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

[MrTango]

I'm not a good speller and use spell check quite often.  I hate when I sound out a word and spell check has no idea what word I wish to use and gives me totally off the wall suggestions.

I work with words for a living so it's my nightmare to send out an e-mail with typos. For some reason, my work e-mail feels that all contractions aren't words. So every time I use "weren't" or "haven't", it underlines them. I spend way too much time trying to ensure that I spell "isn't" correctly.

If you right-click on the underlined word, you should have an option to add it to your computer's dictionary and stop it from doing it again.

Thanks, I'll try that. Outlook and I are not friends 

Since you're using Outlook: What color is the underlining?  If it's red, the above suggestion should work (red underlining is for spelling errors).  If the underlining is green, then adding the term to the dictionary won't work since green underlining is a grammar error.  In that case, you'll have to update your grammar checking settings to allow contractions.

[Dazi]

When you get something new and others want to use it before you even get the chance. 

Specifically my DH and specifically a gift he got for me.  He's peeved that I won't let him use gift before I get to use it myself.  It's mine and I should be able to use gift first...I don't care if he does later, I just want the first time to be mine.  That's reasonable, isn't it? 

Then he tells me he'll just buy duplicate for himself if I won't let him use mine.  Hmmm, no.  He bought a more expensive, very similar item for himself a few weeks ago...if he wanted one like mine, he should have bought  it instead of what he did get. 

I've had three other people ask to use gift as well...at least they were understanding that I'd like a few weeks to use it myself. 

I'm not posting what the gift is because I don't want to derail the thread.  If you are just dying to know, please pm and I'll tell you the full story behind the gift.

[Outdoor Girl]

It's not a bowling ball, engraved with the name 'Homer', is it?   

[ladyknight1]

When people teach their children to use euphemisms for their anatomy, toileting, and other natural bodily functions. I grew up without knowing the proper name of anything until I could read the books and teach myself. IMHO, it is a disservice.

[cabbagegirl28]

When people teach their children to use euphemisms for their anatomy, toileting, and other natural bodily functions. I grew up without knowing the proper name of anything until I could read the books and teach myself. IMHO, it is a disservice.

I'm with you on cutesy euphemisms; it's not going to hurt anyone to say, "Do you need to use the toilet?" or to know proper names for things.

[ladyknight1]

This comes from a much older friend of mine who has a young daughter. She mentioned some of the anatomical names for male genitalia and he was good with it, but one of his friends came into the thread with the names she has taught her child to use. I just think it is ridiculous.

[o_gal]

I haven't set foot in a Sears store in years. And now I won't set foot in long again for a long time because this just irritated me so much.

This year, for the holiday season, they have apparently chosen a "This is <fill in blank>" theme. So there are signs up over the store saying things like

This is Sears
This is Holiday Magic
This is The Right Gift

But there are also signs, mostly at the registers, that say

This is Amazing Possibilities

Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh! Whoever approved this campaign, and whoever approved their slogans, should be force-fed English language grammar lessons.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I haven't set foot in a Sears store in years. And now I won't set foot in long again for a long time because this just irritated me so much.

This year, for the holiday season, they have apparently chosen a "This is <fill in blank>" theme. So there are signs up over the store saying things like

This is Sears
This is Holiday Magic
This is The Right Gift

But there are also signs, mostly at the registers, that say

This is Amazing Possibilities

Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh! Whoever approved this campaign, and whoever approved their slogans, should be force-fed English language grammar lessons.

What I wouldn't give for a one minute camera blind spot and a bunch of appliques that simply read "SPARTA!"

[Piratelvr1121]

It's a silly li'l thing, really.  My youngest child's name is Liam because I was looking for an Irish name and Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors, and he's Irish.  When I introduce him, people say "Oh William?" (Granted Liam can be a nickname for William but not in my son's case.

I say "Oh it's just Liam" I spell it, smile and say "Like Liam Neeson!"

"No, like Liam Hemsworth!" Like I said, silly little thing but why say "No" cause really, it doesn't really matter which Liam, so long as the point is made the child's name is Liam.  That and the first time I heard it I said "Um, who?" lol.  In all fairness I guess anyone who doesn't know who Liam Neeson is might be saying the same thing.  Though I don't know many who don't know who he is. Even my DH who doesn't care enough to remember actors names and what they were in knows Liam Neeson.

And FWIW I do know who Liam Hemsworth is now but my first reaction was "Isn't that the guy who played Thor?" Nope, that's his brother apparently! LOL!

[KimberlyM]

It's a silly li'l thing, really.  My youngest child's name is Liam because I was looking for an Irish name and Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors, and he's Irish.  When I introduce him, people say "Oh William?" (Granted Liam can be a nickname for William but not in my son's case.

I say "Oh it's just Liam" I spell it, smile and say "Like Liam Neeson!"

"No, like Liam Hemsworth!" Like I said, silly little thing but why say "No" cause really, it doesn't really matter which Liam, so long as the point is made the child's name is Liam.  That and the first time I heard it I said "Um, who?" lol.  In all fairness I guess anyone who doesn't know who Liam Neeson is might be saying the same thing.  Though I don't know many who don't know who he is. Even my DH who doesn't care enough to remember actors names and what they were in knows Liam Neeson.

And FWIW I do know who Liam Hemsworth is now but my first reaction was "Isn't that the guy who played Thor?" Nope, that's his brother apparently! LOL!

My 4 year old is Liam.  Every single time someone asks his name and I tell them I get "Oh, like Liam Neeson!"

[snowflake]

When people teach their children to use euphemisms for their anatomy, toileting, and other natural bodily functions. I grew up without knowing the proper name of anything until I could read the books and teach myself. IMHO, it is a disservice.

I'm with you on cutesy euphemisms; it's not going to hurt anyone to say, "Do you need to use the toilet?" or to know proper names for things.

This drives me NUTS!

I also once volunteered with some tween boys who used all kinds of horrible names for Scrabble.  They were just repeating what they heard and didn't have the insight to understand that they were being demeaning to women.  I tried to get them to just talk about it straight.  (Because I wasn't silly enough to try and forbid that talk.)  They thought that would be "too rude" to just call it what it was and insisted it was more polite to use their offensive terms. 

I finally told them that if they didn't know how to ask for it outright, they'd never get any.  That seemed to work.

P.S: I do see the irony of calling it "Scrabble" in this post.  But I understand we'll get unwanted ads if I don't. 

[Redsoil]

Hoping this doesn't come across as offensive to anyone, but honestly?  It's driving me up the wall whenever someone in a thread comes up with "well maybe they've got dementia/alzheimers/ADD/ADHD/Aspergers/toxic kitten syndrome..." as an excuse. 

Maybe they have.  I would imagine people may well think of that themselves if they know someone and observe their behaviour.  Sometimes, a cigar is simply a cigar.  I'd love to see the armchair diagnosis of such things cease, but suspect it won't.

[mbbored]

Hoping this doesn't come across as offensive to anyone, but honestly?  It's driving me up the wall whenever someone in a thread comes up with "well maybe they've got dementia/alzheimers/ADD/ADHD/Aspergers/toxic kitten syndrome..." as an excuse. 

Maybe they have.  I would imagine people may well think of that themselves if they know someone and observe their behaviour.  Sometimes, a cigar is simply a cigar.  I'd love to see the armchair diagnosis of such things cease, but suspect it won't.

I can see your point here. However, I view such things as a gentle reminder to keep your mind open and realize that not everybody is completely in control of their behavior. Personally, that point of view keeps me a little calmer and more sane.

[snowflake]

Hoping this doesn't come across as offensive to anyone, but honestly?  It's driving me up the wall whenever someone in a thread comes up with "well maybe they've got dementia/alzheimers/ADD/ADHD/Aspergers/toxic kitten syndrome..." as an excuse. 

Maybe they have.  I would imagine people may well think of that themselves if they know someone and observe their behaviour.  Sometimes, a cigar is simply a cigar.  I'd love to see the armchair diagnosis of such things cease, but suspect it won't.

There's a difference between "an excuse" or "an explanation."

My mother will get into these depressive periods that are a result of her having an abusive childhood.  I understand why it happens.  But if she calls me up and starts to be verbally abusive, I'm still hanging up on her.  I know that she is fighting a monster that she probably won't defeat.  (She's 70 and has been fighting it for 50 years with dozens of therapists and hundreds of self-help books.)  She has kept it at bay more than her brothers/sisters have so I'm proud of her for doing so and understanding where she is coming from helps me have the perspective I need to deal with her.  I don't hate her or cut her off because she has this monster in her life. 

But when she is attacking me, I draw the line and don't excuse her behavior.

That said, yes it does drive me up the wall when I'm told that I should excuse her attacks because of her history. 

[Outdoor Girl]

Any underlining conditions may explain behaviour but it doesn't excuse it, IMO.  My SIL is bi-polar, went off her meds, escaped from the mental hospital where she was being treated and disappeared for 3 weeks.  Sure, her illness explains her behaviour but it doesn't excuse the fact that she didn't even let her children know where she was and that she was OK.  I was busy baking loaf cakes to have in the freezer because I was sure we were going to be planning a funeral.  (She turned up but is on the lam again and my brother has no way to contact her should something happen with one of the boys.  Sure, they're 20 and 18 but it would nice to be able to contact your own mother, should you need/want to, kwim?)