up-peeve-al
Posted in personal on January 21st, 2010 by jules – View Comments
This week we’re talking about the stuff that irritates you, even though it’s irrational to let something so small get to you.
I’ve actually been doing a lot of work on myself to be less annoyed at the general population, so this list is shorter than it would have been a few years ago. Despite that, there are still some things that get my panties in a wad.
1. Corporate-ese.
This is the big one, folks. I work in a day job where I email back and forth with business types all the time, and have to see/hear tons of this made up, meaningless jargon on a regular basis. “Sphere of influence”? “Leveraging multi-level infrastructures” ? “Optimize cross-platform functionalities” ? Give me a break and speak English, please. You probably don’t even know what you’re saying, so I can guarantee the dozens of folks working below you won’t know how to “implement next-generation architecture strategies.”
2. Drivers
Just in general. I am convinced that most people have no clue what the traffic laws actually are, or don’t believe they apply to them. They also forget they are operating a very heavy machine that could easily kill someone, themselves included. I err on the side of caution, so I probably annoy other drivers myself, but I’d rather be annoying than dead.
3. People who order food or check out at a store while talking on their cell phones.
When I was a barista, I would wait for someone to finish their conversation before acknowledging that they wanted to order something. I think it’s too easy for us to forget that service people are just that — people. They are not Food Robots, they are not lesser beings, they are humans with thoughts and emotions. Tell the person on the line you will call them back. If it’s an important call, don’t get in line until you’re finished. If you stay on the phone and dismissively order with one ear facing the person at the register, don’t be surprised if your order is wrong or contains faint traces of human saliva.
Those are my main peeves. What are yours? Join us over at Girl Talk Thursday!
