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

[White Dragon]

Yesterday we had some friends overbforndinner so I spent the day cooking and cleaning.
 If it involves a dinner party, I don't mind cleaning!

Problem is,not was also laundry day. I usually move the clean baskets to the living room to fold them, but with company coming, I stacked them in the teeny-tiny laundry room.

Dinner involved a lot of prep dishes and as it is winter, I was able to use the garage for extra cold storage.

Access to the garage is -yes, through the kaundry room.
Putting the salad out to chill?
Through the laundry room.
Need the broom?
In the laundry room.
Put a new load on?
Yeah, laundry room.

It is a small room. Stacked with full baskets.
That I tripped over Every Single Time.

It was a great evening, but my shins look like I have been wrangling karate-kicking toddlers who just got back from Willy Wonka's candy garden.

[mmswm]

Teenagers.  More specifically, my teenager.

My car has been having some issues recently, so before I left for Key West, my father, my son and myself gave the engine a once over along with installing a temporary fix for the ignition issue I have.  One of the things that needed to happen was that the radiator fluid needed to be topped off.  Dad took the cap off and set it aside and my son was told to fill it up and put the cap back on, then put all the tools away and close up the car.

So, I get as far as the south side of Key Largo and my car starts running a little warm.  I pull over to check things out.  Not only did the boy fail to put radiator fluid in, he left the radiator cap off and left a couple tools in the engine.  Thankfully the cap was still there. So, I let it sit for a few minutes, put the radiator cap on and go on my merry way. The engine was running a tad warm, but as long as I kept moving, it stayed at a reasonable operating temperature.  Unfortunately, if you has ever run US1 down into the lower keys, you would know that "keeping moving" is not always possible.  Traffic can be a real bear.  Saturday night was no exception.  So a little after 5, the engine was too warm for my comfort.  Also, the sun was at just the right angle to make seeing my dashboard gauges impossible. I pulled over in Marathon, just north of the 7 mile bridge and killed time until the sun went down.  I was annoyed because I was hungry and I didn't want to eat because my host in Key West already had dinner planned, and I didn't want to not be hungry once I got there.

So, the car made it all the way to Key West with a fair amount of stress on my part.  Watching the symptoms, I figured the problem was one of two things. Either one of the fan relays went bad or I had a vapor lock from when the engine was running with no radiator cap.  I decided to take the wait and see approach.  I let it sit overnight and checked the next day.  Radiator was bone dry (it hadn't been when I had the cap back off after the engine was cool enough to remove it).  This points to a vapor lock.  I filled the thing back up and headed north.  I had no issues on the northbound journey, which means that all the trouble I had going south was a direct result of my teenager not doing as he was told.  Ugh.  Of course, to be fair, it's my car.  I should have checked, but still, he really should do a better job of following instructions.

[alkira6]

As a sound off to those who have loved ones doing Movember, my DH is doing it for money. The only problem is that he is one of those "fortunate" men who grow facial hair quickly.  He shaved completely on the 31st and by the 7th had a full beard/stache combo.  He now looks like an unkempt yeti.  By the end of the month I'm pretty sure I'll have started giving him Gimli braids so that he looks a bit neater.  I want to know why he can't just stick with the 'stache and shave the beard.

[siamesecat2965]

As a sound off to those who have loved ones doing Movember, my DH is doing it for money. The only problem is that he is one of those "fortunate" men who grow facial hair quickly.  He shaved completely on the 31st and by the 7th had a full beard/stache combo.  He now looks like an unkempt yeti.  By the end of the month I'm pretty sure I'll have started giving him Gimli braids so that he looks a bit neater.  I want to know why he can't just stick with the 'stache and shave the beard.

Snerk. I love the "unkempt yeti" description. Reminds me of some of the Red Sox players with their beards this season. Some were barely there, and others looked like your DH.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Yesterday I moved furniture all around the living room.  This morning, I woke up feeling like an elephant sat on me.

Getting old sucks, but it beats the only known method of not doing so...

[Free Range Hippy Chick]

I have just had to hide all feed from a contact on Facebook, because I simply cannot stand her posts. She's a teenager, the daughter of a friend, and to be honest, I only accepted her friend request because... well, because I didn't have a reason not to. Her spelling makes me wince - not just txtspk but plain bad spelling - but hey, I don't know, maybe she's dyslexic, and everybody gets clumsy typing fingers sometimes, so I try not to let it irritate me. No, what I can't bear are the photos. There are a couple of photos most days, of her animals, mostly, taken on her phone, posted straight to FB, and sideways. Seven of the last ten pictures she's posted are sideways, and four are so badly out of focus that you can't see whatever it is she wants us to admire. Nice girl but life is too short for repeated sideways wobbly pictures of a horse not doing anything interesting.

[mmswm]

I have just had to hide all feed from a contact on Facebook, because I simply cannot stand her posts. She's a teenager, the daughter of a friend, and to be honest, I only accepted her friend request because... well, because I didn't have a reason not to. Her spelling makes me wince - not just txtspk but plain bad spelling - but hey, I don't know, maybe she's dyslexic, and everybody gets clumsy typing fingers sometimes, so I try not to let it irritate me. No, what I can't bear are the photos. There are a couple of photos most days, of her animals, mostly, taken on her phone, posted straight to FB, and sideways. Seven of the last ten pictures she's posted are sideways, and four are so badly out of focus that you can't see whatever it is she wants us to admire. Nice girl but life is too short for repeated sideways wobbly pictures of a horse not doing anything interesting.

This is exactly why I have a "no kids allowed" rule on my FB page.  Well, that and I occasionally post pictures that are borderline racy and/or alcohol related.  Nothing that I wouldn't mind my mother seeing (she's on my page), but stuff that I wouldn't want teens to see.

[2littlemonkeys]

Right now I'm really annoyed by coworkers who can't or won't follow expense report policy.  I'm sick of having the "No, we can't pay for your spouses phone charges" conversation with the same people. 

And the "I'm sorry, but I can't expense things that don't have a receipt." conversation. 

And the "You bought a $200 bottle of wine.  For yourself.  I'm not sure that will be approved, as it somewhat exceeds the $80 per diem for food."

C'mon people!  I'm always the bad guy.   

(And yes, we do have an expense report policy that I personally print and give to each person on my team.  This is in addition to the electronic copy for which they have to sign an affidavit stating they read it.)

[Venus193]

I have just had to hide all feed from a contact on Facebook, because I simply cannot stand her posts. She's a teenager, the daughter of a friend, and to be honest, I only accepted her friend request because... well, because I didn't have a reason not to. Her spelling makes me wince - not just txtspk but plain bad spelling - but hey, I don't know, maybe she's dyslexic, and everybody gets clumsy typing fingers sometimes, so I try not to let it irritate me. No, what I can't bear are the photos. There are a couple of photos most days, of her animals, mostly, taken on her phone, posted straight to FB, and sideways. Seven of the last ten pictures she's posted are sideways, and four are so badly out of focus that you can't see whatever it is she wants us to admire. Nice girl but life is too short for repeated sideways wobbly pictures of a horse not doing anything interesting.

I just did the same thing to avoid the political screed that an old friend indulges in.  Not that we are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but her constant sharing of really paranoid stuff gets on my last nerve.  We have a mutual friend who reached this point far sooner than I did.  I don't know whether I should tell her or not.

[Piratelvr1121]

I'm about to hide the feed of someone I used to work with, mainly because lately many of her posts turn into drama between herself and her mother. Her grandmother raised her so she's "mom" to this woman and as far as I can tell, her relationship with her bio mother is touchy due to her mother being more immature than she is.

It's awkward reading some of it, and uncomfortable, like when you witness a discussion that really ought to have remained private.

[siamesecat2965]

Wardrobe malfunctions, esp when they're of my own doing. I picked out a cute outfit to wear today, something I won't roast in since I also have to work tonight. I work in a women's clothing store, so looking professional, put together etc. is essential. I also have a HUGE fashion pet peeve about black and navy together. I know you CAN do it, but I don't like it.

So my outfit was supposed to consiste of a cute black and white print top, longer, so worn with a chain belt, black pants, and a red cardigan. Black patent loafers completed the emsemble. So what do I see when I'm at work, in bright light? i wore NAVY pants with my black and white and red. ARRRGH. and no time to go home and change. Oh well. all i can do is suck it up and makefun of myself tonight. here its not so bad since i sit in my cube all day. But it annoys me, esp since i have black pants similar to the navy ones i wore, but they fit me a tad looser. i should have known by the fit. But no, I didnt.

[Piratelvr1121]

When people seem to think that grandparents are entitled to see their grandchildren, regardless of poor or even toxic behavior.  For example, MIL knows what my parents are like and frankly really doesn't care for them at all. But when I told her that my brother had given my older sons his # with the message that my parents missed the boys, MIL said "Well they probably do, are you sure the boys aren't just telling you that they don't miss them? How would you feel if the boys cut you off from any grandchildren?"

It occurred to me once she went home that it's probably because she was already stressed on other matters, but it just seemed odd because other times she's said that family isn't always who you're related to by blood, but who you choose to have in your life, and that I did remind her of, and hopefully she'll take that as my way of saying "We're cool, you need not worry about being cut off!" Also when she said something about kids having two sets of grandparents, I said "Well they have you and FIL, plus there are plenty of people at church who tend to fill that role and there's also my best friend who tends to be grandmotherly towards them, too."

But in the moment it kind of annoyed me. MIL never even liked these people, agrees they're not good people, but she's trying to defend their rights as grandparents?

[BabyMama]

I stopped at the local brewery last night to pick up a Christmas gift for DH, and had a pint while I was there. I ran into a casual friend and chatted with her a bit. At one point, she mentioned that she thought it was great that my husband let me have so much "me" time (sometimes I'll see a movie if it starts right after work, or, like last night, spend an hour or so doing something by myself. It's not usually stuff that takes a huge amount of time, or inconveniences DH much.) This isn't the first time I've had someone comment to me on "me" time--among others, my mother commented a couple months ago that it was nice that my DH "let me out of the house" to do stuff by myself.

I sort of get what they're saying...but the way they phrase it just gets on my nerves. He gets to do stuff on his own, too...

[siamesecat2965]

I stopped at the local brewery last night to pick up a Christmas gift for DH, and had a pint while I was there. I ran into a casual friend and chatted with her a bit. At one point, she mentioned that she thought it was great that my husband let me have so much "me" time (sometimes I'll see a movie if it starts right after work, or, like last night, spend an hour or so doing something by myself. It's not usually stuff that takes a huge amount of time, or inconveniences DH much.) This isn't the first time I've had someone comment to me on "me" time--among others, my mother commented a couple months ago that it was nice that my DH "let me out of the house" to do stuff by myself.

I sort of get what they're saying...but the way they phrase it just gets on my nerves. He gets to do stuff on his own, too...

I think that would annoy me too, and I'm single! It sort of implies that a DH (i'm saying generally, not just yours) has the wife on a short leash, and that you need his permission to go/do anything. I have to say out of my friends who are the most happily married/together, its the ones who do their own thing on a regular basis!

Along those lines, every now and then I've heard people say, not necessarily friends, but maybe co-workers, aquaintances, etc.  something along the lines of (if going out to dinner say  for work or some such thing). "oh i have to make sure I leave something for my DH for his dinner" While I know with some couples the wife cooks, and the DH doesn't, it always strikes me as odd, since when my mom woudl go out with friends, my dad loved it since he could have something nasty mom didn't liike or didn't approve of!!!  I always want to say, but don't "is he not capable of putting together a meal for himself at all???"

[Piratelvr1121]

I stopped at the local brewery last night to pick up a Christmas gift for DH, and had a pint while I was there. I ran into a casual friend and chatted with her a bit. At one point, she mentioned that she thought it was great that my husband let me have so much "me" time (sometimes I'll see a movie if it starts right after work, or, like last night, spend an hour or so doing something by myself. It's not usually stuff that takes a huge amount of time, or inconveniences DH much.) This isn't the first time I've had someone comment to me on "me" time--among others, my mother commented a couple months ago that it was nice that my DH "let me out of the house" to do stuff by myself.

I sort of get what they're saying...but the way they phrase it just gets on my nerves. He gets to do stuff on his own, too...

I get that too. On more than one occasion I've taken a trip to see a good friend and as my two closest friends live in different regions of the country from myself, it requires being away from home for at least a few days to get a decent visit with them.  (One's in California, the other in Iowa).

People have said "Your husband lets you do that?" Well, yeah.  Typically I say lightly "Well yeah, he knows the best way to have a sane and happy wife and mother of his children is to make sure she gets time to herself!"  Especially when said wife and mother needs some girl time and has very little of it at home.