Pet Peeves

Ever feel like you just want to set the world straight on a few things? I must be just plain irritable because everything gets on my nerves this week. Things that normally don't bother me very much are getting under my skin and making me a crabby old lady.

I looked up the definition of crabby, and this is what I found...

crab⋅by  /[krab-ee]
–adjective, -bi⋅er, -bi⋅est.
Informal. grouchy; ill-natured; irritable; peevish.

Yep, that's me alright.

My general crabbiness has caused me to sit down and actually take stock of the things that really tick me off. Instead of feeling guilty about my crabby mood, I'm embracing it today, as a form of self-help. Here's my list of pet peeves, in no particular order...

1) Leaving empty cartons, boxes, containers, etc., in the refrigerator or pantry. Is it REALLY that difficult to throw those things away?

2) Leaving dirty dishes in the sink when the dishwasher is RIGHT THERE! Come on! Work with me people!

3) Leaving clothes in the floor. Are they clean or are they dirty? Figure it out and respond appropriately... hang or fold them and put them away or put them in the hamper.

4) ALWAYS choosing to put clothes in the hamper rather than hanging or folding them because it's easier. Yeah, easier for YOU because YOU aren't the one washing the clothes!

5) Leaving cabinets or drawers open, even if they're only slightly ajar. That makes me crazy. You think I have OCD? In this case, yes!

6) Tailgating is so rude. Go around or BACK OFF, impatient people, or would you rather me slam on my brakes so you can hit me? I'm going the speed limit here in Spain so I don't get ticketed. I'm not Spanish, therefore the rules actually apply to me.

7) Rubbernecking sssslllllooooowwwws (slows) down traffic. Stop being nosy, pay attention to the road and drive, for the love of God! The rest of us have places to be too.

8) Leaving price tags on gifts is TACKY. Seriously, why do I need to know the exact amount you spent on my gift? Is it really a gift or are there strings attached?

9) The incorrect usage of apostrophes makes my eye twitch, to quote a friend of mine. Picky? Yeah, it certainly is, but I really am unable to help myself overcome this major pet peeve of mine.

Apostrophes are used to either stand in place of missing letters whenever two words are joined together (Example: "don't" = "do not") or to show ownership (Example: "spouse's", which is singular, or "spouses'," which is plural).

Ownership is where most people have great difficulty. A word of advice here, if I may be so bold... First determine if the word requiring an apostrophe is singular or plural. Singular means the apostrophe goes BEFORE the "s" and plural means the apostrophe goes AFTER. Now go write it down before you forget it. Go on!

10) Mispronunciations of certain words can make me crazy too, but I'm going to refrain from listing any specific ones here since I'm in a foreign country and have my own issues with pronouncing words. Besides, there are too many to list.

11) The misspelling of words is another serious pet peeve of mine, however, I'm learning to let this one slide because the older I get, the dumber I seem to become, and my spelling is starting to sufer. See? I told you! Okay, I can't help myself. I have to mention just one word... definitely. It's spelled D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y. DEFINITELY! Now go write it down and practice spelling it. You can get this... I know you can!

12) The misuse of words such as "your" and "you're." Do I really need to explain this? Really? Okay... "Your" refers to ownership as in "your car" and "you're" means "you are" (See #9 above).

Other words fall into this category too...

a) they're, their and there (Don't even get me started!)

b) whose and who's (Ditto!)

c) threw and through (Do you OWN a dictionary?)

d) bury and berry (I know, can you believe it?)

e) bought and brought (Yes, there IS a difference!)

I could go on and on, but I won't. Let's move on instead, to round out my baker's dozen of pet peeves...

13) The stacking of kids' sports teams in what is supposed to be a fun league is shameful! What are you trying to prove? Please don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Admit it. It's obvious to everyone watching the games, so you're really not kidding anyone. Believe it or not, the kids on your team aren't benefiting all that much because they aren't learning new skills when they play against teams that they're able to crush game after game, nor are they learning what it's like to lose, which will eventually happen to them. Make it fair and fun for all. Who's the game for anyway, the kids or you?

There are my top pet peeves for the day. Whew! I feel better getting that off of my chest. Trust me, I could have listed more, but I don't want to totally go overboard and risk losing friendships. In my next post I'll list some of my favorite things, so look for a little more positive me. By the way, what are some of your biggest pet peeves? I've opened the door for you, so come on in and air your gripes.