# Random peeves



## RangerWickett (Jul 14, 2006)

I hate it when you yawn so hard that your eyes tear up. I especially hate it when it happens at work right before a patron comes to ask you a question. They get all uncomfortable when they see what appears to be a grown man crying at his desk.

In a related note, I also hate that my friend Julian refuses to accept "I've got work at 8 in the morning" as a valid reason for me to stop playing Magic when it's nearly midnight. In particular, I think his favorite phrase in the world is "sleep is for the weak."


----------



## LightPhoenix (Jul 14, 2006)

My biggest peeve is people eating with their mouth open.  Especially when I'm tired.

Wait, no.  My biggest is people chewing gum with mouth open, like it's cud.  Especially over the phone.


----------



## Harmon (Jul 14, 2006)

Twisted cords- it rattles my cage for some reason.

Smoking- the smell, and the fact that almost every smoker seems to have some kind of arrogence about it.

Tail gaters- its probably the one thing that people could do (aside from slowing down) that would save lives.

The number one pet peeve I have is-
Rubber Necking- slowing down to see an accident, slowing down to look at the worst day of someone's life for your own morbid curiosity.  The ones that bug me the most are the people that cuss the traffic then as they get to the accident they slow down to look, then speed away.  

Just my top few pet peeves


----------



## jaerdaph (Jul 14, 2006)

My biggest pet peeve involves people who talk on their cell phones while walking along a busy street and then just stop as if they are the only ones on the sidewalk or, more annoyingly, the subway entrance stairs. 

I'm just waiting for it to happen when I'm getting off an escalator so I have an excuse to plow someone over.


----------



## Piratecat (Jul 14, 2006)

Harmon said:
			
		

> Tail gaters- its probably the one thing that people could do (aside from slowing down) that would save lives.



I honestly thought you were referring to some sort of weird alligator at first.

It's been a long week.

I hate when people misuse apostrophes. I hate... dang. You know, I can't think of anything else.


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 14, 2006)

Well ... I guess a have a few of them.

One of the biggest is kinda hard to describe, but it is people who live by "opinions" - not necessarily on a mental level, of course - that's not so bad.

The worst is when it is on an emotional level. Where people insist on doing things their way, even though it is irrational and doesn't make sense and they know they are being rude or hurtful (woe unto the poor soul who gets in their way), and they FORCE everyone else to adjust to their irrational idiosyncracies.

Of course this is strongest when there are "aesthetic experiences" somehow associated with those things they cling too most intensely. If you criticize any part of thier strangeness you criticize their "launch pad" from which they experienced something very deep or precious or something they personally identify themselves with.

Yes, yes, yes. All of us do this to a certain degree. The difference is the willingness to be able to bend (not capitulate) for other people's needs rather than one's own wants/whims. This is perfectly possible and not at all painful to do - unless you take pleasure in being a pain.


----------



## Dog Moon (Jul 14, 2006)

I am annoyed by people who don't at the least try to use proper grammer/spelling/punctuation.  Talking with some of my friends on AIM is extremely annoying.

Annoying roommates who don't understand the concept of closing and locking the door.  Sometimes it's closed, but not locked, other times it's locked but not closed [and by not closed I mean that the door is pushed almost shut, but there is no click as the door slides into place].

When friends on AIM don't bother to say 'later' but just disappear.  Then when I try to say something, I only then realize that they're gone.

That's about all I can think of now.  Can I just say stupid moronic people in general; they annoy me.


----------



## Ferret (Jul 15, 2006)

I don't think of any real peeves...Most things I'd just blow off.


----------



## ssampier (Jul 15, 2006)

Slow drivers (i.e. 25 mi in 40 mi zone). Also, people that tailgate when I'm driving the speed-limit. Contradictory, I know.




			
				Mycanid said:
			
		

> Well ... I guess a have a few of them.
> 
> One of the biggest is kinda hard to describe, but it is people who live by "opinions" - not necessarily on a mental level, of course - that's not so bad.




Interesting. Would you mind giving an example?


----------



## Chimera (Jul 15, 2006)

I drive a 20,000 pound armored vehicle around our downtown all day.

I just don't get how people can continually zip around me, get in front of me and hit their brakes.  If we hit you, it's going to ruin a lot more than your day.

"Are you brain damaged???  Well you will be if this truck hits you!"


I also can't understand these complete fart-brains who walk in front of me while I'm carrying large amounts of money and a gun, and then expect me to just stop and mill about in a crowd because they're *BRAIN DAMAGED MORONS*!

The ones who yell at me when I push past them (while saying "excuse me") are even better.  I have a gun.  I'm carrying someone elses money.  I don't stand around in crowds, folks.


My favorite was the potato chip delivery guy who yelled at me for parking in a handicap spot in front of City Hall.  I patted my gun and said "When they let me carry a gun into a court house, they let me park wherever I want".


Or yesterday.  90 degrees and sunny.  Big metal box truck, sitting on top of a big diesel that runs all day long (yeah, it gets hot).  Snippy little bleep tells me to shut off my engine because the fumes bothered her _as she walked past_.  

Yeah.  You sit in that box without any A/C.  Just hold this steak while you do it, please.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 15, 2006)

I didn't realize this until recently, but I get really, really ticked off when I encounter people who insist on contradicting those who have superior understanding of a situation by virtue of their profession or education.

I'm not talking about experts with differing views on a subject, but (to use me as an example) laymen who think they know more about entertainment law than I do, and continue to argue against my position even after I cite real data.  "INTERPOL's numbers on music piracy can't possibly be right- they're just pawns of the RIAA!"*

Or, in my buddy's (with a Masters of Music) case, people who tell him he's wrong when he tells them why one song is technically better than another.

Or people who tell my Dad (an MD) that he's wrong about a particular new "herbal cure."

Etc.

People who work to gain expertise just shouldn't have their assertions ignored out of hand.

*As a tangent, recent reports show that China- international safe harbor for all kinds of piracy- is experiencing a bit of an internal backlash as the pirates are going after Chinese IP.  That's right!  Chinese IP pirates are killing Chinese businesses with their piracy!  Its as if the Chinese gov't never read the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog at the River.


----------



## Ralts Bloodthorne (Jul 15, 2006)

Right now?


I hate everyone and everything.


----------



## Morrus (Jul 15, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> The ones who yell at me when I push past them (while saying "excuse me") are even better.  I have a gun.  I'm carrying someone elses money.  I don't stand around in crowds, folks.




From your description, they have a point.  I wouldn't accept "I'm carrying someone else's money and I have a gun" as an acceptable excuse for being rude to me.

What happens if you run into someone else who is also carrying someone else's money and has a gun?  Do you have a shootout?


----------



## Wereserpent (Jul 15, 2006)

People who knock REALLY loud on my door.  I mean, it sounds like a horde of orcs is trying to knock it down and all they want is something trivial.

People who wake me up when I am taking a nap.

When my legs itch and wont stop itching no matter how much I scratch them.

When water in the shower is either too hot or too cold and I can never seem to get it the right temperature.


----------



## Piratecat (Jul 15, 2006)

Oops, almost forgot. Folks with an inflated sense of self-importance tend to bother me, especially when its job-related instead of being linked to their personal accomplishments. For me, realizing exactly all laughable we all are and keeping a sense of humility about it makes the world a lot more enjoyable place.  

As one example, I met a local politician my age the other month. He shook hands and made small talk exactly as you'd expect him to. It was... odd.


----------



## MavrickWeirdo (Jul 15, 2006)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> "sleep is for the week."




Fixed it for you


----------



## cybertalus (Jul 15, 2006)

Warlord Ralts said:
			
		

> Right now?
> 
> 
> I hate everyone and everything.




I have a special name for times like that.  I call them "mornings".

Which leads me to my biggest peeve:  alarm clocks.  When it takes a noise as loud as the average rock concert to wake up in the morning, that's probably a sign that humanity wasn't actually meant to be up at such an insanely early hour.


----------



## Harmon (Jul 15, 2006)

Galeros said:
			
		

> People who knock REALLY loud on my door.  I mean, it sounds like a horde of orcs is trying to knock it down and all they want is something trivial.




On Jan 29 we had a baby, shortly there after my Dad and his wife moved in so they could get their old rental in order to live in.  My Dad refuses to do as I ask related to the alarm, and the use of door locks, so I did not give him a key or the alarm code.  So what does he do- sits on the porch with the back of head against the door bell (did I mention that we had a new born?).

I let him in then disconnected the door bell while he watched.

After that he just knocked really loudly- even when I reminded him that we had a new born.  I suppose that is one of the reasons why he's not invited into my home and why I have not talked to him in a month.



			
				Galeros said:
			
		

> People who wake me up when I am taking a nap.




I hear you- did I mention the new born?  I understand completely.  Naps are a vital part of life.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 15, 2006)

Morrus said:
			
		

> From your description, they have a point.  I wouldn't accept "I'm carrying someone else's money and I have a gun" as an acceptable excuse for being rude to me.
> 
> What happens if you run into someone else who is also carrying someone else's money and has a gun?  Do you have a shootout?




This would be a good example of Assuming the Worst (and then seeking to punish the other for it).  Step back there, Mo'.

I'm not intentionally rude.  But if you walk in front of me and stand there, I have to get around you.  Sometimes that involves unintentional contact.  Sometimes that involves putting my hand out to stop you.  Sometimes that requires me to nudge you to get your attention.

Unfortunately, on very rare occasions, I am required to be rude.  If I say "excuse me" several times and you ignore me, I need to take firmer steps to get you to pay attention and move.  (You may be intentionally distracting or obstructing me in order to help someone else approach and/or rob me.)

In no case have I ever resorted to violence.  Period.  But I can be verbally rude when required.

You want to understand why?

Take anywhere from $200 to $250,000, put it in a black bag and go take a walk through a crowd.  (I've carried as much as $40 million in checks at one time.)

That's what I do every day.  35 to 55 times a day.  On downtown streets.

For $11.30 an hour.

And yes, I have had people try things on me.  Been followed into banks by serious scumbags, threatened with death or robbery more times than I can count, had people brush directly against my gun or my money, put their hands on my money bag, had people want me to show them what I have, or ask to hold it (yeah, right), had people try to get into my truck when I'm in it.  Heck, in my first month on the job, I had a team of four people try to con me out of the truck with a fake bike accident!


----------



## KenM (Jul 15, 2006)

When a major company lies to its paying customers.


----------



## Morrus (Jul 15, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> This would be a good example of Assuming the Worst (and then seeking to punish the other for it).  Step back.
> 
> I'm not intentionally rude.  But if you walk in front of me and stand there, I have to get around you.  Sometimes that involves unintentional contact.  Sometimes that involves putting my hand out to stop you.  Sometimes that requires me to nudge you to get your attention.
> 
> ...




OK, but that wasn't your description.  You described yourself pushing past people, and them taking exception to that and remarking on it.  In which case, good for them!

Frankly, whether or not you're carrying someone else's money and/or have a gun is irrelevant.  It may be relevant to you, but someone else's money and your gun not being delayed 3 seconds is not relevant to me.  Someone else's money can wait 3 seconds if I want to get the the grapefruits in the supermarket.  Those aims are not more important than mine - which I will value, at the moment, to the exact amount you are carrying.

If someone is deliberately obstructing you, that's different.  Again, the money and the gun are irrelevant.  Obsruction of another person is rude, and rudeness is an acceptable response.

But your money and your gun have nothing to do with it.  They are not more important than my grapefruit.


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 15, 2006)

Not too easy to describe ssampier.... I don't want to bad mouth folks. Just because something is a "pet peeve" to you doesn't mean they are worthy targets to be badmouthed. 

I guess I tried to explain it in the lower part of the first post.

Basically it goes like this. Everyone has experiences in their life when they experience something in a "big" way, and it makes a life-forming impression on them - on their tastes, their likes, their dislikes, and the rest. This is a very normal thing, and everyone has this. Of course there are varying levels on which it can happen as well, but it is a "natural" thing.

What then naturally happens is that the person wants to experience such a thing again, so he exposes himself to similiar circumstances to bring it about. This usually fails, or if it succeeds, it does not last long. Something changes. So the person goes about creating and surrounding himself with more things that are in harmony with the thing that affected him so ... and by "in harmony" I mean in the musical sense of the word. One way to emphasize the melody one is listening to is to sing a harmony with it. And the choices one makes do something similiar.

It is quite natural for people to live their whole lives based on/revolving around/ launching off of two or three of these life-forming things/events for the rest of their lives, believe it or not.  They happen to us most strongly when we are in our teen years and growing at a fast rate both physically, intellectually and emotionally.

Again, all this is quite normal and regular features of our daily life.

Now to the peeve - when a person takes this experience and then extends the field of controlling the environment to harmonize off of the experience he had to other people against their will. And even after repeated requests to not do so, to keep it private, etc.

Be aware that I cam not talking about religious or political convictions here - I am talking about personal tastes and likings that are either glommed onto religio-politic convictions or raised to the level of them and then pushing it down other peoples throats whether they want to hear it or not. And this pushing can be down in crude ways, yes - but there are other subtler means of manipulation, and these DRIVE ME UP THE WALL.

Oh yes. Did I mention that I was a very private person? 

Okay ... I hope that answers your question somewhat. Like I said, it's not an easy thing to articulate.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 15, 2006)

Morrus said:
			
		

> OK, but that wasn't your description.  You described yourself pushing past people, and them taking exception to that and remarking on it.  In which case, good for them!




Too bad for them.



> It may be relevant to you, but someone else's money and your gun not being delayed 3 seconds is not relevant to me.




"Blah, blah, I'm selfish and don't care about others."  Yeah, I see that all day long.



> Obsruction of another person is rude, and rudeness is an acceptable response.




I don't think you quite meant that - probably missed a word there.  I see it only as a last resort, which although very rare, is still necessary far more than I'd like.



> They are not more important than my grapefruit.




Again, the selfish 'me first' attitude that is the very basis of why people wonder how our society has become so rude.  Look first to your own casual, thoughtless rudeness to others and then think about how it affects you when others do it to you.

And then consider that this thread was titled "Random Peeves", I've had a bad week and I wanted to vent my job peeves.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 15, 2006)

Mycanid said:
			
		

> Basically it goes like this. Everyone has experiences in their life when they experience something in a "big" way, and it makes a life-forming impression on them
> 
> {snip}
> 
> What then naturally happens is that the person wants to experience such a thing again, so he exposes himself to similiar circumstances to bring it about. This usually fails, or if it succeeds, it does not last long. Something changes. So the person goes about creating and surrounding himself with more things that are in harmony with the thing that affected him so ...




Do you realize that this would be a fairly accurate description of how people go about becoming addicted to hard drugs?


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 15, 2006)

Chimera - yes, it is so. But there are other things as well that one can "grow into" and develop. Drugs and alcohol and other similiar subjects are usually the more dangerous "raw materials" if you will that we can focus on!

But what I had in mind were not these, but things a little more "normal", "non-destructive" if you will. There are some which are much more "healthy" and others which are optimum. Yes, I know, this opens a huge can of worms - I won't go there in deference to the no politics/religion rule.

But for the moment the point is that the source of my peeve is described in my previous post.


----------



## Galethorn (Jul 16, 2006)

You know what I hate? People who don't use their turn signals. It takes zero effort, and it does absolutely nothing negative.

You know what I also hate? People going _just_ under the speed limit when there's no other traffic (besides me) and the weather and lighting is ideal, and there are no signs of police speed traps anywhere nearby...oh, and when we're on one of the many, many curvy two-lane roads on this island. Is it really so scary to go 3 miles an hour faster?

You know what I hate most when driving? People who weave between lanes at high speeds without signalling, just to go a little faster between points A and B, but, of course, causing everyone else to have to slow down to avoid crashing into them. The worst ones are the people in expensive, shiny cars.

You know what I hate that doesn't have to do with driving? People using 'standard' english pronunciation of vowels in obviously non-english words. As somebody going into linguistics, with some anthropology and history background, this strikes me as _really_ arrogant. Yes, I know they do the same thing in other languages, but that doesn't make it right. 

And that gets to another point; the influence of French on English irritates me. Old English was a great language, with very few 'ifs, ands, or buts' about pronunciation and grammar. Unfortunately, those rat-bastard Normans proceeded to make the language thoroughly complicated by failing to reconcile germanic and latinate grammar. 'To boldly go' is only wrong in latin!


----------



## Perun (Jul 16, 2006)

People who drop by for a visit unanounced. I like my privacy. I hate when I have to drop what I'm doing in order to entertain a sudden guest. Even worse is when people drop for a visit, unanounced, at inproper times, like before 11 am, or between 2 and 5 pm, or after 9 pm.

People who won't take no for an answer. If you ask me to a party, and I say no, asking me a hundred times won't change my opinion. It'll just make me angry.

Willfuly stupid people, that is those people who have the required barin power to actually think, but won't. Because they have their idea on how the world works, and no matter what you say or what proofs you offer, they won't accept it.

People who talk to you and don't listen what you say to them.

People who insist on bodily contact during conversation, and people standing too close to me.

Like someone other said, people who think they're experts in a field they have no connections to. Don't talk to me about fishing problems if you can't tell purse seine nets and trawling nets apart.

Members of certain religious groups who come to my door and offer their views on the universe. Door stickers that say "Sects, stop! We're catholics and don't need your pamphlets" or somesuch. Especially if they do it before 11 am, between 2 and 5 pm.

Etc, etc, etc...


----------



## ssampier (Jul 16, 2006)

Mycanid said:
			
		

> Okay ... I hope that answers your question somewhat. Like I said, it's not an easy thing to articulate.




Sort-of. I can be quite ... slow... somedays so you don't take it too personally.

As for my lesson for the day:

get out of (big?) person's way with gun and bag of money.

My own experience with same was in Vegas. I was in a large crowd of people. I was waiting patiently. We were yelled by security guards moving a large locked cart (don't know the term) containing casino chips. People scurried away like ants.


----------



## ssampier (Jul 16, 2006)

Perun said:
			
		

> ...
> Members of certain religious groups who come to my door and offer their views on the universe. Door stickers that say "Sects, stop! We're catholics and don't need your pamphlets" or somesuch. Especially if they do it before 11 am, between 2 and 5 pm.
> 
> Etc, etc, etc...




Hi, Perun, I'm ssampier from Utah and I see that _every_ day. They call them missionaries. Not that I condone it, though. I've learned to live with it.

I agree with everything else, except what's special between 2 pm and 5 pm? That's what I usually visit someone. Then I'll try to slip out before dinner


----------



## Perun (Jul 16, 2006)

ssampier said:
			
		

> Hi, Perun, I'm ssampier from Utah and I see that _every_ day. They call them missionaries. Not that I condone it, though. I've learned to live with it.
> 
> I agree with everything else, except what's special between 2 pm and 5 pm? That's what I usually visit someone. Then I'll try to slip out before dinner




Way back when, working hours here in most companies were from 6 am til 2 pm, so 2-5 pm was time reserved for having the main meal of the day (supper? lunch? that always confuses me...) and rest. A siesta, if you will.

Even today, when most people work 9-5, the time between 2 and 4 pm is a sort of "quiet time" in apartment buildings, you're not supposed to make loud noises. It's not a law, just a guideline and common courtesy, I guess.

As for the missionaries (I didn't mention which, because of the no religion policy), as long as they don't bother me at home, I'm fine with them. There's another religious minority whose members don't bother you at home. They hand pamphlets out in the street. It's okay, really, because I can just take the pamphlet, and toss it in the bin along the way.

Regards.


----------



## Thornir Alekeg (Jul 16, 2006)

Galethorn said:
			
		

> You know what I hate? People who don't use their turn signals. It takes zero effort, and it does absolutely nothing negative.




You obviously haven't driven in Boston.  Using turn signals here is like dumping chum into shark infested waters.


----------



## Aeolius (Jul 16, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> My favorite was the potato chip delivery guy who yelled at me for parking in a handicap spot in front of City Hall.  I patted my gun and said "When they let me carry a gun into a court house, they let me park wherever I want".




   If it had been in my town, I would have parked behind the offending vehicle, called the cops and the driver's supervisor (might even mention that their driver threatened me with a gun), and not let them out until they had been ticketed. Morons who park in illegally in handicap-designated spots happen to be MY pet peeve.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 16, 2006)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> If it had been in my town, I would have parked behind the offending vehicle, called the cops and the driver's supervisor (might even mention that their driver threatened me with a gun), and not let them out until they had been ticketed. Morons who park in illegally in handicap-designated spots happen to be MY pet peeve.




As I said, I am authorized to park pretty much anywhere I want.  We are an Authorized Vehicle, able to drive down special lanes and even park on sidewalks if necessary.  In that particular spot, I am surrounded by Police vehicles, I have dozens of Police officers walking past me.  Not ONE has ever asked us to move.

We've only been asked to move from a handicapped spot at a government center ONCE (Juvenile Court), and that was by a new security guard who was quickly over-ruled by the County Sheriff's Deputy who was also in the building.  "No, they're allowed to park there."

If you did this, they'd likely tell you to shut up and move on.  Then, if you told them that we threatened you with a gun, we'd make sure that you were arrested for filing a false police report.  

Board rules prevent me from saying what I truly think of you for even suggesting that idea.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 16, 2006)

Perun said:
			
		

> People who won't take no for an answer. If you ask me to a party, and I say no, asking me a hundred times won't change my opinion. It'll just make me angry.




I've had to explain this one to a number of people.

"Look, I said No.  I meant it.  After the third time, you are just being rude and disrespectful.  You obviously don't care what I think or say, you just want to badger me into doing what you want, and I'm not interested.  Do not EVER ask me the same question more than twice, three times at the outside.  Please."


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 16, 2006)

> Members of certain religious groups who come to my door and offer their views on the universe. Door stickers that say "Sects, stop! We're catholics and don't need your pamphlets" or somesuch. Especially if they do it before 11 am, between 2 and 5 pm.




How about "No Sects, please- We're Catholics!"


----------



## jaerdaph (Jul 16, 2006)

Dannyalcatraz said:
			
		

> How about "No Sects, please- We're Catholics!"




As Catholics, we're not allowed to have sects until we're married...

*rimshot*


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 16, 2006)

Word!

Original RC in the hizzy, role-playas!


----------



## bodhi (Jul 16, 2006)

Morrus said:
			
		

> If someone is deliberately obstructing you, that's different.  Again, the money and the gun are irrelevant.  Obsruction of another person is rude, and rudeness is an acceptable response.
> 
> But your money and your gun have nothing to do with it.  They are not more important than my grapefruit.




Once, I was pushing a pallet load of monitors down a corridor. It was pretty obviously a large and somewhat heavy load. I approached a cross-corridor intersection where two people were talking. Now, rather than moving together to one side or the other (and getting out of the way), they each moved to their own side, and stood _next to_ the doorway, leaving the minimum space possible, while still "allowing" me to pass.

I don't think they were deliberately trying to obstruct me. They were just too self-absorbed to see how stupid it was.

I've seen people obstruct an ambulance because they couldn't figure out how to get out of the way.

A few years back, in the Bay Area, I read about a guy whose truck got hit by a train because he drove _around_ the gates that drop to block the crossing. This was the _second_ time this had happened to this particular driver.

Sometimes, it's not about being polite. It's about being observant. And if someone's business is such that they carry a firearm (or a medical kit, or a firehose), I'm inclined to yield right-of-way.


----------



## bodhi (Jul 16, 2006)

Perun said:
			
		

> Willfuly stupid people, that is those people who have the required barin power to actually think, but won't. Because they have their idea on how the world works, and no matter what you say or what proofs you offer, they won't accept it.



A friend of mine once encountered someone who was _proud_ of the fact they hadn't had to learn anything new in the past year. People like that make my brain hurt.



			
				Perun said:
			
		

> Like someone other said, people who think they're experts in a field they have no connections to. Don't talk to me about fishing problems if you can't tell purse seine nets and trawling nets apart.



A different friend once commented that a peeve for her was people "correcting" her on matters Chinese when their experience was along the lines of having had a Chinese girlfriend once, or having seen the latest Jet Li movie.


----------



## Hatchling Dragon (Jul 16, 2006)

One of my pet peeves are people that are willfully ignorant, reality is right in front of them and they choose to ignore it.  This often, but not always, goes hand-in-hand with the "The world revolves around me!" crowd.  Sometimes these folks can mearly be missunderstanding something, so please bear with me if I'm mistaken and this is the case here.



			
				Morrus said:
			
		

> OK, but that wasn't your description. You described yourself pushing past people, and them taking exception to that and remarking on it. In which case, good for them!




Odd, I read the same post and I had a totaly different impression.  I saw him appologising when he tried to move past/through people that are blocking traffic in halls or what-not.  I'd figured that if he was in the institution that he was doing a pick-up/delivery at they'd know better and stay out of his way as he did the job _they are paying him for._  Also, I've always found it easier to move around the road blockers, and assumed he thought the same way, thus if he had to go trough it was from a lack of alternatives.  That or he figured he was being 'herded' and didn't want to play that game.



> Frankly, whether or not you're carrying someone else's money and/or have a gun is irrelevant. It may be relevant to you, but someone else's money and your gun not being delayed 3 seconds is not relevant to me. Someone else's money can wait 3 seconds if I want to get the the grapefruits in the supermarket. Those aims are not more important than mine - which I will value, at the moment, to the exact amount you are carrying.
> 
> If someone is deliberately obstructing you, that's different. Again, the money and the gun are irrelevant. Obsruction of another person is rude, and rudeness is an acceptable response.
> 
> But your money and your gun have nothing to do with it.  They are not more important than my grapefruit.




I'm realy at a loss here as to how you have that opinion.  That's the _entire point_!  He's got his job, which involves carring the gun and driving the *Armored* truck, because there are 'scum-bags' out there that are constantly thinking up ways to seperate people from thier money.  His job is to safely move it from one safe storage area to the next.  His truck is safe, the spots he picks up and delivers to are safe.  The area he's got to worry about has the _least_ safety of the whole trip, and thus he'd be a fool not to assume that anyone that's blocking him is trying to do so on purpose and thus endangering himself and/or the money he's protecting.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 16, 2006)

I, too, have to side with Chimera.  I know a few people who work in various aspects of security, from subdivision/private property rentacops to bodyguards to police officers to armored transporters to Secret Service...

Crowds are THE WORST place for them or their charges to be.  They deal with crowds by getting out of them or dispersing them.

In some places, people in Chimera's line get the benefit of actually having other security guards clear a path for them, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

The problem is this: if they are being obstructed by someone, they realistically have only seconds to determine if the person is obstructing them accidentally, negligently, or deliberately, and then choose the appropriate reaction.

From what I've been told, the preferred policy is get your charge to the "safe point" ASAP, and if someone gets jostled, that can be dealt with later.


----------



## Aeolius (Jul 16, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> If you did this, they'd likely tell you to shut up and move on.  Then, if you told them that we threatened you with a gun, we'd make sure that you were arrested for filing a false police report.




   Things may be different, here in NC, then. If someone made a comment about their gun and then smugly patted it, I'd consider it to be a threat. Also, I don't care if it's the bloody Pope; if the last handicap spot is taken or the ramp is blocked, my son can't use his wheelchair - so I'll call the cops. If they do nothing, then I tend to get.... creative.


----------



## Hypersmurf (Jul 16, 2006)

cybertalus said:
			
		

> Which leads me to my biggest peeve:  alarm clocks.  When it takes a noise as loud as the average rock concert to wake up in the morning, that's probably a sign that humanity wasn't actually meant to be up at such an insanely early hour.




I'm fond of my Progression Wake-Up Alarm Clock   Half an hour before the time it's set for, it starts to gradually phase in a light (with optional aroma beads that the light heats up, causing a scent to slowly permeate the room).  Fifteen minutes later, it starts with a selectable sound - I choose birdsong at a low level, but others include running water, the ocean, or crickets.  Eventually, you get the traditional shrieking alarm... but the birds wake me up, so I never need to endure that 

-Hyp.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 17, 2006)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> Things may be different, here in NC, then. If someone made a comment about their gun and then smugly patted it, I'd consider it to be a threat.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 17, 2006)

> Things may be different, here in NC, then. If someone made a comment about their gun and then smugly patted it, I'd consider it to be a threat. Also, I don't care if it's the bloody Pope; if the last handicap spot is taken or the ramp is blocked, my son can't use his wheelchair - so I'll call the cops. If they do nothing, then I tend to get.... creative.




Look, my mom is handicapped and I drive her around a lot, so I understand the importance of keeping those spots clear.

However, the point that Chimera is trying to make is that handicapped tag or placard equipped vehicles are not the only vehicles permitted to use those spaces.  Depending upon your city & state, vehicles authorized to use such spaces would typically include police, fire & ambulances, and in some cases, armored transport vehicles.

Check your local traffic laws before you "get...creative."

As for the threat, given his position, he's probably permitted by law to make it.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 17, 2006)

Dannyalcatraz said:
			
		

> As for the threat, given his position, he's probably permitted by law to make it.




There was no "threat".

To repeat what I said in the original post, a delivery guy yelled at me for parking in the handicap spot outside City Hall.  I simply patted my gun and said "When they let me carry a gun in a court house, they let me park wherever I want".  This is an indication that my position is an exception that authorizes me to park in places where the delivery guy is not allowed to do so.

This does not constitute any form of threat, except in the minds of the seriously paranoid or mentally ill.


----------



## ssampier (Jul 17, 2006)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> I'm fond of my Progression Wake-Up Alarm Clock   Half an hour before the time it's set for, it starts to gradually phase in a light (with optional aroma beads that the light heats up, causing a scent to slowly permeate the room).  Fifteen minutes later, it starts with a selectable sound - I choose birdsong at a low level, but others include running water, the ocean, or crickets.  Eventually, you get the traditional shrieking alarm... but the birds wake me up, so I never need to endure that
> -Hyp.




Interesting. I need one of those. Most morning--I'm still quite groggy when the alarms shrieks. I can't seem to find one that I like (like one that plays music softly).


----------



## Hypersmurf (Jul 17, 2006)

ssampier said:
			
		

> Interesting. I need one of those. Most morning--I'm still quite groggy when the alarms shrieks. I can't seem to find one that I like (like one that plays music softly).




I got mine from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Another one that interested me was the Zen Alarm Clock, which uses a progression of chimes over a ten minute period... starting out three minutes apart, but getting closer and closer together...

-Hyp.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 17, 2006)

I know there wasn't a threat- and technically, I should have put it in quotes myself- but I was reusing his terminology to make the point.

And anyway, you probably _are entitled to make such a threat if you needed to, given what you do...depending upon local laws, of course._


----------



## Aeolius (Jul 17, 2006)

I suppose it really is a matter of interpretation.

   If a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver was to pat their gun and say "When they let me carry a gun in a court house, they let me park wherever I want", I would probably interpret that as meaning "I have a gun. I can park where I want." Granted, I dislike firearms, so I carry a personal bias.

   I do not begrudge you the right to arm yourself; your job carries a high risk factor. I would not have responded negatively to such an employee who explained they are an employee of the city/state/government and, while the handicap-designated sign did not carry such a disclaimer, they were authorized to use the space temporarily and would gladly surrender the space to someone in need. As you pointed out, "delivery guys", i.e. commercial vehicles, are not authorized to park in such spaces. 

   And you may be right, regarding who is authorized to park in such spots. To me, a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver is still a private employee and is afforded the same parking privileges as a pizza delivery driver or UPS carrier. To be honest, I've never considered my opinion to be in the wrong, here, so I will do my part by researching local laws. Mind you, I have called the police on UPS drivers (only after they made snide remarks) and I have asked security guards move their vehicles.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 17, 2006)

Aeolius said:
			
		

> I suppose it really is a matter of interpretation.
> 
> If a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver was to pat their gun and say "When they let me carry a gun in a court house, they let me park wherever I want", I would probably interpret that as meaning "I have a gun. I can park where I want." Granted, I dislike firearms, so I carry a personal bias.




There you go.  See my Sig line regarding Perception.



> I do not begrudge you the right to arm yourself; your job carries a high risk factor.




It is not a "right", it's a REQUIREMENT of the job.  You don't have a gun, you don't carry money.  Period.



> And you may be right, regarding who is authorized to park in such spots. To me, a bank guard/security guard/armored car driver is still a private employee and is afforded the same parking privileges as a pizza delivery driver or UPS carrier. To be honest, I've never considered my opinion to be in the wrong, here, so I will do my part by researching local laws. Mind you, I have called the police on UPS drivers (only after they made snide remarks) and I have asked security guards move their vehicles.




We are not simple 'security guards' (who are not entitled to park in these spots).  We carry the same risks in cash handling as banks do (risk of robbery, etc) and such, we are afforded much more lee-way in where we park, where we may drive, where and how we may carry our weapons, and how we are entitled to act in public.


----------



## DerHauptman (Jul 17, 2006)

20,0000,000 and a publicist does not make ones opinion on foreign policy or politics more valid than anyone else's.  In other words I don't care what a sports, rock or movie star thinks about anything...so spare me the commentary.


----------



## RichCsigs (Jul 17, 2006)

Turn signals:  Use them properly.  That means, if you shifting lanes, turn you signal on _before_ switching lanes, not just before and not as you are.
Inversely, another annoying thing is people who speed up to block someone who has turned on their signal to announce they want to switch lanes.  That's just being mean.

Abuse of Handicap Spots:  Handicap spots are there for those who need the extra space to exit a vehicle, wither for a wheelchair ramp or just frailty in general (needing the space to get a walker or wheelchair by the door, etc).  Yet the number of able-bodied "older" people with a handicap-parking pass is just outrageous.  These things are given out like candy.  Isn't there suppose to be some kind of regulation on this?  I know you don't have that many years left but an extra 10 seconds of walking won't change your life that drastically (yes, I know that sentence is mean, but that's how I feel).
Also, if you have a handicap-parking pass because you drive a frail/handicap person around, this does NOT give you the right to use the pass when that person is not with you.  That's just lazy and rude to someone who may actually need the spot.

Emergency vehicle etiquette (assume lights & sirens are on for all these pet peeves): If an emergency vehicle is coming from behind you, pull over *immediately*!  Do NOT wait for the vehicle to be directly behind you.
If you are driving and an emergency vehicle is coming down the other side of the road, slow down and move as far over to the side of the road as you can.  This gives extra room for the emergency vehicle to pass other vehicles.
If you are stopped for a red light at an intersection and an emergency vehicle comes up behind you and you have obstructions on either side of you (other cars, road barriers, etc.) *you are legally allowed to move into the intersection!!* Don't rush in.  Move in slowly checking to make sure vehicles coming the other way have stopped.  Then after the vehicle has passed you, get out of the intersection.

Driving lane etiquette: In the United States, the left lane is for passing, not the right lane.
If you are driving on a two-lane road and are in the left lane and a vehicle comes up behind you obviously looking to pass you, move over.
If you are in the middle lane of a three lane road and are constantly being passed on the left AND the right, you are in the wrong lane.  Move over to the right one (and turn on your signal before you do it).
When I'm driving down a single lane road and I have 3 or more cars behind me, I assume I am going slower than the natural flow of traffic and pull over so they can pass me.  I would like to see the same returned.
If you are in the passing lane and come up behind someone who is in the middle of passing a series of cars but is driving slower than you would like to, patiently wait for them to finish passing the cars before you start flipping your lights at them.  If they pass the cars and then don't move over, that's the time to start letting them know you would like to go faster.


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 17, 2006)

Well, well Chimera - look what a flurry of discussion you provoked! 

Busy, busy, busy in here. Gone for a day or so and WHAM! - an avalanche, eh?


----------



## sniffles (Jul 17, 2006)

I just discovered a new peeve over the weekend. We were driving to the Oregon coast for the day, on winding two-lane highways through the mountains. At numerous points there are passing lanes where the width of the road permits. On at least 3 separate occasions, a driver who had been tailgating our car (different driver each time) waited until the passing lane was about to end before choosing to pass us. On a couple of occasions while my fiancee was driving he sped up to prevent other drivers from passing, because otherwise they would have cut us off when the road narrowed back down to two lanes.  :\ 

Other peeves: 
When you're trying to get out of a parking lot into heavy traffic and other drivers won't let you out. It should work like a zipper. One car exits parking lot, one car moves forward, lather rinse repeat. Same is true for merging onto a busy freeway. But no, at least here in Oregon, everyone has to be 'in front', which means you can't let another car get ahead of you.   

People who stop at the top or bottom of an escalator and just stand there, so no one can board or disembark from the escalator without running into them.

People who stand right in front of the door to an elevator and then start to board the minute the doors open, without waiting to see if anyone needs to get out. Also people who immediately climb aboard the bus without waiting to see if any senior citizen or disabled person needs to get out.

People who wait at the bus stop for 5 minutes but don't get their fare ready until they actually board the bus.

People who ride bicycles in the dark without any visibility gear. 

Pedestrians who cross in the middle of the block when there's a pedestrian crosswalk 15 feet away.

People who leave their dogs in their cars on hot days, or who drive around in pickup trucks with loose dogs in the back.

Young men wearing their pants so low that they have to lift up the crotch in order to walk.

We're a peevish lot, aren't we?


----------



## Chimera (Jul 17, 2006)

Mycanid said:
			
		

> Well, well Chimera - look what a flurry of discussion you provoked!




Is that a bad thing?    

*RichCsigs*;

The speeding up to cut people off after they signal is a real problem for our work trucks.  Sometimes we're forced to simply come over anyway and hope they figure it out.  Yeah, we're bad guys!    

Left Lane drivers.  You and me both, bud.  In 31 states, you can be ticketed for parking your butt in the left lane.  Unfortunately, it doesn't happen enough to clue in some people.

I have a simple rule that I tell people;

*If you are being passed on the right, you are in the wrong.*

Emergency Vehicles.  See it all the time.  It's that same old "You're not more important than me" value system.  I once watched a guy *actively prevent* a Highway Patrol car from passing him for more than a mile!  I figured at some point the HP would simply pull the guy over and arrest him, but apparently wherever the HP was going was higher priority than some pinhead.  Hope they got the guy later, because he deserved it!

Another one for me is random lane changes.  Whenever I go out of state and then return, I find myself being reminded of this one within about 30 minutes.

_How do you know you're in Minnesota?
When at any given moment, 
at least one third of the cars around you 
are changing lanes.
Often for *no apparent reason*._


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 17, 2006)

No sir! Merely observing, not criticizing in the least!

Sniffles ... I had forgotten about the one of the pants riding low. But I just giggle to myself whenever I see that now. It's no longer a peeve. I feel sorry for them. What a torture. Ever see one try to run?


----------



## cybertalus (Jul 18, 2006)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> I'm fond of my Progression Wake-Up Alarm Clock   Half an hour before the time it's set for, it starts to gradually phase in a light (with optional aroma beads that the light heats up, causing a scent to slowly permeate the room).  Fifteen minutes later, it starts with a selectable sound - I choose birdsong at a low level, but others include running water, the ocean, or crickets.  Eventually, you get the traditional shrieking alarm... but the birds wake me up, so I never need to endure that
> 
> -Hyp.




Wow, the way you describe that it almost sounds like it makes waking up a into a pleasant experience.  Definitely better than the red alert klaxon my alarm clock attacks me with every morning.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 18, 2006)

> 20,0000,000 and a publicist does not make ones opinion on foreign policy or politics more valid than anyone else's. In other words I don't care what a sports, rock or movie star thinks about anything...so spare me the commentary.




OTOH, the fact that a celebrity is rich & famous doesn't make their opinion any less valid than anyone else's either...

Re: low-slung pants.  From what my cop buddies tell me, they love the fashion- makes the perps much easier to catch.  So, if you're a pottential perp, keep wearin' 'em low!  Everyone else- learn your pants size.  Consider a belt.  Or suspenders.



> Also, if you have a handicap-parking pass because you drive a frail/handicap person around, this does NOT give you the right to use the pass when that person is not with you. That's just lazy and rude to someone who may actually need the spot.




Its not just lazy & rude- it constitutes an offense in most jurisdictions.  In fact, its also a violation if the person is with you but doesn't vacate the vehicle when parked in the handicapped spot (so you can't park in the spot and leave them in the car while you run into Starbucks for your Vente Mocha Frappuchino).

On top of that, most jurisdictions require that you actually be transporting (or about to transport) the person to whom the mirror hanger tag was issued.  For instance, as I stated before, my Mom has a tag which is permanently housed in my car (she has another in my Dad's car).  My Grandfather is also eligible for a tag, but hasn't bothered to go through the steps to get one.  I cannot legally take him somewhere and use my Mom's tag to park in the spot.

I can, however, park in a handicapped spot (using her tag)- _even though I'm fully able bodied_- when I'm picking her up at the mall or a doctor's appointment or whatever.  (This has led to some confrontations with some people, but nothing big.)


----------



## Hypersmurf (Jul 18, 2006)

cybertalus said:
			
		

> Wow, the way you describe that it almost sounds like it makes waking up a into a pleasant experience.  Definitely better than the red alert klaxon my alarm clock attacks me with every morning.




I wouldn't go back to one of those, personally.

My personal preference is that when the alarm goes off (in my case, chirping birds), I get up.  So I set my alarm for when I want to get up.  Simple 

My girlfriend, on the other hand, prefers to set her alarm for about a half hour before she needs to get up, and then use the snooze button three or four times.

I just can't handle that... but fortunately, I need to get up earlier than she does most days anyway, so I can wake up to my birds, then reset the alarm to Red Alert for her.

-Hyp.


----------



## ssampier (Jul 18, 2006)

RichCsigs said:
			
		

> [
> When I'm driving down a single lane road and I have 3 or more cars behind me, I assume I am going slower than the natural flow of traffic and pull over so they can pass me.  I would like to see the same returned.




I agree with everything else. I commonly have one or 2 cars behind me (rarely 3). I almost always drive the speed limit, so it's not my fault those drivers want to go 50 mph in a 35 mph zone.


----------



## cybertalus (Jul 18, 2006)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> I wouldn't go back to one of those, personally.
> 
> My personal preference is that when the alarm goes off (in my case, chirping birds), I get up.  So I set my alarm for when I want to get up.  Simple
> 
> ...




Sounds like your girlfirend isn't a morning person.  All the not-morning people I know do the multi-snooze thing.  

My alarm clock is about three steps from the bed, so I can't shut it off and roll over and go back to sleep and be late for work like I used to do.  Between that and the high volume red alert klaxon, I don't get back to sleep after the first alarm, but I still hit snooze a few times and crawl back into bed in between.

I may just order one of the gradual wakeup alarms.  If it made me even 25% less grumpy in the mornings, it would be worth it.  Then again not staying up until 1:40 am might help there too.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 18, 2006)

I am a vampire at night and a zombie by morning.

I have an Emerson CD alarm clock, currently with Shadows Fall (http://www.shadowsfall.com/)- a metal band I don't particularly like- in it.  It has 2 alarms with multiple setting options, plus snooze.  The 2 alarms are set 30 minutes apart, and set to play the CD as an alarm.  It is across the room from my bed.

My bedroom TV has an auto-turn on function.

I have been known to turn off all 3 and still not wake up.

In my second year of college, I had the top bunk.  Once, when my alarm went off, my roomie (who had an earlier class than I) watched me jump out of the bed, landing catlike & quiet 3' away, walk 10' to my alarm clock, hit the snooze, climb back up into bed, and return to snoring in under 1 minute.

No.  I am not morning people.


----------



## RangerWickett (Jul 18, 2006)

Dannyalcatraz said:
			
		

> No.  I am not morning people.




When do you go to bed?

I used to think I wasn't a morning person. That was before I realized, "Hey, every night at midnight I start checking all the webcomics and the WotC Magic site, so I don't get to bed before 1 am." Considering I wake up at 7 for work, I figured that might have something to do with my sleepiness.

Now I make an effort to always get to bed before midnight, 11:30 if possible.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 18, 2006)

I'm a natural insomniac, so going to bed after 2AM is typical for me.   Even as a child I didn't sleep.  My parents took to locking me in my room at nights so they could sleep without worrying about me getting into trouble elsewhere in the house.

More recently, during a 2 month+ stint at Texas Instruments as a legal temp doing document review (a very boring job requiring no more physical activity than clicking a mouse button), I'd typically go to bed after watching Law & Order reruns on A&E that went off at 3AM...and it typically takes me 15-30 minutes to drift off.  I'd get up at 6:30 to get to work for 8AM...  No problemo- while I was there, I set some productivity records in my department.

(Naps were not an option, either.  The department was a glass-encased section right near the elevator to the executive suites.)

Even today, when I find myself needing a little more sleep, 19 hours of consciousness is pretty typical.


----------



## RichCsigs (Jul 18, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> The speeding up to cut people off after they signal is a real problem for our work trucks.  Sometimes we're forced to simply come over anyway and hope they figure it out.  Yeah, we're bad guys!



Sadly, there is a cause & effect thing, as I'm sure people speeding up to block people who want to change lanes is _exactly_ why people stopped signaling when changing lanes to begin with.



			
				Chimera said:
			
		

> Emergency Vehicles.  See it all the time.  It's that same old "You're not more important than me" value system.  I once watched a guy *actively prevent* a Highway Patrol car from passing him for more than a mile!  I figured at some point the HP would simply pull the guy over and arrest him, but apparently wherever the HP was going was higher priority than some pinhead.  Hope they got the guy later, because he deserved it!



My uncle used to work on an ambulance and most of my emergency vehicle peeves come from listening to him tell stories of trying to get places, especially onto highways.  He even had people get so mad at him they would follow him to the hospital just to yell at him in person!



			
				Dannyalcatraz said:
			
		

> I can, however, park in a handicapped spot (using her tag)- _even though I'm fully able bodied_- when I'm picking her up at the mall or a doctor's appointment or whatever.  (This has led to some confrontations with some people, but nothing big.)



One of the things I'm getting from this thread is a case of "Oh, I never thought of that"s.  So the next time I see an able bodied person with a handicap sticker leaving their car in a handicap-parking spot, I won't be so quick to curse them under my breath.



			
				ssampier said:
			
		

> I agree with everything else. I commonly have one or 2 cars behind me (rarely 3). I almost always drive the speed limit, so it's not my fault those drivers want to go 50 mph in a 35 mph zone.



That's why I chose 3 or more.  I figured one or two, it could just be people who like to drive fast.  Three or more probably means I'm going slower than the other people who drive in this area.  Also it's just a safety issue, as three cars behind me getting antsy usually leads to dangerous situations (tailgating, weaving, passing at wrong times, etc.).  Better to just pull over than have them cause an accident that could involve me.
Plus my grandfather died because a slow driver wouldn't let my aunt pass him, so that's always in the back of my mind too.



			
				Dannyalcatraz said:
			
		

> Even today, when I find myself needing a little more sleep, 19 hours of consciousness is pretty typical.



Man, I thought I was the only one!  For me it doesn't matter how tired I am, I just can't seem to fall asleep before 1AM.  And I even have gone so far as to make sure I don't intake any caffeine after 5PM too.


----------



## LightPhoenix (Jul 18, 2006)

sniffles said:
			
		

> People who stop at the top or bottom of an escalator and just stand there, so no one can board or disembark from the escalator without running into them.




You should go to Washington, DC.  They're almost viscious about their escalator etiquette.  It was one of the most awesome things I saw there.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 18, 2006)

sniffles said:
			
		

> Oregon coast for the day, on winding two-lane highways through the mountains. At numerous points there are passing lanes where the width of the road permits. On at least 3 separate occasions, a driver who had been tailgating our car (different driver each time) waited until the passing lane was about to end before choosing to pass us. On a couple of occasions while my fiancee was driving he sped up to prevent other drivers from passing, because otherwise they would have cut us off when the road narrowed back down to two lanes.  :\
> 
> [...]
> 
> Same is true for merging onto a busy freeway. But no, at least here in Oregon, everyone has to be 'in front', which means you can't let another car get ahead of you.




But it kinda sounded like your BF was doing the same thing there.

Oh yes, I remember the mountains of Oregon.  Drove through about 6 years ago.  People drive really slow and back up a whole line of cars behind them, then 'torch the rocket' so to speak when people finally have a chance to pass them, thus preventing anyone from doing so.

That and the really really slow trucks and motor homes all driven by illiterate morons who could never read the turn-out signs.  (Translation:  You're driving slow.  Pull over in a turn-out and let everyone pass you!)



> People who stop at the top or bottom of an escalator and just stand there, so no one can board or disembark from the escalator without running into them.




Or walk into the big vendor room at Gencon and do the same thing.  CRASH!  Ok, any big room in a public space.  Wake up and notice the rest of the world around you, people!



> People who stand right in front of the door to an elevator and then start to board the minute the doors open, without waiting to see if anyone needs to get out.




I've been yelled at by people who have crashed into me when the doors opened.  Sorry, but I was standing just inside the doors hoping to get off.  Perhaps you should look first and try showing some courtesy, eh?



> People who wait at the bus stop for 5 minutes but don't get their fare ready until they actually board the bus.




Or who dawdle while their stuff is being rung up at the store, and only AFTER the clerk tells them the amount, do they suddenly remember that they have to actually pay for the stuff and start looking at how they're going to do that.


----------



## bodhi (Jul 19, 2006)

sniffles said:
			
		

> But no, at least here in Oregon, everyone has to be 'in front', which means you can't let another car get ahead of you.



Y'know, I understand people who want to go fast. I think they're stupid if they're weaving in and out of dense traffic (which often does them no good), but I can understand wanting to _get_ where you're _going_. I don't get the ones who don't want to go fast, they just want to be in front of _you_. So they speed up to cut you off, just so they can slow down to 5mph below the speed limit in the left lane.

I, too, have seen this a lot in Oregon (PDX metro area). I've also seen it a little in California (SF Bay Area), and hardly at all in Hawaii (Oahu).



			
				sniffles said:
			
		

> People who stop at the top or bottom of an escalator and just stand there, so no one can board or disembark from the escalator without running into them.



So run into 'em.  Seriously, if you stand right where people are literally being expelled by a mechanized system, you're asking to get body checked.



			
				sniffles said:
			
		

> People who wait at the bus stop for 5 minutes but don't get their fare ready until they actually board the bus.



Along similar lines, people in front of you in line at fast food places who wait until they're at the head to think about what they want to order.

And, since I work at a copy shop, people who wait until they're at the counter to figure out how many copies of something they need.


----------



## bodhi (Jul 19, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> Or who dawdle while their stuff is being rung up at the store, and only AFTER the clerk tells them the amount, do they suddenly remember that they have to actually pay for the stuff and start looking at how they're going to do that.



Ooh, ooh! People who realize they have no cash, and want to put a 50 cent sale on a credit card.

Maybe it's just me, but before I go somewhere to spend money, I check to see how much money I actually have.

Whee! I like this thread.


----------



## Steve Jung (Jul 19, 2006)

RichCsigs said:
			
		

> Sadly, there is a cause & effect thing, as I'm sure people speeding up to block people who want to change lanes is _exactly_ why people stopped signaling when changing lanes to begin with.



Today, someone in the lane to my left wanted to get into my lane. He signaled and then started slowing down to about 10 mph below the limit. I tapped my brakes in order to try to let him in. He kept slowing down, probably because he wanted to use the upcoming exit. He had enough space, but never got into the space I left him. So, to avoid coming to a complete stop because the guy couldn't switch lanes, I sped up to the limit and passed him. How long do other people give drivers who want to change lanes?


----------



## Dire_Pug (Jul 19, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> I drive a 20,000 pound armored vehicle around our downtown all day.
> 
> I just don't get how people can continually zip around me, get in front of me and hit their brakes.  If we hit you, it's going to ruin a lot more than your day.
> 
> ...




Chimera, I can certainly sympathize with you there.  I worked as an armored car driver and guard for seven years.  The whole zipping around the truck always amazed me.  Considering the smallest of our vehicles weighed in at 12,000 pounds _empty_ means that it takes a huge distance to come to a complete stop.  God forbid if we had one of our bigger trucks loaded down with coin.  Imagine a box filled with $500 of quarters.  It would probably weigh close to 20 pounds right?  Now imagine 100 boxes loaded on a wood pallet and now imagine four of those pallets in the back of one of those trucks.  We're talking four extra tons of cargo which just adds to the problem of the long stopping distance of a big truck.  Without fail someone would zoom from around my truck and then cut me off to take a right turn in front of me while drastically dropping their speed.  Those people probably never realized how close to serious injury or death they came pulling that little stunt.

As far as the whole armored car in the hot sun thing goes all I can say is: ugh!  Remember to add in the bulletproof vest (which makes for a nice layer of insulation) to that.  I almost gave myself a nice case of heatstroke one summer when the AC konked out on me.  Fun times.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Jul 19, 2006)

When will the Illuminati realize the world will be much safer if they'd just start letting us use the Inertia Fields (developed at Area 51_B_) to help the maneuverability & stopping distances of things like trains, semis, and armored cars?

Darn Illuminati!


----------



## Captain Howdy (Jul 19, 2006)

RangerWickett said:
			
		

> In a related note, I also hate that my friend Julian refuses to accept "I've got work at 8 in the morning" as a valid reason for me to stop playing Magic when it's nearly midnight. In particular, I think his favorite phrase in the world is "sleep is for the weak."




I _HATE_ when people say that to me. Usually it's this one friend of mine. Did you ever notice that the people who usually use that little phrase are the ones that don't have to get up for work/school and sleep till 11am every day?

Most effective way of stopping this: call your friend when you get up the next day, and wake him up. Even better, if you live close to him, go to his house and wake him up. I did this once, and it was funny to see how 'weak' he was at 6:30am.


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 19, 2006)

To quote an old saying ...

Q: How much sleep does someone need?

A: Five minutes more than they get.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 19, 2006)

bodhi said:
			
		

> Ooh, ooh! People who realize they have no cash, and want to put a 50 cent sale on a credit card.
> 
> Maybe it's just me, but before I go somewhere to spend money, I check to see how much money I actually have.
> 
> Whee! I like this thread.




Today at a convenience store while I'm working:

Woman ahead of me trying to buy a bottle of milk.  They ring it up.  She digs out purse AFTER the clerk rings it up.  Digs around.  Doesn't have that much.  Walks away to put it back and get something else, leaving me and clerk looking at each other.  Comes back with smaller bottle.  Clerk rings it up.  Woman _slowly_ picks through her change, coming up about 10 cents short.  Meanwhile, I'm boring holes in her skull with looks of death.

She starts to take it back, takes one look at me standing there looking seriously pissed off....and tells the clerk to ring me up while she figures things out.


----------



## Chimera (Jul 19, 2006)

Captain Howdy said:
			
		

> Most effective way of stopping this: call your friend when you get up the next day, and wake him up. Even better, if you live close to him, go to his house and wake him up. I did this once, and it was funny to see how 'weak' he was at 6:30am.




A great solution that only works if your friend is not one of those people who exist on very few hours of sleep.  (Hint: *Never go camping with those types!*)

But yeah, I've used the same solution on noisy schedule-challenged neighbors who think that the entire world should still be up partying at 1am on Tuesday morning, or up and out mowing their lawns at 6am on Saturday.  Just give 'em a taste of their own medicine when you know they'll be sleeping.  If you can do it without violating the noise ordinances, so much the better!


----------



## ssampier (Jul 20, 2006)

Chimera said:
			
		

> Today at a convenience store while I'm working:
> 
> Woman ahead of me trying to buy a bottle of milk.  They ring it up.  She digs out purse AFTER the clerk rings it up.  Digs around.  Doesn't have that much.  Walks away to put it back and get something else, leaving me and clerk looking at each other.  Comes back with smaller bottle.  Clerk rings it up.  Woman _slowly_ picks through her change, coming up about 10 cents short.  Meanwhile, I'm boring holes in her skull with looks of death.
> 
> She starts to take it back, takes one look at me standing there looking seriously pissed off....and tells the clerk to ring me up while she figures things out.




Yikes. I've acted like an idiot once and did something like that. Instead of making the person behind me wait, I said I'd be back, left the item there, and came back 5 minutes later (I visited the ATM).


----------



## sniffles (Jul 20, 2006)

New random peeve:

What's really bugging me today is that my coworker across the aisle has on a shirt that's obviously from the '80s and it's full of holes. But there's no tactful way for me to say, "Dude, it's time for that shirt to go in the garbage." Because he's a coworker, not a friend. 

Makes me wonder what people think when they get dressed in the morning. He has to go to court today to testify against the guy who stole his identity. If I were going to court I'd dress up a bit. I guess the folks in the courthouse are lucky he's not wearing a pair of pants with cigarette burns - that's what I usually get to see.

Of course, someone else could turn this back on me and ask why my skirt is so wrinkled.


----------



## Mycanid (Jul 20, 2006)

Ma'am, I got news for you. I NEVER walked up to a single woman and asked her why her skirt was wrinkled.  

Now what other ladies do is another issue.... Can't speak for them on this.

Later edit: I meant by "single woman" any woman, not an unmarried woman, btw....


----------



## RichCsigs (Jul 21, 2006)

sniffles said:
			
		

> New random peeve:
> 
> What's really bugging me today is that my coworker across the aisle has on a shirt that's obviously from the '80s and it's full of holes. But there's no tactful way for me to say, "Dude, it's time for that shirt to go in the garbage." Because he's a coworker, not a friend.




Maybe that's his ploy for court.  "Look at how poor this thief has made me.  This is my best shirt now!"


----------

