smallish rant....

[houseelf]

It is time for a little therapy. Do you have any rant that if you were to admit in real life, it would expose you for the smallish troll that you are? Let's let 'em rip here.

Because I'm having a roll on : types of posts today, I'll start.

1) What is up with being the "treat mom" for our kids' sports? When we were kids, we were lucky to cajole our parents into a quarter for some gum if we were lucky. Now we parents get "assigned" a day to bring treats to t-ball, soccer, and the like. I am not one of these granola-y type moms whose kids never touch sugar, but the treats that are provided are all crap and exceed the calories expended in the activity. This new-found practice wastes both money and good nutrition. There is more than one kid on DS's four and five year old t-ball team who doesn't need the crap calories of an entire bottle of Snapple and Doritos.

Of course, I don't speak up, because I don't want to be the freaky mom.

::

2) What is up with tip jars everywhere for every smallish thing? Dude, you got me an ice cream cone. Let's get real. Either that or I'm sitting a tip jar out at my desk and anyone who comes in and annoys me will be directed to it.

::

See what a smallish human being I am? I need my housecoat, curlers, and my voice box to go along with my bad attitude.

Can anyone join me with your secret snarliness? Or am I the only one?

:: :: ::

Kelly

[DCJenn]

I'll add my annoyance (is that a word?) of the day-

When crossing the street, with the little dude flashing and say 35 seconds to go (ours are on timers in the city)- why do I get the evil eye for being in the crosswalk? Hmmmm? I'll tell you why- because no one in this city is from here and NO ONE knows how to handle people crossing the street. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been nearly run over by some mini-van full of tourists who pay NO attention to people in the cross walks.

(As crappy as DC residents can be, we at least know you get a really nasty ticket for running over pedestrians...)

Jenn

and, furthermore- just because I'm pushing a jogging stroller and/or walking a dog does not mean I'm the universal symbol for "resident of the District of Columbia who can give us directions to the National Musuem that is really directly in front of us, but because we're tourists, we have forgotten how to read a flippin' map." I swear to God, I end up giving directions every single time I'm on the Mall. I think I'm going to have shirts made that say "The Library of Congress is across the street to the right of the National Archives which is next door to the Supreme Court which is across the street from the Capitol which is next to the Union station. The Museums are in the following order from the left: American History, Natural History, National Gallery (both wings), crossing the streets- you'll find the Museum of the American Indian, the Air and Space, the Hirschorn, the African Art is behind the Castle. The Holocaust is the big white museum with the Star of David...The big f-ing pencil IS the Washington Monument, the WWII is behind it, but in front of Vietnam and Korea. You'll end at Lincoln. Yes, that really is the White House, and yes, it does look smaller in real life...No, the water in front of the Capitol is NOT the reflecting pool. The reflecting pool is that body of water that, umm...reflects- both the Lincoln and the Washington. The Jefferson and Roosevelt are on the Tidal Basin, not the waterfront. Yes, that is a motorcade- but no probably not the president.

sorry...I feel so much better. Please, come and visit any time.

[houseelf]

Oh thank you Jenn!

Instead of the "Golden Girls" we can be the "Gripe-y girls".

Kelly

Wow, Jenn, that would be a lot to fit on a t-shirt! Maybe it should just say: Even though it looks like I live here, I don't. I am annoyed in general by cities with drivers not accustomed to pedestrians and/or not ped friendly (New Orleans gets a big raspberry on that one).

Kelly:
1) No sports snacks here (yet). Hopefully the general granola nature of my digs will mean better snacks. If someone wants to give my kid a Snapple and a bag of Doritos then they can take her home and deal with the aftermath! What happened to oranges?

2) That drives me crazy, too.

I'm sure I would have a good list if I could just remember all of them.

[houseelf]

ohhh...we can all add, "ohhh....you're a dawkter's wife...you'll be rollin' in it soon."

Yup, as soon as we can collect social security, we will be SET!~

Kelly

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I think you're right, Annie! Maybe it will be soy milk and rice cakes. (For the most part, I love the granola tree-hugger nature of my new home ).

You don't have to almost run off the road if a pedestrian waves at you to alert you to a stray dog in the street. You can move your foot over to that pedal to the left of the gas.

If a car has its left signal on and is showing you their brake lights, you might not want to get all pissed and try to pass them in a no passing zone as they are about to turn into their drive way.

Its a school zone. Going 25 won't kill you, but doing 50 might kill a kid.

Not cutting taxes is NOT the same as rasing them.

I totally agree on the tip jar thing ... and you get looks that make you feel like a jerk if you don't do it.

I'm also annoyed (and this may make me a cheap, small person) about the assumed tipping for delivery people (of furniture, movers, etc.). These people are not paid minimum wage (or less than as with hair stylists and servers) - movers can make some good coin! Am I the last person to be made aware of this tradition? REAL SIMPLE magazine says that a tip of something like 10% is customary for a move to be split between the team. My move is estimated to cost $11K, which means an $1100 tip!!!!!!! (they're packing and moving - paid for by dh's new job). I'm sorry - but that is simply not going to happen! I'll order pizza for the guys, but that's about it. I would LOVE to be able to tip generously (okay - maybe not that generously, but I'm not a miser), but I simply can't swing it!

[Sheherezade]

Our snack rotation in Boston simply told us to "Bring the oranges and water" . No creativity required. Here, we are seeing the junk at snack time but we aren't involved because DH is a coach. We still bring the oranges. Oranges are actually more popular than the rest.

My smallish rant:

Why does every one have things done "professionally" these days?? Honestly -- since when did it become too difficult to paint your own nails? Or clean you own house? Or teach your children to swim? Or walk your own dog? Or plant your own garden? It seems to me that we have become such a service ecomony that we now pay people to do all the things my grandparents did for themselves. I feel like there is something wrong with me (or that I am..boohoo...simply too poor!) if I attempt anything on my own. Give me a break already. Not everything needs to be done professionally. Jeesh.

Thanks Kelly -- I do feel better.

Angie, I agree....but at the same time, I like some of those services! I have wondered that too -- is our economy starting to just exist on us....er...servicing each other?
Maybe what it is.....is the presentation of the services? Swim lessons at the rec center are one thing, but around here there are these really expensive kids intensive swim programs for about 3x the cost of the rec center.
Before we moved, we got a flier for a trash can cleaning service. Really, I am not making this up. For $3 per can or something, they come by after the trash pick up and clean and disinfect your trash can every other week. The entreprenuerial spirit in action!

[Meenah]

I am too poor, but if I had the money I hope I would still do most of the work I already do (except the lawn )
Luanne

[PrincessFiona]

Man, I'm lovin' these rants....

Here's mine...I hate incompetent people that don't even care that they are useless. You know the ones....they either don't 'get it' that they are total screw ups ( me )or they just don't care.

I have run into a rash of these situations lately that have just totally built up. They range from ordering a diet coke and plain cheeseburger in the drive-thru and driving away to realize that I've been given a 'real' coke and cheeseburger with all the fixin's to the latest event that resulted in me having a half-hysterical mini melt-down. :!

I'm mortified, but here's what happened...and I'm sure my behavior would fit nicely into someone else's rant!

Andrew has Physical Therapy 2x weekly on Mondays and Thursdays. For a variety of reasons, we have not gone for the last 3 Thursdays, so I called Thursday to confirm my appt.

"I just want to Confirm Andrew's appt. for 3.30 with Mrs. x"
"How do you spell Andrew's last name?"
"M-A-T-H"

"Yes, Andrew has an appt. with Mrs. X at 3.30"

I wrote it down in my calendar AS she repeated it back to me and let the kids know that we needed to leave in an hour to get to his appt. I spent the time cleaning up the kitchen and then loaded the kids in the van. When we arrived, we went to the front desk and the woman informed me that we had missed our appt....It had been at 3pm. So I said "I called at 2.15 and CONFIRMED" the time. "Sorry maam, there is nothing I can do".

I lost it...slowly....I stated again that I had called and confirmed for 3.30 and that I wanted to speak with the receptionist that had handled the call. I was told that they would have no way of knowing who that was. (They have 4 receptionists...how hard can it be???) So...I basically..said that :! and demanded to talk to that person.

I just stood there and I was so upset that I was actually...shaking I know what I said, and I know what the receptionist had told me.

So finally, the woman sitting next to the person I was talking to said "You talked to me...and you definitely called to confirm for 3pm" She was lying. I turned to her and said "I said 3.30...I thought that the appt. was at 3.30!". She got really sarcastic and rude and said "YOU said THREE" and turned her back and walked off.

So...being the elegant, calm, controlled person that I am, I basically had a temper tantrum right there. I"m so embarassed. I pretty much informed them that I was sick of the problems with this PT practice and that we weren't coming back.

Unfortunately, I found out later that our insurance will only pay for the PT at this group...so I had to get over myself.

I called the physical therapist (who is very nice) and explained that we had been at the appointment and that I had called earlier to confirm etc. The real kicker...she had not had anyone scheduled at 3.30 and said she would have been more than willing to see Andrew then if they had just notified her that he had arrived.

This one particular receptionist is a piece of work and I had several problems with her in the beginning because she kept screwing up the scheduling. We would schedule an appt. get an appt. card and then show up at the scheduled time only to be informed that we had no appointment in the computer. This happened twice and so Thomas complained. She is the same one who did this with the 3pm and 3.30pm thing and I think it was intentional.

People truly do suck....myself included.

kris

[Auspicious]

Why does every one have things done "professionally" these days?? Honestly -- since when did it become too difficult to paint your own nails? Or clean you own house? Or teach your children to swim? Or walk your own dog? Or plant your own garden? It seems to me that we have become such a service ecomony that we now pay people to do all the things my grandparents did for themselves. I feel like there is something wrong with me (or that I am..boohoo...simply too poor!) if I attempt anything on my own. Give me a break already. Not everything needs to be done professionally. Jeesh.

I know! You can even get someone to carry out your hobbies for you! I know someone who professes to love gardening, is really into her garden and constantly talks about it, blah blah blah. but she has a gardner who comes in and does the vast majority of the work for her! Her actual hobby is more like supervising the gardening or owning the garden or something.

Once on an "I hate my job" day my friend was kicking around ideas for alternative careers she could do and she says "Or I could be one of those people who plans out other people's vacations."
"Like a travel agent?"
"No no, you can get someone to plan out every detail, like what you do each day and everything."
"Do people want someone else to do that? Don't they enjoy deciding that for themselves?"
And she looks at me like I'm naive and says "Rich people want someone else to do everything for them." And evidently this woman standing nearby was overhearing our entire conversation, because she suddenly burst out laughing.

Why does every one have things done "professionally" these days?? Honestly -- since when did it become too difficult to paint your own nails?

I fess up...I got a pedicure this morning...I just hate shelling out the $30 for a pedi but, sadly, I can no longer reach my toes!

I hate those tip jars, too. I'm not expected to tip at McDonald's, so why should I be expected to tip at Starbucks?? Oh, that's right, it takes some extra special talent to make up an iced latte!

Kris, I cannot stand incompetent people, either! Last night I ordered a bean and cheese burrito w/ red sauce from Taco Bell and they forgot to put the red sauce on it. I mean, really, the burrito only consists of a tortilla, beans, cheese, AND red sauce.....it can't really be THAT difficult to get it right!

Here are a few more things that just irritate me to no end.....

1. What is up with those people who drive below the speed limit then all of a sudden speed up when I try to pass them?

2. I hate those people who park in the red zone or just make up their own parking space because they are just too damn lazy to walk.

3. Don't get in the 10 items or less lane if you really don't have 10 items or less. And, no.....20 jars of the same type of baby food do not count as one item. And, if you forgot to throw something in your cart, don't hold up the rest of the line while you send your 6 year old to fetch whatever it was that you forgot. And while the checker is scanning your groceries, please get your cash or credit card out or start filling out your check so you are ready to pay.

I'm sure I could go on and on.....

[Sheherezade]

Let me clarify so you all don't think I'm talking about you! I know you guys "keep it real". My difficulty is with the people who think you HAVE to participate in the "professional" culture or you are somehow beneath them. I have no problem with luxury on occassion -- as long as you recognize it as such and don't consider it necessity. So -- everyone enjoy your manicures and pedicure. Just don't snicker at the one my daughter gave me this morning.