Pet Peeves

Resurrecting this thread.

If you go to a co workers desk to ask a legit work question and they say "It's not a good time" DO NOT SIT DOWN IN THEIR GUEST CHAIR. Ask "When would be a good time" and have a conversation. :) or send an email to the co worker requesting a good time for a conversation. Geez!
I'm always busy. Go ask someone else.
Or... In my case, some on my team are hourly. They get to bail after 40 hours dumping their work on the desks of us salaried.
Now... I'm always busy. Go ask someone else.
 
Ever notice the left turn lane stop line is often further back than the other stop lines?

Yesterday I was driving and turning left. The lady pulling up to her red light on the street I was turning onto cruised right past her stop line to be parallel with the lanes going straight. She ended up stopping a full car length past her line. The result was me having to swerve hard to the right to miss her.

There's a reason they put those lines where they are. I wondered who would have been found at fault if I had clipped her.
 
Ever notice the left turn lane stop line is often further back than the other stop lines?

Yesterday I was driving and turning left. The lady pulling up to her red light on the street I was turning onto cruised right past her stop line to be parallel with the lanes going straight. She ended up stopping a full car length past her line. The result was me having to swerve hard to the right to miss her.

There's a reason they put those lines where they are. I wondered who would have been found at fault if I had clipped her.

I see that every day - we have one near my house that sits nearly 2 car lengths back, but rarely do people pay attention. Maybe you could make the claim that she ran a red light?

The other thing I see is at narrow 4-way stop intersections: When a truck is trying to make a right turn, it nearly always has to go into the outer lane to make that turn. I try to pay attention and stop early to give the truck room to maneuver (and have gotten honked at by some dumb-$$$ behind me). Come on, man!
 
Heres a spot for life's minor complaints. Things that get under your craw for no particular reason. I'll start;

I can't stand it when I check into a hotel and the front desk calls my room a few minutes after I get there to ask, "if everything is okay?"

Well, yes, besides the phone ringing and interrupting me on my phone with my wife, or in the bathroom, or whatever I'm doing. I know they are just doing their job and it's supposed to be a nice gesture...but how about I call you if there's a problem?

+1 !!!!!!
 
Just discovered this thread and I only read a couple pages so here's a couple things that grind my gears. If they've been said already, then I'm just reiterating them.

1. Cars that pull out in front of you and either go 5mph under the speed limit, or turn a quarter mile down the road. (this is especially true if there's no one behind me)
2. When there's a car in the fast lane just riding beside the cars.
3. When you have to change into the slow lane to pass one of the aforementioned cars and they decide to speed up.
4. That car that you just tried to pass that sped up slows down again and just rides beside you.
 
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Just discovered this thread and I only read a couple pages so here's a couple things that grind my gears. If they've been said already, then I'm just reiterating them.

1. Cars that pull out in front of you and either go 5mph under the speed limit, or turn a quarter mile down the road. (this is especially true if there's no one behind me)
2. When there's a car in the fast lane just riding beside the cars.
2. When you have to change into the slow lane to pass one of the aforementioned cars and they decide to speed up.
3. That car that you just tried to pass that sped up slows down again and just rides beside you.

4. People that can't number correctly


(Just giving you a hard time!)
 
Here's one: Hotel guests who call, make a reservation at 9 PM, and inform me that they're still in San Antonio.

I tell them that we close the lobby at 11 PM. "Oh, no worries -- we'll be there!"

I tell them that a late check-in fee may apply if they arrive after we're closed, and that San Antonio is almost certainly more than two hours away, driving.

"Don't worry -- we'll be there by 11 PM!"

It's now 12:25 AM as I'm typing this. I just called the guy (who couldn't be bothered to call me) -- "Clearly, I underestimated my driving time...I'm ten minutes out."

:mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:
 
People waiting in line at a Starbucks, Cinnabon, (or whatever) that's located in a wing of an airport terminal and who line up across the flow of traffic thus blocking the way for everyone trying to make a connection. Do they line up across the freeway at an exit ramp?

Morons. Glad I don't fly commercial every week like I used to.

These, of course, are the same people who plant their cart on one side of the aisle at the grocery store and then stand next to it looking at product on the other side thus blocking the entire aisle.

In both cases these folks typically give you a blank stare when you politely ask them to get the f*** out of the way.

So, generally speaking, I guess it's people who don't understand that they're not the only person in the entire world.
 
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In a similar situation, someone calls our veterinary hospital right at closing with an emergency. Their "regular" vet is closed and they need to be seen asap. I keep a doctor a technician and a receptionist late (tech and receptionist are on OT). After about an hour we call the number they gave us and they say "sorry, but my regular vet called back and we went there instead". Couldn't be bothered to call and let us know, huh?

Here's one: Hotel guests who call, make a reservation at 9 PM, and inform me that they're still in San Antonio.

I tell them that we close the lobby at 11 PM. "Oh, no worries -- we'll be there!"

I tell them that a late check-in fee may apply if they arrive after we're closed, and that San Antonio is almost certainly more than two hours away, driving.

"Don't worry -- we'll be there by 11 PM!"

It's now 12:25 AM as I'm typing this. I just called the guy (who couldn't be bothered to call me) -- "Clearly, I underestimated my driving time...I'm ten minutes out."

:mad2: :mad2: :mad2: :mad2:
 
ok, here is my #1 Pet Peeve. It probably won't be too familiar to all of you that are fortunate enough to still have good hearing. But I am practically deaf without dual hearing aids. Talking on the phone is awful, especially when talking to someone using one of those headsets and has a foreign accent.

My hearing aids cost $4,000 each. But they have to amplify sound so much for me that they make all telephones give a squealing feedback. Even telephones designed to work with hearing aids. I generally miss about half the conversation and often have to ask people to repeat themselves several times. This has to be as annoying to them as it is to me. If I am trying to get technical or financial details, what should be a short conversation can take a long time and anyone listening will have a good laugh.

When I send an email with a question needing a response, I will almost always ask that they please reply by email instead of by phone. The next thing I hear from them will be my receptionist saying "tech support is on the phone replying to your question". This is especially true of sales people. I have my receptionist ask if they read my email and they often say "no, I was just handed a piece of paper that said to call". Am I supposed to retell that whole problem description I so painfully typed in? I have my receptionist tell them to hang up and read the whole email. Even then, they call back on the phone. They must hate all the time they spend on hold while I don't pick up. But they still do it. This makes me mad just typing it out.
 
Just a few...

-Waiting at the gate to board. The announcement is clear...remain seated until your boarding group/zone is called. Of course nobody listens. If you are in the last group to board the plane, why are you in the middle of the line blocking everyones path during pre-boarding?

-I am not a large guy by any definition. And I completely understand that as people we come in all shapes and sizes. But why is it that each time I fly, the largest guy on the plane muat take up part of my seat, spill my drinks, and fall asleep on my shoulder without so much as an attempt to apologize for completely invading my personal space?

-I have been on a plane for 15 hours. I am still sitting here because the gate isnt ready? Or customs isnt ready? As if you didnt know we were coming!

I wont even get started with what goes on outside of the US!
 
I'm surprised they haven't come out with a Blue Tooth equipped hearing aid yet. Are any of the BT ear buds loud enough for you?
 
I'm surprised they haven't come out with a Blue Tooth equipped hearing aid yet. Are any of the BT ear buds loud enough for you?

They have. My wife is totally deaf in one ear. She wears blue tooth hearing aids where the one on her deaf side transmits to her hearing side and gives her sound location. Supposedly they can be linked to her iPhone.
 
I'm surprised they haven't come out with a Blue Tooth equipped hearing aid yet. Are any of the BT ear buds loud enough for you?

The hearing aids that are BT equipped are too large for in-the-canal or even remote mike hearing aids. You can get them in behind the ear hearing aids, but those break the seal on every ANR headset I have tried. I suspect they will have better ones in a few years. Hearing aids do keep getting better, but my hearing keeps getting worse at about an inversely proportional rate. I thought about taking my Light Speeds to work and plugging them into my phone. I hear fine with those.

But it's not all bad. As Jimmy said:

Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin's
And drinks his green label each day,
He's writing his memoirs and losing his hearing,
But he don't care what most people say.
 
Wrapping Christmas presents - especially odd-shaped boxes.

My family has that built-in origami gene that allows them to use exactly the minimum amount of wrapping paper and that one little piece of tape to hold it all together.

I think I'm missing part of a chromosome or something - I find that the relentless application of paper and tape is the only thing that works for me. Then I get to listen to, "I can tell that dad wrapped this present!" every year.

Then there is the annual search for the tape (I KNOW I left it right here...last year!) and finding out that your cat got into the wrapping paper sometime in the last 12 months and left teeth and claw holes in it...

I think I should stick to gift cards.
 
The hearing aids that are BT equipped are too large for in-the-canal or even remote mike hearing aids. You can get them in behind the ear hearing aids, but those break the seal on every ANR headset I have tried. I suspect they will have better ones in a few years. Hearing aids do keep getting better, but my hearing keeps getting worse at about an inversely proportional rate. I thought about taking my Light Speeds to work and plugging them into my phone. I hear fine with those.

But it's not all bad. As Jimmy said:

Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin's
And drinks his green label each day,
He's writing his memoirs and losing his hearing,
But he don't care what most people say.

Why are you just thinking about it? That sounds like a hell of a good idea.
 
In a similar situation, someone calls our veterinary hospital right at closing with an emergency. Their "regular" vet is closed and they need to be seen asap. I keep a doctor a technician and a receptionist late (tech and receptionist are on OT). After about an hour we call the number they gave us and they say "sorry, but my regular vet called back and we went there instead". Couldn't be bothered to call and let us know, huh?

Follow-up. The guy who said he was "ten minutes out" arrived fully 30 minutes later. When I asked if he got lost, he replied "No, sorry -- there were, like, six cars ahead of us at the drive through."

The guy actually stopped at a restaurant AFTER I called him to tell him we were waiting! I almost threw him out right then and there, but by that point I had stayed open and it all would have been for nothing.

The only good thing? This happened when I was working, not an hourly employee.
 
Follow-up. The guy who said he was "ten minutes out" arrived fully 30 minutes later. When I asked if he got lost, he replied "No, sorry -- there were, like, six cars ahead of us at the drive through."

The guy actually stopped at a restaurant AFTER I called him to tell him we were waiting! I almost threw him out right then and there, but by that point I had stayed open and it all would have been for nothing.

The only good thing? This happened when I was working, not an hourly employee.

That is pretty rude, and although I'm not shocked that they show no appreciation for your position or the concessions you make, it's unfortunate that some people are so inconsiderate.

I'm always grateful to the numerous hotel staff who have waited on me through long layovers, delays, traffic jams, mishaps, etc. only to greet me when I finally do arrive. Of course priority #1 is to haul a** to the hotel as soon as possible when finally nearing or at the destination. Or those who wake up before the light of dawn for check out because I've got an early departure.
 
That is pretty rude, and although I'm not shocked that they show no appreciation for your position or the concessions you make, it's unfortunate that some people are so inconsiderate.

I'm always grateful to the numerous hotel staff who have waited on me through long layovers, delays, traffic jams, mishaps, etc. only to greet me when I finally do arrive. Of course priority #1 is to haul a** to the hotel as soon as possible when finally nearing or at the destination. Or those who wake up before the light of dawn for check out because I've got an early departure.

One thing to keep in mind is that we are not a 250-room Holiday Inn, with night staff. We are an aviation-themed 23-room island retreat that is a hybrid between a B&B and a hotel. (We deliver breakfast to all guest rooms each morning.)

So after-hour arrivals are quite different than strolling into the Hiatt at 2 AM. We're just too small to pay someone to sit at the desk overnight -- which is something we try to make clear to all of our guests. 99.95% of our guests get it -- but, hey, this is the "Pet Peeves" thread! :D
 
People waiting in line at a Starbucks, Cinnabon, (or whatever) that's located in a wing of an airport terminal and who line up across the flow of traffic thus blocking the way for everyone trying to make a connection. Do they line up across the freeway at an exit ramp?

Morons. Glad I don't fly commercial every week like I used to.

These, of course, are the same people who plant their cart on one side of the aisle at the grocery store and then stand next to it looking at product on the other side thus blocking the entire aisle.

In both cases these folks typically give you a blank stare when you politely ask them to get the f*** out of the way.

So, generally speaking, I guess it's people who don't understand that they're not the only person in the entire world.

Oh, yeah. The first bunch are not unique to any culture, racial group or any other catagory other than "human". I call it the "Find a choke point and fill it" behaviour. It is a worldwide trait.

The second, yup. I just go cruising on through.

Just a few...

-Waiting at the gate to board. The announcement is clear...remain seated until your boarding group/zone is called. Of course nobody listens. If you are in the last group to board the plane, why are you in the middle of the line blocking everyones path during pre-boarding?

On Flyertalk.com these folks are derogotorily called "gate lice". Not a nice term. That, and "kettles" for the once a year travelers who have no idea how the system works and slow down the frequent travelers. Some folks get downright nasty on that site.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that we are not a 250-room Holiday Inn, with night staff. We are an aviation-themed 23-room island retreat that is a hybrid between a B&B and a hotel. (We deliver breakfast to all guest rooms each morning.)

So after-hour arrivals are quite different than strolling into the Hiatt at 2 AM. We're just too small to pay someone to sit at the desk overnight -- which is something we try to make clear to all of our guests. 99.95% of our guests get it -- but, hey, this is the "Pet Peeves" thread! :D


Why not take a page from FBOs and institute an 'after hours' call out fee. Say $100. Then the guy might think twice about sitting in the drive through.
 
Why not take a page from FBOs and institute an 'after hours' call out fee. Say $100. Then the guy might think twice about sitting in the drive through.

Good idea. I posted something earlier about a client that pixxed me off and Ben replied that he "used" to have a client like that. He said that person is "someone else's" client now. Life is too short to put up with that crap. And if you do put up with it, you should be compensated, and they should pay.

Now, if I could only take my own advice.
 
Oh, yeah. The first bunch are not unique to any culture, racial group or any other catagory other than "human". I call it the "Find a choke point and fill it" behaviour. It is a worldwide trait.

. . . .

I'm glad I'm not the only one who notices that. I was starting to think it was just me. People just seem to love standing in those narrow gaps.

Another behavior I notice in the supermarket, almost always by women, is the use of the cart itself to block anyone else's access to some item that typically is inspected by the buyer prior to purchase (fruit, meat, etc.). In other words, if she's looking at, let's say, tomatoes, she'll use the cart to block all the tomatoes so no one else can get close to them.

Personally, I think it's some remnant of the human female's primal gatherer role -- protecting the food supply from competing gatherers.

Men tend not to do that. Men tend to move as quickly as possible through the aisles and to inspect purchases from a distance. That's because, being hunters by nature, we are uncomfortable in the gatherer role; and we mainly want to get the hell out of the supermarket before our fellow tribesmen catch us there and make fun of us.

-Rich
 
Ball caps, straight bill, worn with bill to the side or back. Or, for that matter, hats worn indoors (by males).

Pants hanging low enough to see underwear. See that first part - "under"? As in, UNDER YOUR FREAKIN' PANTS!

Saw a guy at the mall who had to hold his pants, full time, so they did not fall (the rest of the way) off. Crotch of pants at his knees. I know, he was making a statement; the statement was, however, "I am an idiot," which I believe was likely not his intent.
 
Ball caps, straight bill, worn with bill to the side or back. Or, for that matter, hats worn indoors (by males).

Pants hanging low enough to see underwear. See that first part - "under"? As in, UNDER YOUR FREAKIN' PANTS!

Saw a guy at the mall who had to hold his pants, full time, so they did not fall (the rest of the way) off. Crotch of pants at his knees. I know, he was making a statement; the statement was, however, "I am an idiot," which I believe was likely not his intent.

I'm good with most of this post. But wtf? I'm supposed to take my hat off any time I walk inside?

Not going to happen unless you play the national anthem 100% of the time indoors. Why would that bother you anyway? I spent 7 years in the military taking my hat off indoors for who knows why just so I could get out and wear a hat indoors.
 
I'm good with most of this post. But wtf? I'm supposed to take my hat off any time I walk inside?

Not going to happen unless you play the national anthem 100% of the time indoors. Why would that bother you anyway? I spent 7 years in the military taking my hat off indoors for who knows why just so I could get out and wear a hat indoors.

Just wear a pistol belt and you're good either way.
 
The company bigwigs meet each year for a "strategy meeting" or "tragedy meeting" (depending on your paygrade). Then they break for lunch - but they set up their food table right outside my cubicle. Now I have to sit within arm's reach of a table full of BBQ, and I'm not allowed to touch. These are the kind of people who would set a dog treat on the end of their dog's nose and not let him eat it.

(I'm just waiting for them to look the other way...)
 
Now I have to sit within arm's reach of a table full of BBQ, and I'm not allowed to touch.

That's kind of how I feel when I'm on the elliptical machine at the gym, sort of.
 
I'm good with most of this post. But wtf? I'm supposed to take my hat off any time I walk inside?

Not going to happen unless you play the national anthem 100% of the time indoors. Why would that bother you anyway? I spent 7 years in the military taking my hat off indoors for who knows why just so I could get out and wear a hat indoors.

Times change.

May be a geography or culture thing.

Tradition says, especially in the south, that good manners call for gentlemen to remove their hats when indoors. Bum Phillips refused to wear his signature cowboy hat when inside the Astrodome for this reason (what might he do now- look at the retractable roof's position to decide?).
 
So called Journalists referring to the Fiscal cliff as the physical cliff.

Anybody who refers to the tax and spending changes at the end of the year as 'fiscal cliff'.

There is no cliff :mad2:
 
Times change.

May be a geography or culture thing.

Tradition says, especially in the south, that good manners call for gentlemen to remove their hats when indoors. Bum Phillips refused to wear his signature cowboy hat when inside the Astrodome for this reason (what might he do now- look at the retractable roof's position to decide?).

And Tom Landry didn't wear his hat in the superdome either. I always take mine off when going indoors. It's how I was raised. In the south.

John
 
I grew up in a military family and was military myself so I always take my hat off indoors too.

But if you're under arms... hence the pistol belt! Tidy solution. (You are considered under arms wearing a pistol belt even if you aren't physically carrying a firearm or sword.)
 
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