PET PEEVES
We all have them. Those things other people do that start a slow burning inside until we’re so pissed we want to scream.
Well, I had a day where I was so sick and tired off the imbecile drivers I run across every day while walking to my bus. Idiots that don’t understand what the crosswalk is for. Stopping across it so I have to either go behind them, which I refuse to do, or walk into the traffic in front of them. I’ve been almost hit so many times because drivers have turned into me while I was walking with the light, or walking across the entrance to a parking lot. PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT AWAY!!
I needed to vent, so I decided to do a Pet Peeve Contest for my newsletter subscribers. Haven’t signed up yet? No problem. They had a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card if they told me their unusual Pet Peeve. Here are their responses below.
Take note, as you might resemble some of these Pet Peeves. LOL.
FAMILY
“I have a large garden tub in my master bath and my daughter and son in law and my two grandsons, ages 5 and almost 3 live with me since my husbands passing in 2016. Every other night they bathe my grandsons in my garden tub and once done, they NEVER rinse the tub out and it leaves a soap ring around and in the bottom of the tub. This drives me totally insane. I am not a clean freak, but honestly, how much time does it take to just rinse down the tub? I mean once you get the boys out and dried off, one parent could help them into their jammies while the other takes all of 30 seconds to rinse the tub.”
“When people hang the toilet paper with the loose end hanging inside next to the wall. It’s a health hazard!!!”
“Don’t know how unusual this is, but mine is when my husband does laundry, but only washes his clothes and none of mine!” I think lots of women would relate to this one. LOL.
PETS
“the dog stealing my chair when I really want to sit in front of the computer and write (the rest of the time, any chair will do)”
“When I buy a case of expensive cat food that my cat likes and he decides he doesn’t like it anymore and buries it”
DRIVING
“People who insist on keeping their foot on the brake when they are stopped at traffic lights. Especially at night, it blinds me!”
“Why do drivers take left hand turns at speed and right hand turns, they almost stop, and then turn?”
“My pet peeves is when I am backing out of a parking spot and a car doesn’t wait for me to complete leaving but zooms past me. Seriously irritating. Also, pedestrians ambling along behind my car when I am backing out. Like they can’t see your reverse lights. “
“people not letting you make lane changes when you have been making the attempt to change lanes for miles and you really need to make that lane change.”
SHOPPIING
“Denial of service in a store. I’ll take my business elsewhere. Yes, this will probably wind up in one is my books. Sounds insane, because it is. Once a chicken based chain refused to sell me food. More recently, a feed store limited the amount of feed I could get for my livestock. Nope, not because they were out.”
“Getting stuck behind a slow person when shopping”
“People who park their shopping carts in the center of the aisle in the store where you can’t get around them on either side. I just bump into them and push them aside.”
TABLE MANNERS
“Hearing people chew their food”
“When someone blows their nose at the table it grosses me out!”
“The sound of someone eating, with AND without their mouth open. I know there’s a name for this but I can’t remember it”
GRAMMER
“People using improper words like irregardless instead of regardless; nauseous instead of nauseated; and such. I’m kinda a grammar Nazi, i suppose, and I can’t stand poir grammar!”
”I hate made up words (irregardless) and repetitive acronymns (ATM Machine = Automated Teller Machine Machine……really?)”
“On social media, I HATE when people shortcut words like PROLLY for PROBABLY, or TRICKERATION for TRICKERY. That just makes me grind my teeth!”
BAD HABITS
“incessant tapping of shaking of legs” – GUILTY! Almost everyone in my family shakes a leg. LOL. We fidget a lot.
“I live in a high rise apartment building. I have found that i absolutely hate slamming doors with a passion. I trained my kids to never do that. These are grown people slamming doors all day long! I’m like wth what is wrong with you?!?! Close your door correctly for God’s sake… Ok it really does get to me… Lol.” Man, I can relate to this one. I am always hearing slamming of doors. It drives me nuts!
“The new hair style that is like a bun sitting on top of your head.” Can’t say I’m too crazy about that do either.
“As a blind person, I often find people talking to my sighted companions. That just drives me insane. I usually try to be polite and educate, but … really … really … If you are going to ask me something, why would you ask my companion, and what would you do if there were a bunch of blind people? I guess you would have to talk to one of us. Lol, that is a serious pet peeve of mine. I had a friend that would look away when people started to talk to her instead of me.” This is just plain sad. As a visually impaired person, I haven’t run across this prejudice, yet. But, I don’t use a cane or a seeing-eye dog so most people don’t realize I’m half-blind.
“That smacking sound when people kiss in TV and in movies, I’m like ‘I can see that you’re kissing, I don’t need to hear it too.”
So, what are some of your Pet Peeves? I’d love to hear them. 
The problem is that I have so many. I think I’m turning into a Grumpy Old Woman. Let’s start with grammar.
I hate it when people use ‘amount’ for something you count. Amount is for measurements, like the amount of rain that has fallen, or the amount of flour in a cake. It is NOT for people, goals, etc. We have a number of people, and a number of goals, the number of pages in a book etc. We count them, not measure them.
Then there’s the use of the plural verb with a singular noun (usually a collective noun) Like the government are… , the team are… , the crowd are… . There is ONE government, team or crowd, so the verb is singular.
Then, of course there’s the inevitable There’s three of them.
I don’t know if this is as ubiquitous in the US as in the UK, but we hear people (people who are broadcasting, too, usually sportspeople) He has went, or he has ran etc.
Grrrrrrrrrrr.
Bad grammar & speaking happens here too. I just feel like social media is partly to blame as perfect language isn’t required with that, and it becomes a shortcut.