What little things set you off?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
161

Right with you on that one. My ex-wife has four sisters, who, on the phone, sound absolutely identical. They were well aware of this, too.

And every time they rang and I answered, which was often, they’d start with “Hi, how are you?” and go straight into conversation mode. I’d know it was one of the sisters, but I’d have to troll for news to get a husband’s or kid’s name or something that could clue me into which particular sister was on the line.

Another related one: I used to answer the phone most of the time, and if someone asked to speak to my wife I’d be expected by her to identify the caller before passing her the handset. Something like this:

Caller: “Hello, could I speak to Mrs Barrington please?”
Me: “May I ask who’s calling?”
Caller: “My name’s Mike Jones from Ripoff Home Shopping Catalogue, and I have a query about an order she placed with us.”
Me: “OK, hold on please …”
(Me to wife): “It’s Mike Jones from Ripoff Home Shopping Catalogue, and he has a query about an order you’ve placed with them.” (Passes handset over)
Wife: “Hello?”
Caller: “Is that Mrs Barrington?”
Wife: “Yes, it is.”
Caller: “Hello, it’s Mike Jones from …”

Given that I was a husband, not a receptionist, I eventually decided to discontinue the practice, even though it peeved her that I did. “It’s for you” is enough information, and it’s not as if she had some kind of anxiety about receiving phone calls.

Lastly, for now, car drivers who complain loudly about the traffic and/or difficulty of parking near their homes. Yes, it’s busy on the road - that’s because there are lots of people driving their cars. And guess what? You’re one of them. No space near your house when you get home? That’s because lots of people on your street own cars and park them. Like you do. Just who are you angry at? Whose fault is it that there are so many cars? And why are you never angry at yourself?

ETA:

I’m one of those people. I’m eternally grateful for people (such as my ex-wife) who understand this and often make calls for me - kudos to you for doing it for your wife. I’ll bet she appreciates it a lot.

162

What I’m pissed about is that the school I work at doesn’t do anything to enforce the no-parking zones that are strategically placed to keep parents from blocking the entrance and exit while they’re waiting for their kids. The end result is that some massive SUV takes up half the goddamn entry/exit way, and if I leave while a parent comes in, at least one of the cars involved is going to get a side crushed in. Which is, in fact, exactly what happened to my car today. :mad: I think I’m going to stand on the curb and wave baseball bats at the parents who try to park in the no-parking zone at the end of the school day. They wanna park on the red curb? Fine, they can give up one headlight or taillight per 5 minutes for the privilege.

163

Heh, I know someone who actually did this. He lived next to the school. He very narrowly escaped getting sued within an inch of his life. He did get beat up.

164

Two or more people talking about me as if I’m not standing in the room with them.
Especially about my eating habits.

Every time I sit down for a meal at my in-laws, this exchange occurs:Father-in-law: “Why isn’t he eating?” Wife: “You know he never eats much.” Just a small thing, but it really chaps my hide.

165

Arabic coming out of my car radio. It is a Volvo. Swedish I could accept. Arabic on the car radio sends me into a rage.

Further, I know I am being silly when it happens.

166

Your blood pressure must run pretty high!

167

Brushing snow off my car. Or, worse, having to scrape ice off my car. Kills my mood in about three seconds flat.

Being talked to within about. . .I dunno, an hour of getting home. This has really only been an issue since I moved back in with my mom; my husband doing it didn’t seem to bother me all that much. But. . .yeah. Back off when I get home from work (I have an amazingly short commute, so I’m usually still wound up from the day).

168

Huh. So that explains why I just can’t seem to relax after I get home. Looks like I’m going to have to figure out a way to get an hour of alone time.

169

All of the photographers in my family cause me to grit my teeth as I smile and ooh and aaah over their pictures.

They do not understand that photography is a VISUAL medium, not simply a matter of technology.

I don’t care WHAT camera you used to take those pictures, how many megapixels it holds, or how much time you spent “jazzing them up” in Photoshop (there oughta be a law): Those are photographs of the BACKS of my kids’ heads - taken from clear across the room - and therefore they’re not all that interesting.

And the colors are out of gamut.

(I’m actually conflating two people - one won’t/can’t engage with his subjects; the other cranks the hues clear into fluorescent)

On the plus side, though, one of them recently replaced his Pentax *ist DS with something even more exotic, and now his old camera is MINE.

I’m enjoying learning how to use this.
Film photography drove me nuts - this digital stuff is fun.

170

I hate it too, especially when they combine it with kicking the ground as they walk. Pick up your goddamned feet!

Another thing that irritates me greatly is when people are having a conversation with me and refuse to let me get a word in edgewise. It happens with my family and with my fiancé’s family most often, and after a while, I just stop trying to talk and get silently pissed off. I try to say something while they’re having a conversation and I haven’t finished the sentence and I’m already being cut off and ignored. The reason it pisses me off is because I interpret it as them literally not wanting me to participate in the conversation at all, so why should I bother? It’s something that pisses me off to the point where I’ve started shouting matches over it when people have done it often enough to me in a sitting. Between this and having to deal with conversations where I’m not supposed to express my opinion if it differs from others is really frustrating; I don’t even know why I bother participating anymore.

I always hated being in jobs where I was pressured to participate in activities where I couldn’t afford to put in money or was too new to know about the person I was supposed to be contributing to a gift for. If I say I can’t afford it, it means I can’t afford it and don’t want to participate at all.

171

Coworkers who won’t answer their cel phone, won’t put them on vibrate and then let them ring because they are doing real work. And the freaking husbands who then call *right *back and we hear the same damn ring tone again!

172

You have just perfectly described my wife’s family. They constantly talk over and interrupt each other like they are constantly on some sort of debate panel, using volume and lengthiness to “prove” their points while ignoring anything that any one else says. It’s like a kennel of dogs all howling for attention. I’m never able to finish a point or a sentence, so I now just assume that if they have so little respect as to not even pretend to care about my adding to a conversation, then I’ll just bow out entirely.

Note to the family: No, you have not won any argument or proved any point by talking over me or forcing me to concede participation. You simply aren’t worth my time or energy. My goldfish have more varied social interaction and conversational memory than you do.

173

You are my hero.

174

Uh, sometimes the second hello is heard. Actually, with a bad connection it often takes to the second one to hear anything.

175

People driving five miles under the speed limit; or worse, 10.
All the time.
When driving out of town when I’m trying to get to work.
And the lane is only one lane.
Going the speed limit is not going to kill you! The sign says 55! Stop going 45! The huge line behind you is because you’re so damn scared of the road! Go FASTER.
Oh of course, now that you’ve finally hit the two-lane section, you stay on the left lane!

And those of you who have to turn and get into another lane to make said turn, get your ass in the lane! Don’t casually glide your car in as if on a Sunday drive. You turn on your blinker, make sure it’s clear, and get your butt out of the way. I don’t want to be forced to slow down because you slow yourself down and don’t get completely into the turning lane. Get in there and let me through! Get in! IN I say!

Customers, I know you want to do business with us, and I know you probably have other errands to do, and I don’t know why this irritates me, but I hate when first thing in the morning as I’m walking up to our doors to open them, I already seeing you standing outside our doors, ready to barge in and pay off your loans or whatever. And then when I open the doors and close it behind me in order to come in and get everything ready to open, you see that all the lights are still off, but you figure, hey, an employee went in! Let’s try and open the door, and you look almost surprised that I locked the door again behind me.
I don’t even have a cash drawer open! The lights aren’t on! I only just got there! Don’t try to come in! Stay there and wait until I get things situated! Don’t look at me through the window as if asking if we’re open, what do YOU think? You, stay. Sit on the bench for a minute more. As soon as I get my cash ready (which only takes a minute) I will be happy to help you make a loan, or pay a loan, or do a Moneygram transaction, or do your taxes, or whatever it is you need. I know you’ve been waiting, but that’s because you chose to get there so early before we opened anyway.

Ahh…feel better now. <3

Edit: Oh, and this song. I really hate this song. It’s so stupid. You’re singing the praises of your lip gloss?!. What the HELL?

176

I hate when people tell me about their simplest, most fixable physical discomforts…and then refuse to do anything about them. It makes me want to climb the walls. Example:

Me and Person A are driving in the car, lets say, 20 minutes from our destination.

Person A: “God, I really have to pee.”
Me: “There’s a gas station about a mile ahead. Why don’t I pull in there?”
Person A: “No, I’ll wait.” … (under their breath) “have to pee, have to pee, have to pee…”

All with the required jostling, bouncing, and goofy ‘have to pee’ faces. For the rest of the trip. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHY CAN’T WE TAKE TWO MINUTES TO PULL OVER AND LET YOU PEE?

Of course, it’s extra fun during an hour long lecture, when I’m trying to concentrate but can’t because Super Bladder sitting next to me is engaged in some kind of battle of wills with her kidneys. Don’t people realize that if they take a few minutes and go to the bathroom, they’ll learn better?

This goes double for people who refuse to let me lend them a few bucks, and instead watch me eat my lunch with starving orphan eyes.

177

Ugh. Just reminded me of one, and oddly, it’s just one guy I know. He was, for quite some time, my best friend, but geographical distance has separated him from that title.
Anyway, he had a tendancy to get into a momentum whilst talking, and completely ignore what other people said just so he could get to his next topic. I could’ve (and I believe at one time, I did) say something completely nonsensical, and he simply nodded his head and continued talking, proving that my words were simply pauses that allowed him to take an in-breath. I hated, hated, HATED that.

178

I get really annoyed when someone calls my phone and for whatever reason i do not answer and this person continues to call over and over and over again yet never
leaves a message only to find out later that it was not really important.:dubious: I guess that would piss anybody off.

179

if at first you don’t succeed…try and try again.

180

People who don’t listen and are not open-minded. It’s hard to get along with those types.