Pet Peeves

We've all got 'em. And I have a lot of peeves. Gum smackers, candy wrapper crinklers, people who hack and cough and sneeze and make nasty noises in restaurants (God, do us all a favor and stay home! I don't want to hear the phlegm in your throat!)

Let's see ... I'm sure there's more. Kids that chew with their mouths open and the parent thinks it's funny. Driving in cars with cell phones. No thought whatsoever of using a turn signal. People who drive in left lanes ... for no damn good reason. Tailgaters. Speeders. Loud cars. Loud music in cars that invades my space. TV on all day.

People who can't clean the crumbs off their kitchen counters ... or keep their dishes in the sink for more than a day ... or don't wipe the grease off their appliances. Dirty bathrooms. Neighbors that slam their car doors or honk in the driveway late at night. Or a neighbor kid that bounces his basketball late at night. Or a neighbor that can't shut his dog up. Or a constant barking dog kept on a chain ... cruel to the animal ... just plain evil. People who smoke and drop their ashes everywhere.

People who talk in movies. People who kick the back of my seat in movies or in church. People who stop in the middle of a grocery store aisle. People who talk loud in public (like everybody's interested in what they have to say.) Truck drivers that cut me off. Old people that think they can drive. People who can't close doors, or drawers. Fingerprints on the walls. Junk drawers. Moody people. (I could go on, but I think I'll stop here.)

Oh, wait ... Howard Stern and Jerry Springer and Judge Judy ... and a few others. Jerry Falwell and Binny Hinn and John Hagee ... and a few others.

Talk about extremes.

Sorry, can't forget about this one. Babies crying in restaurants. For the past few years, I've sat in the smoking section (not that I care for cigarette smoke, either) but I'll take it over a crying baby any day. Listen, I had two kids. I know you need to get out once in a while ... but hire a sitter when they're in high chairs or too young to listen when you say, "Hush! You’re too noisy!"

I've asked waitresses to seat me anywhere but around a baby, and don't you dare sit one next to me after I'm seated. I'll move or get up and leave. And I mean it. I've done it. I've had many ruined meals because some parent can't stand the thought of leaving their child home. It's not the baby's fault. Not at all. Poor little thing. But parents ... get a clue ... us older folks ... we done raised our kids! We don't want to hear yours scream and ruin our meals. It drives me nuts. I pay for a nice dinner out with my husband and friends ... I don't pay to hear somebody’s kid scream, cry, and throw a hissy fit.

That includes taking kids to movies, church, grocery stores, and any other public place. Does that mean you have to stay home all the time?

Pretty much. Yeah. You had them. Find a sitter. Or stay home.

I'm sure I can think of a few more.

But my biggest pet peeve? Fat people like me that think they know everything.

Blessings to you and yours.