The Daily Peeve / Rant

[Stella]

Mine is my same old rant rearing its ugly head again. I am tired of people being hurt and offended that my family takes up a lot of my time. I make a real effort to be as available to my friends as possible, but I always seem to fall short of my friend's expectations. Today a friend was upset that I was mostly unavailable during my recent roadtrip. Between my four kids and visiting all of my relatives, I was quite busy.

I don't think I would take it personally if a friend didn't call me or e-mail me while they were on vacation visiting family. I would actually be surprised if they did. I don't
really know what to do with this. I can't be perpetually available.

[Tiam]

Speaking as an extrovert, I think the subtextual message in the invitation was that this pereon would really like to get to know you. May I recommend that you respond to that invitation, and then frame your need for alone time? You don't need to comply with an invitation to appreciate the intent... what pops to mind is something like this: 'thank you! I appreciate your kindness. Right now what I really need most is some quiet time, which I can imagine you understand.'


...

Good lord! That really sounds subtextual!! I liked Mira's response better. I used to struggle with being social. To be truthful, I am really awful at it. And it's bothered me all my life. It's not that I don't like people, I'm just not good at it. I'm at an age now where I not only accept it, but embrace it. This doesn't mean I don't like people, I'm just happier being very private. I go out with friends occasionally, but love to be alone, really.

[Amaranth]

Stella, it might help if you manage expectations similarly to the way people do when out of the office. "Our family will be on vacation from X to Y. We will have limited access to email while we are gone. We will answer emails a few days after we return. Hope you have great holidays and a Happy New Year!"

Also for in town friends that would like more time than you currently have available, it might help to connect groups of them that have similar availability or interests to each other. That way you can say "I'm booked up for this week, but I bet Mary would enjoy doing that with you."

[Juicifer]

I love those people that go to a tankstation and have ALL their lottery tickets checked by at 8 am in the morning when everybody is in a hurry.

My biggest one really is: people responding in such an idiotic way when I show interest in something they sell. When I email: 'how much are you asking for this?' and a second question: 'What is your telephone number', the respons is: "IM HOME TIL NINE, CAL ME' (of course in capitals because their obese fingers touched the wrong button on their cellphone). I always email back: "Do you want my money or not?" leaving out "DUMMY".

Seriously, one day I had enough money to buy a few gold rings from someone on a Facebook online yard sale. They claimed a particular ring was 28k gold and had real diamonds. Now, I'm not illiterate in the gold world so I asked them by email if they had any certificates to prove their statements. Not a very unusual question in my opinion.
This is the answer I got back (again including capitals, I'm not kidding):' AL MY RINGS HAVE BEEN GIFTS OVER THE YEARS AND THE PERSON WHO GAVE THEM TO ME IM NO LONGER WITH SO IF THERE IS A PAPER(S) HE HAS THEM... ' So, I'm wondering, I have about $2,000 cash in the house and I am interested in something you are selling, do you really think I'm enticed by your answer? No! I only run away! Dummy.

It's not only people on Kijiji or local online advertisers, Manulife gave me the vaguest answer ever when I asked where to go to get an RESP for my kids. I was so annoyed that I emailed her back the same question: "Do you want my money or not? I only need to know where to go so I can give YOU my money!" I got an email back with an excuse and the rest of her email was a copy of her previous answer. I then went online with TD Financial and 15 minutes later they had a new customer! Yay!

Are you still there? We went to buy a new couch. In the city is Leon's, a big furniture house with almost modern couches and YES we found a couch. But the sales man wouldn't sell it to us? I took out a bundle of twenties and I asked him if he was really a salesman. But no, he wouldn't sell it because it was a sofa and loveseat and he could only sell it together. So he said. I was surprised. So when I found another salesman I took him to the couch and asked him if he could sell it to me and I would pay cash. The first salesman approached us when SalesMan no. 2 said 'Okay'. I smirked at SalesMan no. 1 and said: "See, HE wants my money!"

[iris lily]

I do not understand where all of these people get twins. So now, a couple in our social circle, similar to our age have their second set of twin grandchildren. TWO SETS OF TWINS! And do not suggest that their genes produce them because the first set of twins were definately designer babies: they were born to a female surrogate for a dual-male couple.

My brother said it recently, and now I believe him: twins are the latest fashion statement in progeny.

In case you can't figure out what exactly is my rant, well, neither can *I*! ha ha ha. I guess it may be one of those generic "our times, they are a changin' and I don't like it" rants. Or maybe I just want me a set of twin grandbabies.

[AmeliaJane]

Yet although twins are so much more common these days, they still fascinate people to the point of intrusiveness. We have fraternal girl twins in the family and their parents get tons of questions (twin babies seem to be most interesting, though--questions seem to be tapering off as the girls age although that's probably because it's getting harder and harder to tell, and also since they're not in a double stroller any more they aren't always together.)

[SiouzQ.]

I am wondering what is it about me that pretty much every single job I've had in my working life I start having some big issues with it after about two years...I always end up working in the retail sector in what on the surface are very cool local businesses, but then they turn out to be very dysfunctional. However, that also happened when I worked for a large department store chain. My current job involves dealing with an 81 year old business owner who has had his business for 50 years and absolutely cannot let go even though it is falling apart around him. We (the employees) we are seeing some signs of dementia; physically, the stress of it is making him sick but he refuses to deal with the reality of the situation. It's too much to go into right now but I am stressed out.
Hmmm, maybe the universe is telling me that I need to be self-employed... somehow...I'm feeling very discouraged about the whole situation tonight because I have to deal with him all day tomorrow and Sunday.

[Stella]

Ugh. Between the adjustment from being home from our long trip and the adjustment from Zach going back to school there has been a lot of testing going on from a certain 2.5 year old in this house. I'm about done with it.

[JaneV2.0]

Libraries used to be handsome buildings that looked like temples to learning. Now they look like warehouses or minimum-security prisons--with pretty much the same noise level. Coincidence? I think not.

That said, I need to figuratively trot over to the gratitude thread to thank the voters of my region for supporting every levy that comes along to build arguably the strongest library system in the country. Good work, peeps!

[Azure]

DS is a high school senior. Senioritis has struck - big time! He's driving me out of my mind!!! Lost watches, lost phones, stolen wallet (his own fault). Last night he lost his ipod touch. Forgets his running clothes when he goes to school. Didn't check to make sure that neither of his dual enrollment courses were cancelled. Found out at the last minute one was. And only because someone called him. Which is unusual. It did work out in our favor but there were 2 days of chaos in the mean time. Meeting deadlines for college stuff by the skin of his teeth. Forgot to have ACT send his latest scores to his colleges of choice. Costing us extra money to have it done. AAARRRGGGGHHHH