Minor annoyances

Have you ever like, used the last roll of toilet paper and like, did not replace it?

Are you, like, one of those people who doesn’t like, use a turn signal while driving?

Like, has the word ‘irregardless‘ ever, like, escaped your lips?

Do you like, use the word ‘like‘ far too often in a sentence like it’s going out of style and like, you feel the need to use it, like, as much as possible?

If so, congratulations! You’re* actions have probably annoyed someone around you and made them declare (to themselves or others) “That’s my biggest pet peeve!”

Ah, pet peeves. Those minor annoyances that irritate some people more than others. Declaring something to be your pet peeve can often cause others to stare at you with a puzzled look. So prepare your best puzzled face dear reader, for I am about to unleash four, count ’em-four-of my pet peeves (in no particular order of importance):

  • If you’ve ever been to a supermarket, you’ve probably seen (or even demonstrated) this pet peeve of mine-shopping carts left in parking spots. I’m fairly certain that every supermarket I’ve been to has a cart rack. Those racks exist for one reason-to provide a proper place to leave your cart because shopping carts don’t belong in parking spaces. Vehicles do. Double extra bonus points if you leave your cart in ‘the perfect parking spot‘. The ‘perfect spot’ is that parking space you really want when it’s too cold to be outside long. Or when it’s raining. And no, I don’t leave my carts in parking spaces.
  • Speaking of shopping carts…can I just say I hate Wal-Mart shopping carts? I don’t like Wal-Mart for several reasons. I would prefer not to shop there. Ever. Unfortunately, there are times when I have to, and some of those times I have to use a cart for my purchases. With all the money Wal-Mart has, why can’t they get shopping carts that aren’t fucked up? Wheels spinning incessantly and noisily. Constant loud clanking of the wheels as you wander through the store. That one wheel that doesn’t spin. So. Damn. Annoying. This is a long-time pet peeve.
  • My next pet peeve (another one that has annoyed me for a long time) will be familiar to front-of-the-house restaurant employees-the person at a table of two or more who wasn’t paying attention when you listed the side items, the salad dressings, or the available soups. Triple extra bonus points for the person (or persons; sometimes multiple people are being inattentive) who not only wasn’t paying attention to you the first time…they also were not attentive when you repeated yourself. I experience a variation of this pet peeve every day (no exaggeration) at my current job. I’m a bartender at a Mexican restaurant, and two of the five side items we offer are refried beans and black beans. After listing the side items and making it a point to mention that we have two kinds of beans, I frequently receive the following response:  “I’ll have rice and beans.”  Sometimes I just want to facepalm right then and there.
  • Another restaurant related pet-peeve of mine is when employees don’t replace the paper towels when they used the last of the roll. I’m very big on keeping my hands clean-as should anyone in a restaurant who handles food or drinks-so I make use of hand-washing sinks frequently. I have to admit that sometimes I get tired of washing my hands, but that doesn’t stop me from doing so. Any annoyance I have with washing my hands pales in comparison to the very real need for me to do so. The health of the patrons is of utmost importance, so even when I wish I didn’t have to, I still wash my hands.  When I do, I want paper towels to dry my hands off with!

These are just a handful of the minor irritations that rise to the level of pet peeves for me. What are some of yours?

*That was deliberate.

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Minor annoyances
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