Friday, November 17, 2006

Friday Five: Bugging me, bugging you

See, now I told you that the sunshine and rainbows couldn't last. Perhaps everyone else's bad moods and enumerations of suckage are getting to me a bit. Perhaps it's just not my nature to be cheerful for more than four days in a row. Or perhaps I'm really just fine but am feeling temporarily agitated about things I should actually know better than to be agitated about. Actually, I think that last one's the most accurate. I'm fine, really. But regardless, here's this week's list.


Five things that annoy me for no good reason

  1. When people call me on speakerphone. Actually, it's not just the fact that I am on speakerphone that annoys me; it's when someone calls me on it simply because they are too damn lazy to pick up the receiver before they dial. No, instead they wait until I answer and then make me wait for the pause and the rustle and the click and then "Hello? Still there?" as they remember that they do, in fact, have opposable thumbs. That is the part that annoys me.

  2. When people talk on their cell phones whilst shopping. (I actually thought about making a whole list of five phone-related things that annoy me, but this is as far as I got. I could probably think of three more, but why?)

  3. When people use the word "Ish." This is not even a real word, and I've heard no one but Minnesotans ever use it. It means, essentially, "Ick" or "Yuck," neither of which is actually a "real" word either, I suppose, but somehow both of those are entirely less abrasive to my ears. "Ish"?? Ugh. Stop saying that!

  4. The guy in my yoga class who tries to be helpful by standing in the doorway and handing out blocks or chairs or whatever other props our instructor has instructed us to gather for the next pose, instead of just letting us get them our damn self. I know he's just trying to be nice and likeable, but for some reason, this goal entirely backfires on me.

  5. Juliette Lewis. And Hilary Duff. And pretty much everyone on 7th Heaven. For that matter, in fact, 7th Heaven. Why is that show still on the air? Especially when it was already canceled? I could go on, but I am quickly digressing here, not to mention veering off into the realm of things that annoy me for completely legitimate and well-understood reasons, rather than for really no good reason at all. Hmm... I am suddenly coming up with all sorts of subcategories for further "Things that annoy me" lists. To be continued periodically, I am sure...

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

First of all, did you mean for me to get Sweet Caroline in my head as a result of the title of this post?

1. Speakerphone. Ugh. They always say "Could you speak up? I can't hear you." How about holding the phone up to your ear? That should help.

2. I've been know to do that. But the only people with my cell phone number are hubby and daycare, so when I get a call it is generally important.

3. Never heard that one. Don't want to.

4. I have occasionally been annoyed by people helping, too...It makes no sense...Yet it happens anyway every once in a while.

5. I've never seen that show...So I have nothing to contribute there.

Stefanie said...

Sweet Caroline? How did I manage to stick that in your head? It was an ABBA reference, actually...

You have successfully avoided 7th Heaven for all of its ridiculously long run? Wow. I am impressed. Then again, I have somehow managed never to see a single episode of any of the Law & Order or CSI series, and I suppose that's even more unlikely.

Anonymous said...

See, I have "Knowing Me, Knowing You" (a-haaaaa!) stuck in my head now. I suppose you do owe me one after yesterday.

"7th Heaven" annoys the shit out of me, too. It has to be one of the worst shows television shows ever. I was heartened when I read a few weeks ago that their ratings are down, though.

Anonymous said...

"Hands, touching hands, reaching out Touching me, touching you
Oh, sweet Caroline Good times never seem so good I've been inclined to believe it never would"

I substituted "Bugging me, bugging you" for "Touching me, touching you".

My mistake...That's OK...I actually like that song, so I don't mind starting my weekend with it in my head. My husband might disagree if I start singing it, though.

Stefanie said...

Nabb--I'm always getting you back for things unintentionally, aren't I? Sorry about that. :-)

3Cs--Oh! Now I see what you mean! Sorry; I totally forgot about that line. Nabbs got it right with the song I actually had in mind when I titled that, but yours definitely works, too. I guess now people can pick which song they'd rather let get embedded in their brain for the rest of the day.

Miss Peach said...

I read your "Ish" poitn and thought, crap, now Stefanie and I can't be real friends b/c I totally use that all the time. And we were off to such a good start! But then I realized I use it differently, as in "what time should we meet?" "oh, 2pm... ish" or "how was the party" "it was fun-ish." Does this let me off the hook??

Stefanie said...

You're definitely off the hook, Peach. That's a totally different use of those letters. You're using it as a completely acceptable suffix; I'm talking about an independently standing non-word. "Two-ish" and "Fun-ish" are fine. We're still good. :-)

Anonymous said...

I hate a lot of things about cell phones (mainly that I'm expected to be reachable at all times), but I cannot stand it when people call me on from their cells just to chat. Especially when they're driving at the time because then the call will drop approximately 7,438 times during the course of the conversation, and they get all annoyed that I'm not sitting by the phone waiting for them to call me back as soon as they get a signal again. I'm all for inane chatter, but not if I have to work for it.

Stefanie said...

I'm totally with you, Other Girl. My sister used to complain all the time that, "I tried to call, but your cell phone wasn't on!" I think I have finally made her understand that I have a cell phone for MY convenience, not other people's, and she just has to deal with that. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I hold out hope that every other person in your yoga class kind of hates that guy, too. Because ... they should.

Stefanie said...

Heh. Thanks, Malia! Glad to know it's not just me.

Anonymous said...

Word on the speakerphone thing. What I hate almost as much is when the caller has dialed you on speakerphone and then picks up when you answer so that it sounds like this:

ME: Publicity, this is Darren.

THEM: (loud, garbled click followed by much rustling) Dan? This is blah, blah, blah...

Stefanie said...

Darren, that's exactly what I was talking about (the fact that they dial me on speakerphone and THEN pick up once I've answered). I don't think that was particularly clear, though, the way I wrote it. Anyway, yes, HATE that.