Pet Peeves

Yes, everyone has them. They can be anything and/or everything. The things we think make us endearing to others may be just that for some, but to others, those are the things that grate and annoy. I will admit that over the years I have found a few that I think are especially annoying.

The first one is when you are driving and someone needs to get in your lane. They have known this the whole time they have been driving, yet they refuse to move over until it is absolutely necessary. Sure, the occasional person isn’t sure where they are going or don’t realize that it is time to move over, but too many people do this for that to be the case for all of them. Even more annoying for me is when they just start to move over, despite the fact that you and your car are in the exact spot that they want to move into. Then they get mad at you and you get mad at them. They are mad because you won’t stop your car so they can move into your lane and you are mad because they can’t wait and move into the lane until you have moved past them. AS a side note, I was listening to a radio show where people call in their pet peeves and someone was commenting on something a driver did that annoyed them. At the end of their comment, they added. 'people, when someone is trying to move into the lane that you are in, let them move over!' I started to laugh. Aren't you supposed to change lanes when the lane is clear?

Another pet peeve of mine also has to do with driving. The last two mornings on my way to work this has happened to me. I am driving, minding my own business and the person behind me gets right on my tail. I will tap the breaks a few times just to say ‘back off’ to them, but they don’t. I can practically see the brand of sunglasses the person is wearing they are so close. What they refuse to recognize is the fact that the driver in front of me is affecting the speed at which I am travelling. That makes me mad. Not really the way I want to start off my morning.
I really could go on and on about driving pet peeves, and sorry Utahans, but I have never driven with such rude drivers as the ones I have encountered here in this state. But there is a pet peeve that I discovered lately and it is fast becoming one of my most annoying. We all do this one, even me, from time to time. However, I have a co-worker that cannot speak a single sentence without adding an ‘I guess,’ ‘like,’ ‘I think,’ ‘I ‘m wondering,’ ‘maybe,’ ‘I suppose,’ or other unsure language. The annoying part is that he even says it when he is stating facts. Drives me absolutely batty.

I just want to say, ‘get a backbone and take responsibility for the words that are coming out of your mouth!’ I think in his case, since he is quieter maybe it is an insecure thing or perhaps it is his way of being polite. I don’t know and really don’t care because at the end of the day, if he is doing it, it will grate on my nerves. I have already tried to take into consideration the reason behind the behavior, but regardless of why it happens, it still does. Therein lays the problem.
Another pet peeve I have to mention is people at work who make it known to EVERYONE how much work they have to do. I have a particular co-worker that likes to let everyone know exactly how much work she has to do. If I had the opportunity to sit this person down and say how annoying that is, I believe I would say to her, ‘guess what? The thing we all do every day is go to WORK. We all have just as much work as you do. You are working on legal changes and you manage the templates for the letters we send out, but in addition to the death claims Jane Doe does, she also works on the group disability claims. In addition to doing death claims, John Smith works on wavier of premium. In addition to death claims, I do the MIBs for the underwriters; still do the group cases, and enter in all the 5 year deferrals, stretch policies, and do the minor as beneficiary policy. So when you ask us to do something and we don’t do it right away, it is because we are also busy. It puts us off when we have to wait for you just as much as it puts you off when you have to wait for us.’ In summary, be courteous of your co-worker’s time. They usually have just as much on their plate as you have on yours.

Don’t think for a moment that I think I am perfect. I am not, nor do I pretend to be. In writing this I have probably annoyed the reader that hates comma use, as I have used quite a few. I have probably annoyed the person who hates complainers and those who have little patience for people who also have little patience for the shortcomings of others. But rather than complain to the person who is doing the annoying thing (because let’s be honest, how easy is it for any of us to see the things in ourselves that annoy others?), I am venting on this page. That way I don’t annoy those who hate complainers.