Friday, May 22, 2009

Unloading Pet Peeves

...
I know. Yesterday I promised an email about walking my dogs in the neighborhood. But a few bloggers recently posted some of their pet peeves. I love reading about pet peeves because I happen to have so many (and you thought I was such a cool, laid back, easy going person...ha!).

So please, indulge me. Sorry this post doesn't have anything to do with IF, just life. Let me get my peeves off my chest. Here are my pet peeves (in no particular order....they all piss me off equally):

* Drivers who, while in the middle lane, suddenly realize this is their exit/turn. Rather than inconveniencing only themselves by simply continuing on and turning around to find their turn, they interrupt the flow of traffic and impede everyone else around them when they simply elect to come to a dead stop (or slow down significantly if on the freeway), turn on their signal and expect the rest of traffic to accommodate them. This results in people all around them having to suddenly stop/slow down because we can't figure out why some idiot would suddenly stop in moving traffic.

* People who fail to pick up their dog's poop when walking on the street or at a park. They know it's wrong. You see the person shift nervously, pretending not to see as their dog craps on someone's front lawn. How ignorant and irresponsible can they be? It makes me want to follow them, pick up the poo and deposit it on the hood of their car or on their front doorstep.

* Working my way through eight levels of a complicated telephone menu, only to be hung up on.

* People who talk on a cell phone while driving (holding it to their ear) despite the law forbidding it. Seriously, they're everywhere. If California wants to solve it's present budget crisis, I suggest raising the penalty for failing to use hands-free phone devices to $500 per infraction. In a single day crackdown blitz, the cops could raise enough money to put the state back into the black.

* Parents who fail to watch their own kids in public. You know, the kids who crawl under tables at restaurants or the little face that suddenly appears, looking up at you from under the partition wall in a dressing room. Love that. This peeve goes hand in hand with parents who think nothing of allowing their sticky-handed, grimy toddler to climb all over you during a visit. The kid refuses to get off or stay off your lap. I especially love it when a two year old becomes fixated on trying to lift up my shirt.

* Too many cars parked along a residential street and especially neighbors who habitually park in front of my house. This may not bother some people, but we used to have neighbors across the street who had so many vehicles that either they or their company parked a car in front of our house every day. I hated looking out the window to see their oil leaking heap outside my window day in and day out. Fortunately, they moved.

* People who totally help themselves to "taste" bulk bin foods. You know, they and their 4 kids take so many cookies/dried mango slices/chocolate covered peanuts/ [insert anything sold in bulk here] that they won't need to make dinner that night. Hello? Can you say "stealing"?

Oh, the list goes on. I'd love to hear some of your pet peeves.

9 comments:

Alex P said...

1_ people who take the elevator from the first floor to the second floor. WTF? you cant walk ONE flight of stairs? are you KIDDING me? obesity is sweeping the nation, and people wonder why.

2_ people at a busy coffee shop who place their order, and then hover by the bar blocking all the people who are waiting before them from their coffee. or they steal the first latte that hits the bar, assuming its theirs when there are 6 people waiting for a latte before them... Durr.

K said...

Convenient friends - those that only call when they need something, and it's usually disguised as a "How are you doing?" call/coffee date/etc.

K said...

Wow we have the same pet peeves!
ICLW

Lucky Jones said...

I love your pet peeves!! Mine is people who are mean to retailers. Yes, I am in retail, I work for a designer label clothing store and little b*tches come in and pretty much dismiss me as their "help". Be nice to your sales associate, you never know what kind of extra deal you may get ;)

just me, dawn said...

don't even get me started :)
on the poop thing....we had a neighbor once who wouldn't do it....and she let it pile up around her backyard (which was our side/frontyard) and we left notes, even polite ones....but it didn't work, one day i was so fed up, i cleaned it all up and put in a bag and left it on her front porch...amazingly, it worked.

and on your last one....can you say GROSS? usually those folks are also using their fingers not the scoops.

Beautiful Mess said...

Whenever I hear or read about somebody's pet peeves, I AUTOMATICALLY think "OMG do I do THAT?!" And then I start thinking about mine. One of which is being interrupted when having a conversation. By an adult or a child. Hello?! Do you NOT see me talking or listening?! Ahhh much better! Thank you!
*ICLW*

caitsmom said...

People who helpfully wave you through traffic when they have the right of way, but prefer to put you and others in danger because they are being helpful. UGH.

People who stop in a doorway to look around and figure out where they are going. UGH UGH.

Thanks for posting and permitting me to share a couple more of life's little irritations!

ICLW

Anonymous said...

A lot of mine are the same as yours but this one really drives me up the wall:

People who stop walking in the middle of a sidewalk / shopping mall / anywhere that is created specifically for walking... umm hello, if you want to stop move to the side don't just stop abruptly and get pissed when someone slams into you.

Oh and people who walk slowly while blocking everyone from getting past. I’m short, I don’t walk fast but if there’s five of you and you’re taking up the whole walkway at least leave room for someone to get past or move out of the way when I say excuse me – I have things to do and they don’t include spending 15 minutes trapped behind you as you dawdle.

Oh I really could go on and on here :-)

Anonymous said...

oh. my. god.

we have a weird house full of women renting rooms at the end of our street. we usually have a taxi in front of our house! the variety of cars and their leaks...ug! i FEEL your pain on that one, sister!

xoxo