The Minor Annoyances of Modern Life!

[Chris Scott]

Grumpy old man time!
A thread for those who like me find some things in modern life annoying not in a life threatening way but one that sets your teeth on edge!
Any offers?
I will start off with this which drives me mad.....
On the rare occasion I watch "reality" TV - the likes of X Factor, Britain's Got Talent etc - what for God's sake is the origin of the audience clapping, shouting, screaming and cheering not only at the beginning and/or end of a song, but all the way through it!
It seems to be now that the mere fact that the singer actually hits a note in tune is cause for raptures of applause and shouting. Not only is this, in my opinion, very disrespectful to the singer but means that the audience can hear very little if any of the song.
Mind you, on some of these shows that is probably no bad thing...

[Howard Brown]

Weather Report

Not sure how the U.K. reports their local weather, Chris...but what irritates this grumpy old bastard to the nth degree is how an impending snowfall is turned into the Last Days of friggin' Pompeii !
People in the Northeast US know all about snow and don't need the warnings the radio ( I don't have or watch television...and I'm sure its just as awful as ever ) commentators dispense every 5 minutes or so when 4 or 5 inches is expected.
40 years ago, the weather reporters would simply say, "Uh, yeah...we're expecting 12-15 inches tonight and through to tomorrow morning, so get busy preparing for some accumulation."

What the hell was necessary other than that ? Just get your shovel, gloves, and boots and put 'em by the front door !
Nowadays, they make it seem like the fukcing earth is going to collapse due to 6 inches of the stuff.
Same thing with impending heavy rainfall. Like its gonna be a 50 day monsoon or something.

Same thing with the heat in Summer....and this "heat index" crap.


Who needs a couple of putzes in long sleeved shirts and in an air conditioned studio reminding you every 5 minutes..."Its 98 degrees in Philadelphia today and 99 in southern Montgomery County.
However, according to the heat index, it's going to feel like 104, when we factor in the humidity and the carbon monoxide level and the blah blah blah...
"Thanks for that report,Sue...it sure is a scorcher today, isn't it ?
"Sure is, Doug....let's remind all our listeners to have water or juice handy...try to avoid alcohol and let's be sure to periodically check on our pets and senior citizens..."

Lemme tell ya...the cat was getting too old anyway...and Grandpa is on his own.
I do appreciate the suggestion about having water close at hand, because stupid me was ready to guzzle down a kupla gallons of hot chocolate.

Of course, I don't have a gun to my head to listen to the news channel....

[Robert Linford]

Bars of chocolate that don't open properly. You go to tear off the end of the wrapper and you're still left with half of the wrapper covering the end of the chocolate. Plastic packets of cheese that you have to take a knife to in order to open. Ditto bacon. Packets of biscuits that always have the end biscuit broken. Yesterday I bought some cream egg lollies (ice cream covered in chocolate). Unfortunately one bite and the chocolate cracks and starts to fall off. Sometimes it's the actual impossibility of shopping - why must they always be restocking the very shelf I want to look at? And then there are the shoppers themselves - e.g. people who wait to check their bill till they are actually at the door of the shop and can hence block the exit. It's almost as though it's deliberate.

I get very grumpy sometimes.

[Robert Linford]

How, over here they start off by telling you what the weather HAS been. And then when they finally get down to the forecast, they lose no opportunity of telling you if there's a sporting event on, e.g. "It's going to be fine and bright in London, ideal weather for the Test match at Lord's."

[Phillip Walton]

The worst thing about supermarket check outs are the shoppers who continue packing their purchases after everything has been scanned and then digs into the bags to look for a purse and then seems to keep each coin in a separate compartment.

[Tracy Ianson]

actually hits a note in tune is cause for raptures of applause and shouting. Not only is this, in my opinion, very disrespectful to the singer but means that the audience can hear very little if any of the song.
Mind you, on some of these shows that is probably no bad thing....

LOL

I don't watch any of them but apprently there is a new I'm a celebrity, now this I don't get, you would have to pay me a small fortune to eat a kangaroo's anus...they don't need this money, so it is even worse, they are doing it for the 'fame' leave me in obscurity is what I say!!!

Even though I am not a man - my one moan would be about a man, I give you one word- Nigel!!!!

At 2am this morning I was woken up to a drunken rant off him...because the toilet roll was placed on top of the toilet and not on the holder, I kid you not....fricking muppet that he is! So if I am not at my most excellent today blame Nige not me.

[Belinda]

People walking round with mobile phones glued to their ears.Vending machines that won't take five cent pieces and bottles that have the lids welded onto them Those stupid scanner things instead of proper cash registers Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Phillip Walton]

And microwave meals with film lids that refuse to peal off when you want to eat the food..

[Tracy Ianson]

When you are waiting for food at a takeaway and the person who phoned it in gets priority.... we made the effort to come here and get it!!

When people knock on your door to sell you stuff when you blatanly have the big red sticker that's says they can't do it....although I just take Kita to the door with me now, works a treat, he loves Jehovas witnesses.....them, they don't like Kita as much

[Howard Brown]

Photo Development

It ain't easy doing anything anymore.
I recently took a roll of film ( the photos I took of the Drexel Convention) to the local pharmacy to get developed. Sort of like going to a camera shop for some aspirin.
The dude asks me whether I want a scrapbook of the photos, whether I want 2 copies or 4, whether I want enlarged photos....I just told him I want one copy regular size.
He asked me might I want one 8 x 11 of whatever photo I handed him or maybe a oval shaped mini-photo for a locket or some shit. Again, I just said no.
Turns out none of the photos turned out...but my point is, is that these dorks don't take no for an answer.

The biggest annoyance recently are the phone calls from people trying to sell you on an alternative electric company. I'm telling you...they are relentless.
What they do now is call you...you pick up the phone and say "hello...".
They then tell you..."Please stand by...someone from So N So alternative electric will be with you shortly..."
I'm currently looking for one of those airhorns they use at sporting events and the next time one of these pain in the asses calls me, they're going deaf. Mark my words.

[Belinda]

Telemarketers

How The Horn's a great idea but contemplate this one too. A friend of mine tells them to hold on while she goes and does something then she leaves them waiting for ten minutes.

[Tracy Ianson]

Commercial breaks...how many do you need through one program!!!

[Robert Linford]

Tracy, do you keep your toilet rolls in knitted woolly holders depicting a poodle or somesuch? Never understood the point of those.

I have from time to time been plagued by phone calls asking me if I've had an accident. These are normally from India. I think the next time it happens I'll say "Well, I was walking along and tripped on a raised paving stone. I didn't fall or injure myself so I can't sue the council. But the reason I didn't fall was that a passer-by grabbed hold of me and stopped me falling. So can I sue the passer-by for the money I would have got from the council?"

[Tracy Ianson]

Hi Robert

Nope - just a normal everyday chrome holder that comes with the soap dish and tooth brush holder - can you believe I am actually the sane one in the relationship

I remember when I was young my aunty had a knitted flamenco dancer one...?! you have to ask why?!

I rememebr slipping in a pizza shop and breaking my wrist in 3 places a few year back, my claim was refused.... because he didn't have insurance.

Tracy

[Jennifer Shelden]

When I HAVE PRESSED THE BUTTON and have patiently waited at some trafic lights, when some knobjob comes along and then presses the button, like i hadnt thought of it then looks all smug when the lights change, at the point they WOULD HAVE ANYWAY!!!