What is your pet peeve of the day?

[gwraigty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 I have noticed a trend in the recent "pet peeve" thread and it boils down to one thing: Too damn many people!!! We recently moved to the midwest from the metro Atlanta area (with a significantly reduced population density) and the difference in "crowd behavior" is astonishing. Granted, they drive quite a bit slower here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing...especially when don't really have to be in a hurry most of the time. I think Dwight from "The Office" got it right when he said, "Why are all these people here? There are too many people on this earth...we need a new plague."

There are too many people crammed into the same space, for sure. We bought into a new development in 1996, which expanded for several more years afterwards. They continue to build more developments throughout the neighborhood and county. The problem is that they don't/won't expand road capacity. In my pet peeve above, note that I deliberately mentioned "a 2 lane road in a no passing zone". Yes, those roads were fine when it was still all farmland, but those days are long gone.

We have the newest commercial and retail space in the area less than 2 miles from my house, complete with a Super Walmart and several smaller strip centers. It's great when you can shop there early in the morning, but I've noticed that the off-peak hours are getting fewer and fewer. The "geniuses" (sarcasm definitely intended) that designed the place only made one access road. (That's worthy of a peeve in itself!) There are at least 2 new developments going in down the road from there, which will add to the congestion massively.

Common sense would dictate that you can't keep adding more housing, turning what was once rural into a more "citified" environment, and expect the existing rural street network to handle it all efficiently. I firmly believe that this does lead to more aggressive/careless driving behavior, from the things I've seen in more recent years around here.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadway When I visited my parents in central Ohio Columbus, it was like night and day from NJ. Their every day was like Chritmas morning here in NJ with light traffic. I miss that!

That was precisely the reason we moved from the D.C. area to West Virginia. Less than a hundred miles in distance, but a world away in stress levels.

[GalaxyBoy]

Entering the parking lot at the shopping center, the incoming lanes have no stop signs and the ring road has stop signs coming from either direction. From all directions there are signs reading "incoming traffic does not stop." Of course, much of the time the incoming car come to a dead stop and sits there looking confused as to why the cars on the ring road won't go. Seems like most traffic signs are invisible these days.

[John Galt III]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 I have noticed a trend in the recent "pet peeve" thread and it boils down to one thing: Too damn many people!!! We recently moved to the midwest from the metro Atlanta area (with a significantly reduced population density) and the difference in "crowd behavior" is astonishing. Granted, they drive quite a bit slower here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing...especially when don't really have to be in a hurry most of the time. I think Dwight from "The Office" got it right when he said, "Why are all these people here? There are too many people on this earth...we need a new plague."

I hope your traffic continues to be sparse. My traffic here in eastern Pa used to be beautifully light. It got actually bad about 10 years ago and continues to get heavier each year. No matter what time of day! Where are all these people going Get off my lawn and get off my roads!! lol...

[O2Bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 I have noticed a trend in the recent "pet peeve" thread and it boils down to one thing: Too damn many people!!! We recently moved to the midwest from the metro Atlanta area (with a significantly reduced population density) and the difference in "crowd behavior" is astonishing. Granted, they drive quite a bit slower here, but that's not necessarily a bad thing...especially when don't really have to be in a hurry most of the time. I think Dwight from "The Office" got it right when he said, "Why are all these people here? There are too many people on this earth...we need a new plague."

Agreed! More people = more crowding and more people doing dumb/bad things = the need for more rules and regulations, area closures, and other restrictions on everyone's freedom.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I hope your traffic continues to be sparse. My traffic here in eastern Pa used to be beautifully light. It got actually bad about 10 years ago and continues to get heavier each year. No matter what time of day! Where are all these people going Get off my lawn and get off my roads!! lol...

I can hope, right? The area where we lived outside of Atlanta wasn't too bad 20-25 years ago. At the ball field I played at as a kid, if you hit a ball and it rolled across the two lane, it was easy to get. Today, it's a 4 lane with raised median and a daily traffic count of 44,800 (in 1990 it was 13,300) and is misery. Our current location *seems* to be far enough out that we shouldn't experience that kind of growth for a long time. Plus, we are attempting to purchase a fairly large parcel of land behind our next home to give us a little buffer...if it's needed.

[gwraigty]

Time for a seasonal pet peeve:

In-laws who live out of state who either: invite themselves in for Thanksgiving/Christmas; or are invited by my FIL/MIL, yet FIL/MIL expect me to host. I feel like nothing more than a maid/cook, hovering in the background.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwraigty Time for a seasonal pet peeve: In-laws who live out of state who either: invite themselves in for Thanksgiving/Christmas; or are invited by my FIL/MIL, yet FIL/MIL expect me to host. I feel like nothing more than a maid/cook, hovering in the background.

That's where advising people that you have contracted Ebola or some similar contagious disease comes in handy. (They used to paint a large red or black cross on the doors of those with plague.)

[broadway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I hope your traffic continues to be sparse. My traffic here in eastern Pa used to be beautifully light. It got actually bad about 10 years ago and continues to get heavier each year. No matter what time of day! Where are all these people going Get off my lawn and get off my roads!! lol...

Bucks County is awfully congested.
I was there for my contract job this summer and it was crowded at 8:30 am, at lunch, at 3:30 pm.

[gwraigty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nemo2 That's where advising people that you have contracted Ebola or some similar contagious disease comes in handy. (They used to paint a large red or black cross on the doors of those with plague.)

With my husband's help, I crafted a brief, carefully-worded email response to the email we received last night/this morning. He is the tactful one. I don't have the patience with them anymore. My email would have been blistering. (Any further necessary ones might still be, as my in-laws do not like to take "No" for an answer.)

An anecdote: One Christmas I had to call off hosting because I was sick. My husband let them know a day or so in advance. Christmas morning, my FIL called to ask what time dinner was. (No, he did not and still does not have dementia/Alzheimer's.) I was floored. After they showed up, my MIL remarked on how unwell I looked. I had a fever of 103 F. They'd thought I was bluffing to get out of having them over. Comments were made about my germs getting in the food, etc. I think it was the shortest Christmas visit ever.

[Walt34]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gwraigty An anecdote: One Christmas I had to call off hosting because I was sick. My husband let them know a day or so in advance. Christmas morning, my FIL called to ask what time dinner was. (No, he did not and still does not have dementia/Alzheimer's.) I was floored. After they showed up, my MIL remarked on how unwell I looked. I had a fever of 103 F. They'd thought I was bluffing to get out of having them over. Comments were made about my germs getting in the food, etc. I think it was the shortest Christmas visit ever.

This is your cue. At that point if they showed up I'd just say "I told you I am sick. I am not hosting anyone. For anything. No, get it? What part of "no" is it that you don't understand?"

And then shut the door.

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walt34 And then shut slam the door.

FIFY.

[Z3Dreamer]

To activate insurance with a new broker, I had to pay 100% when the policies began. Auto, Home, Umbrella, Rental. A year later, when I sold the rental, I talked new owner into staying with the broker, so they lost no business. Still, it took 30 days for me to get a refund.

Same rant, different business. I rent a vacation house in August for October. I must pay the rental and fees partially in August, with full payment a month before my visit. On Sept 27, I ask if the recent hurricane will change my vacation. Answer is "Yes". Refund arrives, November 8th. Rental agent's office was not damaged by hurricane, only rental properties on the beach. Yes, they had 3 days where they could not reach their office, but 45 days to process my refund? Oh, and they shorted the refund by $72 with no explanation.

When I w***ed, and we had to issue customer refunds, we always did it ASAP. Seems like these businesses can't be bothered.

[Sue J]

My radio station “threw the switch” this morning and changed to 24 hours a day of Christmas music. Ugh. Too much, too soon. And now all the local stations will do the same thing.

I have simple needs. I listen to a radio station in the bathroom and in my car. It’s an Adult Contemporary type station. I like the morning crew, I enjoy the music, the banter and contests are fun. Yet every year they leap into the silly season earlier and earlier.

My solution is to go to my selection of podcasts. And I grit my teeth until it’s all over.

[gwraigty]

Cryptic thread titles, such as Best way to ......

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J My radio station “threw the switch” this morning and changed to 24 hours a day of Christmas music. Ugh. Too much, too soon. And now all the local stations will do the same thing.

That's terrible. It's just way too early for this music.

[Koogie]

Three years ago the city paid 7.4MM to build a new library in our area. All glass, steel and shiny surfaces now (it looks like Steve Jobs bathroom) and it has fewer books in it than before.

But the corker is, they are now closed on Fridays. Yeah, Fridays. Because who would want to get a book out for the weekend....

[Nemo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koogie Because who would want to get a book out for the weekend....

Books? BOOKS? OMG how primordial...next you'll want to draw buffaloes in caves!

[ExFlyBoy5]

Car alarms. Specifically, the idiot users who feel the need to push "lock" on the key fob no less than 17 times to MAKE SURE the vehicle is locked. Were the 16 honks you heard when you repeatedly pushed the button not clue you in that it's LOCKED?!?

[Sanstar]

Just had all kitchen appliances replaced but did not check on microwave beeps. Way too long, loud and annoying. This particular model doesn’t have an option to lower volume or turn off beeps like the oven does. Will be looking for this feature with any future purchases.