# Things that infuriate you well beyond their actual importance **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712 "2024-09-04T02:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/801 "2024-12-04T22:09:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > My wife puts an empty milk container back in the fridge to remind her that we’re out. Pretty much any kind of container. Don’t ask me how that is supposed to work, because it doesn’t. That is definitely infuriating. Why not just on the counter? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/802 "2024-12-04T22:23:13Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > The burn ban ends with September, but many of us Northern transplants didn’t grow up burning leaves and find it somehow wrong. It’s not ‘somehow’ wrong, it’s just wrong. It destroys habitat, pollutes the air, and causes wildfires. There’s only bad reasons to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/803 "2024-12-04T22:24:57Z")
This is what my husband does. Every time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/804 "2024-12-04T22:47:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > My wife puts an empty milk container back in the fridge to remind her that we’re out. Pretty much any kind of container. Don’t ask me how that is supposed to work, because it doesn’t. That is definitely infuriating. > > Why not just on the counter? You try asking her. Tell me how that goes. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/805 "2024-12-04T23:21:52Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > My in-laws used to do the opposite which also infuriated me. They drank tea several times a day, and would regularly fill the kettle (1.7 liters) and heat it to 100C _just in case_ they wanted to have tea it would be already hot. > > Huge waste of energy and also made quite a lot of noise for a couple minutes each time They need to live somewhere cold and heat with a wood stove. I’ve got a kettle on mine all winter. And the upper level is very good for keeping coffee warm, or even re-warming it. But, yeah. I’m not going to keep a kettle hot all the time in the summer! > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Several times a year, she takes the empty bottles to the “very expensive spice store” and refills them. The way she keeps track of which spices she needs is to put the nearly-empty bottles on the back row. I’ve asked her whether it wouldn’t be better to put the empty or nearly-empty bottles on the front row so she can see which ones she needs to refill. “No, why bother having to reach over empty ones to get the ones I need?” If she only refills several times a year, that makes perfect sense. She probably reaches into that cabinet several times a day. – A bit of extra water in the kettle makes sense, because it reduces the risk of destroying the kettle if you don’t take it off the heat fast enough. Four times the amount needed seems excessive (except of course for the kettle sitting on the wood stove all day). ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/806 "2024-12-05T01:27:37Z")
Have people here not heard of countertop electric kettles? Not the plastic pitcher that holds three cups of water and shuts itself off after it boils once, I’m talking about a 3 liter insulated tank with thermostatic control that keeps the water hot all the time and dispenses with a built in electric pump. The insulation means it doesn’t take much electricity to keep that water hot and ready at all times. Pretty much a standard fixture in Japanese households, I highly recommend one. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/807 "2024-12-05T04:11:56Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Have people here not heard of countertop electric kettles? Not the plastic pitcher that holds three cups of water and shuts itself off after it boils once, I’m talking about a 3 liter insulated tank with thermostatic control that keeps the water hot all the time and dispenses with a built in electric pump. Nope, I haven’t. The only electric kettles I’ve run into were/are metal (not plastic, why would you make one of plastic?) and are designed to bring the water to a boil and then automatically shut themselves off. And, insulated or not, unless somebody wants to make tea or whatever every half hour or so all day long (which yes I expect does happen in some households and even more offices), what you describe still seems to me like a waste of power. Especially with an electric pump to pour the water for you, instead of just tipping the kettle. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/808 "2024-12-05T06:45:10Z")
I haven’t heard of such a contraption either. I don’t drink hot drinks, but my wife has a standard electric kettle. It takes about 2 minutes to heat up a couple of cups of water. Keeping a pot of water hot all day to avoid having to wait 2 minutes seems ridiculous to me. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/809 "2024-12-05T07:48:42Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Nope, I haven’t. The only electric kettles I’ve run into were/are metal (not plastic, why would you make one of plastic?) and are designed to bring the water to a boil and then automatically shut themselves off Here’s one of the plastic ones I was thinking of. > **[Amazon.com: Proctor Silex Electric Tea Kettle, Water Boiler & Heater...](https://www.amazon.com/Proctor-Silex-Auto-Shutoff-Protection-K2071PS/dp/B08PL3CF4G)** > > Conveniently boil and serve hot water for tea, hot cocoa, and instant coffee with the Proctor Silex 1 Liter Electric Kettle. It has a detachable cord, auto shutoff, boil-dry protection, convenient dual water windows, and illuminated on/off switch. You’re right, the heating surface on the bottom of the pitcher is indeed metal, but the rest of the assembly is plastic. Here’s one of the boiling water dispensers I was thinking of. > **[Amazon.com: Panasonic RA41660 Electric Thermo Pot Water Boiler Dispenser...](https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Electric-Dispenser-NC-EG3000-Slow-Drip/dp/B01CEK4NHE)** > > Online Shopping for Kitchen Small Appliances from a great selection of Coffee Machines, Blenders, Juicers, Ovens, Specialty Appliances, & more at everyday low prices > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > And, insulated or not, unless somebody wants to make tea or whatever every half hour or so all day long (which yes I expect does happen in some households and even more offices), what you describe still seems to me like a waste of power. The insulation is the thing that makes the difference; it’s the reason you can keep the water hot for extended periods without using a lot of electricity. In addition, there is also a timer included so that you can fill it with cold water when you go to bed, and it won’t even begin heating the water for the next 6 or 7 hours. The pump is a necessity because it’s kind of awkward to lift a 3-quart bucket of water. And it’s not like the pump is some kind of power hog. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/810 "2024-12-05T11:42:59Z")
People who block grocery store aisles really grind my gears. Like, is this your personal runway for showing off your cart-packing finesse? It’s always the same scene: I try to make my way to the Little Friskies aisle so my ravenous cats have something to eat besides me, but I’m blocked by some nimrod who has their cart and fat ass angled into a perfect barricade, as if they’re defending Fort Junkfood. Meanwhile, they’re glued to the label on a jar of Preparation-H, studying it like it’s a sacred artifact unearthed from a pharaoh’s tomb. Really? A lifetime of grocery shopping and you’re still blindsided by the existence of other humans? Decades in, and no progress in mastering basic shopping etiquette 101? Or maybe you just assume the universe revolves around you, so when you stop, time itself should freeze. I consider going full NASCAR and plowing through them, sending them sprawling like bowling pins. But no, I remind myself that I am (allegedly) a civilized human being. Instead, I clear my throat loudly, hit them with a passive-aggressive _“Excuse meeeee!”_—and pat myself on the back for Olympian-level self-restraint. Naturally, they look at me like **I’m** the jerk for daring to disrupt their pilgrimage for the ultimate hemorrhoid cream. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/811 "2024-12-05T11:47:38Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I consider going full NASCAR and plowing through them, sending them sprawling like bowling pins. But no, I remind myself that I am (allegedly) a civilized human being. Instead, I clear my throat loudly, hit them I honestly thought this sentence was going to a very different place. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/812 "2024-12-05T11:50:00Z")
This post makes me feel like I’m managing my irritation at fruit labels really well. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/813 "2024-12-05T11:51:22Z")
The covid gestapo would send me to Siberia for that. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/814 "2024-12-05T12:09:07Z")
I’ve said for years now that shopping carts should come with cow catchers on the front. For you young’uns, a cow catcher is that pointy grille on the front end of a steam engine. It probably has a real name but that’s what I’ve always heard it called. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/815 "2024-12-05T12:31:16Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > I’ve said for years now that shopping carts should come with cow catchers on the front. Normally I’m the most peaceful person you can imagine, but often when those idiots and their carts block my way, I’d like to have an RPG planted on my shopping cart to clear my way through the supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/816 "2024-12-05T12:46:37Z")
Y’all are in a lot of hurry when you shop. I often ask three people to move, and I’ve never really thought anything of it. People read the labels, compare prices or ingredients, i dunno, and tend to stand next to their cart instead of behind it. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Here’s one of the boiling water dispensers I was thinking of. If i wanted hot water all day long, that might be nice. I usually want one cup of teas in the morning, and my little metal electric gooseneck kettle works very well. My husband and daughter sometimes use it too, so it gets used 3-4 times a day. That doesn’t seem like enough to be worth keeping water always hot. (Also, we use different temps for different things.) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/817 "2024-12-05T12:51:40Z")
> [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > It probably has a real name “Pilot.” ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/818 "2024-12-05T13:05:42Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > “Pilot.” Not exactly. The cowcatcher (American usage) is an appliance attached to the pilot. The pilot is an independent truck, or bogey, that guides a locomotive into curves. Some locomotives, usually intended for switching (or shunting) had no pilot, so the cowcatcher was attached directly to the frame of the locomotive. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/819 "2024-12-05T15:05:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > My wife puts an empty milk container back in the fridge to remind her that we’re out. > [@DrDeth](#): > > Why not just on the counter? The disgusting odor of sour milk. Unless the container is thoroughly rinsed, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712/820 "2024-12-05T15:21:59Z")
We have a long pad of paper magnetized to the refrigerator, which is the basis of our weekly shopping list. When something runs out, it goes on the list. Do people not normally do this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-infuriate-you-well-beyond-their-actual-importance/1006712.md?page=42)