That really gets my goat.

As much as the topic for this week’s Girl Talk Thursday excites me (Because who doesn’t enjoy a chance to gripe about the little things in life that send you to the brink?), I really don’t need something else to get me worked up right now…if you know what I mean.

However, I’m choosing to embrace this as a fun opportunity to let off a little steam.  So, I invite you to pull up a keyboard and play along.  This week, we’re talking about pet peeves. [Sound cue: nails on chalkboard]

 

 

BEING IGNORED.  I HATE to be ignored.  If I say something to you – do me the common courtesy of RESPONDING.  Even if it is just a “hmmm” or “huh” or “uh-huh” – do something to acknowledge my existence, please.  I cannot stand to be ignored.

BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO.  I experience a physiological response to being told what to do – and it is not pretty.  You can tell me to do something that I fully intended to do and blood rises in my body, making my face flush and my head throb.  I nearly bite my tongue in two to stop the reflexive, “DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO,” from blurting out.  I am more than happy to help you, cooperate with you, and pull my weight – but don’t - do not - TELL ME what to do.  I will thank you for kindly phrasing your needs in the form of a request, and I will be eager to play along.  Tell me what to do, though, and you are bound to see a bit of my ‘tude.

RUDENESS.  Can’t we all just get along?  Is it really necessary to snap at people? Lay on your horn when someone doesn’t take off like a bullet when the light turns green? Must you really treat others as though they are inferior to your supreme importance and awesomeness???  You really aren’t “all that”, you know.

DANGLING PREPOSITIONS.  Yes, I did just say that.  For those of you that may have unknowingly been violating my ears, dangling prepositions are not to be confused with dangling chads.  I have not always suffered from this particular grammatical intolerance**, but it is strong, nonetheless.  I cringe when I hear people say things like, “Where is the ______ at?”  Habits are hard to break, I understand, but please acknowledge that it is a habit that needs to be broken and work on doing better.  It is not uncommon that I, too, find myself stalling midsentence, realizing this string of words is not going to end well.  At such times, I write and rewrite until I can avoid any linguistic disasters.  I promise you, if you take the time to rephrase, you will sound a thousand times more educated and intelligent. 

And, the final peeve I’ll allow myself to diverge today…

JEANS THAT ARE MOST OBVIOUSLY TOO LONG AND HAVE BEEN WORN WITH HEELS SO THAT NOW THEY HAVE FUNKED-UP-RIPPED-UP-TORN UP HEMS – AND YET THE CHICK STILL WEARS THEM.

Ladies, I totally get that longer is leaner.  I’ve watched all the shows too that tell us that, in order to create a taller, thinner silhouette, only the tips of our toes and the very bottom of our heels should show from our pant legs.  However, you can be drop dead gorgeous, and look perfect everywhere – smooth hair, impeccable make-up, to-die-for purse, luscious necklace, a blouse that flatters every curve, an oh-so-stylin’ faded look to your second-skin jeans – but the second I notice the hem of your jeans looks like someone’s rabid dog used it for as a teether, and I watch the streamers of your once intact denim hem trail after you, the image is ruined.  Like throwing a stone at a mirror, the once perfect picture of modern beauty is shattered.  Now, you just look like some girl who maxed out her Amex on her Coach bag and can’t afford a new pair of jeans.  I’m sorry your friends haven’t told you this sooner, but it’s true.

 

**Please note that stringing together multiple descriptive phrases is nowhere on my list of pet peeves.  Also, you will also not find inventive spelling, creative capitalization, or clever omission of spaces.  These grammatical infractions are all perfectly acceptable.  Well, at my discretion.**

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zarprey/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0