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

[ladyknight1]

In a word: bureaucracy.

Let's say my name is Mary Sue Balfour. Apparently when registering for grad school on some form my name got switched to "Mary Balfour Balfour." Now the registrar's office cannot be convinced that that is not my name. We have a go round every academic term where they say my tuition hasn't been paid, when it turns out that Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition hasn't been paid, but Mary Sue Balfour (who has the same ID number, birthday, address and phone number) has paid her tuition.

Every quarter, they request that I provide either A) a copy of the court document where I legally changed my name from Mary Balfour Balfour to Mary Sue Balfour or B) two pictures IDs; one with my "old name," Mary Balfour Balfour, and one with my "new name," Mary Sue Balfour. However since my name never was legally Mary Balfour Balfour, I can't provide any legal documentation that my name was changed to Mary Sue. Eventually some supervisor sighs and agrees to credit Mary Sue Balfour's tuition to Mary Balfour Balfour's tuition but I really need to fill out the legal paperwork.

Unfortunately this office releases the tax document that shows how much tuition I've paid during the year. This time I came armed with that and showed that all the information from the university's W-2 under the name "Mary Sue" was the same for "Mary Balfour." The supervisor visibly recoiled and said she couldn't look at anything with a social security number on it!

And no, it makes absolutely no difference to them that there is only one Balfour (much less a Mary Balfour) associated with the university and according to all the other systems, including payroll, HR and IT, her middle name is Sue, not Balfour.

Ask them (the registrar's office) to merge the two files. We have to do that all the time.

Thank you! Apparently asking to "merge the two files" were the magic words. I got an official report that my name in the registrar's office is now officially Mary Sue Balfour.

However, my original point stands. I've had this argument with them a dozen times and nobody in their office ever told me that my files would have to be merged, they just said I needed to complete the change of name paper work.

I'm so happy it worked! We have lots of problems with students having 2 - 8 records in the system.

[ladyknight1]

It Really Annoys me when people Capitalize random Words.
 

There is a particular person in a chat I frequent that capitalizes every word!

[ladyknight1]

People who are waiting to pick up others and block the walkway/entrance of the building. Grr.

[------]

People who are waiting to pick up others and block the walkway/entrance of the building. Grr.

I'll see your blocking building walkway/entrances, ladyknight1, and raise you blocking the flow of traffic in the parking lot by people who park in front of the store/restaurant to pick up order instead of parking >10 feet away in an available slot. 

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

PeOpLe wHo tYpE lIkE tHiS.

That was very difficult to type FYI. Just stop it. It was never cute, it will never be cute, stop it.

[shhh its me]

Small annoyance but it does bug me sometimes. Posts that use the abbreviations for US states instead of spelling them out. I can figure out a few of the obvious ones - New York, New
Jersey, California, Florida, for example.  I'm not sure I ever learned to the names of all 50 states, let alone the abbreviations. Haven't noticed it with other countries - maybe because most forum members are US and it's assumed knowledge. Figure a state's been mentioned because it's relevant to a post. Often wish posters would take pity of those of us who live elsewhere and spell it out once before abbreviating.

Going back a few days, to this one -- I too am not in the States; while I feel that my US geography is not too bad, I have a similar problem with the abbreviations.  As Psychopoesie says, some are obvious, or can be worked out from context; others, not so much so. I feel that you US folk have altogether too many states that begin with M ! -- also, I cannot for the life of me remember whether AK is Alaska or Arkansas, or what is the abbreviation for the other of those two.  Can any kind person set me right on this last point?  There's got to be some memory-aid which can be devised re this particular "headache"...

http://www.50states.com/abbreviations.htm#.UwtzBIVnjW4

BD: many thanks. Eight "M's" -- that's just too much ! -- especially since I sometimes get extra-confused by Manitoba, though a moment's reflection usually clarifies, that that one is in the US's neighbour to the north.

The pestiferous "A's": I being one for whom the sillier the memory-aid is, the more memorable it is -- dealing with the problem, looked at as follows.

Alabama (AL): think of the daft joke by Groucho Marx, about the city of TUSCALOOSA (prominent "L"), in that state: "When hunting elephants in Africa, I always have dreadful trouble getting their tusks out; but in Alabama, Tuscaloosa."

Alaska (AK): an inhabitant of Alaska might perhaps paddle around the shores of his state in a KAYAK.

Arizona (AZ): obvious, with the only incidence of the relatively uncommon letter Z.

Arkansas (AR): lies alongside the biggest RIVER in North America.


Latest posts -- glad to learn that some US citizens sometimes struggle, also !

To my knowledge unless someone uses the aberration regularly it wouldn't be expect for them to know them all of them.  Not that it comes up in conversation but I would expect every 4th grader to know there are 50 states but I would think it was weird if anyone for a cashier at McDonald to a  neurosurgeon didn't know off the top of their heads whether  MI. was for Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi  or Missouri.   

[nuit93]

PeOpLe wHo tYpE lIkE tHiS.

That was very difficult to type FYI. Just stop it. It was never cute, it will never be cute, stop it.

Is that still a thing?  I remember that in chat rooms in the 90's.

[GlitterIsMyDrug]

PeOpLe wHo tYpE lIkE tHiS.

That was very difficult to type FYI. Just stop it. It was never cute, it will never be cute, stop it.

Is that still a thing?  I remember that in chat rooms in the 90's.

I've seen it pop up a few times on my Facebook feed. From unfortunately adults who probably thought it was cool in the 90s and early 2000s (I remember it from when I was in jr. high/high school). I know someone once told me it was "easier"....no, no it's not. Not at all. I believe my friend who rarely capitalizes and says it's "easier" because he hunts and pecks so yeah for him that is easier. But swapping between the two cannot be easier.

[Piratelvr1121]

Only time I type like that is when I have to make up a password and I hate it.

I once forgot my password and one of the requirements was "This cannot be anything resembling your last password!" Um, if I could remember my password, I wouldn't be in this position!

[diesel_darlin]

PeOpLe wHo tYpE lIkE tHiS.

That was very difficult to type FYI. Just stop it. It was never cute, it will never be cute, stop it.

This. Oh yes, this. I als0 d1slyk3 w3n pp1 typ3 lyk d1s.

[Betelnut]

People who are waiting to pick up others and block the walkway/entrance of the building. Grr.

I'll see your blocking building walkway/entrances, ladyknight1, and raise you blocking the flow of traffic in the parking lot by people who park in front of the store/restaurant to pick up order instead of parking >10 feet away in an available slot. 

I went through the drive-in of a fast food restaurant tonight.  The person in front of me pulled away from the window and stopped about 8 feet away, directly in front of me (there was enough room for me to pull up to the window but when I pulled up they were only about 3 feet in front of me).  I figured they were checking their order and would then pull away and drive off.  Nope.  I finished paying and saw that the truck was still there, essentially blocking the driveway of the Wendy's.  I had to slowly pull around to be able to drive off.  They were sitting there eating.

Yes, people blocking entrances, driveways, and so forth with their vehicles drive me completely up the wall!

[Paper Roses]

People who stand or sit with their arms crossed - and their hands in their armpits. 

Grosses me out, especially when they then take one of those hands and either shake yours, or use it to hand you something, or take something from you that they will later give back.

[WishUponAStar]

Otherwise nice coworker feels it necessary to:

*Speak as loudly and sharply as possible
*Get involved in conversation in the room he's not involved in, and keeps chiming in even if he is ignored.
*One loud, jarring cough several times a minute to clear his throat.
*The loudest snorting and swallowing I have ever heard
*Banging the keyboard so loud the desk shakes
*Tapping his chair, desk, head repeatedly if nervous
*Clicking his pin a jillion times

 I feel bad saying this because he's a good guy, but yesterday I thought I was going to go crazy. I had a headache and my desk is literally right next to his.

[ladyknight1]

The headache I have had since 4:30 AM.

[jaxsue]

Small annoyance but it does bug me sometimes. Posts that use the abbreviations for US states instead of spelling them out. I can figure out a few of the obvious ones - New York, New
Jersey, California, Florida, for example.  I'm not sure I ever learned to the names of all 50 states, let alone the abbreviations. Haven't noticed it with other countries - maybe because most forum members are US and it's assumed knowledge. Figure a state's been mentioned because it's relevant to a post. Often wish posters would take pity of those of us who live elsewhere and spell it out once before abbreviating.

Going back a few days, to this one -- I too am not in the States; while I feel that my US geography is not too bad, I have a similar problem with the abbreviations.  As Psychopoesie says, some are obvious, or can be worked out from context; others, not so much so. I feel that you US folk have altogether too many states that begin with M ! -- also, I cannot for the life of me remember whether AK is Alaska or Arkansas, or what is the abbreviation for the other of those two.  Can any kind person set me right on this last point?  There's got to be some memory-aid which can be devised re this particular "headache"...

http://www.50states.com/abbreviations.htm#.UwtzBIVnjW4

BD: many thanks. Eight "M's" -- that's just too much ! -- especially since I sometimes get extra-confused by Manitoba, though a moment's reflection usually clarifies, that that one is in the US's neighbour to the north.

The pestiferous "A's": I being one for whom the sillier the memory-aid is, the more memorable it is -- dealing with the problem, looked at as follows.

Alabama (AL): think of the daft joke by Groucho Marx, about the city of TUSCALOOSA (prominent "L"), in that state: "When hunting elephants in Africa, I always have dreadful trouble getting their tusks out; but in Alabama, Tuscaloosa."

Alaska (AK): an inhabitant of Alaska might perhaps paddle around the shores of his state in a KAYAK.

Arizona (AZ): obvious, with the only incidence of the relatively uncommon letter Z.

Arkansas (AR): lies alongside the biggest RIVER in North America.


Latest posts -- glad to learn that some US citizens sometimes struggle, also !

To my knowledge unless someone uses the aberration regularly it wouldn't be expect for them to know them all of them.  Not that it comes up in conversation but I would expect every 4th grader to know there are 50 states but I would think it was weird if anyone for a cashier at McDonald to a  neurosurgeon didn't know off the top of their heads whether  MI. was for Michigan , Minnesota , Mississippi  or Missouri.   

Many years ago, I took shorthand class in high school. Yes, a skill that's useless now! But we did learn one skill I use all the time: we had to memorize all the states' initials. I always thought it was common knowledge, but I do see a lot of people who mix them up.