Hello again, awesome readers!
I was in high school the first time I heard the expression “pet peeves”. Along with the “most likely to …” write-ups, year book descriptions for graduating students always included their pet peeves. And while I wasn’t familiar with the term at the time, I just kind of figured it out by what followed.
Maria Sinclaire. Most likely to run a marathon. Pet peeve: people who put anchovies on their pizza.
Brian Primrose. Most likely to be in the news. Pet peeve: people that spit out their gum on the sidewalk.
What they didn’t mention in the year book is that Mary’s training for the marathon would go on to include chasing the pizza delivery guy after she found anchovies on her pizza, and that Brian would be in the news for beating up his brother-in-law after he spit out his gum and Brain ended up stepping in it. Melted, sticky gum at the bottom of your shoe? Yeah. Not cool, Brian’s brother-in-law.
Personally, I don’t really have a pet peeve. I’m more of a live and let live kinda gal. At least that’s how I’ve always seen myself. And then *this* happened …
Last week I left the office and decided to stop at the grocery store on my way home. I pulled into the parking lot and because I was speaking with my mother on the phone at the time, I parked then sat in my car while my mother and I finished our conversation.
(It’s not a pet peeve but sometimes I see these people talking on their phones while shopping and I think, WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU NEED TO TALK NOW??? I don’t want to be one of those people.)
While I was sitting in my car, I was watching (but not really watching) a lady as she loaded her grocery bags into her white Volvo. Then … THEN … I saw her open her car door and climb in, LEAVING HER GROCERY CART IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PARKING LOT.
That’s when I realized that … boy-oh-boy, I DO HAVE A PET PEEVE.
“Hold on, mom,” I said into my phone as I got out of my car and walked over to the lady about to drive away. She stared at me through the window as I indicated that I wanted to speak to her. She was hesitant.
“Who is this crazy lady blocking my way?”
I could actually see her thoughts.
After what felt like 30 years but was probably more like four seconds, she rolled down her window.
“So, you’re just going to leave your shopping cart here for the wind to smash it into someone else’s car?”
“Oh … um …”
“That’s not a real question,” I said, interrupting her. “But this is. You couldn’t walk the 15 steps to put it over there?” I asked as I nodded towards the cart coral. (Or whatever it’s called.)
“Yes. Just leave it. I’ll put it away,” she said realizing that SHE GOT CAUGHT.
“Never mind,” I said. “But remember this. Karma’s a bitch and don’t be surprised if one day the wind pushes a cart into *your* car because someone else was too lazy to put it away.”
And with that I walked away with her cart.
So yeah. Apparently, I *do* have a pet peeve.
What’s yours?
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wow…I just sat here for two minutes and couldn’t think of one. I was so excited that you asked, because yesterday I had several. That’s interesting. Apostrophes, though. There’s a person in Seattle who goes around writing JESUS LOVE’S YOU, which is an okay sentiment, but each time I find one I literally have to stop and erase the apostrophe, generate spit if I don’t happen to have a liquid on hand. Even if it means I’m crouching in the street and may get plastered by a bus.
OH. And “what, did you lose weight?” This may juts be me, but I really dislike people leading off with that because I probably didn’t and I’m going to just answer literally instead of understanding that they want to communicate.
Did you see the graffiti artist who corrects bad grammar? https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/apr/03/banksy-of-punctuation-puts-full-stop-bad-grammar-bristol
OMGness! I love this person. Thanks for the link!
Yup. Apostrophes should be a pre-requisite to life! Also, common courtesy! You do not ask someone if they’ve lost weight as an ice breaker, people!
Topical pet peeve because I’ve just been on planes: too much carry on baggage in airplane travel – or too big.
I get it – there’s not enough space for EVERYONE to have a mini suitcase in the overhead locker. But here’s my belief: carry on should be what you need ON THE PLANE. The small roller suitcases that people use as carry on fills up the overhead bin within two or three cases. The bin is meant to be SHARED by up to 5 people, depending on the configuration of the seats. And don’t even get me started on all the “extras” people take inside the plane. I even saw a family carrying 4 duvets plus their roller cases!
*rant rant rant* Seriously, I could go on about this for aaaaages.
People who, while shopping, meet some one they know and stand in the middle of the aisle and talk, effectively blocking everyone else from moving. And people who walk in the middle of the street in my residential neighborhood. Sometimes it’s several people, blocking the entire road. Guess I have a thing about the middle of aisles and streets….
Or people that walk in a store then stand right in the doorway as they pull out their list. Drives. Me. Nuts.