos bother you for the next half hour?Uh.. where's the rest of it?
In commercials, bags of chips are unwrinkled & bursting with chips. When you buy a bag, it's half empty. Why's the bag so big when it contains so little chips? In fast food places, burgers are half the size of the ones in the pictures. In the pictures, there are thick tomatoes, crisp lettuce, thick buns & juicy hamburger pattie. When you get the burger, it looks like it's been squished flat by the minimum-wage employee who's working her first day on the job. Inside is a dry hamburger patty you can choke on covered with two end pieces of pickle, tomato thins, lettuce scraps, a ton of onions & a token squirt of ketchup. The ketchup mixes with the tomato to make pink goo. Mmmmmmm boy, I'm hungry now. No names mentioned but their initials are BK. One time, a friend of mine saw the girl behind the counter at BK's coMpetition blow the froth off the top of the soft drink.They're not all bad, tho'. There is a Valentines hot dog place near work where Tommy & I used to go for lunch.. (cause we're too lazy to go that extra 2 minutes to Carrefour Laval & also cause Jennifer works there. *ahem*). She piled on all the toppings & packed them neatly up. Whereas, when we first went there.. the hot dogs were mushed up with, as Tommy calls it, fingerprints. It's nice when they know what you're going to order before you even order. As soon as we went up to order, "Let me guess.. the same thing that you ordered yesterday & the day before that?" "Deux hot dogs.. all-dressed.. Quatre hot dogs.. avec de ketchup, mayonnaise et d'oignon?" You got it..
The annoying ones are the new employees who are afraid of getting fired. They're afraid that if they put too much topping on that the boss will get on their case about wasting. The result? Sometimes they'll put the topping on (ie. on a submarine sandwich) & realize that it's a bit too much. They will actually pick some up & put it back. Unbelievable. Some places really pile on everything. Those places have more repeat customers.
Yer feet tired or what?
What compels teens to put their feet up on seats every time when they're on the buses or subways? Or how about one teen sitting sideways in one double seat & another in front also sitting sideways thus taking up two seats. Even when I was their age, I never took up two seats by sitting sideways. It just looks stupid. Oh.. you're cool? I didn't realize. So sorry..Sometimes they're so cool that they don't even need to use their hands. I'm talking about when they open doors by kicking them open, using their feet to drag chairs over, etc. The best is when you see them jumping over subway turnstiles instead of going through them like a normal person.
Male teens of a certain ethnic group tend to sit on public buses with their legs spread wide open effectively taking up a seat & a half.. almost two seats. I know that when there's one empty seat next to me, the guy'll more often than not try to spread out as much as possible to minimize the space that I have. Nowaday, I spread out also but not to the extent that they do.. just enough to get a few inches of space for myself.
I understand where they're coming from. As teens, adults tend to treat them like they're not important. I've seen senior citizens snap, push & yell at them if they even lightly brush by them & have apologized. Anger causes anger. Prejudice causes prejudice. Compound the prejudgement they get as a teen with being a visible minority, you get an angry teen who's got to show the world that he's in control by marking his space. More than once, I've said, "Excuse me." The guy, with all his friends around him, has to show that he's cool by not moving at all. When I try to force/squeeze my way through, he'd suck air through his teeth & act like he's super inconvenienced. Geez, man.. you're real cool. You act like that & expect others to treat you with respect. Get real. Get that chip off your shoulders & show some common courtesy.
I can't see!
Last week, on the bus ride home, a screw on my glasses popped off as I got up to get off. Since I was getting off within 10-15 seconds, I didn't have time to search for it.I still have to shovel
I remember back in the 80s, when the city cleared the snow.. afterwards there was no more snow. The streets were clean. Nowadays, after they passed by, they'd leave a big pile left behind. It's like the snow removal tractor drove two feet away from the sidewalk.. leaving all snow within that area behind for next time so they'd get paid for clearing what they left behind.I've had a few additions courtesy of WyndSongz@aol.com
[Jodeman comment: Thanks for the submissions, Nance!]March 11th, 1997, Subject: what annoys me :)
- When someone (wont mention my sister) starts to tell me a funny joke and COMPLETELY forgets the punch line !!!! :)
- Why is it if the laundry basket is on the left, people feel then need to drop it slightly right onto the floor.....is it they like to see me bend over daily :)
- If you have had a cup of coffee & need more.... like in less than 5 minutes..... do you REALLY need a new clean mug??? hehhehe... was kinda thinking, I should wait for them to put it down... knowing they will be getting more... & placing it in the #1 spot of the cabinet so they use it again unbeknownst to them :) sneaky I know :)
- Why is it when the dog sees me he wants to eat???? Does he too have this obsession with seeing me bend over???? & why is it he cant wait til I move before he lunges at the bowl??? Its not like I am going to get down & eat it before he has a chance :) AAAAHHH!!!!!!
To Salt or Not to Salt?
Ever see someone cover their food with salt & pepper before they've tasted it? Would you like some mashed potatoes with your pepper, sir? You know you've put too much when the waitress walks by & comments that "That's dis-GUST-ing!"Are your temples cold or what?
I've seen a few people walk around with those big headphones covering their temples instead of their ears. Is that supposed to be cool? Do they have any idea how stupid that looks?Those Teddy Bear backpacks
Like, what's the deal? I can understand elementary school level children carrying those teddy bear (or other animal) backpacks but teens (or older)?Catching the 'after school' bus
If you've ever caught the first public bus that passes by right after school lets out, you know what I mean. It's jam packed with teenagers.. half of whom are yelling & there's no room at all to stand. Often, I'd see every single seat filled with a teenager. When an elderly person gets on.. not a single person offers to give up his/her seat.My friend Gary brought this to my attention. Ever notice when an elderly person gets on a bus or subway, half the people are either too embarrased to stand up to offer their seat or don't want to. Instead, they pretend to be asleep, dozing off or reading. It's true!
I don't care if it's another language, get it right!
I remember seeing "That Thing You Do" some time ago with Cindi. At the point in the movie when the band meets Tom Hanks' character.. I see the wallpaper in the background of that "Chinese" restaurant.. ALL the Chinese characters are REVERSED! *shaking my head* In one TV movie version of McGyver, the Chinese characters on a big sign over a store are UPSIDE DOWN! *argh* Another upside down sighting was on a Chinatown episode of Poltergeist, The Legacy. Get it right already! In an episode of Home Improvement, neighbour Wilson quotes Tim an 'old Chinese proverb'.. "Chhnng nngj gnoc gnung.. etc" I know enough Cantonese & Mandarin to know that it means nothing.When I hear stuff like, "Ching Chong.. or njing njong cheeong.. etc", I tend to ignore it. It's usually spoken by teenajerks [© Ramin 1995] or kidiots [© Jodeman 1996] who learn it from their friends or hear their parents say it. Some time ago, I figured out where "njing njong cheeong.." came from. It was brought back from the Vietnam War by soldiers who fought over there. From what I've heard, Vietnamese sounds somewhat similar to it. Since all Asian people look alike to most Cauc-Asians, they use their broken Vietnamese to make fun of all people of Asian descent.
"Aaaah... Soooo!". Don't even get me started! *shaking my head* Remember back in Elementary School this little tune? "Chinese people never swear! Ah-so.. ah-so!". Yeah, whatever.
I remember back in high school, someone once asked me, "What does this mean? *@$#" It means nothing, you idiot!
"Let's go out for Chinese"
I've noticed that CaucAsians are always ordering the same things when they go "eat Chinese" (as heard in the movie Single White Female). BTW.. it's eating Chinese FOOD.. not "eating Chinese". Whenever I hear someone I know say it, I respond with "Let's go eat Cauc-Asian instead." I've noticed that they almost always order egg rolls, won ton soup, hot & sour soup, lobster, moo goo guy pan (whatever that is), kung pao chicken (not sure what that is either), egg foo young (I'll have to ask someone about this dish), fried rice, sweet & sour spareribs, & a few others which I don't remember right now. When Chinese people go out for dinner, they always get a meal consisting of 4-10 dishes & it's shared among everyone at the table. It is more filling & tasty. Also, it's MUCH more cheaper than if everyone gets their own dish. I've observed other tables of Cauc-Asians eating in Chinese Restaurants. What has me shaking my head is seeing ONE PERSON order an entire plate of sweet & sour spareribs FOR HIMSELF.. while two others at the table EACH order a 'birds nest' dish (fried nest made from potato/taro strips w/scallops, snowpeas, shrimp, beansprouts & others.) It's true! I've seen this!A whole plate of sweet & sour spareribs for himself. Egads.. that's gross. Another annoying thing is seeing people put soy sauce on white rice AFTER it's cooked & served in front of them. My friend Gary told me of one time he went to Dim Sum with some non-Asian friends & that's what happened. My friend, Tony does that also. Just the thought of it makes me shudder. *shudder* See?
Aside from pouring soy sauce on their white rice... another thing that sets them apart from everyone else is the bowl of chili paste next to them.. which is usually finished by the time dinner is completed. I'll dip my chopsticks into the small bowl of chili paste but they virtually cover their food with it. HELLO? I think they're missing the point of going to Dim Sum. You can't taste the food.. just the chili paste. I've seen friends do this in Mexican restaurants also. If you want spicy.. go to a Thai or Mexican restaurant, for crying out loud. I can't stand it when I see people covering all their food with hot pepper sauce or chili paste. What's the use of eating the food if they can't taste the flavour? Why don't they forget the damn food & just ask the waiter for a soup bowl of tobasco & a spoon? Eesh.. Someone was telling me about their incredible chili & about how spicy it was. Missing the point again? I like to taste my food. Can't taste it if all that's in there are jalapeno peppers mixed with tobasco, cheyenne pepper, etc.
My friend, Harv, once told me of a customer at the Chinese restaurant where he once worked who said, "This soup doesn't taste right!" It was exactly how it was supposed to taste. Why bother trying something new when you're going to complain that it 'tastes funny'.. or 'not right'?
When you order something from the menu.. make sure that it's exactly what you want! Don't call the waiter over later & say that "This isn't what I ordered." when it's prepared & placed in front of you. Another time, I saw a guy confidantly order a dish without using the menu. About 15 minutes later, when the dish arrives, I see him talking to the waiter followed a few minutes later by the chef. Apparently, it wasn't what he ordered even though it was.
"Wow.. this is pretty good!" Then they're told what they're eating & they slowly put their fork down & make a disgusted look on their face.
Elaine brought it to my attention that the food found at Chinese Buffets are truly what one would call Cauc/Asian food.. as opposed to Real-Asian food.
Here's a good one I once overheard from the next table after the waitress passed by with her Dim Sum cart, "Egg tarts.. egg farts.. *snicker*" Fortune cookie say, "You an idiot."
Oh sure, you can laugh at the waiter with your broken "njing njong cheeong" Vietnamese after he takes your order but you can bet that there are Asians in the room laughing at you when your individual big plate of sweet & sour spareribs arrive.
I'm ignoring you.
Don't even get me started on this. Ever have a waitress or waiter ignore you when you try to get their attention? Pardon me.. I'd like a.. excuse me.. could I have.. *waving* "Just a sec.. *walking away*" I can really see myself leaving them a huge tip at the end of my meal.. NOT! You're left sitting there for 10 mins wondering if anyone's serving that section. There's one waitress that my friends have nicknamed Smiley cause she never smiles. You couldn't pay me to sit in her section. Sometimes I'll do what Frank does. Sit there and time how long it takes from the time he walks in till the time he's served.On the other side of the coin is Anette, a former waitress at a bar (where I go to now & then). Whenever I was there, I tried to sit in her section. Usually, as soon as I sat down, she was there to take my order. Even if her shift was over, she'd pass by to say "Hi, how are you?" & ask if I'd been served yet. If not, then she'd find the server & bring him/her over to take my order. It's a small gesture but it goes a long way. It's was a pleasure to be served by her. She doesn't work there anymore. She now works at Reubens during the day. With work keeping me busy, I've never had the opportunity to pass by for a Smoked Meat sandwich.
Some storekeepers are good at ignoring people. One time, I was walking down the street to the post office to mail a letter. I passed a grocery store run by some Arab guy. In the window was a sign that they sold stamps. I thought to myself, "Great.. it will save me the trouble of standing in line at the post office." I walked up to the counter & the Arab guy virtually ignored me until he finished what he had to say to his friend. Well.. thank you very much for the stamps. I'm never going there again.
Like my friend Ramin says.. one nice word & I might've become a "Snapple Customer". By his definition, is a customer who might stop by every so often & buy a Snapple or something. Every little sale adds up to quite a bit of money by the end of the year. This guy.. by ignoring me until he could finish a conversation with a friend has virtually ensured that I'll never set foot in his store again.
Ever look around a department store for something but can't find it. You look around for a clerk to help you. There are a few but they're "busy" talking on the phone, stocking or on their way to another part of the store. You know they saw you but are just ignoring you by trying to look busy.
Customer Courtesy? What's that?
Not long ago, I brought a roll of film to the local pharmacy for development. There were two people behind the counter. One was serving a customer while the other one was slowly sorting packages of photos. Sorting (?!?).. while there were 4-5 people in line along with me.The employees in this particular pharmacy have done nothing to impress me. Another time, my sister went there to purchase some Band-Aids. She was in line with only two customers in front of her. The first customer had some unpriced detergent. It took almost 5 mins to find out the price of that. The next customer in front of her also had an un-marked item that took almost as long to find out the price of. Once that customer finally left, the cashier immediately put up the NEXT CASHIER sign saying "We're closed." Her shift was not over.. the cash was "closed" because it was her LUNCH TIME. Oooh.. just let them try that on me.. I half hope that it does happen.
Where's my program?
Someone changes the wiring on the VCR to watch the 6pm news & neglects to change them back afterwards. Later on that evening, I come home to nothing but 3 hours of fuzz.. including part 2 of a made-for-TV movie. *grumble*The server's down
Ever have the server go down as you were in the middle of wrapping up a multi-screen e-mail? *sigh*I can see his face..
About a year & a half ago, my friend Rick & I were having a conversation & somehow the topic of Three's Company popped up. We were trying to remember the name of the surfer dude chef that worked in Jack's Bistro. When someone finally told me, it was like a monkey hopped of my back. Recently, they mentioned Three's Company on the radio & I realized that I'd forgotten the chef's name yet again. *argh* Rick, with his abundant knowledge of old tv facts, remembered that his name was "E-Z".. pronounced ee-zee. *whew* (Told you it was an 'easy name', Sia.) *grin*I have no more change
I needed 51 cents to buy a stamp. I only had 50 cents in change.. so I had to break a $5 bill.Just 5 more minutes
I woke up.. looked at the clock.. & went back to sleep for another 10 minutes or so. I woke up two hours later. *argh*Please hold..
I was put on hold when I called VISA. I must have been on hold for 15-20 mins. Every 3-4 minutes, an electronic voice would break in during the 'elevator music' to tell me an operator will be with me promptly.An episode of FRIENDS had Phoebe on hold for 3 days with an electronic voice saying she was the 'next caller'.
Where's my mug?
Don't you hate looking all over the place for a mug? Later you find it in the the microwave & realize you forgot to take it out when you last warmed up your coffee.Mooch
There's nothing more annoying than a mooch. Back when I was at Dawson College, I knew a guy named Glenn. This was a guy who bought as few textbooks as possible.. preferring to borrow from others.. EVEN IF the book only cost $4. The worst was trying to get notes or textbooks back from Mooch two days before a test. Kiran once said, "If I'm not finished with my book, he's NOT getting it." Well said, Kiran! Lend Mooch money & you'll never see it again. "I'll pay you back next week." As you know, next week never arrives. This was a one-way friendship. Mooch borrowed.. freeloaded rather.. books, notes, locker space, occasional money from me. Did I ever borrow anything from him? NO.. for the simple reason that he had nothing to offer that I was interested in or needed. I've caught him in more than one lie.Mooch seemed okay when I first met him. About a year later, I heard from a girl that he liked at the time that he considered me one of his best friends. Let's just say, at that point, I couldn't stand the guy & hated his guts. I just wanted that parasite out of my life. Easier said than done but I managed it. Over the years, I've run into Mooch once or twice. Each time, he gave me his phone number & asked.. TOLD me to call him. He never heard from me. I saw Mooch on the street last year. Luckily, he didn't see me. That's one friendship I have no intention of ever renewing.
Taking taxis
Isn't it annoying when you're the only one who has to take a taxi after a get-together at someone's house cause all the other cars have no more room? *t-ching-CHING* Was that a cash register I just heard? I think, next time, driving will be cheaper than another $16 taxi ride home. That's $16 after I took a bus downtown before taking a taxi.Sorry.. "Residents only"
Driving's cheaper unless, of course, it's another "residents only" parking spot. Then, I'd end up with another $40 ticket like one I recieved last year.Call-Waiting
I can go the whole day without logging on. Yet, less than 5 minutes after logging on.. call-waiting always strikes. I have just long enough to read one screen of e-mail before I find myself answering the phone. After hanging up, I'm always greeted with a busy signal when I try to call back.Some habits become second nature
Some time ago, I realized just how much of a modem-geek I was. I'd turned on the computer to type a document in Windows. It wasn't until I heard my modem connect that I realized I'd logged on out of habit without intending to.Confirming a meeting.
This is an old annoyance but I've just remembered it so I'll add it now. One of the most annoying moments occured a few years ago. The night before, I'd arranged to meet someone for lunch. A place to meet was set. I arrived a little early cause that's how I am. Well.. I waited & waited.. & waited my standard half hour. I stuck around a little longer cause it was a definte meeting. Aaaaanyway.. to make a long frustrating story short.. the meeting never happened. I talked to that person later on & she said something I'll never forget or understand: "If we don't confirm THAT day.. then don't show up." (.. without calling me up to cancel BTW.) I can't believe that a person would actually say something like that.I'm still in awe of that statement even as I type this. Basically, it says.. I'll be there unless something else comes along. It's inconcievable for me to say something like that. It's not in my nature. If I say, I'll be somewhere.. I'll be there. I may be a bit late occasionally.. but I will show up. You could probably count the fingers on one hand the number of times I've stood someone up. I just don't. If I can't make it, I'll call & let them know. If I can't reach them, I'll try my best to show up.
Lpage's free guestbooks
Have you taken advantage of www.Lpage.com's free guestbook? If you have, then you'll know how frustrating having one can be. They upgraded their system to make it faster & easier for the guestbook owners. Well, it hasn't worked. If anything, it made having a free guestbook more frustrating.Every time they test new software or upgrade some hardware, they "back up" all the data. I don't know what sort of back up system they use but often guestbook entries & sometimes entire guestbooks are corrupted to the point that the entries/guestbooks are lost forever. Often, the guestbook will go down without warning. On occasion, everyone has had to re-register their guestbooks again.. with only a "Sorry for the inconvenience." as consolation. Do they use 10-year old floppies to backup or what? They also archive entries without warning. You log on & find no signings.
Some time ago, I decided to download a copy of my most recent guestbook once every week or so. That way, if.. WHEN lpage goes down without warning again, I'll have a copy of the guestbook entries before they're lost forever. Any new entries, I transfer to my "Old guestbook". I've lost a few entries cause I didn't download them in time but almost all the guestbook entries can be found in my "Old guestbook".
Pardon me.. coming thru.
Why do some people stand in the middle of a busy stairwell to carry on a conversation? There's a constant flow of people going up & down the stairs. Still, these people don't realize that people are doing their best to squeeze through while they're yakking away."Oh.. I know this song.. who sang it again?"
It's annoying when I hear an interesting song or a familiar song that I don't know the song of. It's usually a while before I find out the title & the artist who sings it.ATM machines
Don't you just hate Automatic Teller Machines that don't have any bills less than $20? I can't speak for others but when I take out $20.. eventually I'll spend the whole $20.Aaaaaaw.. Poor baby..
If you're going to be depressed or moody.. do it as far away from me as possible please. Leave me out of this. I'm feeling pretty good. I don't need unnecessary negativity bringing me down. There's one person I hadn't talked to in months. Last time I talked to her, not 1 minute had passed before she started complaining. It's people like that that I dedicate this entire page to.People can't drive!
I can't stand it when drivers drive in a lane clearly marked as left turns only & then try to cut in while roaring through the intersection. A woman did just that earlier today. She was roaring out of the 'left only' lane & tried to push me out of my lane. Well.. as it should.. she had to slow down & cut in behind me. There was no way I'd any room to go anywhere. Only choices were for her to plow into me or have me move & plow into the car in the lane to my right or have her slow down.Usually, when I see drivers who make especially 'bright' (note the sarcasm) actions on the road, I give them a big thumbs-up.. as if saying "Way to go, genius!". This time, I felt I had to roll down my window & then give her the big thumbs-up she so deserved. Hey.. saves me from getting angry & getting an ulcer. *grin*
I remember this one bright moron who was in the Turn-Left lane at a traffic light. He was going straight. I missed the light when this idiot didn't move.
People can't park either!
Some people just can't park if their life depended on it. I'm mainly talking about those geniuses who take up more than one parking space.. effectively leaving just enough room that no car can park in the mostly empty space.Meanwhile.. other winners like to park by easing their bumper so close that less than one inch separates you from their car just so they won't have to pay for a parking meter. That's what happened to me when I helped Debbie & Mike move last summer. I half hoped a cop would stop & give him a ticket while I'm was watching & laughing.
[Jodeman comment: Thanks for the addition, Fred!]
Date: Mon, 07 Apr 1997 19:54:56 -0700
From: Fred Bulback [fred@okanagan.net]
Subject: AnnoyancesTo add to your "People can't park either" section in "Things That Annoy Me", the thing that really annoys me are people who park in areas clearly marked "No Parking". Can't they read? Or perhaps they just don't understand what the words mean. Some attempt to justify it by saying that it's just for a moment. Please. No parking means no parking. Period (except for emergency vehicles). I wish these guys would just get a clue.
-Fred Bulback
www.okanagan.net/users/fred
That's me.. Mr. Chauffeur.
Ever have people expect a lift? I used to play the role of chauffeur.. often. Nowadays, I'll decide at the very last moment whether I'll use the car or get a lift from someone. By the last minute, most people have found their own modes of transportation to the destination so it's safe to take the car without having to drive all over the city picking people up. Once upon a time, I wouldn't have minded doing it.. but after a while I ended up being expected to be a shuttle to & fro. If I said "No".. I'd get half an hour or more of pursuasion to drive. Like.. leave me alone, already!Nowadays, on the rare occasion that I offer someone a lift, it means that I really don't mind. When I say, "I'll pick you up.", it means that I'm willing to do so. It's when people take advantage of that offer that I start to get annoyed. When you start hearing stuff like, "Oh.. Robert's coming along so we're going to have to pick him up." Now, I don't like to be TOLD when it's too late that WE'RE (I am) going to drop off or pick up someone. After a while, you start to get PRET-ty tired of going to these people's homes to pick them up.
If I've driven you to a party or something.. I prefer to leave with as little hassle as possible. I've taken the courtesy of giving a lift there. When I want to leave, I don't want to hear stuff like "Oh c'mon.. stick around a while longer." or "Don't ruin it for everyone else!" *argh* I'm tired & I want to get home. With or without you, I'm leaving in 5 mins.
Also, if I've been nice enough to offer you a lift somewhere.. it means that I did so cause I wanted to. Don't come to me in the middle of the evening & tell me that you're getting a lift home with someone else cause you "know" I don't like driving people. Yeah, that really shows how much you know & care.
Boy, I love Shopping!
I can't stand it when people walk down the aisle in the shopping centers & cut in front of me. Then they have the nerve to stand there with their cart right in the middle of the aisle.One time, my sister was grocery shopping, she moved her shopping cart right to the side of the aisle allowing plenty of space for traffic to pass. This one woman pushes her cart right behind my sister & then asks her to move even though there was plenty of space to pass. It's not like she wanted an item that the cart was blocking.. she just wanted to keep going. *argh*
Non commital phrases
Stuff like:- "I'll let you know."
- "We'll see."
- "Will do my best."
- "Soon.."
- "I'll call you right back." and/or "I'll call you." (Biggest lies ever.)
- "I want to BUT.." (followed by one of the above..)
There's one person that, once upon a time, I truly wanted to believe what she said to me. Too many non-committal phrases & after a while, my brain refused to believe anything that she had to say even if it WAS what I wanted to hear. There's a limit to my patience. I've never stretched my patience as much for anyone as I did for her. Yet, she still managed to reach my limit & beyond.
If they have no intention of doing something.. just say "No" for crying out loud. It's less annoying to the other person & plain outright disrespectful! No use using phrases like seen above in hopes of not hurting the person's feelings by stringing them along.. It just makes them even more annoyed later on. There's a limit to everyone's patience.
"I'll be there at 4:30pm."
..then that person shows up after 5:00pm & acts like nothing's wrong.As a personal rule, I'll wait half an hour for the other person from the time we're supposed to meet. Often, I'd show up a little early. If the other person says that they'd definitely be there.. I won't mind waiting a little longer. The same with family/friends.. I don't mind waiting longer. There's nothing more annoying then being stood up when the other person said that they'd definitely be there. Later you find out that they called you to cancel (if they call at all).. less than half an hour before you were supposed to meet. Of course, you're not there to answer the phone.
Sometimes, the other person will show up 45 mins late & say, "I showed up but you weren't there." I'm not going to waste my whole day waiting on the slim chance that they might actually show up. I once knew someone who was 2 hours late in meeting his girlfriend. He actually expected her to still be there waiting. Unbelievable. In this guy's case.. I think I might have left after 10 mins. (Jodeman comment: How he ever got a girlfriend in the first place, I'll never know.)
The Answering Machine
Ever get someone's answering machine? Unfortunately, a lot of people don't return messages left on their answering machines. Even friends'll stop leaving messages after a while if a person never returns calls. What's the point of having an answering machine if the you've no intention of ever returning the calls?
"Did you get my message that I left on your machine?"
"Yes.. but I was too busy to return your call."
That's acceptable.. until it happens all the time every single time. After that, you just hope they enjoy hearing the sound of you hanging up the phone without leaving a message. Some people use *69 to find out who just called & hung up while they were standing next to the answering machine screening the call & hung up without leaving a message. Serves them right.. 50 cents each time they *69.
Well.. return people's calls and/or stop screening them & people would stop doing that. I know someone who tries to call people back as soon as he can. Usually as soon as he gets the message. Common courtesy. It's bad enough talking to a machine.
"Surviving"
"Hi, how are you doing?" Response: "Surviving."I have to tell you.. nothing's going to end a conversation quite like this response. I mean.. what are you suppose to say after that? What am I supposed to say? "Uh.. that's good." *end of conversation followed by silence*
Surviving? What? Life really THAT hard? What's with the "Surviving.."?
"How are you?", "Great.. how about yourself?"
This gives a nice opening for conversation. This is the one used often.
Still.. it beats "Surviving".
"How's it going?".. "It goes." *argh*
