Recently, I have been particularly annoyed by:
1) Idiot drivers who pass on the right when I am in the left hand lane traveling at or above the speed limit. This is illegal and dangerous but many don’t seem to realize it. (When someone rides Mel’s tail in the left hand lane or flashes their lights, she’ll slow down purposely just to piss them off. I normally can’t bring myself to aggravate the situation by doing that.)
2) People who don’t know the difference between your and you’re, their and they’re and to and too (and two!). Likewise for its and it’s, but that’s a little harder. Even I sometimes have give extra thought to who and whom, and who’s and whose, so I’ll cut you some slack for that one, but not much. I really believe everyone should know your/you’re, their/they’re and to/too/two and that not using the appropriate one is mostly laziness. The problem seems exacerbated by email communication.
3) People who can’t read, or won’t. I have a sign posted on my gate that says “Do not pull gate out. PUSH IN ONLY!” and yet I continue to have to fix my gate after some idiot torques the hinges by pulling the gate outward. It’s not like it opens easily in that direction, you really have to pull it hard. Why wouldn’t someone think to try the correct direction when encountering that kind of resistance? It’s just baffling.
That is all. For now, anyway.
(warning: My biggest pet peeve follows…)<br><br>With regard to number 1… the left lane *is* the passing lane, so by definition, unless one is passing another car, one shouldn’t just be cruising along in it anyway. If a car comes up behind me while I’m in the left lane and they’re traveling faster than I am, I’ll move to the right — doesn’t matter if I’m already going faster than the speed limit. It’s all karma — I figure if I sit my ass in that lane and force people to pass me on the right or force them to go slower than they wish, then I deserve the exact same thing to happen to me in the future and have no right to be upset about it. :)<br><br>Number 2… YES, YES & YES!<br><br>Number 3… Given the profession I have chosen, one of my favorite little quips is "RTFS". Which simply stands for "READ THE FUCKING SCREEN". It’s amazing how many supposed computer problems would magically never happen if the (ab)users would just RTFS.<br><br>So, how is the renovation nightmare across the street going? 😉
#1: What Chari said.<br>#2: Improper use of homophones drives me NUTS. That said, I’ve been known to do it from time to time, but I usually check.<br>#3: I swear it’s like some people WANT to be stupid.
Sorry, should have clarified that "left lane" was regular roadways around town and not thruway. I wouldn’t normally travel in the left lane either.
1) People calling in to my job knowing they’ve never updated the billing info on the account and then getting ticked at me for it. <br><br>2) People who interupt me<br><br>3) Working on the freakin weekend! = )~
mine are split infinitives and people that insist on trying to beat away from the lights when they know damn well my car goes far faster than theirs….at which point I usually have no choice but to undertake (in the right hand lane) and crush their egos! 🙂
Re 2: In the heat of writing, we sometimes err. I know that I do. I prefer to focus on the content rather than the grammar myself. I know a few people who write technically perfect short fiction and yet never manage to excite the imagination. <br><br>Blogs aren’t magazines: they’re letters from people to other people, often written in a hurry. This is also true of email. <br><br>Read "The Grammarian’s Funeral" by Robert Browning and think upon what is really important in written communication.
There is a sign close to my office. This sign was printed by a professional sign printing company and it says, "If you lived here, your home." Please set me on fire! I hate that. I have certainly been known to make a grammatical error, but if I were going to put my handiwork on the street for all to see, I’d probably find someone with a rudimentary knowledge of grammar and ask them to proofread it.<br><br>I have now proofread this comment 15 times in fear that I have made a grammatical error.<br><br>I just read this comment to Punkin to be sure that I did not make a grammatical error.