What little things drive you completely up the wall....?

[BabylonSister]

Cities, large-ish and up, that don't have big public street map for the tourists. Not everybody has a smartphone with GPS.  I was in Springfield today and even though I had looked up the area on Google Maps yesterday, somehow I couldn't find the street I was looking for.  They had plenty of lovely and interesting signs about Abraham Lincoln but I really wanted to find the Post Office.    (I did, eventually, but only because I walked all the streets in the vicinity.)

[diesel_darlin]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

[Adelaide]

My parents/grandparents are constantly commenting on my weight. However, for the last few years it's been the same five or ten pounds that I lose without thinking about it and then regain. Every time I go home it's always some thing with my weight-"Oh, you lost weight, you look good". And then the next time they won't say anything because I've gained it back. Then I go home again, having lost the same ten pounds and it's "Oh, you've lost more weight!"

No, no I haven't. I have been losing and finding the same five or ten pounds for five years. If I'd actually lost weight all those times they said I did, I'd be in the negatives.

That being said, I think that's why I waited so long to genuinely start losing (and keeping off) weight with a diet. I'm sick of people commenting on it like it's their business. The odd part is that when I hit a certain weight, like I did in high school, everyone immediately starts chastising me: "You don't need to lose any more weight, you'll be too thin." Thanks for that, I'll log that away. Yes, I'm sure that having another helping of fatty, sugary dessert would be the best thing for me. 

[Diane AKA Traska]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

"Now, don't get mad, but..." was one of Mom's *favorite* buttons.

[diesel_darlin]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

"Now, don't get mad, but..." was one of Mom's *favorite* buttons.

This falls along the lines of "Im not trying to be mean, but.... OR No offense......but......."


Thanks for reminding me of more things that drive me bonkers! 

[Diane AKA Traska]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

"Now, don't get mad, but..." was one of Mom's *favorite* buttons.

This falls along the lines of "Im not trying to be mean, but.... OR No offense......but......."


Thanks for reminding me of more things that drive me bonkers! 

She also liked, whenever I'd play with the cat "don't hurt her!", despite the fact I NEVER hurt an animal in my entire lifetime.

[diesel_darlin]

She wouldnt enjoy watching me play with my cat. I swear sometimes I think my cat is a masochist.

[Thipu1]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

'You must be angry about this'.
'  I'm not angry' (said calmly and in all honesty)
'Oh, no.  I know you're angry'
'I am not angry!'
'Of course you are'.
(on and on it goes until...)
'&$@?&!  I am not angry!'
'See, I was right.  You're VERY angry'.

[Allyson]

Whenever my brother and I disagreed about anything, we'd hear 'Stop fighting!' Even if it was something like what movie we liked better. This was really frustrating, it felt like we couldn't have any discussion at all.

Also when I debate about certain topics, I find I need to make myself sound *extra* calm or some people will accuse me of getting too emotional/angry (it's almost always gender issues, too, go figure). I think some people are just expecting a certain response.

Though in the case of my friend who says everyone has 'yelled' at her, she tends to see every story through a lens of 'so and so was mean to me!' Which is it's own thing.

[RingTailedLemur]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

'You must be angry about this'.
'  I'm not angry' (said calmly and in all honesty)
'Oh, no.  I know you're angry'
'I am not angry!'
'Of course you are'.
(on and on it goes until...)
'&$@?&!  I am not angry!'
'See, I was right.  You're VERY angry'.

That's exactly it!  A friend of mine is a therapist and offers anger management.  He says some of the worst things you can say to someone you suspect is irritated are things like "don't be angry", "chill out", "calm down".  "Calm down" in particular makes me go off like a rocket.

[2littlemonkeys]

Static electricity!  Now that the cold weather has set in, every single time I get out of my car, I get shocked when I touch the car door.  Every time!

Irritating!

Oh, I'm right there with you.  I'm waging a losing battle with static electricity.  Every time I moved yesterday, my hair stuck out.  And my earbuds keep shocking me if I cuddle up in a blanket.  And my poor skin is a mess, even with lotion.

[snowflake]

The trouble is, if I am not angry but someone says "don't be angry", that in itself makes me angry!  Then I can't win, because as far as they are concerned they are right.

YES! This drives me insane. "chill out" applies as well.

'You must be angry about this'.
'  I'm not angry' (said calmly and in all honesty)
'Oh, no.  I know you're angry'
'I am not angry!'
'Of course you are'.
(on and on it goes until...)
'&$@?&!  I am not angry!'
'See, I was right.  You're VERY angry'.

I HATE this.  I've learned some lessons the hard way in life and I will definitely say that I'm not angry about them anymore, but I also don't want to experience them again.  So whenever I hold boundaries, some people will tell me to "get over it" or "let go of the anger."  Oh, yeah.  Because if I don't bend over backwards for them without a single thought for myself and my family I MUST be doing it out of petty, seething, spite. 

Normally my reaction is to say, "Oh freakin' grow up!" which will make THEM mad and we go into a downward spiral from there.

[turtleIScream]

I cannot find the water filter for our fridge anywhere! I saw it a month ago when I was rearranging the kitchen cabinets and made a mental note of where it was stored. The change filter light came on last night, and we've looked everywhere with no luck!

Arghh! Just had a lightbulb moment, opened the closet and found... the humidifier filters.

[Shalamar]

whenever I'd play with the cat "don't hurt her!", despite the fact I NEVER hurt an animal in my entire lifetime.

My parents' cat was a stray when they found her, and she must have been mistreated, because she is VERY skittish around people she doesn't know.  When I visited with my kids, who were 9 and 7 at the time, the cat took one look at them and fled.  My mother cornered me in the kitchen and said "I know they probably don't mean to do it, but could you please ask the girls to not scare Sammy?"  I said "Mum, they didn't do anything to Sammy.  They walked into the livingroom, and she ran away like her tail was on fire."  Mum obviously didn't believe me and said "Well, anyway, tell them to stop scaring her."     Never mind that my daughters have been around cats all their lives (we have three) and wouldn't harm an animal if their lives depended on it.

Then, a year or so later, one of Mum's friends visited and got the exact same reaction from the cat.  Mum finally believed that my girls hadn't deliberately scared her cat.

[Julian]

The fact that I seem to have a Klingon cloaking device secreted somewhere about my person, and I cannot find it to switch it off!

I have a big, red 4x4.  Like the one in the link, only red.

http://www.landrover.com/imagery/global/nameplate/photos_and_video/exterior/defender/2597688/05-L316_12_INDUS_90SW-850x425

It has a massive bullbar on it, spotlights, it is like a small block of flats.  When I stand next to it my head comes up around where the side mirrors are, and I had steps installed so I can get into it. 

But apparently it is invisible in traffic.  I constantly get cut off, turned in front of, etc.  The thin end the other day was the pedestrian who didn't see me - he waited till the teeny little white car in front of me (which my car towered over) went past, then stepped out in front of me.  Then he looked again, apparently the cloaking device momentarily disengaged, he saw me this time, and jumped backwards onto the curb. 

It also works when I'm on my bike, which is almost fluorescent orange.  On the bike though, I sort of assume I'm invisible anyway, so no big deal.  I am quite good at avoiding the blind drivers around me.

But it also works as a pedestrian.  Don't ask me how this works, but it does.  Crossing the street - someone coming the opposite direction will apparently see me, make eye contact, and then veer directly into my path so I have to dodge them.  It drives me bonkers!