What Is Your Pet Peeve?
My pet peeves would require an ongoing open ended thread but a tangent of your beef today: Some people inexplicably shovel parts of their adjacent sidewalks but don't do other parts. I walk thinking I'm safe and then slip on an isolated icy patch on a square they didn't shovel. And I have a bad back these days. In for a penny in for a pound - shovel the whole friggin thing please.
Ugh. Yes, the perennial clearing out of sidewalk and driveway apron only to have it filled up again by snowplows. And the dilemma of whether to wait u til all the plowing is done. But then the task is very daunting if you don’t break it up.
I’ve also seen when the plows drive too fast the snow flies up on to the sidewalk. It seems it they drive slowly it stays on the berm and doesn’t re-cover the sidewalk itself.
several years back I complained on MOL about how consistently bad some of the Maplewood Ave homeowners were at clearing their sidewalks, and therefore there were several really treacherous stretches that many commuters had to navigate on their way to the train station.
but credit where credit is due -- the current Maplewood Ave residents do a great job getting out early after a snowfall to get the walks cleared. The entire stretch from Jefferson through to the village was cleared quickly last week.
I do remember I got flamed years ago for complaining about unshoveled walks. Some people were suggesting maybe they were the homes of seniors who were to frail to shovel (they were not, they were my neighbors and I knew they were young and healthy), or the people were on vacation and couldn't get to it (they were not on vacation EVERY time it snowed). There really was no excuse for homes that NEVER shoveled, especially on a busy pedestrian thoroughfare. If you don't want to do it, PAY someone. But it was strange how some people wanted to make me the bad guy for pointing out how lazy some of the neighbors were regarding snow removal.
I guess those folks perhaps moved to warmer climates where they would be able to never concern themselves with shoveling 
bub said:
My pet peeves would require an ongoing open ended thread but a tangent of your beef today: Some people inexplicably shovel parts of their adjacent sidewalks but don't do other parts. I walk thinking I'm safe and then slip on an isolated icy patch on a square they didn't shovel. And I have a bad back these days. In for a penny in for a pound - shovel the whole friggin thing please.
This occurs most often on the stretch of pavement adjacent to the driveway. Rather than clear their driveway, many will leave the driveway uncleared and drive over it to reach the street. The stretch of sidewalk they drive over then becomes an icy mess that is almost impossible to remove until it melts. Another frequent cause, especially early on the day the snow fall ends, occurs when those of us who do our own shoveling do so in stages. The area where shoveling has been done is clear the rest not so much until the person doing the shoveling gets to it. In the latter case, by walking on the uncleared portion of a sidewalk that is partially cleared, you are compounding the problem since your footprints cause the portion of snow you are walking on to adhere to the sidewalk, causing an icing condition difficult to remove. On my walk this morning, I saw several stretches of sidewalk that were clear except for icy footprints where people had walked before the clearing took place.
Bars that don't automatically serve lime with corona - and when they do - they provide a lime slice instead of a lime wedge!
Bars that show Jeopardy without closed captions.
jamie said:
Bars that show Jeopardy without closed captions.
You know, I didn't really even have a peeve until you mentioned this. Utterly infuriating!
And to keep it real, I hate it when they don't have the CC on for sports talk either. If you're going to have a channel on your screen that's just people talking about sports things you didn't see, at least let us read what these idiots have to say about them or else switch the channel to an actual sport.
Getting back to icy conditions -- sump pumps that spew out water onto the driveway and apron, which freezes into a sheet of ice (usually on an incline). Treacherous whenever temperatures are below freezing.
TV commercials that encourage people to do online cell phone gambling. I think this method of gambling should be illegal. If you want to gamble go to AC or buy lottery tickets.
RobertRoe said:
TV commercials that encourage people to do online cell phone gambling. I think this method of gambling should be illegal. If you want to gamble go to AC or buy lottery tickets.
Oh this is an awful one. It makes it easy to lose so much money so fast.
It’s one of the reasons I ended up subscribing to the no-ad versions of Hulu and Spotify, so my kid wouldn’t be exposed to that crap. They make it look fun and exciting.
Zack said:
Karen’s
How about:
1) using a perfectly good female name as an insult rather than just calling out the behavior, and
2) incorrect use of apostrophes?
(I suppose that an upcoming post will come from someone mentioning "calling out punctuation and grammar errors online" )
sac said:
(I suppose that an upcoming post will come from someone mentioning "calling out punctuation and grammar errors online")
Impossible to be peeved if they’re called out with panache, which you supplied.
If you have any left over, there’s a show title in a 2:10 p.m. post that’s missing an exclamation point.
I’m curious how often we all actually run into a so-called “Karen” in the world. Social media would have us all believe there’s an army of 30-40 year old women marching around demanding to see managers and terrorizing retail and service workers all over the country every day. I almost never see that kind of behavior. When I do it’s just as likely to be a middle-aged white guy who seems affronted by the equal application of rules to themselves.
Maybe the whole “Karen” trend has gained so much traction as a way to keep women “in their place” a little bit. Don’t be outspoken or complain about poor service or treatment lest you be labeled a “Karen”.
Nobody likes people who regularly and egregiously claim a larger chunk of social space based on an inflated sense of entitlement. But I think the use of the name has turned into something destructive.
I think the "Karen" trend is fading. I notice for obvious reasons. Some people will never give up a so-called hilarious meme, but memes are meant to be fleeting. Very few stay in the mainstream for very long.
KarenMarlowe said:
I think the "Karen" trend is fading. I notice for obvious reasons. Some people will never give up a so-called hilarious meme, but memes are meant to be fleeting. Very few stay in the mainstream for very long.
I really hope so! My age group (born in the 50s/60s) is full of women named Karen, including several of my closest friends and it is just wrong to assign a personal name to bad behavior like that.
jamie said:
Bars that don't automatically serve lime with corona - and when they do - they provide a lime slice instead of a lime wedge!
Bars that show Jeopardy without closed captions.
When you order a high-end Manhattan in a bar, and they put the cheap-**** maraschino cherry in it! I have addressed this with bartenders for years, much to my wife's chagrin. As I explain to the bartender, this drink costs about $20, and you're putting the EXACT same cherry you'd put in a Shirley-Ficking- Temple. No bueno. If you don't have the high-end cherries (Luxardo), give me a slice of orange and be on your way!
I also have a pet peeve about too many ficking TVs in bars. Very little of that crap in the UK, and it makes for a better pub experience. If you want to watch Jeopardy, go home, you wanker!
I have many pet peeves, many of them around driving: parking, turning and tailgating. Perhaps the one that pisses me off the most is not the drivers that don't use their turn signal (although there's a special place in hell for them) but those that wait until they begin the turn to put on their signal. You'd be amazed how many of these cretins there are on the road. Signaling at that point does absolutely nothing and informs no one. You signal to let those around you know of your intentions so they can act accordingly.
Idiots
weekends said:
Pharmaceutical commercials.
I'd say, not just pharmaceutical commercials, but all TV commercials.
I watch a bunch of broadcast TV, from sports to L&O to other admitted junk and when an ad comes on, I hit that mute button faster than you can say Have It Your Way.
The no turn signal - seems like the majority of drivers these days - and the signal only when you start turning are peeves of mine.
bub said:
The no turn signal - seems like the majority of drivers these days - and the signal only when you start turning are peeves of mine.
This is the result of my pet peeve. People who speed up when you put your signal on to make a turn or change lanes. So much so, they now have to brake aggressively to avoid running into the back of someone.
People who cross the double yellow lines to get around you when you put on your right turn signal.
A vehicular pet peeve of mine is drivers who turn left well after the green arrow is off. South Orange Ave turning onto Valley Street is a prime example of this. One vehicle making a late left turn is okay, probably even expected. A second vehicle, maybe, sometimes. But if you're the 3rd or 4th car still going left after the arrow is off, you have an entitlement problem.
I have no pet peeves. Everything annoys me just as much as it annoys everybody else.
Actually, while I first agreed with DaveSchmidt’s comment, I realised the thing that really irks me is a supermarket/department store issue. I instantly become The Mythical ‘Karen’ when this happens - and it seems like it’s now happening every time I shop.
Why can’t people either re-shelve their items when they change their minds, or hand those items to staff?? (Yes, I know it’s harder to find a staffed checkout these days, but there’s still staff walking around) I am particularly irritated when bread (for example) is shoved onto a canned desserts shelf, or toothpaste is left with cheeses or breakfast cereals. And don’t get me started on empty drink containers, or banana skins… or fresh meats discarded on hardware shelves!! 
It’s lazy and it’s wasteful, increasing ‘shrinkage’ and leading to increased costs.
Smedley said:
A vehicular pet peeve of mine is drivers who turn left well after the green arrow is off. South Orange Ave turning onto Valley Street is a prime example of this. One vehicle making a late left turn is okay, probably even expected. A second vehicle, maybe, sometimes. But if you're the 3rd or 4th car still going left after the arrow is off, you have an entitlement problem.
What annoys me and is equally dangerous are the cars that speed through a yellow light which has turned red by the time they reach the crosswalk where people are waiting to cross on foot. Northbound traffic on Valley Street approaching the intersection with Baker Street is a prime example of this.
My current pet peeve is how government jurisdictions give priority to motor vehicles over pedestrians. Whenever it snows. plows and salt trucks are dispatched to clear the roadways while piling the plowed snow onto gutters, curb cuts and sidewalks. Once the plows have passed , every block in town is completely encased in a wall built of chunks of icy boulders.
If a property owner tries to move the snow back in the street where it came from, that property owner is subject to a fine. Crosswalks are so plowed under that it is beyond the ability of the average property owner to clear them . Some do manage to clear their driveways sufficiently to enable them to walk off their block. Most simply use their motor vehicle to get around until such time as the sidewalks are accessible again.
What is the poor non-driving pedestrian to do? The logical answer would be walk in the town-cleared street. Unfortunately, while cyclists have earned the right to have sharrows in place for them, no such device has been provided the poor pedestrian. To walk in the street safely one must walk close to the curb. Unfortunately, the curb space is where the boulders of ice have been deposited. Walking in the middle of the street is doable on quiet residential streets. Try doing it on busier streets like Prospect or Valley. You better have reflective clothing and an orange flag to wave so the drivers will hopefully see you coming.
Our elected officials brag about how walkable our town has become. Perhaps this is true in the summer months. It certainly is not true after a snowfall.