For when you just need others to say, "yeah, I hate that too!"

It's becoming a real pet peeve of mine when you walk into a store and someone shouts hello from 20 feet away... There's no sincerity to it, it's said monotone. They were just told that it's their job. And half the time, it's a security guard at the door (such as at Best Buy) and I get the feeling what they're trying to say is: "Hey, you! The guy who just walked in! I'm saying something to you to make you aware of the fact that there's security at this here door. Yessir, there is".

I make pretend I don't hear them.

If someone sincerely says a welcome or hi... because they happen to be near you, that's a whole different story than someone standing at the door who has been told to just say it to each person as they walk in. Half the time, I'm barely even with the doorway, as if they can't wait to get it done and over with.

Grumble-grumble. I know, I know... "Hey you kids, get off my lawn".

And all this time, I thought that they were just trying to project an image of being nice.

Totally agree. But I'd rather have an insincere "Hello," than be looking for a Home Center cart while the "greeter" is trying to sell me replacement windows...or anything.

It's as assaultive as having street people wash my windshiled @ NYC traffic lights.

And the next restaurant server who replies to a request with "No problem," is gonna get it. Unless they're Brazilian. And/or hot.

I have the same feelings regarding the "how are you?" greeting. 90% of the time the person asking couldn't care less. Depending on my mood, I may respond with "not well, I have hemorrhoids" or something similar.

I have one particular pet peeve that is definitely at the top of my list. It is when someone uses all the TP and doesn't bother to put a new roll on. I make sure to give them instructions on how to put a new roll on in a manor that will never forget.

You ARE from N'wingland, aren't you?

Sorry, but for that one we're gonna need details! (Camera phone shots would be helpful as well.)

And just how big is that "manor" ?

I agree with the "How are you" issue. Not a pet peeve, exactly, but it is annoying when it's insincere. Just say "Hello" or something else unless you really want to hear with some level of detail about how things are going for me.

I guess the things that come to mind for me are common grammar errors, like choosing the wrong option from your/you're, their/there/they're, base/bass, and to/too. It's/its is a little trickier, so I don't get as annoyed at those errors. But for the record, use the apostrophe for "It is", e.g. "It's too bad Michael has hemmorhoids," but not for the possessive, "The Preparation H has lost its potency."

I also can't help but notice certain misspelled words, e.g. separate. Remember, there's "a rat" in separate.

My pet peeve is threads where all people do is complain.

Left lane campers, rolling roadblocks, whatever you want to call them. For me, the most annoying and frustrating thing on the road.

Another one is people that ask you something, like a general question, or directions or something, and interrupt you with another question halfway through your answer.



Yes, and yes. With text messaging and what not it seems almost like people are using bad grammar on purpose.




Quit complainin' about us complainin'

Think of it more as, inventing reasons to have a beer at the end of the day.

My pet pieve is mispellars.

WHUT?

I have a problem with people who don't like to be told how to spell and write correctly. Honestly, I have no idea why people don't like being told they're morons.

The it's/its thing actually has a rule. Pronouns are made possessive by adding just an s, no apostrophe.

its
hers
theirs

The thing I dislike is the phrase, "pet peeve".

That's one thing we like about you!

People thinking they're cool walking around with an iPhone or iPod or bragging about said purchases.

I have pet peeves about:

a) people who have pet peeves about iPods or iPhones,

b) people who have pet peeves about people who have pet peeves about iPods or iPhones,

c) people who have pet peeves about people who have pet peeves about people who have pet peeves about iPods or iPhones,

d) and people who don't enjoy recursion.

Apologists are another pet peeve of my mine.

For a while at work, I was getting annoyed with people getting their garbage near the garbage cans, but not in it. Then they decided to show me just how good I had it by throwing their garbage away behind product on the shelves. Then they started just throwing their candy garbage on the ground, wherever they happened to be at the time in the storeroom. People having souls is a myth.

I'll bet we could agree on poorly recorded CDs and movies as a pet peeve.

In other news, I like puppies, baseball, and the good ol USA!

Ooh, I have to bust myself. My wife's pet peeve - well, one of them - about me is that I'll put dirty dishes in the sink, but not the dishwasher. I've tried to correct that and check if the dishwasher is ready to receive dirties. If so, into the dishwasher they go, and all is well. If not, then into the sink. I think the next pet peeve will be not emptying the dishwasher. I'm sure it'll be something.

Wow, this is a lot of medic8r heads in a row.

I think I'll have to change my avatar back to rainbow man, just for Ken and Sean.

How long can I carry on a conversation with myself?

I get kind of irritated some times when Mark isn't as funny or punctual as usual.

people who change their avatars too much.

Is it just a way to get a lot of posts?

OOps, interrupted by a sanity break from Tom and Peter.

- woww, 3700 posts.

In a row?

Wow, 3702 already. At this rate, I'll get free speakers by next week!

I can't stand it when people stand.

Good One Cam.

People who move to Arizona bringing their far left and right wing politics and 100+ different driving styles with them.

Libertarians w/o vehicles are always welcome.

It makes me want to leap across the counter and throttle the SOB while I'm screaming "I KNOW YOU SAW ME. I'M NOT A THIEF SO YOU CAN COOL YOUR JETS!!!"

You could get away with it, so why not do it?. You were in Vietnam. Shell shock, you know?

OOOOOO! I hadn't thought of that. An insanity plea!!! PTSD!

Jack, why don't you go ahead and call in that refill now, please.

Oh good. Then I can go back to having seizures while browsing the forum.

Move along, nothing to see here. I edited it!

Oh yeah, one of my pet peeves is people who don't put shopping carts in the cart corrals when they are done loading their cars. It really burns me up. I give a small pass to those that, at least, prop them up on curbs, but, really, they are just as lazy as the others that leave them to run free in the parking lot.

Too late! I read it and it was hilarious!

To bad I was at work and missed it. I had put in a disclaimer that it didn’t apply to you. But then I remembered that you always wear the militia patch.

It was a political joke, but I thought I'd better steer clear of those.

Isn't that the pet peeve of people born in Arizona?

Aw, c'mon! The cacti get lonely!

I lived in Cochise County. No, they do not get lonely. Morons who move near to them do.

They must spend a lot of time plucking needles from tender areas?

Pet Peeve words:

Ecscape
Nucular
Orientated
Aks
Incidentses
Artic
"I" when it should be "me"
and Vice Versa
Heighth
Impacted
Pro-Active
Vanella
So don't I
Concerted (when refering to one's own effort)
Irregardless
Historical (when it's "historic")
Expresso

You know! Everything that lives in the Sonora wants to hurt you.
And they're pretty good at it.

That’s why It’s my peeve.

Wow.... 54 replies in less than 24 hours.

You guys have quite the hidden anger, don't you?

OOOOOO! Dats another one that really burns me up. What REALLY gets me goin' is when carts are left in the stripped area between handicapped spots. I park in handicapped spots cuz I hafta, and I just love it when I can't open my car door to get out of my car because some IDIOT considers that striped area to be a cart return.

Problem is, most of those carts are left by handicapped IDIOTS who don't give a damn about anyone else and feel it's OK cuz they are handicapped. Since I enjoy the privilege of parking close to the building, I ALWAYS limp my cart back into the store. It's the least I can do.

I can understand those who are seriously hindered leaving the cart in the striped area. But, for pity's sake push it forward enough that it won't prevent the next seriously hindered person from opening their car door. DUH!!!!!

Whew! I feel much better.

Who's hiding it?


G'morning, my friend.

I would Tom, but JP has stopped taking my calls. Can't figure it out?????

Well, for one thing, he moved from Virginia to Alabama.

Hey, now, not Alabama, gimme a break.

I don't think we have any forum regulars in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Kentucky, or Tennessee.

The only Deep South folks I can think of are a401classic (LA), me (GA), audiosavant (GA), and Argon (NC). I consider the (Deep) South to be LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC.

I was born and raised in that county.... Sure has changed a lot in the past twenty years. I used to crawl all over "Cochise's Castle" and cool off the horses in his well when I was a kid.

LOL!

Another one for me is people that "argue" by saying the same thing over and over and over again... Just watch an episode of Maury .

Yeah, my Philosophy 101 professor in college said that in his first class with us. It's not arguing or debating if you keep saying the same thing over and over. Even if you raise you voice as you go.

Gad, sorry about that JP. My brain substituted Alabama for Atlanta. Which apparently isn't right, either. gwaaaaaah...

Doesn't matter where he is. He's still not taking my calls.

All's I know, is he never sent me an invite to the Masters. Pfffttt.

On topic, I've had the landscapers/maintenance guys for the properties on both sides of me blow leaves off their parking lots, onto my lawn in the Fall (or sand, with a Spring cleanup).

Short of me having the discussion with them again while I have a 9mm holstered, how do you get some people to understand that blowing stuff off of their property, onto yours, is f**king obnoxious and infuriating?

I think the 9 , holding a fifth of jack, spitting chew and a half grown in beard should do it .. while in your underwear.

Boxers or briefs? I want to get it right...!

well jack or a mason jar .. and I'd go with briefs

and definately unholster the 9.

I dunno, briefs with a shoulder holster might do the trick.

Shoulder holster is too formal, perhaps Mark should tuck his 9mm(:::snicker:::) in his pants.

Only the .357 would be appropriate then... all things being equal...

Oh, I thought they called you "Tripod" because you were a photographer. My mistake.

I say use bigger guns (not talking about either of the 9mm previously discussed above.)

Rent about a half dozen swamp boats for next time they are around. Set them Very securely on your lawn facing the leaf blowing crew and have them rigged to all turn on and throttle up at the same time as soon as you see them fire up the leaf blowers.

Dueling Leaf Blowers. Kind of like "Deliverance" for the suburbs.

"That's nawt a leaf Blowahh! THIS!! is a LEAF BLOWAHH!!"

I've long lobbied for noise seeking missiles. It would solve a lot of problems.

Of course, they would probably turn around and obliterate my kids' room.

I have another one. The people where I work call my patients by "Mister (First name)" or "Miss (First name)".

Example: "Here's Mr. John, Doctor," or "Miss Stephanie needs a refill."

I refuse to succumb to this odd local dialect. I'm still calling patients "Mr. (Last name)" or, only if I know them well, by their first names without the Mr/Miss thing.

I hear you Mr. JP.

Ken, I need to borrow your knife.

Thanks.

Stabbity stabbity stabbity!

Wasn't there a group named "Mister Mister" in the 80's? Not sure how you would address them?

Messrs. Mister Mister, how y'all doin?

Harumph.

While driving and listening to the radio I don't like it when commercials feature the sounds of honking horns and/or squealing tires.

"The screachin' tires, the bustin' glass,
The painful screams that I heard last."

Ya, know Eddie, that was a crappy song when it was new, and you didn't change that. What are ya gonna cover next, "Teen Angel," or how 'bout "DOA," by Bloodrock?

Sorry, Sean. Sunday morning stream of consciousness.

Sean, that's been a pet peeve of mine as well for years. Even more- sirens!

Exactly, Mark! It's those types of sounds I don't need to be confused about hearing while I'm driving.

I agree with that picture, but there are limits. If I see you in my rearview mirror shifting lanes like an idiot just so you can maintain your 15+ mph over the speed limit, I will most likely accelerate or change lanes to cut off your planned route when you get close to me.

Give 'em hell Peter, you crazy rebel.

Great picture Sonic!

I don't have a problem, in any way, with you doing that. However, I approach it a little differently. I quickly move out my way to let that idiot get past me. I view him as a cop magnet. I figure the cop will be busy ticketing him as I go by, unnoticed, at my 5-10 mph over the speed limit pace.

Great graphic, Mary. Now come up with one that explains how the on ramp enables you to get up to freeway speeds BEFORE you join the freeway. I am so weary of being forced to enter a freeway at 40 mph cuz the idiot entering ahead of me thinks, mistakenly, it is safer to to merge with freeway traffic while going 20 mph slower than the traffic.

Yeah, letting them take point saves ME from tickets!

Once I was with a friend who drove by a highway patrol officer who had someone pulled over. He waved his hand at her, gesturing her to pull over too. She started laughing..."I'm so sure! I'm not pulling over for THAT. He's gonna have to come get me." Sure enough, a mile later, he was behind her. When asked how he could prove she was speeding. he pointed to the sky. Those freaking police planes! LOL!

I hate coffee or restaurant drive-throughs when they ask "Would like a 'soandso' with that today?" or "will that be all today?"

Until they invent time travel, adding "today" is redundant!!!!

"No! That's not all I want Today! I'll be back later, thank you!"

I'm with you, especially the restaurant drive throughs. I have my order all composed in my head and then they start throwing out suggestions that make me forget what I want.

An old pet peeve, recently re-annoying: Screw-on F connectors on RG8 when the connection point is tight, difficult to get to and you don't have a tool to use.

Wow, did I just open myself up with straight lines....

So many openings..... Just can't choose.....

I've never counted more than three.




[NOTE: I feel so icky now.]

Yamaha is having a sweepstakes to give away a receiver. The instructions say, "Once you click the Enter tab above....", If you can find the enter tab, you are doing a whole lot better than I am. (They may fix it on this link sometime soon, so it might make me look like a dummy, but for now I can't find an enter tab.)

Clicky

Update: You have to Like them first, THEN the enter tab shows up. Geesh!

Wow....I dint know anybody else remembered Bloodrock - let alone DOA....

I was behind a car on I-40 in the fast lane and we came up on a good ol' NC Trooper riding in the slow lane. I pulled in behind the Trooper - the other car stayed in the fast lane. The Trooper was going 60 in a 55. We rode like that for 5 or 6 miles and then the other car sped up and passed the Trooper. He pulled over into the slow lane right in front of the Trooper. 2 seconds later, the Blue Lights came on.....so my pet peeve is all the idiots that have driver's licenses....

I used to have their albums. Another bloodrock song I remember liking was Jessica. Thanks for the memories. I had forgotten about them.

Brian: You should not, in a single day, reveal that you put your head into a tornado, lust after ELP videos, or that you actually bought Bloodrock.

Got any Sugarloaf?

Sorry, no Sugarloaf. But I used to have some Russian opera. Does that count?

5 registered, 39 guests, 2 spiders and a stalker ?

The scissor-proof plastic packaging material along with those peel-proof stickers on CDs and DVDs!

Anybody stalking me would get so bored, they'd forget why they were stalking me.

So I'm looking at this list and wondering why "It's a mute point" is missing.

And why does ANYTHING follow the phrase - "It goes without saying...".

"I could care less".......

?#1: "Cause I never make fun of the deaf when they're gesticulating.

?#2: Where I grew up that translates to "It says without going..." (So I goes to her, "You..." Then she goes, "...."

Wellness. Where in the h*ll did that word come from and can anyone please tell me the difference between health and wellness?

Wellness incorporates the crunchy granola-eating, yoga-posing, herbal-ingesting/inhaling, Eastern medicine-loving crowd's concept of metaphysical health.

My 2¢.

FWIW, I like granola, yoga, herbs, and Eastern medicine. I just try not to be too precious about it. Everything in moderation, ya know.

Wellness includes mental state, I think. You can be healthy as an ox at the same time as you're suffering from depression, but you wouldn't have wellness.

I'll take wellness over wellless, any day.

I'm feeling quite wellful today.

Well, isn't that special!

Your explanation makes sense.

More pet peeve words:

"Affect" when it should be "effect" - and vice versa.

"Bring" when it should be "take". Vice versa doesn't usually happen here.

"Proctologist" for many reasons, including the fact that they chose to be one on purpose.

I respectfully disagree. To me, health is health. You can break that down into physical, mental, emotional, etc., but if you're healthy, you're healthy.

The Free Dictionary
Health: 1. The overall condition of an organism at a given time.
Wellness: The state of being in good physical and mental health

Merriam-Webster
Health: The condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit
Wellness: The quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal.

Unnecessarily Redundant, IMHO.

i agree with Ajax, health is health.

physical, mental, emotional, etc... it's all different facets of a person.
the often used word "individual" means "that cannot be divided".
if one facet of an individual is not in good health, the other facets will suffer from it and will also not be in good health.

why is it that people who suffer from high stress have ailments like stomach burns?

an individual, or person, is a whole, even in death: the whole person ceases to exist at the moment of death; if anyone thinks or knows otherwise, i want to see proof. This means it's not even open to discussion.

Cool, Jack!!

Ask a rhetorical question, let 'em all have their shots, then thwap 'em with not one, but two dictionary definitions!

You rock! (I already knew that.)

No animosity here. Just trying to make my point. Most of the time I'm fine with folks seeing things differently, particularly two good folks like Peter and J.P.

There are plenty of discussions of health versus wellness online if you look past dictionary definitions. Even if they meant exactly the same thing, though, I'm fine with having more words to have in the bag. Sometimes you want something different phonetically in your phrasing, right?

Wellness: Adj, a state of being

On the home farm we had 3 wells. I was awash in a wealth of wellness.

I think there's a difference in those two definitions when you consider a person with a physical disability, like myself.

Health: 1. The overall condition of an organism at a given time.

Overall, as a quadriplegic, I'm healthy.

Wellness: The state of being in good physical and mental health

Physically, I'm disabled, and as a result, my body doesn't function normally (good health), but my mind does.


I also think this definition is deleterious because someone with downs syndrome can, and do, have wellness.

The lexicographers should take a course in SRV (Social Role Valorization).

My 2 cents.

I'm glad you clarified what SRV stood for before people steered the thread toward Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Good points, though, Cam.

I knew that , too!

Well, well, well.

ness, ness, ness. YAY TEAM!

Um...

Lutefisk Lutefisk Lefse Lefse
We're the Mighty Lutes
Ya Sure You Betcha!

(from my alma mater, Norwegian-founded Pacific Lutheran University)

That sounds like a Betty White line from "Golden Girls."

And I'm making a "Bea Arthur" face right now.

Why must you be mean to us, Bob?

I wasn't being mean. I was being old and ugly (and of late, quite dead).

Shoot, I've been the the first two for years and am rapidly working on the latter .

But your online spirit here is endless Jack, Bob. You will live here forever until the Internet is replaced with tainted water mill powered telegraph poles after the nuclear apocalypse.

Dude, you're harshing me this morning.....

Sorry Bud.
Maybe this will help.

It does! Thanks!

I am tired of reading audio reviews. I get them in my inbox all the time in the vain hope of finding something unique and interesting. Instead I feel like I get the same drivel repackaged every time in slightly different ways. I don't recall reading a truly objective/critical review of any speaker systems in quite awhile. I was especially peeved with this one where extended break in is recommeneded to truly appreciate this system. Maybe I'm just grumpy today. End rant.

It's hard to determine if the thread was hijacked or if it was simply gyro failure.

I am hoping for the gyro explanation as I am a fan of Greek food.

Dan, keep in mind that with the internet, ANYONE can be an expert and write an article, even if they aren't...

I agree with your rant.

Three pet Peeves I decided upon last night.

1. Sports bras that are so tight the beach volley ball players look like men.

3. Wearing sweaters while playing beach volleyball. I know it's not the warmest anymore but it ruins the whole effect.

2. Holding said impromptu beach volley ball tournament on the beach on the far side of the island off my house so I didn't know it was going on until I innocently paddled around to play in the waves.

1, 3, 2 ?
Add 4: Not owning a pair of motion-stabilized binoculars.

5. Not owning a house near and island.

Mark, don't you mean "5."
Ken, your's should be "4."

6. I keep forgetting to catch up on Doctor Who despite Murph's signature.

Women in line in front of you at a checkout who wait until they're told the final amount before they even BEGIN to open their handbag...then their purse...then their change purse...

Next, they look back at the amount, then their brain engages (really, if it's quiet, you can hear it!), then OMFG, here it comes, they begin to speak----interrogatively!

Or worse, open their checkbook.

I can't stand when they fumble for minutes in their purse looking for the exact change. Upon waiting ridiculous amounts of time, I have been know to hand the cashier a dollar and tell them to keep the change.

I know what you mean. That is why THIS woman uses a debit card most of the time.

Mary, I saw that you had posted a response and thought, "Oh, crap! She's gonna hit me with the 'MCP baton' for that!" Whew!

You can still hit me with a baton. Just please change the label(s). Thank you.

Pet Peeves??? Simple. Here are a few..

- people who piss on public toilet seats
- people who dont flush said toilets
- people who dont hold the door for you or say "thanks" when holding it open for them
- door to door salesmen/door marketers. You were not invited. Stay away
- commission sales people.
- commission sales people who do not give you the final price untill your ready to sign the deal and then say " oh... you also must pay this/that and everything else on top of what I quoted you. "
- loud mufflers
- Tapout wannabe MMA punks who wear white framed sunglasses
- motorcycle riders who park at Tim Hortons and wear all the gear to think thier tough ass Hells Angel wannabees
- people who use products only to put back on the shelf for thier own pleasure ( ie... deoderant, hand lotion, ect... )
- gas station/fast food attendants who cant speak proper english

Shall I go on????? lol

Go on. People who go on aren't one of my pet peeves.

People who pull out in front of you in traffic, then drive slow.
People who quickly speed up to fill the gap when you put your blinker on to change lanes.

People who misuse homophones: ie, "their" and then misspell them.

Their, their Ken... don't let it get to you!

Well, I DO work on commission selling insurance...mostly auto insurance. My pet peeve is when people don't give me correct information at the time of the quote, and then thinking I'm ripping them off if the price goes up. It's not my fault you "forgot" about that ticket.



Oh, that one makes me REALLY mad! Another one is when people brake to almost a complete stop THEN put on their turn signal. It should be the other way around.

How about people that don't turn signal at all? Then there are the ones making a left turn at a heavy intersection with stop light. The ones that refuse to move to the middle of the intersection so that they can go ahead and turn when the light changes (my personal fave)

I just switched to a new phone and service recently. Was never told about all of the "Extra" $5 charges for every little thing you might want.

That is exaclty what Im talking about.

Case in point... bought a motorcycle several years ago. Bought it 1 hour away in another dealership. On the morning of going down to seal the deal, I called and asked the sales guy what the final price so I can have my bank make out a bank draft to give to the dealership. His words were... " Bike and tax. Total is blah blah blah. " So I go to the bank and they make out the draft for set amount. I drive 1 hour to dealership. We sit down in the room and when the paper work is placed in front of me to sign I notice an increase of $400 plus. I said " WTF is this extra $400? " He said its dealership fees, set up fees and registration fee's. I mentioned the FINAL price he said on the phone and his excuse was.. " I told you what the price of the BIKE and TAX is. Everyone knows there are additional fee's added like these Im pointing out to you ". I said wipe the $400 off or the deal is cancelled. I got up and they agreed to wipe the $400 off. Real slimmy way of making something appear cheaper to lure you in and at the final moment hit you with additional fee's even AFTER asking was the final price would be.

Reminds me of when I refinanced my house in 2002. I was told by the mortgage company that this refinance wouldn't cost me anything. It wasn't until I was signing the paperwork, that I found out it was going to cost me about $4000 and was added onto the amount I was refinancing. LIARS.

As a general rule, I hate sales people. I went to classes once to learn how to sell Encyclopedia Bricanicas. I hated the trainer, so much, that I quit. He was a real nasty buggar.

My motherinlaw is a comm jewlery sales lady. She tells numerous stories of people coming in with a set limit on what they have to spend and after awhile they walk out paying twice as much for something else because of the "tactics" she uses to sell items that were taught to her. She feeds on human impulse weakness'es. LOL I dont blame her though... only trying to make a buck plus people should know to say " NO " when pressure saled. Its not so much the pressure sales I cant stand as much as the Lies used to lure and trap unsuspecting customers. Of course... this does not apply to all sales people and is only my personal views and opinions.

On people making turns in their cars...some people seem like they're driving 18 wheelers around corners the way they swing out into traffic...also, some people making left turns, position themselves too far over, one way or the other, obscurring the view of left hand turners on the opposite side, or they are too far into the intersection.

On jewellers...I've seen shady salesman(women?) claim their diamonds are of top quality with no visible defects when I can clearly see HUGE inclusions WITHOUT my reading glasses...they kept insisting I couldn't see anything. One thing I could see clearly was not buying anything from them.

Clerks with no knowledge about what they're selling but make things up anyway.

Ford's negative advertising campaign..."I used to drive a Honda...."

The state of the music industry.

Reality TV.

Athletes salaries.

The guy who cut me off yesterday.

Yappy dogs.

People who leave shopping carts out in the parking lot/attendants who leave them there.

Any gossip rags near cash-out.

Promises made by politicians to get elected.

Government lack of support for entreprenuerial minded people.


...I didn't realize I was so bitter...

Good list. Probably my biggest pet peeve, or dislike, is

Politicians.

It doesn't make any sense to let politicians run (or rather, ruin) a country.

Times 10 on "Reality" shows.

"Hi. I'm sorry I didn't have an appointment, but thought I'd drop in to see if you can copy this disc?"

"Hi. I've got a job running right now, but if you have other errands to run, you can come back for it."

"OK. I can come back in about half an hour."

"Sounds good. How many copies do you need?"

"Fifty".

"Hmmm. I probably can't get 50 ready quite that quick after the other job finishes. How do you want them printed?"

"Oh, I don't know. Can I get back to you about that and just pick them up tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll design it and send you a JPEG for approval!".

{{Later in the day, client calls with the text she wants printed and also decides she wants the company logo. I design it and send her the JPEG as promised, letting her know that the discs are burned and as soon as she gets back to me with approval of the imprint I can quickly get it all wrapped up for her.}}

Today I receive an email:
"I have a major concern…is there anyway to delete a piece of the presentation that has already been copied? {{The disc had a PowerPoint Presentation on it- Ed.}} There are pieces of the presentation that I wanted to remove, and this is why I simply wanted you to look over the piece, and make sure that we were able to copy, and then discuss the project further. I apologize for the confusion, but if you could let me know if this is possible, or if we need to figure out another solution."

Me: I guess when she asked if I could copy the disc, she was literally asking me if I COULD copy the disc?

PS- she's the "Chief Development Officer" for this organization!

Grrrrrr.....

Stab. Stabbity.

Stab stab stab.

Your Stabbities made me smile. Thanks!

This is why we have our customers sign a 'Statement of Work' on projects. It protects both sides from assumptions, surprises and undisclosed costs.

Of course, that's probably a bit to formal for that size of a project. Still, for repeat problem customers........

This was a first in 20 years....

I kind of thought that people understood that the disc they bring me would be the one they want copied.... not a "work in progress"!

"Hi, Kinko's? I had 500 Xerox'd pages made yesterday. Can I go back through them and delete a sentence? No? That's unpossible? But when I asked if you could make me 500 copies, I didn't expect you to do it. It was rhetorical, like."

"Sure, we can to it! But, it'll be an addition cost of $20 per disc. What? Our fault!? You're the sorry block that chose Kinkos!"

That, good friends, is, in Bob's little world, an oxymoron.

I've only had to do this once in a previous business I had, and three times in this one. I send them emails that politely, but clearly state:

"I feel strongly, before the work is even finished, that one of us may end up unhappy. At this stage of my life, I fear most that the unhappy person will be me.

I hope you can use some of my ideas and suggestions. Good luck with your project, trog-bitch!'

I'm only joking about the trog-bitch part.

People ask, "Don't they email back?"
"Yep, everyone."
"Well, what do they say?"
"If I opend it and read it, then I didn't end it."
"Aren't you curious?"
"No."

Note left for a recent (single) female client who'd been unruly:

"Left a bit early so I wouldn't have to see you. Since you've been working for Google, you haven't been very "Googley" when you come home. So, pick one:

A guy who always has your best interests at the fore and goes the extra mile for you every time. OR..

A new boyfriend to squat and piss on.

Email me when you decide."

She's still one of my best clients. I should write a book:

Client Management, with Bob

Edit: I forgot. Able-bodied people who stand still on escalators and moving sidewalks should be ticketed. Those who do the same, but are firmly planted in the middle of said device, should find themselves on a mobius-strip version of said device.

I'll buy it for sure. I'd ask for a signed copy, but I'm afraid.

[quote=MarkSJohnsonPS- she's the "Chief Development Officer" for this organization!

Grrrrrr.....
[/quote]

Mark, you know that means that she is merely the Chief Beggar for her organization. She's gonna use whatever you do for her as part of a suck-up presentation to a current or prospective mark, errr, I mean donor, while the other "development" people with her use the distraction to rifle through coats and handbags for big fat checks.

She doesn't have to know anything. She just has to be good at getting others to cough up. Remember, "Chief" or no, she's still just a beggar.

That may make it seem that I'm bitter about my professional years wasted in development, but I'm not. Really, I'm not. Bastards!

Escalator Rage?

People who can't stand still for one minute and rest while the escalator is moving.

People who stand still on escalators that don't move.

People who post in the Pet Peeve thread.

Pet Peeve threads.

This

X

People who torture horror vacuui sufferers.

In my last post on this thread I complained in general about audio reviews. I was pleasantly surprised this morning to read this review of the Paradigm Monitor 7 speakers. While I skimmed it I noted it seemed like an honest meaningful review - the very thing I was complaining was lacking before. I guess there are occasionally two sides to the coin.

Those little white stick figure decals on the rear windows of mini-van's and SUV's. You know, there's the Mommy and the Daddy, then the boy and three girls and the dog and the two cats.

I could do some pretty neat adjustments to them, given 90 surreptitious seconds and a brand new X-acto blade.

This is the one we have.

At least it's an off-axis improvement.

Glornak needs to start posting here.

Can you imagine the philosophical discussions he and Bbigwyres could have?