Just when I think I have shared all of my first-world puzzlements and annoyances, more rear their ugly heads.
So here we go again:
Self-checkout lanes
The last time I was at Target, there was one person checking out purchases, and a long line waiting for self-checkout. My local grocery story is down to two humans doing the work of six. Note to stores: I will not assist you in taking away jobs, and if you insist on my checking out my own purchases, I would like a discount.
(Good news alert: I read recently that some stores are doing away with self-checkout because it has led to an increase in thefts.)
Doctors and other medical personnel who look at their computer screens instead of at me
I quit going to a physical therapist who dragged her computer around on a cart, looking up only long enough to demonstrate an exercise, before turning back to her screen.
In happier news, I visited a dermatologist last week, who talked directly to me, while a medical assistant took notes. When I told him how pleased I was with this arrangement, he agreed it was best for both doctor and patient, but let me know that the next big thing would be an AI assistant taking notes. (?!)
Creepy.
People who speak on their phones in public as if they were sitting in their kitchens
Yesterday, I was reading in the waiting area at my local Toyota dealership while my car was being serviced. A man sitting behind me shattered my peace by conducting a very loud, very long phone conversation regarding family matters--which bedroom the person on the other end of the line would share with a grandchild, who would pick said person up at the airport, and much more. Apparently, he was talking to his mom, or so I deduced when he said, “Bye mom; I love you,” as he hung up.
Men, I said to myself. Why do they have to take up so much space?
And then – you guessed it – a woman a few feet from me raised her phone and called someone named Barbara, launching into very lengthy, very boring monologue about committee meetings and the house her son wanted to sell. I wondered if Barbara had fallen asleep. I hoped so for her sake.
Are these people just rude or do they really not know how to modulate their voices to suit their surroundings?
The most egregious example of this behavior I have experienced was in a Starbucks, where I (and everyone else in the place) was treated to the sight and sound of a youngish financial advisor of some sort, loudly advising a client about very personal money matters. I didn’t walk behind him, but assume that anyone who did could have seen the unfortunate client’s financial information on his open laptop.
And speaking of money management . . .
The use of the phrase “wealth management” in advertising
Is this a dog whistle to the one percent or a blatant message that the likes of me should not call?
People who enter traffic circles without pausing for cars already in the circle.
There are four traffic circles on the way to a daughter’s house. Large signs instruct those entering the circle to yield to cars already in the circle. These signs notwithstanding, quite a few people seem to think the rule does not apply to them, and dive-bomb in as if they were chasing a criminal. (Possibly, the same people who make loud phone calls in public.)
I now take a different route to my daughter’s house.
People who follow another car through a flashing, four-way stop when the bases are loaded
Dangerous and rude. Note to city planners: Please replace with regular traffic lights.
Allowing bicycles in car lanes
Some clever person at City Hall, who has clearly never ridden a bike or driven a car, decided it was a good idea to allow bicycles to travel on selected local streets along with cars. (Not in a bike lane – on the street in front of and behind cars.) There are helpful signs, but, really, can you trust the people who dive-bomb into traffic circles and run stop signs to travel slowly behind a bicycle?
Cars that cut me off in order to race to a red light
Testosterone poisoning?
Drivers who don't start moving when a traffic light turns green because they are looking at their phones.
Are we that addicted?
People who wear dark clothing while walking at night and people who ride their bikes at night without a light or reflective tape
Do you want to end your life, while ruining mine?
Emails that keep arriving after I unsubscribe
Where do I file a protest?
“Unsubscribe” in such tiny print as to require a magnifying glass
Hah. They underestimate my persistence.
Websites that tell me they are “checking availability.”
The item is always available. Do they really think I am waiting anxiously to find out whether the item is in stock? Is AI doing their thinking?
Phone robots that try to send me to a website that doesn’t have the answer to my question.
You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.
Phone robots that tell me I will receive a call back in 20 minutes and NEVER CALL BACK.
You know it’s bad when I’m shouting in print.
AARRRGH!
Photo by Julien L on Unsplash
And you? Please add your frustrations in the comments.
