Thursday, November 6, 2008

Stay OUT Of My Way!

Everyone has pet peeves, things that people do or say that just grrrrrrrrrrrrATE on their nerves. Everyone's pet peeves are different, which makes it easier for all of us to annoy each other, of course, but I'm realizing that I have some doozies.

Top Ten Pet Peeves:

#10 I hate it when people park in a handicapped spot when they shouldn't.
This was a major irritation to me last year when the moms at Little Miss's preschool would park in the handicapped spots -- including the ones that weren't spots because they were all whited out to give the handicapped people enough room to get in and out -- because they were closer to the sidewalk. And they'd do this even before other spots were filled. And they'd do this even though parking on the street would actually have them closer to the door. Fortunately, we're at a different preschool this year, and my blood pressure thanks me for it. But I still see it periodically elsewhere.

#9 Today's version of screwball comedies.
Did we have stupid movies when I was growing up? Sure, Spaceballs made no sense. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was stupid. The Vacation movies were totally campy. Caddyshack was a bit over the top. But they were good clean fun.

Now? Honestly, I can't even bring myself to go watch the comedies today. They're vulgar and potty humor. And those are the good points. Really, can't we be clever without resorting to this? Have we sunk so low?

#8 Hotels that don't have sleep timers on their flippers.
I know you aren't supposed to read in bed, and I know you aren't supposed to watch tv in bed -- something about it making it hard to fall asleep or something. But I do this every night. It's my way of unwinding. I read a newspaper or magazine or -- if I'm really lucky -- a book while having the Food Network on in the background. When I'm relaxed enough for sleep, I turn off the light and set down the magazine. The tv goes off on its own, and I listen to it somewhat as I fall asleep.

Except if I'm in a hotel that doesn't have a sleep timer on the flipper. Or worse yet, it has a button for the sleep timer but the button doesn't function. Then I'm stuck with the tv on. Sometime in the middle of the night, I have to wake up enough to turn it off and then manage to fall back asleep. Really, this has been a standard function on tvs for decades. Why can't hotels all have it, too?

#7 Tin foil and plastic wrap.
I'm left-handed, and did you know that both of those items are made for right-handed people? Seriously, go try to rip off a sheet of either using your left hand to rip and right hand to hold the box. Go ahead, I'll wait.

See, it just ripped into an ugly crumpled up mess, didn't it? I finally learned how to do it right-handed, but it feels so wrong! Would it really be that hard to make it work both-handed?

#6 Grammatical errors, especially the simple ones.
I know it's been a long time since fifth grade English, but certain things drive me batty.

Its is a possessive pronoun. It's is a contraction of the words it is. They are not interchangeable.

Compliment is when you say something nice to a person. Complement is when something goes well with or improves upon something else. Totally different. Ketchup cannot compliment a hot dog (and not only because ketchup and hot dogs should never meet) because it can't talk.

Incentivize is not a word. Incentification is not a word. Incentivize is not a word.

And I'll spare you the lecture. Most of you don't write for the paper I read that has grammatical errors strewn about it.

#5 People who gloat when they win.
I remember learning about playing games fairly when I was just a small child. Do I like winning? Heck yeah. I also like playing the game again, which means that I don't rub it in people's faces when I win. Or take it too seriously when I lose, for that matter.

The people who play in my husband's baseball league have forgotten that rule. There is a guy who was tossed from the league last year from threatening bodily harm to an ump one too many times. And the cursing and helmet tossing that goes on? You'd think it was life or death. I see examples of this all the time, and it really saddens me.

Read between the lines if you will, but if you can't win nicely no one wants to play with you, and that's a really lonely life. And not healthy for the greater community.

#4 My husband's driving.
Ok, so this may be a common one, I'll admit.

When he sees a red light ahead, does he slow down? Nooooo, he keeps going at the same rate of speed and then has to jerk to a stop. Guess how he starts up from a stop!

The left lane is his home, regardless of how quickly he is going in relation to others or how few people are on the road. It's illegal (see pet peeve #10) and it's just not a good idea in general. And he refuses to admit that it's illegal to drive in the left lane when not passing. It is. I looked it up.

Oh, and he doesn't use a turn signal when "there aren't others who need to know" in his mind or come to a full stop if there aren't other cars around. When the wee ones are in the car, I feel it's important to follow the letter of the law so that they pick up on good driving habits and are safer drivers as they get older. *sigh*

#3 What happened to a good, old-fashioned turn signal?
There's a light near my house where the smaller road turns onto the municpal highway. The sounthbound part of the road mostly has people turning left but some who go straight. They get a left arrow to start the signal. The northbound people tend to go both left, right and straight. And when I come northbound wanting to turn left to get to my house, I have people approaching the intersection who appear to be going straight, and so I wait since I don't want to crash into someone else. Suddenly the car veers to its left and *gasp* turns. Silly me for waiting. Why would I expect notification that it would be safe for me to turn.

#2 Finger and toe nail clipping freak me out.
Seriously, it's like nails on a chalkboard. It actually hurts me to hear that noise. And do you want to know how often I go to work and hear people sitting in their little areas clip clip clipping away? First, it's completely inappropriate and just plain gross to do personal grooming while sitting at your desk working, but second dude, everyone can hear you. ICK!

And you wonder why my husband has the sole finger and toenail clipping responsibilities for the wee ones. And he has to do it upstairs in the bathroom. With the door closed. And the fan on. And I need to be in the basement.

#1 Why does Little Miss feel the need to poop in her pants?
She's potty trained. She's totally potty trained and has been for months. Back in August or so, we were having a little issue with it where she'd leave streaks in her underwear. We resolved it. My husband of course tried bribing her with candy which meant she asked for candy morning noon and night -- not that I predicted this or anything, so I nipped that in the bud -- and came down on the mean mommy strategy of Little Miss who KNOWS to ask and is totally potty trained loses two favorite toys when she poops in her underwear. If she finishes in the potty, she earns one back. It worked beautifully, and she's been totally fine since.

Ok, until Tuesday morning when there was not just a streak in her night time Pull-Up but a full on poop. She was ver sad and told me that she'd called for me in the night but that I hadn't come. I felt sorry for her and said it was ok. Tuesday after nap? Another full poop in the Pull-Up. Tuesday night after dinner? ANOTHER one. Today when my mom got her home from daycare? Yep. And then forty-five minutes later playing in the basement? Uh-huh. Needless to say, my dresser is a little full right now, and her bedroom is looking more empty.

Why, oh WHY, has she decided that it's ok to poop in her pants? She knows what she's doing, and she knows to ask. Here's hoping my little chat with her tonight helps the issue -- and the chat was a positive one about how she knows how to do this and can just ask for help.

So how about you? What are your biggest pet peeves?

26 comments:

Melissa November 6, 2008 at 8:35 AM  

Great list.... but I am the TOTAL opposite when it comes to nail clippings... I enjoy it; as a matter of fact, my kid's barely get any nail growth and I whip out the clippers!!

KatieZ November 6, 2008 at 9:46 AM  

This is great! And I totally agree on the clipping thing. Check out my Top 10. I list Nail Biting!

♥ Braja November 6, 2008 at 10:38 AM  

OH boy don't get me started! I've got one today, and it's been buggin' me for a few days: parents who REFUSE to NOT tell their children to STOP INTERRUPTING when adults are speaking. Grrrrrr.

Kelly November 6, 2008 at 11:58 AM  

Great list! Check mine out!

Michelle November 6, 2008 at 12:05 PM  

I swear "they" hand out handicap stickers to people with hang nails these days.

The other day a woman parked in the handicapped spot in front of the store, jumped out and ran into the store. Some how she thought that having Grandma sitting in the front seat means she can park in the handicap spot. Grrr!

Anonymous November 6, 2008 at 1:01 PM  

Great list! I am with you on the foil and plastic wrap or for that matter anything meant for a right handed person, I am also a lefty and I agree using my right hand for tasks sometimes feels wrong. I also get annoyed with potato peelers and scissors that are only meant for righties. AND I TOTALLY get what you mean about the being potty trained and the act of pooping in the pants. I have the same exact problem right now with my 3yr old daughter, it is very frustrating.

Michelle November 6, 2008 at 1:45 PM  

Melissa - Ohhhh! You can come cut my wee ones' nails then. Just make sure I'm not around. My husband has started falling down on the job lately, and filing doesn't work so well on little nails!

KatieZ - Welcome! Oh, nail biting is one of mine, too. And Mister Man bites his some. I think he's like me that he hates the unevenness and imperfections that occur and tries to clean them up with his teeth (which doesn't work of course). It took me a LONG time to break that habit. I'll stop by after work today (or tomorrow!).

Braja - Welcome! Oh yes, that's another good one. I had the reverend at my house on Tuesday and the window guy here last night, and the wee ones kept coming over and wanting to talk to me. I kept sending them away but still felt bad. But the parents who don't even try.... I get it!

Kelly - Thanks! I will (again after work tonight or tomorrow).

Michelle - It feels that way sometimes, doesn't it? And do you realize you're the first Michelle besides me to EVER comment? How weird! I should have listed a second pet peeve of people who drag around the handicapped and leave them in the car (see Desperate Housewives episode) thinking that justifies the handicapped sticker. NO no no no!

Serenity - Welcome! And thanks. I actually gave up try to cut anything for a long time and made my husband do it. I finally found a pair of good (read: expensive) scissors that work left-handed. And I buy the peelers that are horizontal instead of vertical because I CANNOT do the "regular
" ones -- not that my mom believes me. She still thinks I was just trying to get out of work! I'm glad I'm not the only one with that issue, because guess what I found when Little Miss got home from preschool today? *sigh*

Sam November 6, 2008 at 1:57 PM  

great peeves!! It would appear that peeves are popular this week - clearly we all have a few things that we need to get off our chests!!!

Angela November 6, 2008 at 4:33 PM  

Loved the list! And thanks for thinking of me - I definitely appreciate it! We're hanging in. Hoping for some better days here soon and trying to keep a better attitude in the meantime!

I have tons of pet peeves (or grrrrrrs as Mike Straka has taught me to call them) that I will add just as soon as I can type a little more often! :-) Meanwhile, I'm totally with you on the grammmar issues (it's the English major in me) and today's slate of what passes for comedy movies. Hubby thinks they are hysterical. I just think they are pathetic. GRRRR!!!

Gina November 6, 2008 at 6:33 PM  

So with you on 10, 6, 5, 4 & 3. Especially the handicapped spot (especially since my husband was handicapped for a while and needed those spots), and OH LORD, the husband's driving - it's AWFUL!

J Cosmo Newbery November 6, 2008 at 7:31 PM  

Good list. Glad I'm not the only one who can't fathom the attraction of today's "humour". I see some of the trailers and ads and there is nothing in them that makes me want to see the show. (And I assume that they have picked the best bits out for the ads!).

Karen November 6, 2008 at 8:32 PM  

Wow, there's a lot to digest here. First off, being right handed, I didn't realize it was such a "rightie" world. My apologies to all the lefties out there.

Turn signals, my husband's driving, and grammatical errors all rub me the wrong way, too. GAH!

But as for Little Miss, I have nothing. Sorry.

Michelle November 6, 2008 at 9:57 PM  

Sam - Welcome! I agree. We need to get things off our chests, and much better here than elsewhere, right?

Angela - Good to hear from you, and here's hoping you get some good answers soon! Good to know I'm not the only one on the movies. Some of my friends end up talking about how they love them when I couldn't even bring myself to walk into the theater. Judging without knowing, yes, but I'm ok with not knowing!

Gina - Phew! And here I thought I'd be the only one with issues on my husband's driving ;) Good thing he doesn't read the blog, eh?

J Cosmo Newbery - Welcome! That's exactly what worries me!! If the "best" is so stupid and gross, what's the rest of the movie like?

Karen - Yeah, it really isn't something that you'd think about if you aren't left-handed. For the most part, you adjust (e.g., I can't iron or peel potatoes or carrots so I get out of those jobs!). And the weird thing? My husband and I are both leftys... Mister Man is a righty. How do we teach him ANYthing?

Meaghan November 6, 2008 at 11:16 PM  

I so agree with #1 it bothers me beyond belief. I would rather walk a mile than park in a handicap spot for even one quick second! its a terrible thing to do

Sandra November 7, 2008 at 12:07 AM  

Soooo, you don't dig Tom Selleck huh? Good! More of him for ME!!

I think he is the most handsome man alive.. next to my hubby.

Great post! Inventive!

Especially the grammatical errors!!!
I feel your pain!

Michelle November 7, 2008 at 8:22 AM  

Meaghan - I'm so with you. And it's good to know that I'm not the only one!

Saundra - Well, he's not my favorite, but I wouldn't turn him down. And I'll never understand the plethora of errors in the newspaper. Especially the ones where the story just cuts off in the middle of a sentence.... Thanks for stopping by!

Vanessa November 7, 2008 at 9:18 AM  

Great list! Ok, your #1 is my #1 if I had chosen the Pet Peeves! My daughter is going through the EXACT same thing. She is actually able to go the whole night without a Pull Up, pees in the potty with no problem, but the pooping is always in the pants! She actually went into the bathroom the other day and instead of pooping in the potty, went in her panties. I am about to lose my mind. Between my baby's diapers and her, I'm up to my ears in poop. At least now I know I'm not the only one! Here's to hoping (for both of us) that this ends soon! :)

Cookie November 7, 2008 at 10:37 AM  

Too funny! Whenever a car doesn't use a turn signal, my husband always commnents, "Wow! Look that expensive car doesn't come with a turn signal."

And one more thing that drives me batty is when you hear ads on the radio or TV saying, "Save up to 50% or more!" Well, which is it? do you save up to 50% or do you save more than 50%????

Mom November 7, 2008 at 12:55 PM  

I am with you on the clickers, the husbands driving (mine) and the nail clippings all of them irritate me equally, have a good weekend

Michelle November 7, 2008 at 5:59 PM  

Vanessa - Hey, at least you go through the night without Pull-Ups! We're in Pull-Ups at night and she doesn't even try to hold it in the morning before she gets up. And we were SO totally no accidents or issues potty trained until three days ago!

Cookie - Ooo, I like your husband's comment. That's pretty perfect! And I'm with you on the ads' oxymoron-ness. At lesat my wee ones comment "Nice turn signal, Mommy" every time we make a turn. It's slooowwwwly sinking in.

Steph - Glad to know I'm not alone! :)

Cristin November 7, 2008 at 9:38 PM  

Loved your list... I'm a grammar snob, I admit it... and spelling errors too, they drive me nuts.

Anonymous November 7, 2008 at 11:10 PM  

I'm visiting from Texas via BATW, and wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your blog..especially your list of pet peeves. One of my main peeves would happen to be idiots who drive too close to me, just on top of the rear of my Explorer.Heaven help me if I had to stop suddenly..I just hate it !!
Come visit..:)

Michelle November 8, 2008 at 3:58 PM  

Cristin - Welcome! I'm with you on the spelling errors. I find those a lot, too. And today in the paper, they were discussing how it's NU and OSU's second to last regular season game today. I want to know which game was canceled for NU -- was it the Michigan game or the Illinois game -- because if it was the Illinois game, I want my money back for those tickets!

CC - Welcome! Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm with you on the driving too closely thing. And once or twice I've slammed my brakes briefly to get people to back off. But only when they aren't *too* close to me! Come visit again soon!

KatBouska November 8, 2008 at 11:27 PM  

I've never thought of the tin foil thing! I'm so going to try it next time...

And is it bad that I'm a former english major/teacher and I didn't realize their were different spellings for compliment?? Yeah. I'm bad.

angela | the painted house November 9, 2008 at 5:53 AM  

With you on #2 and 1. Juliet has regressed in her pooping skilz (does that spelling aggravate you??? ha!). And please use the turn signal, people! And use your spell check--I'm not always perfect, but try!

Michelle November 9, 2008 at 1:13 PM  

Mama Kat - How have you never run into the different spellings of complement/compliment? I'm shocked ;) And definitely try the tin foil thing and let me know how it works out for you!

Angela - Little Miss actually was totally fine yesterday and so far today (knock on wood) but that was after a FULL day without her favorite (Snowy) AND without her special blankie. She appears to only respond to tough love. Snowy is now back and if she stays clean until bedtime tonight, she gets the blankie back. Good luck with Juliet -- it's maddening, isn't it? :)

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