#22 - Where I'm Going is More Important Than Where You are Going

I know we all tend to be self-centered at times and forget that there are other people on this planet whom we should be considering before making a decision. I am notorious for being so focused when I am food shopping (mostly because I cannot stand food shopping) that I really block out everything and everyone around me. So, it would not be unusual for me to come flying around a corner of an aisle and have a near cart collision with an unsuspecting soul on the other side of the corner.  This collision would not cause one to be seriously injured or require a trip to the hospital. The way some people block others out when they drive, however, is another story! We've all been witness to these:

1. Oh no, is that my exit over there in the right lane, and I am going 65 mph in the left lane. Not a problem, I'll just cut over 3 lanes of traffic without looking and get off at my exit.
2. I don't know where I am going and I don't have GPS, so I will just slow down to a crawl at each corner and see if this is the block I should be turning on to, regardless of the cars behind me.

3. Oh, is this where I am supposed to get in the left turn lane??? Mmmm, I can't really see the street sign clearly, so let me just stop here in the middle lane and get a good look.

4. Oh, was that a stop sign I just shot through???!!!

5. I just got a new car and instead of reading the manual in my driveway, I thought it would save time & be more efficient & hands on, if I read it as I drive ever so slowly down the street.

This is one of those occasions where, when what we do can really have a tremendous impact on those around us (i.e. they could DIE), we need to be defensive - as in, drive defensively!

                                                             

#21 - Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

There are some people in this world who seem to be on a mission in life to disagree with you, no matter what.  You say black, they say white, just for the heck of it.  You know the type.
1. Wow! Isn't it beautiful out today?
      Well, it's a little cloudy and cool and I like it warmer.
2. Did you see that new sitcom last night? It was really funny!
      I don't like that actor at all. I read last night.
3. We're going to wine country in California for vacation this year.
      I've been to that exact place and it really wasn't that nice.
4. We have reservations for our anniversary at that new restaurant that takes forever to get in to.
     I've been there and the service & the food sucked.
5. Our coworker is really crabby today.
     Really, then it must be something with you because she was absolutely delightful with me.

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go
Oh, no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello, hello
I don't know why you say goodbye
I say hello
Hello, hello

                                                             
    
  

#20- Big Talk, No Action

Those of you familiar with Myers Briggs personality types know that an ESTJ such as myself are very organized, and when we set out to do something it gets done and in a timely fashion - as in, QUICKLY!  So, it is very difficult for my SJ personality to be in a room with people, who have all these grandiose ideas and waste my time talking about them, when the reality is, NONE of the ideas will ever come to fruition! To add insult to injury, those same big talkers who cannot seem to complete anything they start to do or even stay focused on their own job duties, will also find fault with the job others are doing and discuss ad nauseam, things that could be done to improve the outcome in the other person's area! Can we say, "FOCUS WITH ME"!!!???

                                                      

#19 - Express Line Cheaters

We've all been witness to grocery store fraud at the checkout line (and maybe, some of us have even been the ones guilty of committing the fraud).  You know what I'm talking about - Express Line - 12 items or less - designed for a quick check out when you only needed to buy a quart of milk and a loaf of bread and a stick of butter (remember that on Sesame Street, C & L!!!!).  I will say most times people abide by the express line rule, but there are instances when they do not.  And did you ever notice when the perpetrators are obviously guilty and they know it, how they behave? 

1) Let me just put these 20 items on the belt really really fast and then it doesn't count as too many.

2) If I don't make eye contact with anyone behind me, I won't get accused of being over the limit.

3) Let me pretend to count my items as I place them on the belt, and when all of them are on the belt, only then can I turn to the person behind me and exclaim, "oh, I didn't realize I had 54 items, would you like to go ahead of me?"

4) "Oh, am I on the Express Line?

5) Or the go-ahead-and-make-my-day-look, I am in a hurry so TS on you.

                                                                           

#18- Negative Nellies

*Author's Note: No postings over the weekend, as I thought it inappropriate to be posting pet peeves on the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

Things do not always go the way we want. Fact.

Life can sometimes be a bitch. Fact.

Taxes are draining. Fact.

People can be self-centered & mean-spirited. Fact.

To dwell on the negatives in life is not something I have ever done. It is what it is, is a philosophy I live by.  And if we do not like what is, then do something about it.  Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is not a method of living I condone.  And always finding fault with someone or something is a waste of time and energy. And in light of this past weekend's memorials for the 9-11 victims and their families, perhaps having a positive, joy-filled attitude of gratitude is something the Negative Nellies should try! Chico Negativo will be addressed on another day!

                                                                    

                                                                

#17 - People & Money

I know we all need money to survive in this world; for shelter, food, clothing; to put gas in our cars; for insurance, the list goes on.  And I know the topic of money may be coming up more frequently in conversations lately due to the poor economy.  However, when the first words out of someone's mouth is what they spent on something or how much they are making or how much they paid for a new car or or or...... I have no interest.  Not to say, I am jealous or envious.  Not in the least.  And it is not that I am not interested in things my friends are doing (i.e. building a new house or going on a wonderful trip). Sorry, but I went to high school in the late 60s, early 70s and have always had somewhat of a hippy mentality.  Fads are not my thing.  I wear what I want and what I like.  I do not have all the latest gadgets.  Do not have an iphone (yet; it is becoming harder and harder to find a regular cell!).  Do not have a Wii (oh wait, yes I do, I run up and down my stairs about 30x a day). Do not have an icemaker in my freezer (oh wait, yes I do, his name is Bob, my husband!).  Do not have a security system on my house (oh wait, yes I do, her name is Kalli, my dog!). I have pretty much always gone to my own drummer.  So, when someone starts going on and on about money & how much they have or what they are doing with it, I pretty much shut them off! 

                                                                

#16 - Weather Whiners

We human beings never seem to be content with things. If we have straight hair, we pay big bucks to go to the beauty parlor and get a perm; if we have curly hair we pay big bucks for products that will curb the curl and spend time with the hair dryer and flat iron to straighten it even more!  We admire people with certain personality traits and wish we could be like them.  If we are short, we wish we were tall.  If we are tall, we wish we were shorter.  So, why should our opinion on the weather be any different? In the middle of a Washington, DC summer, all we hear are words like scorcher, unbearable, 90+, high humidity, dog days of summer.  In the spring, all that is talked about is the pollen count (which in this area is unbelievably high - 3,000!!!!).  In the winter- frigid, bone-chilling, icy, schools closed, snarled traffic due to a half inch of snow, are just a few of the words one might hear.  These descriptions of what is going on are fine in themselves, but then the whining has to start!  The news anchors on TV are the worst.  Talk about getting people worked up for no reason.  It is what it is, and no amount of whining about it is going to make it go away! So, deal with it people and quit your whining!