Everybody has them. Some are rational, some are not. These are some of my biggest pet peeves.
Crumbs left in the butter. Why? It's so ... gross. I don't know why, but someone leaving crumbs in the butter (or jam - just as bad) is annoying. How hard is it to use that little extra pat of butter? Plus, who wants to butter their fresh bread for a grilled cheese sandwich with who-knows-how-many-days-old crumbs in the butter? And butter left in the jam jar. Holy disgusting. It hardens again and looks like a weird yellow-y mold. Scoop it out! Don't leave it there for me to find, please.
Tailgaters. They drive me crazy! Usually, I'm being tailgated when I'm behind a dozen other vehicles. Clearly the driver behind me knows that I can't go any faster than the vehicle(s) in front of me. Having been in an accident where I was rear-ended at a high rate of speed, could you back off a bit please? Follow me at the 1 car length per every 10 miles per hour of speed we're going. I give you the same courtesy when I'm behind you.
Pee on/around the toilet seat. I know it's impossible to aim. Pee does what it wants and goes where it wants. There's little control. You CAN, however, control whether or not you wipe it up after the fact. Why leave it for others to wipe up later after it's dried and stinky? It's especially disgusting when I have to wipe it off walls. It makes me want to re-paint every day just so I don't have to touch it.
Leaving the microwave at 1 second. Seriously? Hit the clear button so it goes back to the clock. That's how you found it; leave it the same way. If a microwave has a clock it's most likely people use it as a way to tell time. Leaving it at 1 second doesn't tell the time, does it? No, so hit the clear button and return it to "normal" status.
Using other people's things. I simply don't understand this. It's not uncommon for people (mostly family) to walk in my bathroom, look through my cabinets, and use my stuff. You're staying the weekend and will need a blow dryer? Bring your own. Don't use mine because it's a matter of convenience. If you really forgot to bring/pack yours, that's a different story. But still ask. It's the polite thing to do. Q-tips? Same thing. Just because they're there doesn't mean it's an open-ended invitation to use them as freely as you like. Someone pays for those. That someone is me. That someone also tries to "budget" her own use of items, and you walking in and using them puts her waaaaaay over budget. If you need one, ask. I'm likely to give the okay, but at least then I know what's been used. The same thing goes for shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc. I don't walk into your home and start going through your cupboards and cabinets to take a mental inventory of what's available for my personal use. It's rude and extremely selfish. Plan ahead, and then make an effort to ask if/when you need to use something.
Sneezing/coughing/breathing on other people when you're sick. Common sense, people. If you don't feel well, cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Avoid being in tight spaces with people where your germs could be spread through breathing. Sometimes you can't help it (work meeting, Church setting, etc.), but if you even remotely think you're contagious, stay home. Nobody else wants or needs your icky sickies.
Along with using other people's things, digging through people's fridges. For some reason, in our family, some people think the fridge is a free-for-all. They assume whatever is in there they can have. Well, guess what? At our house, there isn't only one person buying groceries. Sometimes certain groceries are purchased for a certain meal. Maybe we're planning to deliver a meal to sick neighbors. Maybe we have company coming in a few days. Even if none of those things are applicable, it's nice to be asked before having your fridge rummaged through. It's also rude to make the assumption that your eating whatever you want doesn't impact those who purchased and/or cooked the meal.
Cramming the garbage with more garbage when the garbage is already nearing the top. I definitely don't want to touch other people's garbage (especially food garbage or dirty paper plate garbage), so I assume others don't want to deal with it either. If the bag is nearing full, pull it out and put another in the pail. Along with that, fill up the nearly full bag the rest of the way before beginning to fill up the empty garbage bag.
Snot. Oh my gosh. Wipe your nose and/or your kid's nose stat. Recently, a member of our Bishopric was telling me about a kid at the swimming pool who had snot trailing him as he swam. GAG. I threw up a little in my mouth as he told me. They had to clear the pool and scoop the snot out. Now, I get that swimming pools tend to drain the sinuses because of all the chemicals there to keep it clean. Still ... get rid of it! Nobody needs to see that.
People who don't answer their phones or respond to texts. This is simply rude, especially when it's those same people who call/text and expect the person they're trying to reach to answer that call or text. If you're going to call/text me and expect an immediate response, be as kind on the other end and answer when I call/text. Even if it's to acknowledge that I sent the text (e.g. "OK", etc.), it goes a long way in making a person feel like they were heard.
Single HOV riders without an HOV pass. For the life of me, I don't understand this one, especially because it's blatantly disobeying the law. The reason there are a limited number of passes for the HOV lane is NOT because they have all been purchased. The state won't issue any more because the average rate of speed for a large percentage of the time must be 55 mph or higher in the HOV lane. It can't work when every Tom, Dick, and Jane are riding in that lane as a single person. It totally defeats the purpose of the HOV lane. And for those, like me, that are driving more expensive vehicles to maintain and have paid for a pass, it's really rude for other drivers to hinder us when we're already paying more money to have that "luxury" in our commute.
That's it - for now. Surely, these pet peeves are nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the time, I try to let things go, but occasionally they irritate me to the point of saying something. I guess now I can look at this post instead of verbalizing it out loud, huh? Or not. Because sometimes saying it makes you feel better. Plus, it helps others realize they aren't the only existing human beings on the planet, which is quite a feat in and of itself.
Showing posts with label People are idiots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label People are idiots. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
The Guy Who Calls Me Jackie
I told Mom this story about a week ago. We had a good laugh over it, and it should probably be documented for future reference. In case I ever decide to change my name, you know?
Funny thing about names. I was given a first and middle name, and it's on the records of my church that way, but apparently my middle name never made it to my birth certificate, which is crazy because I remember seeing my original birth certificate as a kid, and my middle name was on it. Whatever, government records. The only reason I found out my middle name wasn't on my birth certificate was because I had to get an official copy (oxymoron? what does that even mean anyway, "official copy"; as if some copies are unofficial or not legit?) for traveling or something. I paid something like $90 (an absurd amount) for that "official copy" only to realize it listed no middle name. The government people said I could come back within 90 days and pay a "small fee" for them to change it, and after 90 days it would be something like $150 to change it. You know who didn't make it over there within the 90 days, right? Yeah .... So I don't officially have a middle name, but I really do where it counts, so whatever. But I do have an "official copy", so that makes everything better, right?
ANYWAY, I'm not changing my name any time soon (or, like, ever), but this guy at work seems to think my name is Jackie. But he only thinks my name is Jackie sometimes. Allow me to explain. Mainly because I'm also very confused right now.
A few months ago, I started a new job. I was introduced in our weekly devotional, within team meetings, etc. Being the new person is kind of stressful because you have to remember a bajillion names and the other people only have to remember one. Instant disadvantage for me. But I felt like I was getting to know people's names as I worked with them, and I usually wasn't afraid to ask their name if I didn't know. And my desk faces west. Yes, that's important.
There's this nice man we'll call John. Because that's his name. John is a very nice guy, always says hello or asks how the day is going, etc. At first, he didn't ever use my name. No big deal. I didn't know his name either. One day John came by my desk from the north and said, "Hey, Jackie. How are you?" Not wanting to embarrass him by pointing out he used the wrong name I answered, "Doing well. How are you?" (Because I still didn't know his name. I'm terrible with names.) A day or two later, John approached my desk from the south and said, "Hi there, Katie. Good to see you today." I still didn't know his name, so I said, "Hi there. Good to see you, too."
Similar exchanges happened a few times until I finally looked up his photo in our directory and realized his name was John. When I see him now I use his name. How appropriate and adult of me, right? I thought so. I noticed that whenever John approaches me from the north, he thinks my name is Jackie. Whenever he approaches me from the south, he thinks my name is Katie. Because I'm so appropriate and such an adult, I just let it be and didn't say a word to him about it. At this point, it's become kind of awkward that he's called me Jackie from the north for so long, and I didn't want to point out that I'm an idiot who didn't realize what name he'd called me until we were already conversing. It's totally awkward to break into a conversation and be like, "Yeah, so you know how you call me Jackie? That's not my name. But how are you anyway?" I mean, there's just no comfortable way to begin that conversation.
One day, one of my bosses was at my desk asking me to do something or check on something and John approached me from the north. He greeted me with the usual, "Hi Jackie." and kept walking. I politely answered back, and then turned to my boss who was looking at me with this funny look on his face. It was then I realized, yep, that just happened when my boss asked, "Did he just call you Jackie?" Why yes, yes he did. So I explained to my boss that when John comes from the north I'm Jackie, and when he comes from the south I'm Katie. And my boss was laughing. The secretary that sits across from me was laughing. It hadn't dawned on her why John only occasionally got my name correct. I had put two and two together, but she hadn't realized that he really thought of me as two different people and the name he chose to use depended on which direction he was coming from.
I tried to downplay it by saying to my boss and the secretary, "Yeah, it happens. But don't worry about it. I've figured out how to fix it." My boss said, "Oh, you're going to tell him he's calling you by the wrong name?" And I said, "Oh no! Heavens no. I don't want to embarrass him." They both looked at me like I was crazy, so I explained my logic. "When he approaches me from the north and calls me Jackie, I'm just going to say, 'Hi Steve!' And when he approaches me from the south and uses my real name, I'm going to say, 'Hey John.'"
They both nearly fell on the floor laughing. I thought it was a logical plan. No? My boss got control of himself and said, "He's going to stop and say his name isn't Steve and ask why you're calling him that." I said, "I know. That's the beauty of it. When he stops and says that I'll say, 'Oh really? Well, my name isn't Jackie, never has been Jackie, and never will be Jackie. I guess we're even.'"
Totally appropriate and adult-like, right? Yes, I'm very mature like that.
Funny thing about names. I was given a first and middle name, and it's on the records of my church that way, but apparently my middle name never made it to my birth certificate, which is crazy because I remember seeing my original birth certificate as a kid, and my middle name was on it. Whatever, government records. The only reason I found out my middle name wasn't on my birth certificate was because I had to get an official copy (oxymoron? what does that even mean anyway, "official copy"; as if some copies are unofficial or not legit?) for traveling or something. I paid something like $90 (an absurd amount) for that "official copy" only to realize it listed no middle name. The government people said I could come back within 90 days and pay a "small fee" for them to change it, and after 90 days it would be something like $150 to change it. You know who didn't make it over there within the 90 days, right? Yeah .... So I don't officially have a middle name, but I really do where it counts, so whatever. But I do have an "official copy", so that makes everything better, right?
ANYWAY, I'm not changing my name any time soon (or, like, ever), but this guy at work seems to think my name is Jackie. But he only thinks my name is Jackie sometimes. Allow me to explain. Mainly because I'm also very confused right now.
A few months ago, I started a new job. I was introduced in our weekly devotional, within team meetings, etc. Being the new person is kind of stressful because you have to remember a bajillion names and the other people only have to remember one. Instant disadvantage for me. But I felt like I was getting to know people's names as I worked with them, and I usually wasn't afraid to ask their name if I didn't know. And my desk faces west. Yes, that's important.
There's this nice man we'll call John. Because that's his name. John is a very nice guy, always says hello or asks how the day is going, etc. At first, he didn't ever use my name. No big deal. I didn't know his name either. One day John came by my desk from the north and said, "Hey, Jackie. How are you?" Not wanting to embarrass him by pointing out he used the wrong name I answered, "Doing well. How are you?" (Because I still didn't know his name. I'm terrible with names.) A day or two later, John approached my desk from the south and said, "Hi there, Katie. Good to see you today." I still didn't know his name, so I said, "Hi there. Good to see you, too."
Similar exchanges happened a few times until I finally looked up his photo in our directory and realized his name was John. When I see him now I use his name. How appropriate and adult of me, right? I thought so. I noticed that whenever John approaches me from the north, he thinks my name is Jackie. Whenever he approaches me from the south, he thinks my name is Katie. Because I'm so appropriate and such an adult, I just let it be and didn't say a word to him about it. At this point, it's become kind of awkward that he's called me Jackie from the north for so long, and I didn't want to point out that I'm an idiot who didn't realize what name he'd called me until we were already conversing. It's totally awkward to break into a conversation and be like, "Yeah, so you know how you call me Jackie? That's not my name. But how are you anyway?" I mean, there's just no comfortable way to begin that conversation.
One day, one of my bosses was at my desk asking me to do something or check on something and John approached me from the north. He greeted me with the usual, "Hi Jackie." and kept walking. I politely answered back, and then turned to my boss who was looking at me with this funny look on his face. It was then I realized, yep, that just happened when my boss asked, "Did he just call you Jackie?" Why yes, yes he did. So I explained to my boss that when John comes from the north I'm Jackie, and when he comes from the south I'm Katie. And my boss was laughing. The secretary that sits across from me was laughing. It hadn't dawned on her why John only occasionally got my name correct. I had put two and two together, but she hadn't realized that he really thought of me as two different people and the name he chose to use depended on which direction he was coming from.
I tried to downplay it by saying to my boss and the secretary, "Yeah, it happens. But don't worry about it. I've figured out how to fix it." My boss said, "Oh, you're going to tell him he's calling you by the wrong name?" And I said, "Oh no! Heavens no. I don't want to embarrass him." They both looked at me like I was crazy, so I explained my logic. "When he approaches me from the north and calls me Jackie, I'm just going to say, 'Hi Steve!' And when he approaches me from the south and uses my real name, I'm going to say, 'Hey John.'"
They both nearly fell on the floor laughing. I thought it was a logical plan. No? My boss got control of himself and said, "He's going to stop and say his name isn't Steve and ask why you're calling him that." I said, "I know. That's the beauty of it. When he stops and says that I'll say, 'Oh really? Well, my name isn't Jackie, never has been Jackie, and never will be Jackie. I guess we're even.'"
Totally appropriate and adult-like, right? Yes, I'm very mature like that.
Friday, April 10, 2015
How are you still married?!
I'm kind of fuming right now, so if this post doesn't make much sense it's because of the steam spouting from my ears.
Today at lunch, I walked across the street to a massive grocery store to pick up part of a birthday present for a sister-in-law. I found what I needed (and then some - I'm a sucker for a good grocery store and interesting food items, plus ... they had specialty cheeses!!!) and headed back to work. It was quite a walk and took longer than I had anticipated (see: cheeses), so I was in a hurry and kind of tired and wishing I'd worn different shoes and basically, I was in my own world. As I'm coming up the last escalator, I get behind a family and hear the following conversation:
Husband to Young Son: "Do you still need to go potty?"
Wife to Husband: "Are you stupid?!"
Husband: " .... "
Wife to Husband: "The restrooms are right there. Can't you see?"
Husband to Wife: "There are restrooms there? I must have missed them."
Wife to Husband: "That's because you're an idiot. Just open your eyes for once!"
Young Daughter to Young Son: SHOVE
Husband to Young Daughter: "Please be nice to your brother and don't shove him."
Wife to Husband: "So are you taking them to the restroom or what? We don't have all day. And where's my phone? You have it. I know you do!"
Husband to Wife: "I have your phone? I don't think I have it."
Wife to Husband: "You're always walking off with my phone. Where is it?! Find it!"
Husband: Frantically looking for Wife's phone and not finding it
Wife to Husband: "If you can't find it you're buying me a new one."
Wife to Young Children: "Stop it! I can't stand it when you do that!"
Husband to Young Children: "Kids, please stop shoving each other. Let's be nice to one another, okay? Let's just keep our hands to ourselves."
Wife to Husband: "If you're not taking them to the restroom let's go. I have things to do. You can mess around with your stupid stuff on your own time."
Husband to Young Children: "Who needs to go to the restroom?"
Wife to Husband: "Just take them already! And find my phone!"
Me: "&*%!%$@^#%$%$^*%$!*$*&!$^$@&*%#$^*%*&^@#$!!!!!!!!!!"
In fact, what I said rather loudly as I finally passed the maddening scene was, "Giiiiiiiiirl, you're lucky he puts up with your nasty, egotistical attitude because any other man would have dumped you on your rear end a LONG time ago!" And then I fumed almost all the way back to work. It made me so mad to see a wife treat her husband like that, especially in front of her children. Her daughter is obviously learning the mother's behavior since she shoved her younger brother for NO REASON WHATSOEVER. He was there, so she shoved him. It happens at home, so she can do it anywhere. Of course that made logical sense to her. If I had known the number for a battered husband's shelter at that moment I would have called it and then called child protective services to have those kids receive some help and counseling in order to have functioning and healthy relationships of their own some day. Heaven knows they're going to need it.
To make matters worse (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't), this woman was wearing designer everything. She didn't have on Target jeans or Walmart boots. She was wearing high-end stuff. The kids were dressed in pretty average apparel, and her husband was dressed in average apparel as well. Did she think putting on the expensive stuff would make her worth more? Because it didn't! And it won't! I know she's a daughter of God, and I really wish I could have seen her in that way, but at that moment she was a child of the Devil by the way she acted. I don't profess to know what their home life is like, but I can bet you it's pretty close to what I witnessed today (if not worse), and for that my heart breaks. That husband deserves more and so do those kids.
The bright spot? I re-entered Temple Square and noticed a new groom and bride waiting to have their pictures taken on the pedestal near the water fountain with the temple as their background (commonplace occurrence around these parts; happens almost daily). They were looking on as another couple became engaged on that very pedestal. It made me smile, and then it made me send up a quick prayer that those two couples would treat each other with more respect and dignity than the woman I had just heard.
If my hands hadn't been full I would have been tempted to slap Miss Attitude. She should thank heavens for grocery bags full of birthday gifts, dog treats, and lunch.
Today at lunch, I walked across the street to a massive grocery store to pick up part of a birthday present for a sister-in-law. I found what I needed (and then some - I'm a sucker for a good grocery store and interesting food items, plus ... they had specialty cheeses!!!) and headed back to work. It was quite a walk and took longer than I had anticipated (see: cheeses), so I was in a hurry and kind of tired and wishing I'd worn different shoes and basically, I was in my own world. As I'm coming up the last escalator, I get behind a family and hear the following conversation:
Husband to Young Son: "Do you still need to go potty?"
Wife to Husband: "Are you stupid?!"
Husband: " .... "
Wife to Husband: "The restrooms are right there. Can't you see?"
Husband to Wife: "There are restrooms there? I must have missed them."
Wife to Husband: "That's because you're an idiot. Just open your eyes for once!"
Young Daughter to Young Son: SHOVE
Husband to Young Daughter: "Please be nice to your brother and don't shove him."
Wife to Husband: "So are you taking them to the restroom or what? We don't have all day. And where's my phone? You have it. I know you do!"
Husband to Wife: "I have your phone? I don't think I have it."
Wife to Husband: "You're always walking off with my phone. Where is it?! Find it!"
Husband: Frantically looking for Wife's phone and not finding it
Wife to Husband: "If you can't find it you're buying me a new one."
Wife to Young Children: "Stop it! I can't stand it when you do that!"
Husband to Young Children: "Kids, please stop shoving each other. Let's be nice to one another, okay? Let's just keep our hands to ourselves."
Wife to Husband: "If you're not taking them to the restroom let's go. I have things to do. You can mess around with your stupid stuff on your own time."
Husband to Young Children: "Who needs to go to the restroom?"
Wife to Husband: "Just take them already! And find my phone!"
Me: "&*%!%$@^#%$%$^*%$!*$*&!$^$@&*%#$^*%*&^@#$!!!!!!!!!!"
In fact, what I said rather loudly as I finally passed the maddening scene was, "Giiiiiiiiirl, you're lucky he puts up with your nasty, egotistical attitude because any other man would have dumped you on your rear end a LONG time ago!" And then I fumed almost all the way back to work. It made me so mad to see a wife treat her husband like that, especially in front of her children. Her daughter is obviously learning the mother's behavior since she shoved her younger brother for NO REASON WHATSOEVER. He was there, so she shoved him. It happens at home, so she can do it anywhere. Of course that made logical sense to her. If I had known the number for a battered husband's shelter at that moment I would have called it and then called child protective services to have those kids receive some help and counseling in order to have functioning and healthy relationships of their own some day. Heaven knows they're going to need it.
To make matters worse (maybe it does, maybe it doesn't), this woman was wearing designer everything. She didn't have on Target jeans or Walmart boots. She was wearing high-end stuff. The kids were dressed in pretty average apparel, and her husband was dressed in average apparel as well. Did she think putting on the expensive stuff would make her worth more? Because it didn't! And it won't! I know she's a daughter of God, and I really wish I could have seen her in that way, but at that moment she was a child of the Devil by the way she acted. I don't profess to know what their home life is like, but I can bet you it's pretty close to what I witnessed today (if not worse), and for that my heart breaks. That husband deserves more and so do those kids.
The bright spot? I re-entered Temple Square and noticed a new groom and bride waiting to have their pictures taken on the pedestal near the water fountain with the temple as their background (commonplace occurrence around these parts; happens almost daily). They were looking on as another couple became engaged on that very pedestal. It made me smile, and then it made me send up a quick prayer that those two couples would treat each other with more respect and dignity than the woman I had just heard.
If my hands hadn't been full I would have been tempted to slap Miss Attitude. She should thank heavens for grocery bags full of birthday gifts, dog treats, and lunch.
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