Pet Peeves

[ken123]

Mickey Rooney & TV news.

[jdb1]

It must be a trend! I had texting removed from my phone, also. People who need to contact me can call me. I was in a Dr.'s office yesterday, and a small wild child was tearing up the place. Mommy sat and texted on her phone (is texted a real word?). The nurse came out, got me and took me back to a cubicle to wait for the Dr. I was so grateful! even sitting alone in a small room beats listening to this hoodlum in the making scream.

and I know JDB just used the term, and I guess it's a part of our language now, but I really don't like "24/7" It seems like another text shortcut to me. (Still love me, JDB????)

Knitty, I spent too many years being a military spouse, and I was using "24/7" long before it was adopted by the civilian world. I don't even think of it as a buzzphrase. It's been around far too long, like SNAFU and ASAP, also military, and now in the mainstream.

And Darling, I'll never stop loving you.

[rohanaka]

It must be a trend! I had texting removed from my phone, also.

Ha... ladies. It's a revolution. We need our own flag. I am envisioning something like the old patriotic flag with a snake and we can include a cell phone in the picture too, with the motto: "Don't Text On Me" ha.

OH how it used to get my goat whenever I would get a text message. My callling plan used to charge me for every one of those things whether they were sent or received. And since I don't even KNOW how to send one, mine were always incoming messsages which were usually just some innocent and well-meaning "Hi, how are you?" tidbits from one of my more "with it" friends. ha. I TRIED telling them NOT to text me.. just give me a call. But that only lasted so long.. and then they'd forget. So I had to take matters in to my own hands and call the phone company.

GEE, I used to hate seeing those little things pop up on my phone. My blood pressure just went up sitting here thinking about it. ha.

And re: the kids out of control. I blame the parents for the sort of behavior I mentioned. Lack of parental guidance and lack of supervision is more or less the REAL pet peeve for me. As the parent of a child who COULD easily out perform anyone in the "wild, crazy, and out of control" department, I know it is not always easy to find ways to encourage children to behave themselves sometimes. Believe me, my kidling has had more than her fair share of "moments". But generally speaking, kids will usually rise (or sink) to the level of behavior that we expect of them.

And again... I LOVE to see children at play and having their "wild moments". But there is a time and a place for everything. And it really irks me to see parents who can so completely tune out their children to the point that they allow those kids to behave so poorly in public places. (OH.. don't EVEN get me started on children who are allowed to argue back and speak rudely to adults. I could go on for DAYS)

Or sippy cups. In the library? Really?

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Yikes. ha. I do have to confess I may be guilty of THAT one. ha. (but again... I think it depends on the parents.) When the kidling was a toddler, I was very conscientous about keeping her no further away than arm's length when in public. (She's a first grader and I STILL feel that way, more or less.) And if we DID have a drink or a snack with us (and sometimes with toddlers you almost have to) we used EXTREME caution to make sure we did not leave any trails behind us.

OH golly, I remember one time that we were out shopping and ran into an acquaintance who had a child that is close to the same age as ours; and both kids had Cheerios in their little cups as a shopping snack while in the stroller. The other child was leaving quite a mess of crumbs behind in their wake, and the other mom seemed oblivious to it all. So as we were leaving... ha.. I started picking up all the crumbs I could find. I did not want anyone thinking it was MY child leaving the mess. ha. (Yes.. I guess that was being prideful, ha. I just could not stand it if someone even thought for a moment that I was the sort of parent who did not clean up afer my kid.)

OH NO.. ha. I am my own pet peeve. Because "prideful" people are on my list as well. ha.

[mrsl]

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Ro:

I love both your posts on texting and kids. I love the parents' remark about how it's easier to keep tract of her kids with the cell phone. How stupid is that??? When you call someone, your phone does not make note of where the call is being answered. He may say he's at Joey's house, but he could also be standing on a corner, or at any place he's not supposed to be. I'm way past the checking up stage but believe me, if I had teens right now, do you think I would call them to make sure they are at Joey's house? Heck no!!! I would call Joey's parents house to be sure that 1. my child is there, and 2. the parents are home. The whine I always heard was, you're embarrassing me, and my answer, (besides serving cheese), was "better embarrassed in front of friends, than picking you up at the police station, or the morgue". But like those parents at the restaurant table, they are too wrapped up in their own lives to be involved in their childrens'. How sad to see a whole family so completely segregated while sitting next to each other.

And another I forgot:

1. There is the ball.
2. Their house is red.
3. They're not home. (they are)

That one really makes me nuts. And finally:

1. Apostrophe ('s) - The book's blue. - meaning blank is The book is blue.
2. Possessive (s') - The books' pages are yellow. - meaning the pages belong to the book.
3. Plain (s) which is just a plural. The pages are yellow.

I had a nun who drummed these little things into our heads practically on a daily basis, with snap quizzes every couple of days, as well as part of the final quarterly test. Now I find that the possessive ( s' ) is all but forgotten in grammar classes now. This past summer I was helping a friends' son with his English exams and looked it up, and was dismayed to find how lax the basic American English language has become.

But I guess when when Webster adds EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) per Rachel Ray because so many cooks are using those initials now, it is considered a word.

I guess it's true that sooner or later the students become the teachers, or children - parents.
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[jdb1]

Well, Anne, as far as giving cellphones to kids to keep tabs on them -- I did that with my kid. In fact, the first cellphone I got was not for me, but for her when she was a teen.

I was fully cognizant of the fact that she could be anywhere when we communicated, but the idea I had in mind was to get her used to letting me know what she was up to, when she was coming home, if she was going to be delayed, etc. It was also a way for her to know that I trusted her to be responsible and to make sensible decisions about her actitivies. I'm sure there were some half-truths from her in there somewhere; what kid doesn't do that? I certainly did it in my youth. But in general the system worked, and I felt more comfort in knowing that I could, at least theoretically, contact her at any time when she was out of my sight.

[patful]

I sent my first text messages last November to my brother as he was traveling home. He wanted me to send updates on the Alabama-Florida game. By the time I finished each message, the score had changed. Inept to put it mildly.

EVOO? Ugh. Even worse is Anne Burrell calling it "earl". Not cute.

[rohanaka]

How sad to see a whole family so completely segregated while sitting next to each other

To me, it explains a lot about how our society has become so self centered. We spend so much time caught up in our own "little world" we've even managed to tune out the very ones who make UP our own little world. Sad indeed.

Webster adds EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) per Rachel Ray because so many cooks are using those initials now, it is considered a word

Ha... now that is a surprise (and yet, no surprise at all). TV has taken over most of our other basic institutions in life, why not the dictionary?

And PS: the kidling has grown up w/ the Food Network. She uses that EVOO "word" every time she sees a bottle of oil in my cabinet. ha. ("Mom, Are you adding EVOO to that recipe?" ha.) Despite its many flaws TFN is at least one of the few remaining channels on television that I can leave on while out of the room and not have to worry about what sort of commercials will be infiltrating the airwaves while I am gone. Although annoying and repetitious, they generally show everyone fully clothed and do not bombard my child's ears with profanity.

Golly... now THERE is a pet peeve for you. My word, I despise our current culture's habit of selling almost everything with sex, rude or disprestful people, foul language, and absurdity. Good gravy, where is The Tidy Bowl Man when we need him? Or the Campbell's Soup kids? At least Mr. Clean is still around.

Chris... why oh why did you give me this soap box to rant and rave upon??? ha. (I keep finding things to complain about!) Are you ready to banish me to The Whiny Thread yet??

[Birdy]

Well, Rachel Ray actually says, "E.V.O.O." So I guess it annoys me that it is not written with the periods. It is an anacronym, not a new word. I wouldn't mind her calling it evoo, although it sounds gross. Can't she just say olive oil? We all know she expects it to be 'extra virgin'. Virginated? Virginized?

Re: Sippy cup in the library? I was thinking of a few people who have told their toddlers, "Go play," not the ones sticking like glue.

B

[srowley75]

EBS tests come on during your TCM movie?

I can't count the number of times I've DVD-Red a film

Mine is nouns used as verbs.

Well, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to embarrass me this way, especially as I'm feeling particularly low since (1) I'm an English grad who hasn't had a job interview in almost 6 months and (2) I lost some cash on the way to the store yesterday and now feel even more incompetent than I usually do. Really, I'm touched. I can feel the warmth.

And since we're all listing our pet peeves, among mine is people who derive thrills from humiliating others by publicly correcting their grammar/usage, then sneer about it even though they're smart enough to know they've made their target uncomfortable.

I don't treat every post on these forums as though I'm submitting a thesis for review. I treat my posts as casual conversation among friends, which is why I'll often go out on a limb and offer an unsupported opinion. I can see I was wrong to do so, and in future, if and when I decide to post, I'll be sure to let a professor friend proofread to avoid being made to look like a fool.

If you want to chip away at someone else's confidence, try the lawyer, the TCM blogger, or the Brooklyn gal. From what I can tell they've each got an ample supply, and as it is right now I'm running on empty.

[moira finnie]

Stephen, I'm sorry that you are having a tough day and that anyone here made you feel worse. I would like to apologize if anything I've said or done here has ever made you feel unwelcome. I'll try to be a more thoughtful member. I do hope that the future becomes a bit brighter for you very soon.

[knitwit45]

Stephen, I am sorry you are having a lousy day. We all seem to come here for support and laughs and diversion from the "real" world. I think perhaps the timing was off on the joke, but it was, I am sure, just a tease. I commented on Judith's use of 24/7, but didn't think it was mean-spirited. Luckily, she didn't take it that way. Please, don't go away mad. I was out of work for over 6 months, and I know the quiet desperation all too well. Hang in there, friend, and let us support you the only way we can, through laughter and online hugs.

Nancy

[charliechaplinfan]

Stephen, please don't leave, I enjoy your threads and posts. You are one member of our little gang and we'd miss you if you left.

[mrsl]

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Judith:

In your case, I'm sure that worked for you. My problem was having 4 teens aged 14, 15, 17 & 18 and trying to keep tract of all of them. As a single mother of 4 unfortunately I had to suspect every move they made. I guess you can bond closer with only one or two kids, and maybe with 4, but I didn't. (My fault or theirs, I don't know).

Srowley:

I'm sorry you were having a bad day. I know I've read things here that hit me the wrong way on bad days, and when I re-visited them, I didn't find fault with them. Perhaps with all the troubles hitting you in the face, even our posts attacked your psyche like B-B's and I regret that. In the past couple of weeks, I've learned (I hope), not to read the whinny thread, and will stay away from the Pet Peeves thread on my bad days, otherwise they may affect me the same way. That includes political threads too.

Also, I've always wondered, who is that man in your Avatar?
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[Birdy]

It's the whiny thread, not the whinny thread, although I probably do that from time to time, too.
(Neigh)
I do appreciate the people who post there in response to the more personal stuff I tend to share.
I, myself, try to avoid the political stuff since I tend to get snarky and that's not why I come to this website.
Poor jokes aside, Anne, I have no room to criticize your post with an extra letter fallen in, since I typed one handed for a month and couldn't even form complete sentences or use caps. How tacky. Just trying to show how making a joke can come across wrong. It's probably best if I just don't try it.

Seriously, Scrowley, please stick around. You will be missed.

Birdy

[mrsl]

.Ms. Birdy:

I laughed the instant I saw it, I even said in my mind (to myself - it's not a horse barn dummy!). There is a fine line it's hard not to cross when joking on these threads, and I think I've done enough blue pencil work to know when someone is kidding and when they are being snide. I've gotten angry two times because I know the other person was being nasty, once I came back on it, but the next I just ignored the thread for a couple of days. I've explained before this has been a bad winter for my small group of friends. Two are completely house bound, so they can't get out for lunches. Between my daughter and my grand daughter I haven't had a car since last summer. They use it for work, and come and pick me up on weekends to go shopping and such, but I miss my car to go and visit, or pick up the others for lunch. But what can you do? They have to get to work and we don't have very good bus service here. It's like the Oscars, I watched them but I know nobody here is really interested so I'm not going to mention them unless someone else does, but I have a lot I would like to point out about them, and one of the winners!!!
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