Thursday 6 November 2008

Ten of my absolute worse pet peeves

Mama's Losin' It hosts a regular writers workshop with various prompts that she offers up for people to use as a jumping off point. I have often said that I find it difficult to find inspiration when it comes to blogging anything remotely interesting, so this looks like a good idea for me to try out!! (not to mention more fodder for NaBloPoMo which I need if I am going to post every day for thirty days!)

I am sure that my post title makes it quite obvious what I am about to talk about! So - ten of my absolute worse pet peeves? Would that my own worse or other people's worse peeves about me!!? I don't think that I would even know (or attempt to guess) at other people's peeves about me, so I am going to settle for my own.

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ONE: leaving the milk out of the fridge, or in fact anything that should by rights be in the fridge. For some reason this really truly bothers me, I know that a few minutes wont hurt, but this one really does bother me deep down inside and I don't think that I could even tell you why!

TWO: those people who simply cannot find the bin the public loos - "ITS RIGHT THERE!" - I know that the hand-dryers are next to useless but if you find some paper towels please please use the bin!!

THREE: this one is a bit of hazard of my job as Librarian, but it does bug me when our library users expect us to get an article or book that they need immediately when in fact they've known for a while that they have this essay/project/presentation to do tomorrow!!

FOUR: tradespeople who just don't seem to want your business. I think that I've mentioned something similar to this before, but when you ask people to contact you with regards a possible job, I don't expect not to get a response at all or even worse, continued promises to contact you that are just not followed up. Don't you want my money or my goodwill?!

FIVE: As I am watching the adverts at the moment I suddenly realise that one of my pet peeves are those glossy adverts for hair products or make up or any other feminine beautification product. Nobody looks that beautiful, you've all been airbrushed and polished and buffed to a shine - thanks for making me feel inadequate! It's a good job that I am not silly to enough to think that if I bought that product I would instantly turn into a beauty!!

SIX: politicians who constantly put down the opposing party instead of saying that they can do for the electorate. I know that this sounds like something that I have thought of off the back of the American election, but it is something that bothers me at every British election that we have (or even when I happen to catch some parliamentary stuff on television). It really does seem as though all the politicians can think of is that we want to know how badly they think of the other political groups. In my case that just annoys me deeply - why couldn't they tell me something more constructive instead of acting like school children taunting each other in the playground.

SEVEN: those teenage boys who think that it is perfectly acceptable to wear jeans that hang half way down their legs. Every time I see one of them waddling down the street and attempting to hitch their trousers up so that they move past the point of actually falling down I just want to go up to them and yank their jeans right up and give them a belt to wear. I really really don't want to see your underwear thank you very much!

EIGHT: supermarkets who try to make a big thing about comparing two different shopping bills at two different supermarkets when in fact all you save is about £2. That might sound like a lot if you were comparing two bills of about ten pounds each, but when you compare two shopping lists costing about a hundred pounds, do you really think that we're going to quibble over two pounds. If I am already spending a hundred, I would expect serious savings!! I remember complaining about this particular advert with a friend, but can't find the actual advert to show you all.

NINE: I love to read and will pretty much read anything and everything I can get my hands on, so it does annoy me when I read something that has been through umpteen drafts, several edits, not to mention a few proofreaders and yet there are STILL spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.

TEN: My final pet peeve actually has to do with ME and my inability to make sure that I always have a spare set of hearing aid batteries somewhere on my person. I invariably run out of batteries at the worse possible moment (before a seminar, half way though a concert - I actually drove home to get more batteries during the interim and made it back just in time!). Why oh why can't I make sure that I have batteries, I get them free so why do I have to put myself in the situation where I have to go and BUY some more?!

Heck, I didn't imagine that this post would turn out to be quite so long, I hope you didn't fall asleep by the end of it. Oh well, I never knew I had quite so many pet peeves!! I am kinda pleased that they are a mix of the serious and the not-so serious! Do you have any major peeves?

21 comments:

J Cosmo Newbery said...

Good set of peeves! I want to know HOW those teenage pants stay up!

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

Great list - its amazing once you start going with this list how easy it all just comes!!

Sometimes Sophia said...

Great list. I love #6 and #7. I'm so sick of seeing shabby boxer shorts, I could scream. And they ought to pass a law that fines politicians for negative comments about their opponents.

Sam_I_am said...

Love your six and seven. By the end of the election, I was scared to have either McCain or Obama in office, because of everything that I heard was wrong with them!

There's a law in my town that pants can't hang anymore that 5 inches below your waist.

Kelly said...

I too HATE the teenagers with their pants around their knees! I do not want to see what your boxers look like!

Krazy Armstrong K's! said...

Greaat! i love reading everyones pet peeves!

Michelle said...

Great list. I'm so happy that the schools in our area have banned the pants around the thighs look.

How can that be comfortable??

Ashley said...

You definitely had me at number 7!

Anonymous said...

The funny thing about #7 is that they are usually wearing belts and their pants are STILL falling down.

Sam_I_am said...

It really annoys me when I say "I'm Sam." and they get that stupid little smirk on their face and say "Is it short for Samantha?" Now I reply, "no, it's Sam." I had a woman argue with me yesterday about it. Although, I think I hate it as much or maybe more if someone calls me Sammi. I was so excited when I saw your blog and saw that your a girl Sam too. It rocked. :-)

minivan soapbox said...

Thanks for stopping by the MinivanSoapbox...Great list. My pet peeve - the lady across the hall in my office that insists on putting her lunch IN HER MOUTH - and then deems something very important to tell me at that exact moment.

Los said...

6 and 7 are right on the money! I hate politicians for that very reason ... give me an idea of what exactly you'll do to make things better, not what your opponent won't do.

Also, I never got the whole "jeans hanging below the butt" thing ... although, I used to wear acid washed jeans ...

Kristin - The Goat said...

I'm Kristin from The Goat, part of the Secret Ornament Swap & I'm going around meeting all the participants. Hello!!

My pet peeve - When my husband tells me that he's leaving and then takes several hours to actually go. He has just left for a vacation and I've been ready to have the day to myself since I woke up and he has dawdled for 8 hours. I thought I was going to lose my mind. lol

laura bacon said...

I agree with your list completely! Especially the "pants" part. I have two boys (ages 7 & 10) and if they start to wear their pants like that, I will yank them and their underpants down right in front of all their friends. I can't stand it!!

KatBouska said...

Number five is so TRUE! great list...lots of different yet equally annoying peeves. :)

KatieZ said...

Love the dreadful Peeves! Very funny! I can't stand the baggy pants either. The bad thing there is that my son is just about to that age and already thinks he needs to wear 3 sizes too big! Not happening!

Jen said...

I am so with you on the milk thing. Put it BACK!!!

Alice said...

I think No. 6 happens almost everywhere...

This is an interesting read, Sam. :)

Michelle said...

Nicely put list. And I hadn't thought of the tradespeople part, but it does always entertain me how I can quickly pare my list by those who don't call me back. Ever. Or call me back (literally for landscaping) SIX weeks after I called for some info and after I'd installed the new landscaping. *sigh*

Hecticmom Undone said...

Hey sam - regarding email for hecticmom - it's camcvay at gmail dot com.

I totally dislike the falling down pants too. But, on the other hand - I hate it when my pants are too tight. :)

Literary Feline said...

Luckily number one isn't a problem in my house. Number two though--oh! I just don't get why people can't put their used towels in the trash either. Pick it up if you miss. It's not that hard! I'm not a fan of negative campaigning either. It's a big turn off for me.