Pet peeves

Today I was driving around running errands (the single reason why Saturday exists) when I stopped near a corner store that advertised on the ugly sign out front that they offer homemade cookies. Now, unless someone is squatting in the back room of the mini mart, I’m guessing that the cookies they sell are not literally homemade. The dough was made in a factory someplace, then baked up at the store. How is that homemade? (It’s not.) And that is a huge pet peeve of mine. While the cookies might be made from scratch, they were not made at somebody’s house.

Do you know what are some of my other pet peeves? Let me tell you.

Businesses that are spelled wrong on purpose. Spelling your hair salon “Klassy Kuts” doesn’t make me want to get my hair done there. Just the opposite, in fact. To take it a step further, I try not to patronize any establishment that uses a -z on the end of its name instead of an -s. (“Klassy Kutz”, for example.) I will vocally make booing and hissing noises if the name ends with -zz. (“Klassy Kutzz”) Do people think misspelling is cute?

Women calling each other “chica”. I have no explanation for this. I just can’t stand it.

People who blow their noses then check out the residue in their tissues. Friends, why oh why do you want to see your boogers? (I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen people do this at the pulpit in church. For real!)

When I give my order to the guy at the drive thru, then I say, “that’s it”, and he asks if I’d like anything else. What part of “that’s it” doesn’t make sense?

People who think that quotation marks are another form of underlining. This is always funniest at restaurants:

Try our “fresh” seafood specials!
You’ll “love” our chicken soup!

People who say they, “just can’t cook”. Or “just can’t make cookies”. This isn’t like getting a 1600 on your SAT. If you can get a printer to print, or register your car at the DMV, or play solitaire then you can follow a recipe. With so many fantastic recipes available online, you have no excuse not to have a few sure things in your arsenal. Saying you “can’t cook” is a sad, sad copout. Just admit you’re too lazy/intimidated/would rather watch TV and get over it. The best way to learn to cook and bake is . . . to cook and bake.

And my ultimate #1 pet peeve: when I’m in a public bathroom with many stalls, and someone uses the stall right next to me. People, there needs to be at least one buffer stall. I get stage fright in public bathrooms and I freeze up with an audience. For the love of everything holy, please give me some space!

How about you? What are your pet peeves?

| Filed under Bad Things, IMO, Yuck

17 thoughts on “Pet peeves

  1. Laughing about the public restroom one! It irritates me when I hear about parents doing their kids' homework for them. Come on, people!!!! What kind of values are you teaching them? And, my other main one is gossiping. I have known some women who I want to share nothing with simply because I know they will turn right around and share the dirt with everyone. If you can't find enough interesting things to talk about in the world, start reading books or something. Look for something else to think about than talking about someone who's put on weight or someone who swears or someone who goes out to eat on Sundays. We don't need to judge each other! I also loved your pet peeve about people blowing their noses. Ha!

  2. Skipping a belt loop. Drives me batty. Misusing *there* *their* and *they're*. Over using *'s* and any other crappy proofing. Went to a schmancy lunch place yesterday where they'd missed a space in the description of the first item on the menu. Ugh.

  3. My responses:

    1. Ditto. (Is "ditto" another one of your pet peeves?)

    2. Never thought about it.

    3. There's a reason people check tissues. Some of us have constant nasal issues–like infections and allergies even after three nasal surgeries and five years of immune shots. You've gotta see what you're dealing with. Although I agree that at the pulpit is not the right place.

    4. Never thought about it.

    5. Ditto. And I agree with Emmie-Lew. I'm all about editing everything I read.

    6. Ditto. What people usually mean is, "I don't like cooking [or baking] and I usually forget some important step, like taking the casserole out after 30 minutes."

    7. I will never understand people's public bathroom issues. I have a friend who turns on the faucet when she goes into a public bathroom, because she hopes it will drown out the sound of her going. It's a natural part of life. If the toilet grosses you out, squat. If you don't want someone going next to you, don't go there, because there is a reason there's a stall there and not just a line of toilets.

    Anyway, I have recently decided that my biggest pet peeve is people not communicating with me. Just talk, people! Seriously! People are SO AFRAID of having a conversation that might be a little uncomfortable that they decide they'd rather ruin everything by not doing anything. Or hurt people. Do you know HOW MANY TIMES I've dealt with things that could have been straightened out and long, painful times went by until I had to be the one to do the confronting when I wasn't the one who was upset? That just in turn makes ME upset. Whew. Yeah.

  4. I cannot stand those intentionally misspelled places of business either and could relate to that. Why would you do that if you were trying to come up with a klever name for your biz?

    Along that same line, I'll share a spelling pet peeve that I have, but it's a self critical one. I'm a pretty good speller for the most part, but when I'm online and my brain is thinking and I type, I'll often go back and read what I wrote, and discover that I spelled something wrong it it drives me nuts. I just blogged about something and was talking about driving down the rode and didn't even clue in to the rode v. road typo until I had posted it and seen it as a reader. One time I talked about how chilly the whether was and I must have had Sonic on my mind because I mentioned that the weather (not whether…I'm in zone rite now, lol) was chili and I was cold. What an embarrassment this is! So that's my pet peeve of the day.

  5. My current pet peeve (which I admit is petty) is the further morphing of the routine conversation: "How are you?" "Fine" into "How are you?" "Good."
    Originally the question had to do with one's health, and "Well" (the original socially acceptable answer) isn't too far from "Fine."

    But now it's "I'm good," which is a state of righteousness. I'm so glad everyone under 50 is now righteous. I'm not (though I try to be). But I AM "fine" or "OK," or even "happy, thank you." Perhaps I should start a new fad, naming a color. "Purple, thank you."

    Ahhhh. I'm SOOOOO old fashioned!

  6. Ironically the BEST preschool any of my kids ever attended was called "Kiddie Kollege"! And had it not come very highly recommended, and had the lowest tuition, I would have never sent him there because of that! And no worries, his inability to spell is to blame on dyslexia, not "Grandma Beverly" that ran the place. I think.

    Kleenex thing? EEEW. Let's just say SOMEONE in my house has passed this on to my children. And it's not me.

    Can't wait for you to come see us!!!! 🙂

  7. I don't like it when anyone uses my towel, it creeps me out.

    And people who can't put the cell phone down while they check out at a grocery store.

    Or people who talk on the phone while you are in line at a bank, it's weird because it's kind of like a library, and they are talking loud on your cell phone, it's just weird.

    I have many more, which I know I posted a long time ago somewhere on my blog.

  8. The list is long and has become a regular feature on the blog (butt itchers…) but here is a tiny taste:

    1. Putting on a pair of panty hose and running them in the process.
    2. Close talkers. I need some space.
    3. People that push the elevator button when it has CLEARLY already been pushed.
    4. Automated phone systems.
    5. Solicitors that call me at 8:00pm on a Sunday night.
    6. People that pop/snap their gum.
    7. Too much perfume or cologne.
    8. People that are late.
    9. Not being able to find both of my shoes.
    10. My kids unrolling the toilet paper and leaving it in a pile in the middle of the bathroom floor.
    11. People that swear for no reason. I like a good swear word now and then but you don't need to drop the "F" bomb every other word.
    12. People that think I have my son on a diet because I order him DIET soda. He isn't on a diet – he has diabetes!
    13. When the toilet doesn't get flushed after a use. What exactly are my kids saving it for?
    14. Laundry never seems to end.
    15. Cold showers.
    16. Having to get up 15 times during dinner to get things for the kids. Will I ever get a hot meal again?
    17. People that ring my doorbell even though there is a sign covering it that says "Please knock". They actually have to move the sign aside to ring the bell.
    18. Crappy drivers.

  9. I totally agree with the stall-space.
    It drive me nuts when people talk on their phone in the bathroom stall, or use a gajillion paper towels to dry their hands. Or leave the water running while they brush their teeth. Really, people.

    For one that isn’t bathroom-oriented, it bugs me when people cross the street either a) when the red hand is up, or b) jaywalking when there is a crosswalk twenty feet away from them. Bgah.

  10. You must respect the personal space!

    I have to say that, no matter how much I know better, when I am cooking something on the stove I am so overcome with the thought that I can just walk away for a second and nothing will happen that I forget how it burns things every time.

    Also, I have used my friend's recipe for a certain type of cookie tons of time and it never tastes the same. I even bought the exact same brands of ingredients.

    I hate when people use nauseous when they should say nauseated and when they pronounce height with a "th" on the end.

  11. I remembered one.

    People who say:

    "I'm Italian" or "I'm Irish" etc. when explaining why they do something, even though they aren't from Italy or that country.

    If your mother was from Italy and you can make a good handmade ravioli that is the size of my hand–THEN you can claim you are Italian.

    Other than that–you're just diluted. Like everyone else.

  12. This is so entertaining! My biggest all time pet peeve is my kids saying, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, and when I ask, "What?" They say "Never mind" in a huff! That one will get you grounded, no cell phone, or depending on how much sleep I've had…a good strong "love pinch".

    And I apologize to all whose pet peeve is editing issues, I barely have time to get on the computer, I don't have time to reread everything I've done.

  13. I have been thinking about this post for a few days now and it has occurred to me that I must be a pretty hard person to live with because I have A LOT of pet peeves!

    A few that totally send me over the edge are:

    leaving a little milk in the bottom of a glass then it dries! Grrrr…

    When cupboard doors are left open.

    When someone takes the last item out of a box or bag and leaves the empty box on the shelf.

    When the faucet doesn't get turned completely off and it drips!

    This post makes me laugh, cringe, and feel guilty all at the same time. I am glad that you are back to frequent blogging.

  14. I have so many pet peeves that I try to keep them all in my head just so no one will know how negative things are in there. But there is one lately that I have thought about a lot.

    Imagine a scenario where a bunch of travelers are waiting for their luggage and a few of these clueless people are happily chatting and blocking everyone else's way. Now when I say "Would you guys mind moving over so everyone can get by?" Why is it that I feel like the jerk? Another one: person driving super slow in the left lane, you pass them on the right just as they decide to move over and YOU are the bad guy? Or say you're on an airplane and a toddler is repeatedly kicking your seat – if you say something, you definitely look like a discourteous child-hater. I have kids – I still hate it when a kid kicks my seat. Period.

    Most of the time in these situations I hold my tongue and don't say what I feel like saying to these clueless, inconsiderate people ONLY because I know I'll end up looking like the bad guy. But these situations are a HUGE pet peeve of mine…

  15. Oh, I totally agree about the fast food people trying to upsell you even when you say "that's it" or when you say "All I want is a hamburger" and they say "Do you wan that in a meal?" NO! If I wanted a meal I would have said, "Give me a hamburger meal, please."

    I also hate when people talk on the cell phone in public bathrooms. It's bad enough having to do your business with strangers in a stall next to you, let alone other people listening to you take a pee or worse! So gross!!!

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