Pet Peeves

I wasn't challenged on this, but I'll post mine anyway. AJ wanted to know on another blog "What pisses you off?" So far, the Oh Get a Grip ladies have touched on the weight/clothing issue, public assistance, bad table manners, and blowing one's nose.

My big ones include:

1) Being late
2) Cracking knuckles
3) Not answering questions/returning emails
4) Parents who want to be their children's 'friend'
5) Complaining about one's spouse ALL THE TIME.

Being Late:

I'm not talking about being a few minutes late, or running into the occassional traffic problem. I'm talking about chronic lateness.

My mother was habitually late picking me up from events, practices, etc. Until I began driving, I resigned myself to the fact I was always going to be the final person hanging around school, church, or the movie theater, waiting for my ride to show up.

When I began driving, and the job of picking up my younger sister from swim practice fell on me, I made an effort to be on time. And she thanked me for it.

I have a family member with whom it is an inside joke that if a gathering is set to occur at 2 pm, her invitation MUST read NOON, or she'll be two hours late. Last year, our county was an hour behind everyone else's, and we forgot about it. We showed up an hour late. My mother tried to pull this tactic on us this year, and we showed up an hour early, because the time changed again, and we were now back on 'normal' time.

I also have two friends who are habitually late, and I've learned to plan accordingly. I don't like to be angry with people if we make a date for lunch, and I'm left waiting for a half an hour.

And then there is the 'entitlement' issue. These people don't apologize for being late! They act as if it is their 'right' to be late! If I'm late to an appointment, I immediately apologize for making them wait for me. My time is valuable, and so is yours. If I respect your time, please respect mine?

When my husband and I were dating, I arrived at his apartment one evening, and we decided to go out. I grabbed my overnight bag and went into the bathroom to put on my makeup. When I emerged a few moments later, D had taken off his shirt and shoes and was eating a snack!

"Oh...did you change your mind?"

"No; you said you were going to put on your face; my sister takes two hours to putty her face."

"I only take two minutes."

"OH!" And he jumped up, put on his discarded clothing and finished his snack. He learned that day he had a speedy girlfriend whose idea of makeup was subtle, not a total 'face' to produce!

I learned several years ago that I'm a 'time stresser'. I took a quiz to see what areas cause me the most stress, and time was the major one. I have a need to be on time, and the one time I tried to adopt the attitude of 'Oh well, they'll wait for me', as I've seen in others, I was raked over the coals for being disrespectful.

Maybe I should find that person who called me on it and introduce her to a few people?

Next Post: Cracking your knuckles and not answering your mail!