You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?

[AndyC]

Trying to make some damned hot dogs.  So I open the package of buns.  The first one is cut so you've got 2" of bun on one side, and 1/16th of an inch on the other.  The second one just falls into two pieces.  The third one is a mashed up piece of crap.

Aaaaaarrrggghhhh.

Hot dog buns are annoying in too many ways for one simple food. Besides the inconsistent slicing and occasional squished bun, there is the number. I still find virtually all brands of hot dog buns in packages of eight, and regular hot dogs in packages of a dozen. Why? The only buns I find in a 12-pack are a single brand of top-sliced ones, and they don't open far enough to fit anything in. Try and open them more, and they just rip in half.

And then there is the subtle, yet surprisingly more annoying fact that the buns are significantly longer than the hot dogs. No matter how you arrange it, you always get at least one bite that's all bread.

[Flick James]

Trying to make some damned hot dogs.  So I open the package of buns.  The first one is cut so you've got 2" of bun on one side, and 1/16th of an inch on the other.  The second one just falls into two pieces.  The third one is a mashed up piece of crap.

Aaaaaarrrggghhhh.

Hot dog buns are annoying in too many ways for one simple food. Besides the inconsistent slicing and occasional squished bun, there is the number. I still find virtually all brands of hot dog buns in packages of eight, and regular hot dogs in packages of a dozen. Why? The only buns I find in a 12-pack are a single brand of top-sliced ones, and they don't open far enough to fit anything in. Try and open them more, and they just rip in half.

And then there is the subtle, yet surprisingly more annoying fact that the buns are significantly longer than the hot dogs. No matter how you arrange it, you always get at least one bite that's all bread.

To add salt to the wound, it floors me that here it is nearly 2012 and we still haven't solved the hot dog/hot dog bun problems. Will we ever?

[Jim H]

I've probably mentioned this before but I can't stand the 40 plus party girls out there.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about being young at heart.  However, there comes a point in one's life when its time to stop dancing on the bar and I'd say 40 is a good cut off.  Facebook has really driven me to this reading people's status updates about "getting hammered" who should be home knitting sweaters probably. 

That and "men" who are pushing 30 and still dressing and carrying on like teenagers. Especially if they've started playing house and bringing kids into it. Time to grow up.

On the flipside of this, men and women who reach a certain age where they suddenly feel they have to be "adults" and forget how to enjoy life.  I'm not talking about people who know when to be serious, work hard, and such, I'm talking about people who feel they have to shed everything about their youth in order to "grow up".  They seem to lose the ability to have simple pleasures in life, and sort of lose the ability to just have a day out, ya know?  Everything must be scheduled and overcomplicated, and they must measure everything and can't relax and just deal with anything outside of this.

[Jack]

To add salt to the wound, it floors me that here it is nearly 2012 and we still haven't solved the hot dog/hot dog bun problems. Will we ever?

They've at least solved the problem about ketchup coming out of a squeeze bottle in a predictable fashion.  For years they just put a hole on the top.  You squeezed, ketchup came out.  Oh but now they've got this thin little piece of transparent plastic inside the hole.  You squeeze, nothing happens.  Squeeze some more - getting a tad uneasy now - still nothing.  Well, hell, squeeze even harder.  Oh yeah, NOW we've got ketchup   

I've gone after that thing with an X-acto knife to no avail.  It just stretches and then returns to its original shape.  What's it even there for?  There's already a flip top to seal the thing shut.

[Flick James]

To add salt to the wound, it floors me that here it is nearly 2012 and we still haven't solved the hot dog/hot dog bun problems. Will we ever?

They've at least solved the problem about ketchup coming out of a squeeze bottle in a predictable fashion.  For years they just put a hole on the top.  You squeezed, ketchup came out.  Oh but now they've got this thin little piece of transparent plastic inside the hole.  You squeeze, nothing happens.  Squeeze some more - getting a tad uneasy now - still nothing.  Well, hell, squeeze even harder.  Oh yeah, NOW we've got ketchup   

I've gone after that thing with an X-acto knife to no avail.  It just stretches and then returns to its original shape.  What's it even there for?  There's already a flip top to seal the thing shut.

Well, they SAY it's to preserve freshness, but give me a break. All you have to do to preserve freshness is snap the cap back down. Geez.

And let's face it, mustard/ketchup containers seem to fit neatly into two categories almost invariably. Either the owner of the container uses the condiment a bunch and will run out of it long before it "goes bad," or they use it once and after that it sits in the back of the fridge until they find it two years later. There's almost NEVER an in between. In either case, how much difference is that piece of plastic going to make?

[Leah]

To add salt to the wound, it floors me that here it is nearly 2012 and we still haven't solved the hot dog/hot dog bun problems. Will we ever?

They've at least solved the problem about ketchup coming out of a squeeze bottle in a predictable fashion.  For years they just put a hole on the top.  You squeezed, ketchup came out.  Oh but now they've got this thin little piece of transparent plastic inside the hole.  You squeeze, nothing happens.  Squeeze some more - getting a tad uneasy now - still nothing.  Well, hell, squeeze even harder.  Oh yeah, NOW we've got ketchup   

I've gone after that thing with an X-acto knife to no avail.  It just stretches and then returns to its original shape.  What's it even there for?  There's already a flip top to seal the thing shut.

try using a pastry brush, I use it for my mayo.

[ghouck]

Live in a rich neighborhood and call the police because someone is breaking into your place, then go do the same in a poor neighborhood and see if the results vary.

I don't know who said this and I don't care enough to wade back through the thread to find it (I lifted it from one of Flick's posts on page 111).

This grinds my gears.  This is utter crap, and cannot be substantiated, en masse, across the board for all police agencies.  Maybe there are isolated cases, but I remain skeptical.

I used to work in law enforcement, and I KNOW from real life experience that someone breaking into a house got the Code 3 hardcore guns drawn treatment no matter what neighborhood.  Been there, done it.

People spouting off nonsense as if it were fact REALLY grinds my gears.  And sorry guys, but I hear this from the Left far more than from the Right.  It almost seems as if, nowadays and especially on the Internet, you say something "with authority" people assume it is true and never even bother to ask for any vetting whatsoever.

It is one of the BIG reasons why I've increased my scarcity quotient on Internet boards...even those occupied by friends.  I've just gotten to the point I cannot spare the energy to fight BS on a daily basis.  (Also a big reason I no longer watch TV or listen to the radio, read newspapers or magazines).

Sorry if you don't agree, but that's my experience in life. The point also was not one department responding differently, but rather the difference from a affluent area and a poorer area. My personal experiences support it as fact, no matter how much you wish it to be untrue. Your "been there, done it" doesn't change my "been there, done it".

[Flick James]

Live in a rich neighborhood and call the police because someone is breaking into your place, then go do the same in a poor neighborhood and see if the results vary.

I don't know who said this and I don't care enough to wade back through the thread to find it (I lifted it from one of Flick's posts on page 111).

This grinds my gears.  This is utter crap, and cannot be substantiated, en masse, across the board for all police agencies.  Maybe there are isolated cases, but I remain skeptical.

I used to work in law enforcement, and I KNOW from real life experience that someone breaking into a house got the Code 3 hardcore guns drawn treatment no matter what neighborhood.  Been there, done it.

People spouting off nonsense as if it were fact REALLY grinds my gears.  And sorry guys, but I hear this from the Left far more than from the Right.  It almost seems as if, nowadays and especially on the Internet, you say something "with authority" people assume it is true and never even bother to ask for any vetting whatsoever.

It is one of the BIG reasons why I've increased my scarcity quotient on Internet boards...even those occupied by friends.  I've just gotten to the point I cannot spare the energy to fight BS on a daily basis.  (Also a big reason I no longer watch TV or listen to the radio, read newspapers or magazines).

Sorry if you don't agree, but that's my experience in life. The point also was not one department responding differently, but rather the difference from a affluent area and a poorer area. My personal experiences support it as fact, no matter how much you wish it to be untrue. Your "been there, done it" doesn't change my "been there, done it".

I think he was trying to bring a different perspective. His main point was that your claim AND his claim should naturally be questioned because there is no authoritative evidence backing either. It's your experience versus his experience. Point taken here.

[ChaosTheory]

People getting into my personal m******f******* space! 
Case in point - I was in checking out at Target and when the cashier hands me my receipt I noticed that she'd accidentally charged me twice for an item. No big deal, but it takes a little while to correct it b/c she has to call a manager over for register approval etc.  So then the woman behind me comes up and is standing RIGHT THERE trying to get to the little stand where you run your card through, glaring over my shoulder at the cashier, like that's gonna make it go any faster! UGH! 

[Flick James]

People getting into my personal m******f******* space! 
Case in point - I was in checking out at Target and when the cashier hands me my receipt I noticed that she'd accidentally charged me twice for an item. No big deal, but it takes a little while to correct it b/c she has to call a manager over for register approval etc.  So then the woman behind me comes up and is standing RIGHT THERE trying to get to the little stand where you run your card through, glaring over my shoulder at the cashier, like that's gonna make it go any faster! UGH! 

Yeah, that drives me nuts too. But, you know, that will never go away because those same people are convinced that it DOES make a difference, and there's nothing you or I can say to convince them otherwise.

[ulthar]

Yeah, that drives me nuts too. But, you know, that will never go away because those same people are convinced that it DOES make a difference, and there's nothing you or I can say to convince them otherwise.

And likely they are the same people who think getting 12 inches off my bumper will make me drive faster, even when I'm behind someone (or a bunch of someones) that is going the same speed I am, and I can NOT go any faster else risk rear ending THEM.

Arrrrgggh.

[Flick James]

Yeah, that drives me nuts too. But, you know, that will never go away because those same people are convinced that it DOES make a difference, and there's nothing you or I can say to convince them otherwise.

And likely they are the same people who think getting 12 inches off my bumper will make me drive faster, even when I'm behind someone (or a bunch of someones) that is going the same speed I am, and I can NOT go any faster else risk rear ending THEM.

Arrrrgggh.

I've just learned to have fun with those people. I'll be driving behind a row of 5 or 6 cars, all going X miles per hour, and Mr. Hot Shot will come up behind me obviously wanting to go faster. There will be a gap in the lane to the right, and of course Mr. Hot Shot will swerve over and see if he can get past me. Mr. Hot Shot shoots ahead of me, and of course there is no room for him to cut in front of me (partly because I'm making it a point to make sure there is none), and ends up dropping slowly back because the lane to the right is moving slower anyway. I always flash a quick smile over to Mr. Hot Shot to let him know how aware I am that he is heading right back to where he started, jackass.

[Mr. DS]

People getting into my personal m******f******* space! 
Case in point - I was in checking out at Target and when the cashier hands me my receipt I noticed that she'd accidentally charged me twice for an item. No big deal, but it takes a little while to correct it b/c she has to call a manager over for register approval etc.  So then the woman behind me comes up and is standing RIGHT THERE trying to get to the little stand where you run your card through, glaring over my shoulder at the cashier, like that's gonna make it go any faster! UGH! 

My wife had a woman try to take her cart from her in a shopping parking lot.........while she was unloading it.  Oh did I forget to mention one of my kids was still in it.  That woman probably went deaf from the earfull my wife gave her and rightfully so. 

[Flick James]

"Reply to All" fails.

Actually, they crack me up too. It is absolutely mystifying.

What I'm referring to happened yesterday at work. One person, who meant well but didn't realize the mistake she was making, sent a piece of advise about an internal matter to a very large distribution list within my very large organization. Then one person hit "reply to all" and said "Please take me off this distribution list."

Then the snowball begins. Within 15 minutes, my inbox was filled with at least 40 emails with messages such as "Please take me off this list," "Please stop replying to all." Before long, people were replying to all to keep saying stop replying to all.

The idiocy of this phenomenon is what makes it at once annoying, amusing, and mystifying. Every one of those idiots truly believed that only their message, which was not in any way distinguishable from the 40 other "stop replying to all" message that preceded it, would be the one that everybody listened to. What causes this strange compulsion? What twisted part of our human nature causes this?

[AndyC]

"Reply to All" fails.

Actually, they crack me up too. It is absolutely mystifying.

What I'm referring to happened yesterday at work. One person, who meant well but didn't realize the mistake she was making, sent a piece of advise about an internal matter to a very large distribution list within my very large organization. Then one person hit "reply to all" and said "Please take me off this distribution list."

Then the snowball begins. Within 15 minutes, my inbox was filled with at least 40 emails with messages such as "Please take me off this list," "Please stop replying to all." Before long, people were replying to all to keep saying stop replying to all.

The idiocy of this phenomenon is what makes it at once annoying, amusing, and mystifying. Every one of those idiots truly believed that only their message, which was not in any way distinguishable from the 40 other "stop replying to all" message that preceded it, would be the one that everybody listened to. What causes this strange compulsion? What twisted part of our human nature causes this?

I had that happen a while ago, with somebody spamming a whole list of businesses like mine. Must have been a huge list. It went on for hours, and kept filling up the box, all these idiots freaking out about why they're getting all this mail and angrily demanding to be taken off the mailing list. Naturally, every one of these replies went to the entire list. There were plenty of "stop replying to all" messages too, but they seemed to just blend in with all the other angry shouting. I resisted the temptation for a long time, because I knew I could just make things worse. I finally sent out a carefully worded message with a carefully worded subject (that might actually induce someone to read), telling people that if they want to stop receiving these messages DO NOT REPLY IN ANY WAY, because all the demands for the flood to stop were keeping it going. TO STOP THESE EMAILS, DO NOT REPLY IN ANY WAY.

Seriously, anybody who bothered to look at the messages piling up should have been able to deduce what was happening. But a good number of the messages were indignantly demanding to know why they were getting all this junk. These people were either idiots or they were just impulsively firing off b!tchy replies without any thought or understanding of what was happening.

Anyway, the messages tapered off pretty quickly after that. Don't know if I had any effect, or everybody just finally got wise, gave up or whatever. It was later in the afternoon, so maybe it stopped when everybody started going home.