You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[Flick James]

People who kill the joe and don't make some moe.

I like my coffee, so I fill up my Thermos mug from the break room every morning. I NEVER fail to make more coffee if I'm emptying the last pot or even making it low. It's just basic break room etiquete, people. Oh, and I love the person that leaves and empty creamer container at the station, especially when the creamer is kept in the cupboard DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. I admit I'm opinionated and a little self-absorbed, but jeez, I have some basic consideration.

I actually like making coffee, so I was never guilty of that offense. Often, by the time the pot got down to the last cup, it got pretty sludgy anyway, so unless I was desperate for the caffeine, I'd chuck it out and make a fresh pot anyway.

These days, there's a Keurig machine in the shop, and a cafe across the street, so the problem never comes up.

What constitutes OLD coffee? (an amusing thread)

Have you guys ever tried "cold brew" coffee?  If you like the FLAVOR of coffee without the bitter....very much worth it.

My "gears" for today:

I've ranted about driving stuff in the past, and bad driving is one of my pet peeves.  Yesterday, I witnessed a collision right in front of me...in fact, I saw it was going to happen before it did and even said out loud "we are about to see a wreck."  A dude ran a red light and turned left against traffic, and no surprise, an oncoming car (with the right of way) hit him.

Luckily, no one was hurt...which gets to my rant.  Right after the wreck happened, I jumped out to check on both drivers.  Another oncoming car almost hit me - she refused to STOP (she had PLENTY of room to see what had happened) or even herself stop to get out and check to see if anyone was hurt.

I saw her coming from a bit away and held my hand up for her to stop so I could cross over to check the guy in the car (that was in the middle of the roadway and DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HER...in her lane) and she just swerved to move around and came right at me.  I had time to gesture again for her to stop and SHOUTED "Stop" and pointed to the guy in the car that I was trying to get to.  She could have stopped to check on him, or she could have stopped (or slowed down) to let me get to him to check on him.

But no.  Where ever she had to be in the middle of her self absorbed selfishness was far too important to take 60 seconds out of her day to check to see if another human being was hurt.  Not only did she not bother to try to help those in need, but she sped up and came AT me (like I was her enemy for wanting to cross over to check on him).

I wonder what karma will come her way?

Anyway, this is a general rant I have...people that don't help.  I once had some friends drop me off at the parking lot where my car was parked, and as I climbed out of the back seat, I noticed a girl getting out of her car because smoke was coming from under the hood.  I told my "friends," that I thought that girl's car was on fire, and they said, "okay" and drove off.  There was a bus stop at this parking lot, and a bunch of onlookers just stood there watching, and no one lifted a finger to help or even call for help.

I went to her car, lifted the hood, found the problem (her fan belt was on fire) and managed to get it off the car and away...so her whole car would not burn up.

But out of probably 20 other people, no one else did a godforsaken thing.  What the hell?

Maybe it's my experience and training as a former volunteer firefighter, but I just don't get a do-nothing attitude.

And by the way, both of these incidents were relatively small-ish cities - not New York or LA where apathy is a way of life (from what I hear).  This was in the "friendly South."   

I would classify myself as a hyper-aware driver most of the time. I have good peripheral awareness and react readily. My wife sometimes comments about it because we'll be driving along and someone will be about to dart out from a cross street or parking lot and I'll grip my steering wheel in anticipation of a potential veer. She'll say "what happened?" and I'll tell her about what I saw and apparently she never saw it, and she'll say "you scared the crap out of me, stop that."

Anyway, I'm also hyper aware of things like if there's a sudden slow-down on the freeway. You know, you're driving along and someone 500 feet ahead did something stupid and the ripple effect caused everyone behind it to slow down suddenly. My eyes immediately dart to the rear-view mirror just to make sure nobody is driving along behind me that didn't notice the sudden slow-down in case I need to veer out of the way of somebody who is about to rear-end me.

Some might call it paranoia, but I don't get freaked out about these things, I just react into a state of readiness, the danger passes, and I move on. I suspect you may be the same way.

[Kaseykockroach]

Shippers drive me bonkers! Shipping can be a fun time-killer now and then for its sheer stupidity, but those people who act as if its a sin that I don't care if two fictional characters hook up really need to get off the computer and go outside for a moment...

[bob]

Slow traffic. If the speed limit is 30 I expect to at least be going 30 miles an hour. Not 20. 

[Killer Bees]

People who kill the joe and don't make some moe.

I like my coffee, so I fill up my Thermos mug from the break room every morning. I NEVER fail to make more coffee if I'm emptying the last pot or even making it low. It's just basic break room etiquete, people. Oh, and I love the person that leaves and empty creamer container at the station, especially when the creamer is kept in the cupboard DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE. I admit I'm opinionated and a little self-absorbed, but jeez, I have some basic consideration.

I actually like making coffee, so I was never guilty of that offense. Often, by the time the pot got down to the last cup, it got pretty sludgy anyway, so unless I was desperate for the caffeine, I'd chuck it out and make a fresh pot anyway.

These days, there's a Keurig machine in the shop, and a cafe across the street, so the problem never comes up.

What constitutes OLD coffee? (an amusing thread)

Have you guys ever tried "cold brew" coffee?  If you like the FLAVOR of coffee without the bitter....very much worth it.

My "gears" for today:

I've ranted about driving stuff in the past, and bad driving is one of my pet peeves.  Yesterday, I witnessed a collision right in front of me...in fact, I saw it was going to happen before it did and even said out loud "we are about to see a wreck."  A dude ran a red light and turned left against traffic, and no surprise, an oncoming car (with the right of way) hit him.

Luckily, no one was hurt...which gets to my rant.  Right after the wreck happened, I jumped out to check on both drivers.  Another oncoming car almost hit me - she refused to STOP (she had PLENTY of room to see what had happened) or even herself stop to get out and check to see if anyone was hurt.

I saw her coming from a bit away and held my hand up for her to stop so I could cross over to check the guy in the car (that was in the middle of the roadway and DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HER...in her lane) and she just swerved to move around and came right at me.  I had time to gesture again for her to stop and SHOUTED "Stop" and pointed to the guy in the car that I was trying to get to.  She could have stopped to check on him, or she could have stopped (or slowed down) to let me get to him to check on him.

But no.  Where ever she had to be in the middle of her self absorbed selfishness was far too important to take 60 seconds out of her day to check to see if another human being was hurt.  Not only did she not bother to try to help those in need, but she sped up and came AT me (like I was her enemy for wanting to cross over to check on him).

I wonder what karma will come her way?

Anyway, this is a general rant I have...people that don't help.  I once had some friends drop me off at the parking lot where my car was parked, and as I climbed out of the back seat, I noticed a girl getting out of her car because smoke was coming from under the hood.  I told my "friends," that I thought that girl's car was on fire, and they said, "okay" and drove off.  There was a bus stop at this parking lot, and a bunch of onlookers just stood there watching, and no one lifted a finger to help or even call for help.

I went to her car, lifted the hood, found the problem (her fan belt was on fire) and managed to get it off the car and away...so her whole car would not burn up.

But out of probably 20 other people, no one else did a godforsaken thing.  What the hell?

Maybe it's my experience and training as a former volunteer firefighter, but I just don't get a do-nothing attitude.

And by the way, both of these incidents were relatively small-ish cities - not New York or LA where apathy is a way of life (from what I hear).  This was in the "friendly South."   

I understand how you feel Ulthar.  People are so afraid of getting involved with another person in case it leads to badness for them.  But the best thing you can do for society is care about another, even if you don't know them, even if it's only for a few minutes.  The knock on effect of that goodwill is incalculable and you never know how it will manifest down the line.

I'm sure this life would be a much nicer place if everyone just helped someone in something, even once a week.  I always told my son:  if it fosters goodwill and costs you nothing, why wouldn't you do it?

[ulthar]

I'm sure this life would be a much nicer place if everyone just helped someone in something, even once a week.  I always told my son:  if it fosters goodwill and costs you nothing, why wouldn't you do it?

I think it is the same thing with words.  I cannot stand gossip (though I guess I'm as guilty as anyone).

I have been trying to teach my children that it is NEVER the wrong thing to do to say something nice to or about someone.

[Killer Bees]

I'm sure this life would be a much nicer place if everyone just helped someone in something, even once a week.  I always told my son:  if it fosters goodwill and costs you nothing, why wouldn't you do it?

I think it is the same thing with words.  I cannot stand gossip (though I guess I'm as guilty as anyone).

I have been trying to teach my children that it is NEVER the wrong thing to do to say something nice to or about someone.

Amen to that.

[Jack]

Slow traffic. If the speed limit is 30 I expect to at least be going 30 miles an hour. Not 20. 

Same here.  We live along a road that's got a 45 mph speed limit, and I'm constantly getting stuck behind someone who's going 35, then 30, then 20.  It's like they're looking for someone's house, and couldn't care less about the person behind them who would actually like to use the road for purposes of getting where they're going in less than an hour.   And of course it's a twisty, hilly road so there's little chance to pass. 

One time I was second in line behind one of those idiots, who was way down to 15 mph or so.  The guy ahead of me took the opportunity to try to pass the guy, but just then Mr. Moron decided to make a left turn right in front of him, resulting in a fender bender.  Completely and utterly clueless     I've also had people back out of their driveway right in front of me, and one guy was driving along a side road and pulled out onto the main road without looking - I had to slam on the brakes and missed him by about 3 feet     Of course he continued on utterly oblivious to what he'd just done.

[AndyC]

Even more than slow drivers, I get annoyed with people who can't drive at a consistent speed. Getting just about anywhere from here involves driving on a four-lane highway. There are no stops, no sharp bends, the hills are very gradual - everything is built so you can drive at a steady speed. Traffic is seldom so heavy here that you can't easily go around anybody who wants to go slower. I just set the cruise control and go. But then I end up behind some guy who isn't necessarily driving slowly, but his speed is slowly fluctuating by about 10 to 15kph. I don't particularly want to go faster than this guy, because on average, he's doing about the same speed I'm trying to do. Most of the time, by the time I decide to pass the idiot, he's already noticed his speed is dropping and stepped on the gas. So I have to either stomp on the gas and go around him much faster than I want to drive, or match his randomly drifting speed.

Which brings me to another type of driver, who I suspect might be the same type. I'm coming up behind his car on the highway. He's going a little slower than I am, so I pull into the left lane and start to pass him. At which point his speed drifts upward just enough that we're driving side by side, or he's sitting in my blind spot. Then I have to step on the gas to get around him.

Maybe it's not a big thing, but it annoys me. Is it that difficult to just pick a speed and drive at it?

[BTM]

I think it is the same thing with words.  I cannot stand gossip (though I guess I'm as guilty as anyone).

I have been trying to teach my children that it is NEVER the wrong thing to do to say something nice to or about someone.

Speaking of gossip, here's a good guideline for what is and isn't.  If it's NOT something you'd say to the FACE of the person you're talking about, odds are, it's gossip!

:)

[El Misfit]

The 83RD Oscars- Inception shoulda won the Best Picture, just ask the audience! Plus, The King's Speech may be a Historic piece, but that isn't a new concept- it's the same old s**t: let's do a historic piece, that will get the Oscars' get hot!*

*Sarcasm.

[Sleepyskull]

This is more to people in my general age range (I am 19 years old), but it can apply to any age group:

Alcoholic drinks:  Why are they NEEDED for fun?  I don't drink and I probably never will, at least not like a lot of people do. I don't care if others drink, I don't care if they get drunk (don't do it around me though). Why do people look down on me for not wanting to get arrested, have a clear head, not vomit, etc...

Why are my 16 year old co-workers bragging about having horrible hangovers and vomiting spells? They say "you feel like a new man afterward", but I feel like a new man without ever having to vomit in the (already gross) work bathroom and come to work with a horrible aching head.

It's not the fact that they're underage (it doesn't help), but the fact that people (not just teenagers) equate alcohol with fun and act condescendingly towards me for not drinking.

Many staff at my old high school were concerned that I didn't seem to make many friends. That's reasonable and I appreciate their concern. I feel grateful for it. However, I never told them, one major reason I don't have many friends is I don't want to try with people such as the ones previously described.

George Carlin had a line that went something like "I'm not an outsider by choice." I want to have lots of friends. I want to meet new people. The problem is, I'm sick of lots of the people I do know. I look at the people they know and I can't stand them either.

I really try not to hate people. It is really hard to live by that.

[El Misfit]

This is more to people in my general age range (I am 19 years old), but it can apply to any age group:

Alcoholic drinks:  Why are they NEEDED for fun?  I don't drink and I probably never will, at least not like a lot of people do. I don't care if others drink, I don't care if they get drunk (don't do it around me though). Why do people look down on me for not wanting to get arrested, have a clear head, not vomit, etc...

Why are my 16 year old co-workers bragging about having horrible hangovers and vomiting spells? They say "you feel like a new man afterward", but I feel like a new man without ever having to vomit in the (already gross) work bathroom and come to work with a horrible aching head.

It's not the fact that they're underage (it doesn't help), but the fact that people (not just teenagers) equate alcohol with fun and act condescendingly towards me for not drinking.

Many staff at my old high school were concerned that I didn't seem to make many friends. That's reasonable and I appreciate their concern. I feel grateful for it. However, I never told them, one major reason I don't have many friends is I don't want to try with people such as the ones previously described.

George Carlin had a line that went something like "I'm not an outsider by choice." I want to have lots of friends. I want to meet new people. The problem is, I'm sick of lots of the people I do know. I look at the people they know and I can't stand them either.

I really try not to hate people. It is really hard to live by that.

I guess it makes em look cool, when looking cool isn't important to a healthy life i guess.

[JaseSF]

I can certainly relate to that sleepyskull. Never let anyone else push me into any lifestyle choice I wanted no part of it. I am an individual and I've made my choice. The rest of the world now has to live with it. I hate and loathe conformity and the very idea of giving up being the individual one really is deep down inside.

[The Gravekeeper]

I'll admit, I'm a social drinker. Never been drunk though (not for lack of trying one New Year's, either; when you're a girly drinker, it's possible to feel sick from all the sugar before you get much more than a buzz). As for 18 and 19 year-olds, I've noticed that it's uncommon to find an actual individual in that group. Heck, it sometimes seems like a lot of people don't develop a unique personality until they're just about into their 30's.

[Newt]

This is more to people in my general age range (I am 19 years old), but it can apply to any age group:

My eldest son is 21.  We have been discussing this sort of situation for years.  May I comment?

Alcoholic drinks:  Why are they NEEDED for fun? 

But they are not 'needed' - really.  Drinking is just part of the 'props': if you were setting up to film a party scene, you'd have drinks around.  People expect drinking, therefore it is perceived as a 'necessary' ingredient.  Like snacks and loud music.  Otherwise you'd have to make conversation or something else equally as demanding. 

I don't drink and I probably never will, at least not like a lot of people do. I don't care if others drink, I don't care if they get drunk (don't do it around me though). Why do people look down on me for not wanting to get arrested, have a clear head, not vomit, etc...

Why are my 16 year old co-workers bragging about having horrible hangovers and vomiting spells? They say "you feel like a new man afterward", but I feel like a new man without ever having to vomit in the (already gross) work bathroom and come to work with a horrible aching head.

It's not the fact that they're underage (it doesn't help), but the fact that people (not just teenagers) equate alcohol with fun and act condescendingly towards me for not drinking.

It's not so much that they look down on you as that they are not as sure that they are doing something cool and admirable as they have been led to believe - and it is the guy who does not  buy into the lifestyle/activity that makes them question themselves and look bad.  If everybody does it, it is accepted.  The one odd one out stops that train and puts the whole issue under scrutiny.  And that gets uncomfortable!  It takes a certain maturity to allow others to do differently than we do.  Is it reasonable/fair to expect your acquaintances to have that - yet?

Many staff at my old high school were concerned that I didn't seem to make many friends. That's reasonable and I appreciate their concern. I feel grateful for it. However, I never told them, one major reason I don't have many friends is I don't want to try with people such as the ones previously described.

George Carlin had a line that went something like "I'm not an outsider by choice." I want to have lots of friends. I want to meet new people. The problem is, I'm sick of lots of the people I do know. I look at the people they know and I can't stand them either.

Been there.  Not easy.  There is a fine line between living to a certain standard and coming off as being 'too good' for others.  Unfortunately, even if you are able to live to your standards without being overtly judgemental toward others, a lot of what you will encounter is their reaction - projecting what they think/feel your attitude should be toward them  - rather than according to how you actually behave.  Makes it hard, but I think it helps if you understand that it is not necessarily *you*.

I really try not to hate people. It is really hard to live by that.

I wish you luck on that.  It is hard when you are feeling that people let you down - AND that by doing so they are being dismissive of your values/point of view.  To avoid the hate, it really does help to get to a point where you can accept and tolerate a certain amount of range in standards of behaviour.  If you learn to allow others to make their own choices and mistakes and at the same time not completely dismiss them for it...then you are in a better place to gain respect for yourself and make a few friends.  (Down the road, it helps with parenting too... )