Things That Grind My Gears

I must be a very optimistic person because I tend to handle my irritations rather well. I began keeping a list of scenarios that genuinely bother me, but as I compiled the list I noticed that the pet peeves didn’t bother me as much any more. Or rather, I began to see humor in the situation so I was able to laugh my way out of potential letdowns the next time that they happened.

The purpose of sharing the following scenarios is to hopefully allow you to see the ridiculous nature of the circumstances, and maybe the next time they happen to you, you’ll be able to laugh at the situation rather than let it affect you negatively. I tried to filter out common ones such as “stubbing my toe” or “biting my lip” so they should be fairly distinct yet common enough that you’ll be able to relate:

• When a cereal flake deflects the milk onto the counter while pouring.
• Inhaling too much air before the hot liquid that you’re cautiously trying to sip gets to your lips and having to breath out and start over.
• Liquid that accumulates in the cap threads of a juice (or water) bottle so the next time you open it, just enough leaks to drip down your chin as you drink.
• Having to back-track through diagonally parked cars.
• Paper toilet seat covers ripping in the wrong place when getting them ready for use.
• After parking your car, you try to turn just the engine off because you want to finish what is currently playing on the radio, but you accidentally turn off all the electronics and it takes forever to get the radio back on.
• Trying to pick up a piece of paper that you don’t want to ruin off of concrete.
• When cell phones situate themselves sideways in your front pocket.
• Powdered chocolate or sugar spilling onto the counter on its way from the container to your mug.
• Elevators that have too much of a delay between their initial slow down to when they actually stop and open the doors.
• Arriving in the back of a long line and having no one else add to the length of it the whole time that you’re there.
• Applauding after an airplane landing.
• Hangers that…
  • bow in the middle when used with heavy pants,
  • snag shirts when you try to slide them off,
  • swivel at the hook (because it aids its snagging with other hangers).
• Water dripping down your long-sleeve shirt while washing the dishes.
• Applications that steal focus while you’re typing in another one.
• Seeing that someone missed a belt loop.
• Faucets that are too close to the edge of the sink making it difficult to wash your hands without constantly hitting the far-end of the porcelain.
• Not receiving any calls throughout the entire day and then receiving several at the same time.
• Luggage tipping over while trying to roll it down the street.
• Trying to avoid people when walking through a crowded concourse.
• Water melon seeds on the floor. Good luck picking them up!
• Curled up phone cords beyond repair.

If you got a kick out of some of the irritations above, you might be interested in the movie High Strung. It’s a bit slow, but has some good moments. Jim Carey makes a little appearance as well.

August 8th, 2008 by Paulo
(13 Comments »)