One of the many series I’ve run in 20+ years of blogging was Pet Peeve Wednesday. After a dozen or so it petered out. I’m just not as peevish as I thought! Still, pretty peevish.
Here are some current peeves:
- Email newsletters! Bah. I know I’m a decrepit old internet fogie, but just blog fercriminysake. Especially if you’re not using a newsletter to monetize your content. I have enough clutter in my email already. Give me a choice between email and RSS. And, if you’re monetizing your content… well, ok. I get that. There are actually a couple of newsletters I pay for and they’re worth it.
- Gmail. Why isn’t it easier to make folders? I mean, I know how to make labels, and skip the inbox and all that, but it seems like it could be way more functional. I suppose it is “free”. I still miss Eudora.
- Saying girls instead of women. Girls are female children. Adult females are women.
- “Reading” audio books. That’s not reading, it’s listening. Listening to books is great! But you are not reading a book, you are listening to it.
- Wear a helmet. Dear onewheeler people, I know your coolness is beyond measure. Still, wear a helmet. A friend of mine literally broke his neck (he’s ok now) because the wheel simply stopped randomly.
- Unexpected serenade. We’ve just sat down for dinner at a restaurant and I’m looking forward to delightful conversation with my friends when someone steps up to a mic and starts serenading us with Tom Petty covers. If I had known, I’d’ve gone somewhere else. If I’m there for the music, then I don’t expect a conversation. If I’m there for the conversation, I don’t want surprise music.
- Loud restaurants. A corollary to the above. Is conversing at dinner no longer a thing? Why am I shouting at the waiter? Why is the waiter shouting at me? Am I old? I suppose.
- Coworkers coming to work sick. One of my coworkers spent all last week coughing and sneezing and not wearing a mask and running around close-talking to everyone. Since he first showed up sick at least FOUR people have also been out sick. Jumping Jehoshaphat dude, stay home if you’re sick. To you it may be a minor inconvenience, but you’re spreading it to people who will take it home, and you don’t know their home situation. Use your fucking sick time and stop sharing your virus.
There are so many more, but that’s today’s collection.