Pet Peeves - Part 2

Well, here it is, the much-anticipated sequel to Pet Peeves - Part 1. These are a few more of the things that aggravate me to no end. By the way, for the record, I realize that getting aggravated about this stuff is my problem and not those who do it. Probably just another sign of old age! But enough about me, let's get to the good stuff:

• People who have to give correct change to the cashier. You ever get behind these people? Even if the total is $11.88, you have to wait for them to count out 88 cents in pennies and nickels so they don't have to break another dollar bill. You're not the only one in the store! Some of us might have something else to do! Now don't get me wrong, I don't like carrying around a lot of change either. I dump mine into a big vase in our bedroom as soon as I get home. So here's a suggestion - take that 9 lb. bag of change that you have in your purse and buy a big vase...


• People who use tip calculators in restaurants. First of all, can't you do any math in your head? And second, is it that important to get it right down to the penny? Here's a shortcut for you so you don't have to pull that cheesy card out every time: find the sales tax on your check, double it, and leave that for the tip. In Tennessee that's about 18%. Simple, and you don't look like a doofus. But then again, if you can't do any math in your head..........
• People who take forever to pull out of a parking space. You know what I mean. These people are usually female. You see them getting in their car and assume they're leaving. You stop to wait for them to pull out. But first they have to...... 1. put down their purse, 2. put the car in reverse so back-up lights come on, 3. arrange the packages they just purchased, 4. fasten their seatbelt, 5. pull down the visor mirror and check their hair and lipstick, 6. start to back out, stop halfway and get their phone out of their purse, 7. finally get out of parking space, but block you so you can't pull in.
• People who put loud mufflers or spoilers on a 4 cylinder car or truck. What's the point? Why would you want to call attention to that? It sounds like somebody is riding a Weedeater. If you're driving a vehicle with a 4 cylinder engine, you want to be as anonymous as possible. Blend in, don't stand out. And as for the spoiler, is keeping the rear tires on the ground a real problem? Especially on a front-wheel drive? Don't bring shame to your family name by doing this. Wait until you can afford a real car. By then you won't want any of this stuff anyway and it will save you a lot of money.
• All the crap on the tv screen. I don't know about you, but I can barely watch TV anymore, what with all the logos, crawls, weather, headlines, scores, and school closings on the screen. I just wish they would quit trying to show me all the latest graphics and just let me watch what I wanted to see. Have you seen CNN lately? In addition to the scheduled programming they have the stock market ticker, the time in three time zones, a box identifying who's on the screen, a crawl of headlines, and a promo for an upcoming show. My favorite, though, is this robot on Fox that jumps up and down during football games. What's that all about? And what is it supposed to be? I just want to watch the game, not some half-human, half-machine jump up and down. Once again, I don't get it.
• And finally, people who talk on the phone and drive. From what I have observed, there must be a voice-activated accelerator that comes with the phone. The more intense the conversation, the slower they drive. And, of course, they're always in the left lane. In New York you cannot talk on the phone and drive unless you have a headset. That is a good thing and one of the few things we could learn from New York. Of course in Nashville all the headsets have been bought by the people who use them as a fashion accessory. Maybe we could order a new batch - without the rhinestones.

So there you have it - installment number two. I'm sure there will be more, but I may need a little time to accumulate them. It's just too hard to write when you're on the phone, backing out of a parking space.

Till next time..........