Little things that make you want to do something drastic...
Enough things bother me that I thought I would vent a little and make a list of my favorite pet peeves. Please don't think a lesser person of me; you're privy to my therapy.
- Misspelled marketing gimmicks. I was looking up some items for my boss and came across a website called 'QuikClot' (don't ask...). Um, why aren't we putting the 'c' in there, peeps? Would that throw something off? I just don't get it. Krispy Kreme? Come on! Both of those words start with 'c' normally! I think it's the worst when it's something that's geared towards small children. Yeah, good idea, teaching our kids that cat is spelled 'kat' and that it's cute (or is it 'kute'?).
A trailer I saw on the road. Ugh...does spelling it with a 'z' make it better?!
- 'People' stickers in rear windshields. I don't care how many kids you've got or if you have a dog or cat. Seeing your little family in stick figure form advertised in the back of your minivan seriously makes me want to tail you or raise my fist as I pass. I'm not exactly sure why.
- Barefoot public bathroom use. GROSS. There's a girl in one of the offices on my floor at work that never wears shoes into the bathroom. It makes me shudder to think of all the germs teeming on those tiles. I personally slip off my shoes sometimes as I'm sitting at my desk. But you can bet the farm that I'm lacing up those bad boys when I make the trek to the restroom.
- Bad grammar in general. Come on...this can't really be a surprise. Some of the worst offenders:
* Where are you at? Just end the sentence with you, and you can keep some of your IQ points.
* We was. Oh was you?
* Exspecially. I know that's not how you spell it. So why do you say it?!
* You're vs. your. I was at IHOP a long time ago and saw a sign that said, 'Smile your on camera.' Not MY on camera, but yours.
* Apostrophe 'S.' JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING ENDS WITH AN 'S' DOESN'T MEAN IT NEEDS AN APOSTROPHE! I can understand people mixing up 'its' and 'it's,' but I've seen cases that are downright horrific. I think one of my favorite is when Lacy actually changed the whiteboards (whiteboard's?) at a restaurant.
* Nuke-you-lar. Just because Pres. Bush says 'nuclear' that way doesn't make it correct.
- Navigating Wal-Mart. Sure, I like the low prices and whatnot...but a lot of people at Wal-Mart are not the brightest. Please don't block the aisle and then look at me disgustedly when I politely say excuse me and smile as I try to pass! Also, if you can't see your children while you're shopping, they're probably causing mayhem somewhere...somewhere near me. (I trust anyone reading this blog does not fall into this category.)
- Bicyclists who double as pedestrians when convenient. The other day I had to slam on my brakes for a bicyclist who decided to ride his bike across the crosswalk at his own convenience, in the middle of busy traffic on a main road here in Provo. I know, I know, I should be more vigilant and watch for these cyclists...or pedestrians, for that matter. See, if he had been WALKING his bike across the road, I should have stopped, no complaints--he would have been considered a pedestrian and had the right of way. But he decided to ride, making him a vehicle. If I had decided to just pull out in front of traffic like that in my car, people would have honked and thrown a fit. I think the thing that irks me is that when I gave him a bewildered glare, he glared right back with a menacing, how-dare-you-almost-not-stop visage.
- Fish handshakes. You know the ones...step up and be confident in your greeting! And don't use the excuse of being female. Women can have firm handshakes, too!
- Husband & Wife. No, I'm not talking about married couples in general. The last few months, I've noticed a billboard in American Fork that drives me crazy...it's advertising a sex shop called 'Husband & Wife.' WHAT they're advertising doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's HOW they're advertising it. Their tagline? 'Tasteful. Comfortable. Clean." I heard third-hand that it's just a sex shop, plain and simple. But I guess if you say that it's just for married couples, it makes it 'clean' somehow? I mean, obviously their demographic is the thousands of LDS couples here, but come on...ridiculous.
- Drivers who can't figure out the right-of-way. Many a time I will pull up to an intersection with only a stop sign, waiting to go straight. Another car, waiting across from me in said intersection, will be waiting to turn left. Who goes first? I mean, they were there first, right? WRONG. It's my right-of-way! (Please, if I am incorrect about this, let me know!) One that killed me the other day (and I'll see if I can do justice explaining it without the use of hand actions) is that I was headed west and stopped at my sign. A person in cross-traffic (in relation to me) was headed south and wanted to turn right so they would be headed west, in effect, in front of me. But I had a stop, so I was waiting for them to complete the turn. Nope...they STOPPED (with no sign) and waved at me impatiently like they were waiting for me. In no way did I have that right-of-way! Sheesh. Goes for round-abouts, too. If you're in it, you keep going...no stopping, idiots! Learn how to drive, Utah. That goes for passing in the right lane as well.
- Websites that make you sign up. Yes, I get that there's motive behind this...they want to sell my information, right? Well, ha. I have a fake email address I use. Actually, it's real. It's my 'garbage' email address. Fooled the system--booyah! Ok, just let me revel in my little triumph. But seriously, I hate having to enter a bunch of information about myself just to either read an article or find out how much shipping costs. Just have a little 'calculate shipping' option so I don't have to enter my address and credit card number before I find out that it's really going to be $24.95 to ship my $6 item. Sheesh.
...and the list goes on. Got any? Let's hear some of yours.
You know what? I'm sure I commit a myriad of offenses against other people's pet peeves. I really do try to be somewhat tolerant of these seemingly inhumane acts I have detailed above. And that's probably why you haven't seen me on the news as of late... "A Provo woman allegedly rammed the back of a minivan today on the freeway. When asked about her reasoning, she maniacally stated that she 'had just had enough of those idiotic stickers and someone had to do something.'"
- Misspelled marketing gimmicks. I was looking up some items for my boss and came across a website called 'QuikClot' (don't ask...). Um, why aren't we putting the 'c' in there, peeps? Would that throw something off? I just don't get it. Krispy Kreme? Come on! Both of those words start with 'c' normally! I think it's the worst when it's something that's geared towards small children. Yeah, good idea, teaching our kids that cat is spelled 'kat' and that it's cute (or is it 'kute'?).
- 'People' stickers in rear windshields. I don't care how many kids you've got or if you have a dog or cat. Seeing your little family in stick figure form advertised in the back of your minivan seriously makes me want to tail you or raise my fist as I pass. I'm not exactly sure why.
- Barefoot public bathroom use. GROSS. There's a girl in one of the offices on my floor at work that never wears shoes into the bathroom. It makes me shudder to think of all the germs teeming on those tiles. I personally slip off my shoes sometimes as I'm sitting at my desk. But you can bet the farm that I'm lacing up those bad boys when I make the trek to the restroom.
- Bad grammar in general. Come on...this can't really be a surprise. Some of the worst offenders:
* Where are you at? Just end the sentence with you, and you can keep some of your IQ points.
* We was. Oh was you?
* Exspecially. I know that's not how you spell it. So why do you say it?!
* You're vs. your. I was at IHOP a long time ago and saw a sign that said, 'Smile your on camera.' Not MY on camera, but yours.
* Apostrophe 'S.' JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING ENDS WITH AN 'S' DOESN'T MEAN IT NEEDS AN APOSTROPHE! I can understand people mixing up 'its' and 'it's,' but I've seen cases that are downright horrific. I think one of my favorite is when Lacy actually changed the whiteboards (whiteboard's?) at a restaurant.
* Nuke-you-lar. Just because Pres. Bush says 'nuclear' that way doesn't make it correct.
- Navigating Wal-Mart. Sure, I like the low prices and whatnot...but a lot of people at Wal-Mart are not the brightest. Please don't block the aisle and then look at me disgustedly when I politely say excuse me and smile as I try to pass! Also, if you can't see your children while you're shopping, they're probably causing mayhem somewhere...somewhere near me. (I trust anyone reading this blog does not fall into this category.)
- Bicyclists who double as pedestrians when convenient. The other day I had to slam on my brakes for a bicyclist who decided to ride his bike across the crosswalk at his own convenience, in the middle of busy traffic on a main road here in Provo. I know, I know, I should be more vigilant and watch for these cyclists...or pedestrians, for that matter. See, if he had been WALKING his bike across the road, I should have stopped, no complaints--he would have been considered a pedestrian and had the right of way. But he decided to ride, making him a vehicle. If I had decided to just pull out in front of traffic like that in my car, people would have honked and thrown a fit. I think the thing that irks me is that when I gave him a bewildered glare, he glared right back with a menacing, how-dare-you-almost-not-stop visage.
- Fish handshakes. You know the ones...step up and be confident in your greeting! And don't use the excuse of being female. Women can have firm handshakes, too!
- Husband & Wife. No, I'm not talking about married couples in general. The last few months, I've noticed a billboard in American Fork that drives me crazy...it's advertising a sex shop called 'Husband & Wife.' WHAT they're advertising doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's HOW they're advertising it. Their tagline? 'Tasteful. Comfortable. Clean." I heard third-hand that it's just a sex shop, plain and simple. But I guess if you say that it's just for married couples, it makes it 'clean' somehow? I mean, obviously their demographic is the thousands of LDS couples here, but come on...ridiculous.
- Drivers who can't figure out the right-of-way. Many a time I will pull up to an intersection with only a stop sign, waiting to go straight. Another car, waiting across from me in said intersection, will be waiting to turn left. Who goes first? I mean, they were there first, right? WRONG. It's my right-of-way! (Please, if I am incorrect about this, let me know!) One that killed me the other day (and I'll see if I can do justice explaining it without the use of hand actions) is that I was headed west and stopped at my sign. A person in cross-traffic (in relation to me) was headed south and wanted to turn right so they would be headed west, in effect, in front of me. But I had a stop, so I was waiting for them to complete the turn. Nope...they STOPPED (with no sign) and waved at me impatiently like they were waiting for me. In no way did I have that right-of-way! Sheesh. Goes for round-abouts, too. If you're in it, you keep going...no stopping, idiots! Learn how to drive, Utah. That goes for passing in the right lane as well.
- Websites that make you sign up. Yes, I get that there's motive behind this...they want to sell my information, right? Well, ha. I have a fake email address I use. Actually, it's real. It's my 'garbage' email address. Fooled the system--booyah! Ok, just let me revel in my little triumph. But seriously, I hate having to enter a bunch of information about myself just to either read an article or find out how much shipping costs. Just have a little 'calculate shipping' option so I don't have to enter my address and credit card number before I find out that it's really going to be $24.95 to ship my $6 item. Sheesh.
...and the list goes on. Got any? Let's hear some of yours.
You know what? I'm sure I commit a myriad of offenses against other people's pet peeves. I really do try to be somewhat tolerant of these seemingly inhumane acts I have detailed above. And that's probably why you haven't seen me on the news as of late... "A Provo woman allegedly rammed the back of a minivan today on the freeway. When asked about her reasoning, she maniacally stated that she 'had just had enough of those idiotic stickers and someone had to do something.'"
posted by Annie at
10:03 AM
10 Comments:
Dear Annie,
The "c" is left out of QuikClot® so the company can register a trademark. If it were spelled in the correct and proper English form, the company would not be able to trademark the name. So it’s all about intellectual property. Good question. My Google alerts are set for both Quik and Quick as in www.quikclot.com
Regards,
Ray Huey
CEO, Z-Medica Corporation, manufacturers of QuikClot® brand hemostatic agents.
September 10, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Wow, how do you rate getting a comment from the CEO of a corporation! Impressive. Anyway, here is my actual comment: The 's thing irks me so bad! I have proabably shared this example, but it's so horrible that I will share it again. I had a manager at the fabric store that was filling out a special order for some boxes of product. She had to write the word boxes twice. The first time she wrote it, she wrote boxe's. The second time she wrote it, she wrote box'es. It's just painful. She was not the brightest of souls.
September 10, 2008 at 1:38 PM
Oh, Annie my dear, a find list, to be sure! I'm totally on board with everything you listed, particularly the grammar issues and those damn stickers in the minivan windows.
Something to add... Hmmm... Well, obviously I'd go for the grammatical angle. I hate it when people say "literally" for emphasis, rather than that they actually meant it. "He, like, literally stabbed in the back!" Really? He "literally" stabbed you in the back? Okay, moron, turn around, where's the knife?
OY.
September 10, 2008 at 1:41 PM
HA HA I love that first comment, WOW I sure hope that YOU are set straight!!
Yeah I was just going to add how often I have to correct my own mother when she says "fermiliar" when she's trying to say "familiar." It drives me CRAZY!! I HATE "we was" also.
September 10, 2008 at 2:16 PM
First...love the CEO's comment.
Secondly, I saw that billboard not too long ago and had to just crack up. The person I was with said "Do you think you have to have a temple recommend to go in the backroom?" :)
I love this post!
September 10, 2008 at 4:18 PM
Nice...I want the job of looking for my business's name on other people's websites. (Did I put all of my apostrophes in the right places? :) )
My personal favorite apostrophe blunder was as follows:
World's of Pet's
This was the actual sign for the store that used to exist on 9th East and 21st South. They are out of business now. I wonder why...(probably just a bad location, but stupid sign makers are definitely what I attribute it to).
September 10, 2008 at 7:13 PM
OK, since I got here when Google alerted me to "QuikClot", I must say I've enjoyed all the comments and your expression of your peeves on the (ab)use of the English language, as well as the bare feet in the bathroom thing. Here is one of my peeves. Why has the use of past tense become a thing of the past? Why do people say, “OK, so I am in line at the restaurant when….”, when they really meant, “was in line”. This really bugs me.
Ray
September 10, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Hi Annie!
I never really noticed this before, but I hate it when people move their faces a lot when they talk. Like nose scrunching and moving their mouth to like, a half smile...or they make an ugly face when something is bad. One of the people that trained me at Whole Foods did the face thing...for an entire 8 hours. I wonder if it prevents wrinkles...
September 10, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Dude, random strangers are reading your blog and then commenting! I would be a little freaked out. I mean, we all blog stalk, but two comments? Maybe he rang the door bell in the middle of the night!
September 11, 2008 at 8:53 AM
So today I was driving down the street and I pulled up behind a van that had those awful stickers of each member of their family, but these I think were the worst ones I've ever seen. The people were stick figures, but they were all only wearing pants over their stick figues and no shirts! They all looked really stupid.
September 12, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home