Pet Peeves!

I think some of us just need to vent - not at any particular person. Just vent. With that in mind...

What are some of your biggest pet peeves?

I'll tell you probably my biggest one - assholes in SUV's. Man. I tell you what - I see more assholes in SUV's than I do in any other type of vehicle. It's almost as if owning an SUV is a permit to drive like a DANGEROUS ASSHOLE. Here's a good little story -

Jenni's bringing me to work one morning in August, and we're getting real close... and we get cut off by a bitch on a cell phone in a green SUV. Man. Just pissed me right off. So I'm like "Fuck! Fucking bitch! Goddammit! Don't bother to fucking SIGNAL, just COME ON OVER!" I wouldn't have minded if they had just gotten in, but they SWERVED in and Jenni had to slow down drastically. So anyway, I'm freshly annoyed about this. We make a turn, and then another turn onto the road my office building is on. Lo and behold, a bitch on a cell phone in a green SUV pulls out of the Bank of America parking lot right in front of us at 35 miles per hour. Man! Jenni nails the brakes so we don't broadside this idiot. Two bitches on cell phones driving green SUV's within 3 minutes of each other! Goddamn.

But yeah. I really just strongly dislike anyone who does stupid things on the road. More people die from car accidents each year than do from most anything else. Yet so many people do the stupidest things on the road! To use a Cellar favorite phrase, the mind boggles!

Here's another one: Rosie O'Donnell. Now, full disclosure: I am a supporter of the Second Amendment. But hear me out. Rosie O'Donnell is a hypocrite. She has repeatedly pushed for gun control laws. She organized and lead the Million Mom March. Her bodyguard is licensed to carry a firearm, and does. Of course, you shouldn't be allowed to have a gun for self protection, but she should. Why? She is no better than me or you! She is no more important than any one else in this world! Oh, of course. Do as I say, not as I do.

Bill Clinton's stance on this also just really fucking bugged me. I didn't think Bill Clinton was an awful President. I thought he was of questionable character and probably not a particularly great role model for children, but I had no major gripe with him. But man. That guy would fight and fight and fight for anti-gun legislation. Well I don't see the Secret Service running around with butterknives to protect you, Mr. President! I don't care if you're the President of the United States - you are a human and an American citizen, and are no more important than any of us non-Presidents. Sure, guns are okay for you to use for protection - but don't even hear the argument that maybe they're good for our protection.

Here's another biggie: fake hackers. Holy shit. Man. Those people just bug the shit out of me! Here's a real conversation I had about 5 years ago on WBS (anyone remember that?).

some dumb guy: I am a hacker!

me: No. If you claim you're a hacker, you're automatically not one.

sdg: Yes I am! Fear me, bitch, or I will give you a virus.

me: Really? I have fear! Oh no.

sdg: Yeah, mother fucker. I am gonna take you down. I'm sending you a virus right now.

me: Ha. Okay. How you doing that, Mr. Hacker? I know for a fact that you don't have my email address, so you can't send me an infected file. Whatcha gonna do?

sdg: I'll infect the picture you're using beside your name and then you'll have it.

me: Riiiiiiiiight. You're a retard. Do you even know what part of a computer a virus generally infects? (This was back in the heyday of mbr viruses)

sdg: Ever hear of the motherboard?

I started laughing at this point.

me: Yeah, I have, and No, that's not the right answer, you fucking idiot. Get the fuck out of here.

That's a real conversation. April of '96. No joke. I got quite the reputation as "He who is called I am." Er, wait. No. I got quite the reputation as the person that scared all the wanna-be hackers out of the channel (alt.music.alternative) and stood up for the people that were generally scared by the stupid pseudo-threats. But they still remain a big pet peeve of mine today. I hate it when people pretend to be something they're not. But I really hate it when they pretend to be a hacker. Just really bugs me.

[warch]

#1
Phone solicitation. Please, dear God, leave me alone. We now have a screen and caller ID. It was to the point of AK47 on a rooftop.Still some get through. I hate them with every shread of my being.

Thank you. I'm better now.

Heh. I love phone solicitors. They crack me up. The other night the phone rings - "UNAVAILABLE" the Caller ID display reads. I think to myself, "wahoo, probably someone trying to sell something."

I answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, yes, I'm Mark with MCI Worldcom and I think you'd be interested in our cellular telephone promotion we've got going right now. See, if you sign up for ...."

I let him talk, waiting until he's done.

"...so, what do you think? Should we go ahead and get you signed up for that?"

I say "Well dude, lemme tell you. I really can't talk at the moment. I had a glass of milk earlier without first taking my Lactaid and I'm suffering some frothy diarrhea, let me tell you. Maybe you could call back in an hour or two when I'm off the pot?"

He's like "Uh, yes sir. Thank you for your time" and hangs up.

Never called back.

[russotto]

The thrice-damned DMCA.

[warch]

frothy!

See, frothy or not, Doesnt phase 'em. I get the calls back. Evil.

[jaguar]

do you cut/place teh bold tag dham =)

Salesman: Once this paytv guy refused to loeave, we tried to shut teh door on him so he wedged his foot in and forced it open. So i left and came back with a hockey stick and hit his shoe till he left (2 hits for refrence)

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by dhamsaic
Here's another one: Rosie O'Donnell. Now, full disclosure: I am a supporter of the Second Amendment. But hear me out. Rosie O'Donnell is a hypocrite. She has repeatedly pushed for gun control laws. She organized and lead the Million Mom March. Her bodyguard is licensed to carry a firearm, and does. Of course, you shouldn't be allowed to have a gun for self protection, but she should. Why? She is no better than me or you! She is no more important than any one else in this world! Oh, of course. Do as I say, not as I do.

I suppose to that crew you can add most of the government of the state of New Jersey. Doesn anybody know if this McGreavy character has any chance of getting elected? Running TV ads stating that the cops think nobody but the cops should have guns. Funny thing about that .

Oh, let's do some links:
A Human Right
Pink Pistols
Gun Facts

Might solve that problem with the PayTV guy too. :-) We had the most *amazingly* agressive asshole from "Slomin's Shield" call us night-before-last. Started arguing with us *after* we did the obligatory we're-not-interested-please-put-us-on-your-do-not-call-list speech. It's time to go back to automation on that one; we have one of those little boxes where you press the button and hang up and the box keeps the guy on the line while it Mirandizes him. Lots of fun for $10

[Undertoad]

Well I hope you folks aren't giving your phone number out. EVER EVER EVER

If you're not unlisted in the phonebook, you're already in CD-ROMs and databases all over the place.

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by Undertoad
Well I hope you folks aren't giving your phone number out. EVER EVER EVER

If you're not unlisted in the phonebook, you're already in CD-ROMs and databases all over the place.

Which isn't licence to spam me by phone anymore than having an email address is to spam me online.

[elSicomoro]

--Philadelphia drivers: Notorious for jumping lights before they turn green. It's like Jesus Christ! Fucking control yourself, dickless! I so hope the red light cameras are approved in Pennsylvania...I will rub my hands with glee when I see stupid oxygen-wasting FUCKS see their car insurance rates shoot into the stratosphere. A yellow light means caution, slow down, not accelerate, DAMNIT!

--Washington, DC (particularly Beltway) drivers: Yeah, let's whiz around the curves near Silver Spring at, say, 90 miles an hour during a Monday night rush hour. Better yet, let's weave in and out of lanes like we're sewing a big ol' American flag. Oh, and let's not forget driving down Michigan Ave. NE, near Catholic U., at 60 miles an hour...in a 25 mph zone, again, weaving in and out of lanes. God, I fucking HATE Washington, DC.

--People who will not donate their organs, and have no religious reason for doing so: Hey, my gf desperately needs a new kidney. They're getting ready to put her on the UNOS(?) list. You can't take it with you!

--The newfound patriotism: Thank God I don't live with my parents anymore. My stepfather (a Vietnam vet) and I probably would have killed each other by now. You wanna fly an American flag? Great! Set it on fire? Okay. Wipe your ass with it? Why not? Just don't give me a hard time for not waving one.

Maggie, funny you brought up McGreevey...

First off, no one in New Jersey should be allowed to carry concealed weapons unless they're policemen. New Jerseyans have not proven themselves intelligent enough to be able to do this properly, much like my home state of Missouri (which voted against repealing the concealed weapons ban 2 years ago, thanks to the heavy "no" vote in St. Louis City and County).

That aside, the Dems should be able to take back Trenton with relative ease...McGreevey has a sizable lead. But what I find amusing are all the ads for Senate and Assembly candidates. So much for being nice to each other after 9/11. They are quite frankly both the most vicious and funniest political ads I have ever seen in my life.

My personal faves include:

--The attack ads against Steve Sweeney ("Dishonest? Or incompetent? You shouldn't have to wonder!")
--The attack ads against Sherri Jenkins (How she was sued by UPenn Hospital and the State of New Jersey...and how she supports Brett Schundler...an "extremist.")
--The assault against the Republicans being in Trenton for 8 years (higher property taxes, higher car insurance, toxic waste sites, etc.)

What, 5 more days?

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by sycamore

Maggie, funny you brought up McGreevey...

First off, no one in New Jersey should be allowed to carry concealed weapons unless they're policemen. New Jerseyans have not proven themselves intelligent enough to be able to do this properly, much like my home state of Missouri (which voted against repealing the concealed weapons ban 2 years ago, thanks to the heavy "no" vote in St. Louis City and County).

Democrats again. :-)

Is there something genetically superior about the NJ cops that makes them smarter than the other citizens? You're not going to make me laugh and tell me they're "better trained", are you?

As for the intelligence of the overall NJ population--well--they live in NJ, we need say no more; not only that, we've seen them drive. Sorry to hear about the Missourians...did they come down with the stupids, too?

We've had legal carry for citizens over here in PA for a number of years now with no obvious ill effect.

[Chewbaccus]

Originally posted by sycamore
--Philadelphia drivers: Notorious for jumping lights before they turn green. It's like Jesus Christ! Fucking control yourself, dickless! I so hope the red light cameras are approved in Pennsylvania...I will rub my hands with glee when I see stupid oxygen-wasting FUCKS see their car insurance rates shoot into the stratosphere. A yellow light means caution, slow down, not accelerate, DAMNIT!

Now to the other end of the state:

Pittsburgh drivers - Pittsburgh has the Gauntlet when it comes to bad drivers.

1) Too many elderly drivers. Big cars + big hair + big glasses = a reason for a maximum age limit for PA driver's licenses. Just today, (I was with AlphaGeek, matter of fact) we're driving along and this old lady in a big-ass Caddy screams out ahead of us so fast it's unreal. Then, to top it all off, she chops the acceleration down to 25 m.p.h. We are yelling our heads off at this lady, who probably can't see over the dash, much less the steering wheel. Ugh.

2) People who live in fear of the tunnels. You have not had frustration until you've been in the Fort Pitt, Liberty, or Squirrel Hill tunnels. It says to maintain speed, there is no such thing practiced. You're moving along at 55, get to the tunnels, BAM. Your speed drops like 20 m.p.h. I am convinced that everyone in Pittsburgh saw TESB one too many times, and are afraid of teeth coming together at the end of the tunnel.

3) Fear of the cops. One time, I'm driving with my brother out of the city when we get to, say, two miles before the Squirrel Hill tunnels and hit bumper-to-bumper gridlock. I take a half-hour nap, and we're still on the bad side of the tunnels. When we finally get out, the problem was someone from Allegheny County Five-Oh was parked right on the side of the road, and everybody was rubbernecking towards him, watching like they expect him to look up from his Primanti's sandwich long enough to hit the siren and bust them for something. If he would, it would be because they're going TOO SLOW. This has to be the most brilliant cop I've ever seen because if he did, he knew it'd make things worse.

4) No turn signals. These people drive all over the place, with no notification whatsoever. "Oh, gee, this lane bore me. I'm'a go right 'n 'at. Yunz behin' me won' care, 'cuz I'm'a bona-fide YUNZER! Boy, gimmee a bottla Arn."

The last thing I need in life is to pull a fucking Vulcan Mind Meld with the asshole in front of me while I have to deal with the old lady in the big Cadillac in fear of the cop she passed two miles back behind the road that can't understand that THE TUNNEL IS FUCKING SAFE!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*breathing heavily, anger safely vented

~Mike

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by MaggieL
Is there something genetically superior about the NJ cops that makes them smarter than the other citizens? You're not going to make me laugh and tell me they're "better trained", are you?

Laugh as you wish, but sure I will. Why not? (Other than the fuckups of the State Police with racial profiling.) These are the people we entrust and pay to protect us. Not to mention, it's not like you can't own a gun already.

As for the intelligence of the overall NJ population--well--they live in NJ, we need say no more; not only that, we've seen them drive. Sorry to hear about the Missourians...did they come down with the stupids, too?

I wouldn't trust anyone in Missouri with a gun any further than I can throw them.

We've had legal carry for citizens over here in PA for a number of years now with no obvious ill effect.

I don't buy that argument though. Will Rogers said it best..."If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Allowing concealed weapons would most likely not reduce crime in New Jersey. Not to mention, New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the country...lack of space can breed contempt. They're better off letting the weapons issue go.

[MaggieL]

Originally posted by sycamore
Not to mention, it's not like you can't own a gun already.

No, you just have to leave it at home.

Firearms quals for police are a joke, in most jurisdictions. There *are* some cops who train carefully...but so do many private gun owners. I shoot my carry sidearm once a month--*much* more than most cops.

Allowing concealed weapons would most likely not reduce crime in New Jersey.

In addition to being an unsupported assertion, that's simply not true. The available statistics tell an exactly opposite story.

[russotto]

Originally posted by sycamore
A yellow light means caution, slow down, not accelerate, DAMNIT!

Hmm. Put among my peeves people who think this.

A yellow light is a warning that the light is about to turn red. That's all. Nothing more. It doesn't mean slow down. Slowing down without intending to stop is one of the worst things you can do when faced with a yellow light.

As for cameras... well, I was hit in Philadelphia a couple of months ago. Deliberately. Twice. I ran through two red lights to get away from the nutcase (Fortunately for both of us, I was not carrying, or I would have confronted her instead) Just what I would have needed on top of a damaged car is a couple of tickets and higher insurance rates (insurance which won't pay for my damage, of course).

--People who will not donate their organs, and have no religious reason for doing so: Hey, my gf desperately needs a new kidney. They're getting ready to put her on the UNOS(?) list. You can't take it with you!

I ain't dead yet... and I'd prefer not to be more valuable to a hospital dead than alive.

--The attack ads against Steve Sweeney ("Dishonest? Or incompetent? You shouldn't have to wonder!")

My knee-jerk thought on that: you can vote for his opponent, who is both. (I know nothing about his opponent, or him for that matter)