13 December 2007

Thirteen Pet Peeves

Aha! Killing two birds with one stone - pet peeves for Julie's Hump Day Hmm (okay, a day late) AND Thursday Thirteen. I'm cranky, and I just want to get where I'm going.
  1. Men who spit on the street (and it’s always men).
  2. People who amble along the sidewalk two or three abreast.
  3. Folks who go up the down staircase or down the up staircase.
  4. People who fail to stand to the right on escalators.
  5. Drivers who don’t signal.
  6. Drivers who tailgate.
  7. Anyone who talks too loudly on the train (whether on a cell-phone or with a companion).
  8. Dogs on leashes that are too long.
  9. Wheelie bags anywhere but the airport, because their owners never seem to understand where the bags are.
  10. Litterers.
  11. People who put their feet up on the seat of the train.
  12. Pushy people who fail to let the passengers off first.
  13. Anyone who stops – coming or going – in a doorway or at the top or bottom of the stairs.

Can you tell that I commute by train and subway?

Incidentally, my mother had a cat named Peeve. Yup, she had a pet Peeve.

25 comments:

  1. 5 and 6? Hate, hate, hate!!!
    LOL at your mother's pet Peeve!
    Happy TT!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pretty much all those things could be on my list too - although I no longer do the city/train/subway commute.

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that your mom's cat was Peeve. As a vet we get so many unimaginative names, I adore an original one!

    Hope the crankiness abates.

    ReplyDelete
  3. And people who don't give up their seats to the elderly, ill, or hugely pregnant.

    ReplyDelete
  4. this is the most fabulous list! yes, to all.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oooh good list... I could relate from the old commuting days.

    And a cat named Peeve, oh my stars that is PERFECT, for a cat especially. Love it.

    You are so efficient. :)

    Julie
    Using My Words

    ReplyDelete
  6. How about singles who insist on splitting three open seat, declining to scoot over to allow people to sit together?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I haven't had to deal with commuting in the 9 years since I moved to Vermont. I don't miss it at all.

    And I'm totally going to steal your mother's pet's name for when we get another pet.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ok. From someone who rode the 6 train often, I'm adding men who sit down with their knees spread so widely apart that they inadvertently take up two seats on the train! I HATE THAT! Who the hell taught men that their job is to take up as much space as possible when in public, but for women, we are instructed to be as compact and demure as possible, all the while maintaining some weird aura of femininity. Like the blog! Made me miss my home in NY all the more.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amblers should all be poked, hard, with pointy elbows. And people who don't use turn signals? Vaporized.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had a friend who wanted to name a cat Shed (before she married someone allergic to cats.)

    Your mom's cat name beats that one, and I thought it was unbeatable.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent list Magpie. Litterers make me a very mean person. Ok, not really, but they really tick me off!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I so want to name my next pet Peeve.

    ReplyDelete
  13. flutter made me laugh.

    i am so with you on #2. SIMPLE AWARENESS, PEOPLE.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I love the idea of a cat named Peeve. That is so funny.

    It's always shocking to me to see people behave the way you describe---it just seems so self-centered and arrogant. The Flatland Almanack --Damozel (adorable animals behaving oddly)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12:45 AM

    Excellent list. About the no signaling, my dad actually heard a guy say that he doesn't use his signal lights while driving because "it's nobody's business where I'm going." Can you believe that?

    andi from Poot and Cubby

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great list...love the cats name!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Commuting -- even a relatively easy and short commute -- is no fun because you're forced into such close contact (even if separated by your car) with so many strangers. You've highlighted a lot of the reasons that I hate taking public transportation -- even when it makes sense.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Yeah, what IS with the spitting? And they do it so casually and openly!

    Back before I came to the VA suburbs, my trains were the 1 or the 4. And whenever I go home and ride them I still see men doing the same thing with their knees.

    I'd also add "people who see you coming through a door with your arms loaded, or see a mom pushing a stroller and don't bother to hold the door!"

    ReplyDelete
  19. I used to commute every day by tube in London and I met people just like the ones you mention. Can't stand them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ha. Peve. Was he annoying?

    I was in a play in high school called Up the Down Staircase. I played Bea Shachter. It's interesting to no one but me. :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Love your mom's sense of humour. Pet peeve - HA!

    ReplyDelete
  22. # 1, 5, and 6 I SO SO agree.
    And too cool about the pet named Peeve.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your mom only had one pet peeve? Should've named him Peeves, methinks. :)

    ReplyDelete

Go ahead, leave a message. I don't bite.