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

[Sirius]

My mother's unwillingness to accept that other people live on different schedules to her... specifically wake/sleep cycles. 

I'm a night owl. Always have been. Mum is very definitely a lark, up with the dawn, and is physically incapable of staying asleep past about 6am. Plus, once she's awake she has to be up and doing, and has often mentioned that she can't understand how I'm able to turn over and go back to sleep if I want to.

I got a phone call from Mum about half an hour ago. She didn't have anything in particular to talk about, just wanted to chat to me on her way somewhere.

It wasn't even ten past 7 yet. My alarm goes off at 7:20. When she realised she'd woken me up, her first thought was that I must not be going to work today (i.e. I must be sick because otherwise of course I'd be up!); then she asked what time it was (!!! who phones someone at stupid o'clock without actually checking the time?!); and then she cheerfully informed me that she'd 'love me and leave me' because she'd just found the place she was looking for, and hung up. 

My mother was very much a morning person.  I am not.  She would come into the bedroom I shared with my equally night owl sister at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and say, "Are you girls going to sleep all day today?"  Sis, who has the tact of an explosion, said, "Yes, if you get out of here and leave us alone!"  We must have gotten Mom in a good mood, because she just laughed and shut the door.

[cabbageweevil]

Anachronisms - I was reading Notalwaysworking today and they had a story (specifying that the location was Australia) about someone who had closed their bank account and taken the money home and then found the bank manager and two police officers on their doorstep a few hours later because they had been accidentally given an extra dollar. Leaving aside how utterly ridiculous that scenario is, they then say they took a dollar bill out of their pocket and gave it to the bank manager.

Australia switched from the dollar bill to the dollar coin in 1984, so either the story being told happened a very long time ago, or the person telling the story isn't really from Australia and doesn't know our currency. And it's such a silly and unimportant thing to focus on, but it really does bug me.

Off-at-tangent, and not something that annoys me, just idly curious: concerning paper money, do Australians indeed use the (to this Brit, American) locution of a [dollar-or-multiples-of-a-dollar] "bill"; rather than the British equivalent of a, ditto, "note" ?  For me, it's "let people call things what they will" -- just pure random curiosity -- JadeAngel or other Aussies, I'd be interested to hear.

[Mel the Redcap]

Anachronisms - I was reading Notalwaysworking today and they had a story (specifying that the location was Australia) about someone who had closed their bank account and taken the money home and then found the bank manager and two police officers on their doorstep a few hours later because they had been accidentally given an extra dollar. Leaving aside how utterly ridiculous that scenario is, they then say they took a dollar bill out of their pocket and gave it to the bank manager.

Australia switched from the dollar bill to the dollar coin in 1984, so either the story being told happened a very long time ago, or the person telling the story isn't really from Australia and doesn't know our currency. And it's such a silly and unimportant thing to focus on, but it really does bug me.

Off-at-tangent, and not something that annoys me, just idly curious: concerning paper money, do Australians indeed use the (to this Brit, American) locution of a [dollar-or-multiples-of-a-dollar] "bill"; rather than the British equivalent of a, ditto, "note" ?  For me, it's "let people call things what they will" -- just pure random curiosity -- JadeAngel or other Aussies, I'd be interested to hear.

...yep, that's another thing that's wrong with that story! We (in my experience at least) say 'note', or leave it off entirely and say things like "I gave him a twenty."

[Betelnut]

"You're carpet cleaners will be there in an hour!"  "Oh good!


Um, it has now been almost 2 hours...

[Xandraea]

"You're carpet cleaners will be there in an hour!"  "Oh good!


Um, it has now been almost 2 hours...

Related: When you're expecting a delivery or service call and they give you a window of expected arrival:  "between 8am and 4pm" .. so you have to be up and waiting at 8am, can't go anywhere or you may miss it, and they don't come until 3:59pm (Or, no-show, or, call and say they can't make it today, your new window is 6 hours tomorrow)

[Hillia]

Anachronisms - I was reading Notalwaysworking today and they had a story (specifying that the location was Australia) about someone who had closed their bank account and taken the money home and then found the bank manager and two police officers on their doorstep a few hours later because they had been accidentally given an extra dollar. Leaving aside how utterly ridiculous that scenario is, they then say they took a dollar bill out of their pocket and gave it to the bank manager.

Australia switched from the dollar bill to the dollar coin in 1984, so either the story being told happened a very long time ago, or the person telling the story isn't really from Australia and doesn't know our currency. And it's such a silly and unimportant thing to focus on, but it really does bug me.

...yep, that's another thing that's wrong with that story! We (in my experience at least) say 'note', or leave it off entirely and say things like "I gave him a twenty."

I read a story on some site; the OP was trying to demonstrate how selfish her sister was, or something.  So the story is that the sister comes in the kitchen looking for something to drink.  She sees a bottle of what appears to be lemonade in the fridge, and although it's clearly marked with the OP's name, she chugs it all down.  Ha ha!  That was actually the prep solution for the OP's upcoming colonoscopy.  Sister gets her comeuppance in the form of a night in the bathroom.

Here's the thing: that stuff is *nasty*.  There's no way that anyone would chug it down, mistaking it for lemonade.  Not only does it have a foul taste, it has a weird 'slimy' feel.  The minute the first drop hit your mouth, you'd know, even if you were chugging it as fast as you could.

[Redsoil]

Not necessarily, Hillia.  The last one I had was lemon-flavoured and quite pleasant!  (The aftermath, less so, admittedly.)

[Hillia]

Not necessarily, Hillia.  The last one I had was lemon-flavoured and quite pleasant!  (The aftermath, less so, admittedly.)

You must have very different solutions!  Mine came with flavoring packets - the lemon was recommended - and it was incredibly foul.  No way anyone would take more than one swallow before realizing what it was (or wasn't).

[Diane AKA Traska]

The "notalways" sites are very amusing, provided you look at them like the pure fiction at least 95% of them are. 

[Dazi]

Guilt trips, especially of the family variety.

My dad pulled a tremendous one because I won't come visit him in a few weeks...crying included, followed by the sighing "I understand".

It's not a matter of not wanting to visit, it's a matter of I'm a completely freaking broke due to several clusters of craziness that have completely depleted any and all savings I had, plus some I didn't have. I cannot get blood from a stone. We've already had to scrap our vacation plans for earlier this year.   And yes, while I technically have the time off, it's only because I was forced to put in a five consecutive working days worth of vacation time, prior to the end of the year, by the powers that be. It was just an arbitrary week I picked, I just opened up the calender and found a week that wasn't yet claimed. There is no way I could have imagined that the vacation time I picked would be the week he wanted me to visit.

Goodness knows, I looked every which way I could to see if there was anyway I could scrape together the funds. I priced out every option available, from flying, bus, and driving. At minimum I'd need at least $500, to be really comfortable, closer to $1000 (and that was only 3-4 days). Due to my asthma and severe allergies, I'd have to stay in a hotel. Both he and my stepmother are heavy smokers. The last time I stayed with them I ended up with bronchitis that turned to walking pneumonia and my doctor flat out told to stay away from cigarette smoke. Even if I was crazy enough to chance staying with them, I still wouldn't have enough money to get there and back.

He doesn't have the extra money to help me either, so I don't know what he expects me to do.   I can't snap my fingers to travel several states away. I feel guilty because I want to be there, but there is zero chance of me making it there. 

[JadeAngel]

Anachronisms - I was reading Notalwaysworking today and they had a story (specifying that the location was Australia) about someone who had closed their bank account and taken the money home and then found the bank manager and two police officers on their doorstep a few hours later because they had been accidentally given an extra dollar. Leaving aside how utterly ridiculous that scenario is, they then say they took a dollar bill out of their pocket and gave it to the bank manager.

Australia switched from the dollar bill to the dollar coin in 1984, so either the story being told happened a very long time ago, or the person telling the story isn't really from Australia and doesn't know our currency. And it's such a silly and unimportant thing to focus on, but it really does bug me.

Off-at-tangent, and not something that annoys me, just idly curious: concerning paper money, do Australians indeed use the (to this Brit, American) locution of a [dollar-or-multiples-of-a-dollar] "bill"; rather than the British equivalent of a, ditto, "note" ?  For me, it's "let people call things what they will" -- just pure random curiosity -- JadeAngel or other Aussies, I'd be interested to hear.

...yep, that's another thing that's wrong with that story! We (in my experience at least) say 'note', or leave it off entirely and say things like "I gave him a twenty."

True. or in multiples we refer to them as 'tens', 'twenties', 'fifties' - although I believe we do use 'note' rather than 'bill' if we use it at all.

[Belle]

I hate that. I live in one town but volunteer in another about 45 minutes. People there cannot seem to give instructions that could possibly be read via map. It's always, "Turn right at the library" or "After you pass the old pizza place building, go another 500 feet and..."

How could I possibly know what the old pizza place looked like?? And ok, it's one thing to say make a turn at the distinctive building (grocery store, chain gas station, etc.) but government buildings like the library? Really? Arrrgh. Once I drove back and forth down a road to find another volunteer's house..."I live on 4th Avenue by the boat launch in a burgundy house, and it's next to a white duplex." I eventually gave up finding it.

Turns out the Boat Launch is a restaurant on 4th Avenue South, but I was on 4th Avenue North by the actual boat launch, and there happened to be a burgundy house there that was next to a white duplex.

People do this where I live, specifically, use landmarks that no longer exist to give directions. "Take a left on Main Rd. Then turn right just past where the Peterson's store used to be."

If you're going to give me directions based on landmarks, at least use existing landmarks, not ones that presume I've lived in this town for at least twenty years and know where companies used to be. (If I had lived here that long, I probably wouldn't need directions!)

[Sirius]

Giving landmarks is fine, if you give street directions with it.  If I was giving someone directions to my home, I'd say, "From 8th St. turn left on Chicory.  The county library is on the corner.  Then, drive down Chicory until you get to Green Tea, which is just past the car wash.  Turn right.  Go down Green Tea until you get to the 3-way stop; that's Oolong.  Make a left.  I live at 12354 Oolong, right across the street from the purple house."

(These directions are fictitious except for the purple house.  There is actually a purple house across the street from our house.  Good landmark.)

I've been told I give too much detail, but then again no one's ever gotten lost coming to our house.

[siamesecat2965]

Not necessarily, Hillia.  The last one I had was lemon-flavoured and quite pleasant!  (The aftermath, less so, admittedly.)

You must have very different solutions!  Mine came with flavoring packets - the lemon was recommended - and it was incredibly foul.  No way anyone would take more than one swallow before realizing what it was (or wasn't).

I agree; its slimy and icky. And kind of salty. BLECH.  even with flavor. Someone told me, choose the flavor you dislike, rather than one you do, so you won't hate it after you do it!

[Free Range Hippy Chick]

Back in the day, which I have to confess was neither yesterday nor the day before, I had black hair. True black, not dark brown. Black. Now? Mostly grey, and over the last year, really grey, so for the past (mumble) years, I have coloured my hair. It looks good with the dark red or aubergine-purple dyes, but it's really reached the stage where there's no point in even pretending that it's natural, so I don't.

This summer, I've been rocking the pink hair. Total strangers have stopped me in the street to tell me how good it looks. I fancied a change, so I went for bright blue.

It's come out black. Not the black of normal hair, but black-ink-black. Not even the colour I had when I was 20, but black-black.

I've put on my skull-and-crossbones earrings and I'm changing my name to Free Range Gothic Raven.