didn't used to bother me....

S

sdtech

Recycles dryer sheets
Joined
Nov 8, 2013
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198
Maybe this is transitioning to "grumpy old man" status, but I'm starting to be aware of complaining about things that I never even noticed before...

My son was working on his laptop near me - the fan noise annoyed me - it was going all the time - My laptop doesn't even have one, but for years I didn't even notice laptops were so noisy.

One car is an EV - seldom take my second car to a gas station, but now the dirty pumps, lines and smells stand out.

How terrible the crowds are shopping on weekends!

And a side note - on weekdays in crowded stores - how come these people aren't working?!

The flip side of this - retirement is SO GREAT!
 
I agree about shopping mall crowds, but otherwise I'm the opposite. I've mellowed substantially.
 
sdtech said:
Maybe this is transitioning to "grumpy old man" status, but I'm starting to be aware of complaining about things that I never even noticed before...

My son was working on his laptop near me - the fan noise annoyed me - it was going all the time - My laptop doesn't even have one, but for years I didn't even notice laptops were so noisy.

One car is an EV - seldom take my second car to a gas station, but now the dirty pumps, lines and smells stand out.

How terrible the crowds are shopping on weekends!

And a side note - on weekdays in crowded stores - how come these people aren't working?!

The flip side of this - retirement is SO GREAT!
Click to expand...
Yep, you diagnosed yourself perfectly! (are you yelling at people to get off your lawn yet?)
 
I have left a restaurant without ordering after asking them to turn down the music and they didn't turn down the music enough. Just last night, I asked a server in another restaurant to move us to another table as one of the speakers was right above our table and the music was too loud. I have also left a restaurant without ordering when one of the lights in the room was flickering and it bothered me.

I was never like this when I was younger, not even 5 years ago. It's not like my hearing got better in old age.

Maybe I'm more set in my ways? I hope that's not the case as I want to be flexible, but I still want to eat in an enjoyable environment.

Maybe the problem I'm having as I'm getting older is that small things start to bother me as they make me kind of lose my focus. It's like they make it harder for me to think, or concentrate somehow.
 
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I may be a grumpy old lady--the music in restaurants is way too loud for me! DH and I often leave before even getting to our table if it is bothersome.
We try to avoid any shopping on weekends, and even go later in the evening during the week. We often do our grocery shopping at 7-8 pm. If we go to the local mall, it will be right at stores opening hours usually on a Tuesday, we have found them the least crowded then.
And, as much as I love having our kids and grandkids over, the quiet in the house afterwards is a breath of fresh air for DH and I, lol. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
I'd unload the 2nd car and get a 2nd EV.

No more smelly gas stations to contend with. One less thing to complain about.

2017 was my last visit to one.
 
About eight years ago I was turning into a grump with every little thing bothering me. I even snapped at DW for things that were minor and undeserved. Turned out I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder easily treated with a medication. Life is much better since and little bothers me anymore.
I’m not suggesting this is happening with you. Just my story.
 
Yeap. Girlfriend and I used to sit at the coffee shops 3-4 mornings a week. We finally got too tired of asking them turn the music down, so now we get a coffee to go and sit on the couch at home (with a fireplace screensaver playing on the tv :LOL: ).

I think you do get used to the quiet, but I also think something happened in the last 5 years or so where retailers equate loud music with better sales or something.

Reminds me; our Albertsons has started playing BTO's "Takin' care of business" every morning at 9:00 sharp. This is right about the time we get there. So now we wait in car until 9:05, to shop. :p I'm guessing it's some sort thing to rev up the employees:confused:
 
I take AirPods with me if I’m going to be stuck in a waiting room.

Fortunately our grocery store music is definitely background.

One of the advantages of not dining in is not putting up with a noisy, busy place.
 
I've noticed the same sorts of irritations and I'm not certain where it comes from. I've never thought of myself as privileged so I don't think I'm overly sensitive. Still, I have noticed an increase in my irritability regarding noise, wait time, bad service, intrusive people and just general chaos.

Age appropriate, perhaps? I don't know.
 
Same here. I cannot even stand the noise of fan in the bathroom. Since we have 4 bathrooms in the house, I have mine and he has his. So I leave the fan off and in the off chance that I stink up the bathroom, it would dissipate and not cause anyone grief. Restaurants play music that is way too loud and we usually ask the servers if they could turn it down. Sometimes they do it and other times they couldn't because their manager insisted on playing loud music. Then there is my husband, he loves having the tv on, softly, but even that irritates me. When he is not watching tv, he would turn on the classical music or new age music on SirusXM on the tv, and then he would fall asleep. It is annoying.

We now drive an EV and the dealership gave us an ICE car as a loaner recently, and we took it back the next day and insisted on an EV. We cannot stand driving noisy cars anymore.
 
sdtech said:
Maybe this is transitioning to "grumpy old man" status, but I'm starting to be aware of complaining about things that I never even noticed before...
Click to expand...
I've noticed it too, especially the loud music in restaurants. We often ask for it to be turned down but we haven't got to the point of leaving because of it. Yet.

My theory on the lower tolerance for annoyances is that we don't put up with it because we don't have to. We're not pressed for time, and if one store is annoying for whatever reason, we'll just leave and either go to another or more likely just go home and order online.
 
Koolau actually I think its them not us, so many restaurants now have big open area bars, in the middle of the eating area. The noise from the bar area and the music they play is just off the charts. If I have to scream so my table mates can hear me, I'm done. Throw in a few TVs playing sports and they have lost my business forever.
 
Walt34 said:
I've noticed it too, especially the loud music in restaurants. We often ask for it to be turned down but we haven't got to the point of leaving because of it. Yet.

My theory on the lower tolerance for annoyances is that we don't put up with it because we don't have to. We're not pressed for time, and if one store is annoying for whatever reason, we'll just leave and either go to another or more likely just go home and order online.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think this may be a good part of it. We kinda got used to taking a bunch of rubbish at w*rk - because otherwise we wouldn't get paid. We put up with irritations at restaurants or other public places because they were our escape from the grind of w*rk. But NOW we're free from w*rk and we realize (in the words of Peter Finch) "...I'm not going to take this any more."
 
We were at a restaurant a couple of months ago that was so loud. We had ordered but asked for our food to be packaged to go before we got it. It was too loud to stay.

I’ve been in other restaurants where I had to yell to speak with the people sitting next to me! I don’t go back to those restaurants.
 
I have noticed that I am more bothered by noise and distractions than I used to be. I feel like I get sensory overload much faster now. I can’t even have a conversation if the music, tv, or background noise is too loud. I assumed it was just me, but maybe some of it is that places are getting louder.
 
pb4uski said:
No long trips... EV only would not work for us long haul travelers.
Click to expand...
We had thought so but decided to get an EV anyway. We drive 4.5 hours and longer every winter and summer to get away to milder climate places. Range anxiety is real. This past Dec-Jan, we were able to map out where we would charge mid-trip where we would have lunch anyway and it was less stressful than we expected. This summer, we are doing 2 trips, one to Southern CA and home for a day and then on to Park City, Utah. Long haul driving while stressful with an EV, is really not such a big issue.
 
ksr said:
I have noticed that I am more bothered by noise and distractions than I used to be. I feel like I get sensory overload much faster now. I can’t even have a conversation if the music, tv, or background noise is too loud. I assumed it was just me, but maybe some of it is that places are getting louder.
Click to expand...
Right, and what's really ironic is that my hearing is really getting bad - yet loud "noise" bothers me unlike when I was young and had good hearing. What's up with that?
 
sdtech said:
And a side note - on weekdays in crowded stores - how come these people aren't working?!
Click to expand...

They're "working from home."

Seriously. On a reddit forum, someone once asked why people in a pilates reformer class, where the instructor gives cues and corrections throughout the class, would have earbuds in. Someone actually admitted that she's on a zoom call for work.
 
We live on a cul de sac of abt 25 homes. I think only 2 of us cut our own lawns. Everyone else uses contractors with big noisy dusty heavy duty machines. One contractor has most of the homes and spends the entire day cutting. There was one occasion they came on a Saturday when we had a family gathering. Had to move inside for several hours. I feel bad because the time may come that I can’t cut my own. Gone are the days of using a teenager or handyman in the neighborhood.
 
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