Thursday, August 10, 2006
Thursday 13 - 13 Things That Piss Me Off
OK, now this is a Thursday 13 I can really get into! While it is true that I am working hard these days at becoming a more serene, introspective nomad, there is no question that there are still things in this world that piss me off. Let’s face it, I’m human! I try not to let things upset me as much as before, but it doesn’t mean these things don’t upset me. So maybe it’s best to vocalize (er, write) my list here, and not internalize it. So:
13. Electronic Phone Menus: I call up a company I’m spending way too much money on every month, looking for one key piece of information so I can move on with my day. I press 1 for English, 3 for customer service, 2 for cell phones, 5 for US cell phones, my social security number, my account number, say my name into the handset…and then an operator comes on and asks me to identify myself and what division I’m looking for. Why did I just waste 10 minutes with your stupid electronic phone menu?
12: Incessant complaining: Given the nature of this post, this may sound like the pot calling the kettle black. However, have you ever been in a really great mood, and then met up with someone who is complaining about every little thing in the world? Sometimes, I just want to remind them that a bit of a positive outlook could make them, I don’t know, slightly tolerable!
11: Wasting the hard-earned money I gave to taxes: While living in Boston, I gave thousands of dollars to taxes. A huge portion of that money went into the Big Dig. Within a few months of opening the new roads, the roof of the first tunnel collapsed, and the entire project had to be re-evaluated. Thanks for flushing my hard-earned money down the toilette!
10. Early Morning Bill Collectors: I have only one outstanding bill today, and it’s a hospital bill I’m contesting. They’re charging me $177 for an appointment where the doctor didn’t show up. But 2 times a week, the bill collector calls me at 7:30 am to try to get me to pay. What’s worse, the same bill collector calls in the mornings from the same hospital, asking for a woman who hasn’t lived here for years. I keep telling her she doesn’t live here, they keep calling back and waking me up. There aught to be a law!
9. Telemarketers: Along the same lines, telemarketers call me either early in the morning or in the evening when I’m trying to relax to try to sell me on one scheme or another. I feel for them, because I’ve had to work that gig before. But please, leave me the hell alone!
8: Country Music & Music with No Soul: OK, I’m starting to have to re-evaluate this one, since I was introduced to Big & Rich and sort of like them. But in general, I think both Country Music and modern-day Alternative music is really devoid of soul. It certainly doesn’t make me want to groove, it actually makes me want to put my head in la-machine. Watch my ears bleed, folks! For me, I’ll stick with classic rock, blues, R&B, funk, and stuff like that.
7. Slow Drivers: I’m late for a meeting, driving down a two lane road with signs posted all over for 45 mph. The road is clear, except for two drivers, side by side, going 25 mph. GET A CLUE! Oddly enough, it happens on a regular basis, though the road may change, the driving habits stay the same.
6. Bad Drivers: Maybe the only thing worse than the slow driver is the bad driver, weaving in and out of traffic without taking a second to see who’s in the lane he’s merging into. Around here, the car invariably has dents from the last 15 times the driver has been showing his inability to handle his car, and yet he goes cruising down the road as if he owns it, sometimes in the lane going the other direction, sometimes on the shoulder, often nearly hitting other cars. It’s almost enough to make me want to be a cop.
5. People who keep taking my BOTB over and over again after beating me: Yes, I loose tons of BOTBs, and that’s ok, maybe my post sucks, maybe people have a vendetta against me, maybe it’s BOTB-gate all over again. Whatever the case, I loose, no big deal. But then the person takes my battle again…and again….and again! At what point does the person get a clue?
4. Not Caring: This is certainly one of my “buttons”; a person is distraught, who knows what the reason is, but they really are hurting. They tell their story to a number of people, tears in eyes. They finish, looking for the comforting shoulder or perfect suggestion, and instead get a total bastard telling some joke, or trying to top their story. Take a moment and feel for the person, next time it may be you.
3. World Leaders who Care More for Power than For Their People: George W. Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, probably many many more, they piss the hell out of me!
2. Philly Team Collapses: I love sports, and I really love my Philadelphia sports teams. So to see great team after great team collapse so close to success just kills me every time.
And the #1 thing that pisses me off:
1. Close Minded People: I immediately think of Republicans and religious zealots, but even people I agree with do it all the time. Maybe I do it to, though I work hard not to. I get so wrapped up in my own opinion, I fail to hear other, very valid opinions. We don’t have to agree with other opinions, but we should listen to them, and learn from them. Otherwise, what’s the point of dialogue?
Posted by Scottage at 3:14 PM /
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12: Incessant complaining: Given the nature of this post, this may sound like the pot calling the kettle black. However, have you ever been in a really great mood, and then met up with someone who is complaining about every little thing in the world? Sometimes, I just want to remind them that a bit of a positive outlook could make them, I don’t know, slightly tolerable!
10. Early Morning Bill Collectors: I have only one outstanding bill today, and it’s a hospital bill I’m contesting. They’re charging me $177 for an appointment where the doctor didn’t show up. But 2 times a week, the bill collector calls me at 7:30 am to try to get me to pay. What’s worse, the same bill collector calls in the mornings from the same hospital, asking for a woman who hasn’t lived here for years. I keep telling her she doesn’t live here, they keep calling back and waking me up. There aught to be a law!
6. Bad Drivers: Maybe the only thing worse than the slow driver is the bad driver, weaving in and out of traffic without taking a second to see who’s in the lane he’s merging into. Around here, the car invariably has dents from the last 15 times the driver has been showing his inability to handle his car, and yet he goes cruising down the road as if he owns it, sometimes in the lane going the other direction, sometimes on the shoulder, often nearly hitting other cars. It’s almost enough to make me want to be a cop.
3. World Leaders who Care More for Power than For Their People: George W. Bush, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, probably many many more, they piss the hell out of me! 
