10 Pet Peeves

Little things can stress you out a lot. One way to get them off your mind and off your chest is to talk or, in this case, write about them. I know my list will not be shared by everyone, and some of my annoyances may seem petty or trite. But, more likely than not, others out there will know exactly what I am talking about and are annoyed and stressed by the same or similar Pet Peeves.

1. Pedestrians Who Refuse To Use a Crosswalk

   Come on people, those white lines aren't there for decoration. Why is it so hard to walk the few extra feet or wait the few extra seconds? And why do you blame the car who has to slam on the brakes, risking being hit from behind, as if we could predict your inane wandering into traffic. Adults do it often, but I mostly encounter teenagers who seem to think cars are there to challenge, not avoid. I know I would love to see some of these blatant jaywalkers get ticketed.

2. Drivers In Parking Lots

   This may possibly be related to the same boundary issues as 1 above, the loss of basic common sense about safety inherent in both. Why is it that simple rules we obey on the road are tossed completely to the curb when we enter a parking lot? Cars drive all over the place, as if we leave America and cross into Europe each time we pull into the Wal-Mart lot. Basics like turn signals and stopping before turning are cast aside for mad dashes to precious parking spaces mere feet closer to the door than another. Add the maniacal, crazy-legged jaywalkers to this free-for-all and you have quite a risky area to drive into just to get some shopping done.

3. Turn Signals And Changing Lanes

   Okay, this is not rocket science. This is basic driving rules and etiquette. Regardless of what you may believe, you are NOT the only person on the road. If you want to change lanes, use your turn signal. It was invented, installed and made easily available for a reason. I have to wonder how many accidents would be avoided by the simple act of letting other drivers know when you are going to turn. And if you see that a lane is going to end up ahead and merge with another lane, prepare yourself and get into the other lane AHEAD of time. Why, why, WHY do people wait until the lane is physically gone to try and get into the other lane? Again, you are not the only driver on the road.

4. Logos, Ads, And Banners At The Bottom Of The Television Screen

   The ever-growing logos, ads and banners networks added to the bottom of the television screen are annoying. It started with the network logo in the lower right corner. Then news banners along the bottom. These have grown bigger and now include animations, and even faces and moving actors or network news people, telling us what is coming up next. Or later. Or tomorrow. It is quite unsettling to be watching a show, to be immersed in the story, and then suddenly a little weatherman is standing in the corner like a magical leprechaun, telling us snow is possibly on the way in three days. News at 11:00! Enough!

5. Customer Service

   Now, I know for a fact I am not alone in my feelings in how customer service has worsened over the years. “The customer is always right” has been replaced with “The customer is an annoyance to be barely tolerated.” I am not only talking about rude or indifferent sales people and cashiers, although there are plenty. But also employees who go out of their way to show the customers that they don't care whether they are there or not. And this includes the managers and supervisors, as well. I know wages and hours and work and stress can take their toll on everyone. But that includes the customers. We are there to purchase whatever product or service you are selling. Don't take your problems out on the customers and not expect the customers to take their business elsewhere. There are still people and places that give a darn, and more and more customers are going to seek them out.

6. Personal Space

   What ever happened to giving people a modicum of space or, in the very least, some privacy. When I am in line at the checkout, I don't need you so close to my back that I can hear your thoughts. And PLEASE do not start putting your items on the conveyor belt until I have finished placing mine and put down the little separation bar. It was invented for this reason, you know. And with the new self-check out lanes, this has taken a further step into annoyance. Let me finish my order and bag my items without watching your items coming down the belt. Are you really in so much of a hurry that ten extra seconds is going to mess up your day? And this personal space issue also applies to waiting in line at the pharmacy. I know you can hear my conversation with the pharmacist as it is, but do I need to see you actively watching and listening as well? I don't think so. Back off!

7. Forwarding Emails

   I know this has been mentioned more often lately, but I don't think enough people are getting the point. I don't need to hear every joke that was forwarded to you, every picture some third cousin thought was funny or video that just HAS to be seen NOW. I know how to use the internet, I know where to search for what I want to see. Now, that doesn't mean you don't have to ever send anything. There are a few family and friends I send things to. But you need to know who wants things and who doesn't, and only send things that person has an interest in. And PLEASE do not send something that has been forwarded so many times that there are more email addresses than content or that has lost the super-funny picture through multiple forwards. Remember, less really is more.

8. Unsolicited Phone Calls and Credit Offers

   We still get them, even though we are on the “Do Not Call” list. And we report them. But in the mail and on the phone, they keep on coming. And it doesn't stop at just credit card offers. We get at least two or three catalogs A DAY for places we may have shopped at once three years ago. I wonder how much money companies would save if they limited these catalogs to every few months rather than every week. And I am not exaggerating here. Phone solicitations have slowed down, but the automated calls are still coming. I hate picking up the phone and then having to wait as the computer that called me now transfers me to an actual human, a person who now cops an attitude when I tell them to stop calling me. Enough.

9. Rude, Z-Grade Reality Show Celebrities

   I don't watch much reality television, save for shows like American Idol, the occasional Amazing Race or home improvement shows. But many of the people who wind up on these shows never cease to amaze me. There are plenty who behave themselves, showing the manners and class their parents worked hard to instill in them. But there are far too many of these instant-celebrities who act is if they were taught nothing about basic kindness, or even a modicum of couth. The worst of these shows seem to be on VH1, E! and MTV, but more and more this sad trend seems to be spreading. It is not a good sign and not anything I would want my kids watching or thinking is appropriate behavior, in any way. I feel embarrassed for these people and their families. And if these people are willing to do or say anything to be on TV, I would at least hope the networks would have a standard of ethics to follow. But I fear this is asking to much where ratings are concerned. Which leads into 10.

10. Britney Spears Coverage

    Now this is really where enough is enough. I have to go back to networks like VH1 or E!, so-called “entertainment news” shows like Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight and the tabloids to ask: Where have your morals and ethics gone? Following celebrities relentlessly, hounding their every waking moment, their personal time and space, has gone way too far. Yes, these stars put themselves in the public eye and open themselves to scrutiny. But one has to wonder how much this has to do with the explosion of Britney Spears life. I am not laying blame solely at the feet of these paparazzi, but I think they need to shoulder some of it. As do the people who watch these shows and buy these rags. I wonder how Britney would fare if she was left alone to cope with her family and personal crises without the constant intrusion of the entire world at her every move. Is it too much to ask that they would think to do this on their own, to just back off for a year, give her the time to regroup and heal? And why do I feel like the one being unrealistic? Sad, for her, for her family and for what it means for the rest of the stars, next in line as paparazzi prey. Just sad.

So, I guess I could go on. And on. But ten peeves seem plenty. Just things that annoy me and people I know. And, I am willing to bet, bug lots of you, too. Maybe if we all try and work on one little annoying problem at a time, the world can be a happier place.

Or, maybe I should be 11 on this list: An annoying Pollyanna.