Pet Peeves

(In my old age) these are the things that bug me the most:

Credit Card and ATM readers. Do they all have to so different? Can’t they have standard keys, buttons, and slots that read the card the same way? Heck, by the time I figure out which way to put the card in I could have written a check.

Sliced Meat. I like to buy freshly sliced Boar’s Head meat at my local grocery store. The display case does a great job of showing off scores of big, plump, unopened chunks of hams, breasts and rumps. Then I place my order and they reach behind the nice big fat displayed meat and pull out this well worked over end piece. By the time they slice it I barely have a piece of meat that’ll cover up a half-slice of bread. And with my luck they finish off the pathetic little piece, open a new package and compete my order by shaving little pieces off the new end.

Cell Phones. Just like those credit card readers, each one is different. Come on manufacturers, give me a break, at least make the keypad the same! Do I flip it open to answer it or do I push a button? Have you ever read the whole instruction manual? Good Luck! And while I’m on phones – I was perfectly happy with the old rotary dial phone. They actually sounded great and they were heavy enough that when you got mad and heaved it, it would do some real damage. Not like these new phones that would break into a hundred plastic pieces and not even beep, much less give out a good last “ding”.

7 or 10 digits. While I’m still on the phone bandwagon let us consider simply making a call nowadays. Once upon a time (I don’t remember this) you lifted the receiver and bingo – an operator (a real live one) would answer and put your call through. Then came the rotary dial phone. Place your finger in the little hole and dial in 4 or 5 digits and you had your cross-town friend. Then it took 7 digits to call a neighbor and 10 digits for a long distance call. Remember when the first two numbers represented the name of your local exchange? You didn’t say 983-0000, you said YUkon 3-0000. Now in most metropolitan areas you have to put in 10 numbers just to call across town but, confusingly, not in all places. Don’t forget to add the “1” for a long distance call… unless, of course you are on a cell phone.

Bad Drivers: Now I do have my own moments of poor driving but we are talking about other drivers – not us. Don’t people know that a “yellow” light means slow down and not speed up? And you know that painted line behind the intersection? People are actually supposed to stop behind it, not on it, or over it, or in the crosswalk! Now I don’t mind tailgaters because as fast as I go I rarely have one. But when I do have an impatient driver on my bumper I just slow down a bit more and smile as the driver waves his finger at me on the way by.

QWERTY– I have no problem with my keyboard. It’s the same as my first manual typewriter. I love it. Please, no one mess with it!

I could go on, but enough for one day. I think I was losing my audience when I mentioned Qwerty.