Screaming Babies

Don't you hate it when you are exposed to screaming babies in public? This really, really irritates me. Maybe more than anything I've written about thus far. I feel like people allowing their babies to be obnoxiously crying in public is an absolute nuisance. I'm sure I'll view this differently when I hopefully have a family of my own. My mentality then will probably be, "well it's a public place so my baby has as much a right to be here as you do." I don't agree with that argument now but I may someday. Regardless, I cannot stand when babies cry in public. Take church for example. I spoke about cell phone disruptions in church but what is equally bad if not worse is a crying baby disruption. I go to church for calmness and tranquility and I don't expect it to be interrupted by an infant who doesn't even realize why he's at church. Another example is in a movie theater. If you suspect that your infant may get rowdy during the movie, DON'T TAKE HIM TO THE MOVIE! It's that simple. It's disrespectful to the other patrons of the theater and has the potential to ruin the experience for everyone. Also, it's just financially irresponsible to pay however much you're paying for a child to watch something he'll most likely never have a recollection of. A crying baby isn't as bad in an open area such as a park because you most likely have the opportunity to give yourself some space from the crier. In an enclosed area, however, you are most likely not granted this luxury. Another example is in a restaurant. I cannot stand it when an infant acts out in a restaurant. I came to eat here because I wanted to get away from the loud noises of my neighbor cutting the grass of my roommate playing loud music and I want to enjoy my meal in peace. A crying baby can ruin that peace in a matter of seconds. Literally seconds. What's even worse is when the parents don't do anything about it and just let the baby cry. That's just disrespectful and irresponsible. Some things just rub me the wrong way and a crying baby in public is one of the big ones.

Until next time,

Zac

High School Leftovers

Don't you hate it when you're around people who only talk about the "good times" they had in high school? Let me first say that I'm guilty of telling a high school story or two, but I try not to dominate a conversation talking about those four years that most of us have experienced. When it comes down to it, most people have experienced the same four years with the exception of interchanging some dates and names. I'm sure most people pulled a senior prank and most people probably experienced a bomb threat. Most of us created our own senior skip day or started some ridiculous food fight. For the most part, we all have the same stories. I can't think of one person who's not guilty of telling a high school story, but the people I can't stand are the ones who ALWAYS talk about high school. It's almost as if they're living in the past and they want to go back there. Don't get me wrong: I probably wouldn't trade some of the memories I made in high school for almost anything. With that being said, however, my memories probably don't mean that much to anyone but me or my close group of friends from high school. For some people it's all they talk about. My stance is that at some point we each need to move on with our lives. Not to say that we can't reminisce on the "good times," but we need to live in the present. Living in the past is counterproductive and causes people to dwell on mistakes and form regrets. We can't change the past so we shouldn't dwell upon it. I don't care if you tell a story from elementary school or even preschool, just don't tell me another freakin high school story. The high school stories that I love to hear are the really interesting and unconventional ones, and they usually come from the people who talk about high school the least.

Until next time,

Zac

The Shopper

Don't you hate it when you go shopping with someone and you have a particular objective in mind and the other person is constantly preventing you from achieving that objective? I'm afraid this may cause an uproar because many people think shopping is the kind of act that should be randomly done and takes several hours to perform. I, however, have a different opinion. Although on a rare occasion I will randomly walk around in a store for anywhere up to 15 minutes, I almost always walk into a store having a particular item(s) in mind. For example, if I need a new hockey stick I walk into Dick's Sporting Goods, grab a stick, purchase it, and leave. I don't stop and look at the shoes because I don't need or even want new shoes. The same goes for almost all of my shopping endeavors. I have an item in mind. I search for said item. If found I buy it and leave. If I don't find it I'll probably go to another store and look for that item. I'm a pretty basic shopper. I understand that not everyone follows this outline for shopping but some people are downright ridiculous with how long they take to shop. Sometimes I'll be shopping with people and I honestly wish I could make them wear horse blinders so they aren't distracted by everything they see. What bothers me even further is that most of the time these people know that they either don't have the money to spend or will choose not to spend the money on these items. They are simply looking for the sake of looking. It's an unproductive practice and is frustrating for the people they are shopping with. I understand that some people take longer to shop than others, but there have been times where I've had to wait for literally hours while the person(s) I was with was just wandering around and never ended up buying anything.

Another shopping habit that bothers me is when you're in line and you have a few items and the person in front of you has dozens, but he fails to courteously allow you to check out before him. I understand that he was in line before you so it's his right to check out first, but at the same time it's a common courtesy to allow a person with fewer items in front of you. Plus that person would be doing a good deed, which should give him all the more reason to do it. Along these lines, I really get irritated when people with more items than allowed at the express line go in the express line. Come on! The express line is designed for people who need to get in and out. If you have more than the allotted express items then please have the courtesy to obey the rules. I once asked a worker at Walmart why they don't really enforce the express line rule and she explained that they more than likely have to get a manager involved which would ultimately take more time than if the employee simply checked out the customer's products. Even so, I feel like if I was an employee I would call the person out simply as a matter of principle.

The occurrence of these shopping gaffes is enough to keep me out of the store unless something is a necessity or I have a real burning desire for it.

Until next time,

Zac

Work Week

Don't you hate it when you absolutely get nailed with a ridiculous amount of work in one week? This type of situation can be applied to many situations, but the ones I would imagine to be most common are at the workplace and with school work. In my life the problem presented is always with school work. One week I'll have one quiz and one short homework assignment due. Maybe one of my classes will even get canceled. Seems like a pretty great week, right? A week like that gives me plenty of time to research fantasy football, watch movies, and play video games for hours. As I bask in the glory of an extremely easy week, I fail to remember that the following week I have three tests and a presentation due. Sunday night rolls around and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Before I go any further, a situation like this can be easily avoided by doing some of your future work the preceding week. At the same time, who wants to ruin such a glorious off week when you're used to always being busy? I also don't want to seem like I'm complaining about weeks like this because they are sometimes avoidable. I'm simply stating that they are usually miserable weeks. Anyways, it's Sunday night and you have a test tomorrow, a presentation Wednesday, and a test on both Thursday and Friday. Most of us know how these weeks usually go so I won't go into many details. They usually include a limited number of meals along with limited hours of sleep and unhealthy amounts of caffeine. At the conclusion of the week you've completed all assignments. You're not sure what your grades are, but at this point you're too exhausted to even think about them anymore and that's the end of it. I guess what I find so annoying about these weeks is simply the lack of balance. I would rather have two tests and a homework assignment due one week and the next week have one quiz, one test, and one presentation. When the work is spread out it is much easier to manage. It's usually just a set of unfortunate circumstances that results in weeks like these. Eventually the syllabuses from your classes will catch up to each other and at least one of these weeks usually rolls around each semester. The same can be said for people in the work force. I'm sure weeks exist where you have nothing to do and you feel like you're getting paid to sit in a cubicle, while you have other weeks when you feel like you're not getting paid enough for what seems like and insurmountable amount of work. More often than not these weeks are unavoidable; we simply need to take them in stride and relish the easy and moderate work weeks.

Until next time,

Zac

The Movie Watcher

Don't you hate it when you're watching a movie and someone excessively comments on it? I love most genres of movies and I enjoy watching them in a theater, in the comfort of my own home, or in the homes of others. One thing I cannot stand, however, is when I'm watching a movie with someone and they are constantly talking during the movie. One of the most annoying phrases that I'm sure most of us have heard at least once is, "oh watch watch! This is the best part!" Seriously!?! Shut up! When people say that I create an image in my mind of what would make that part be "the best part" to me and when it doesn't happen I'm disappointed because the part wasn't as good as I expected. I will judge if I think that is the best part or not AFTER I see it. I also can't stand when people talk excessively in a theater. I too am guilty of a whisper here or there, but when people are basically having a full-fledged conversation in the movie theater it really irritates me. I paid to watch this movie in silence and darkness on the big screen and I find it very disrespectful when people have these conversations. If you must talk about whatever it is that badly, leave the room, have the conversation in the hallway, and return when you're ready to be quiet. Or, if you can't be quiet in the movie theater, just wait until it comes out on DVD, rent it, and scream at the top of your lungs while you're watching it in your own home. I really couldn't care less if someone did that, but if I'm paying to see the movie in relative silence I expect to watch the movie in relative silence. Another thing that bothers me is when people ask others, "did you figure it out yet" during any movie that has some sort of twist to it. Although one may not intend for the question to come across as such, it usually seems to me like one says it in a condescending manner. Almost as if he's saying, "did you get it yet? Because I did and if you didn't that means I'm smarter than you." So what if I got it or not; it's none of your business. I would usually rather not figure it out so that when the twist comes in at the end I'm really surprised and then it all comes together when it's supposed to. With that being said, the next time you want to talk while you're watching a movie with a group of people, stop and think about how annoying it is when other people are doing it.

Until next time,

Zac

The Excessively Proud Person

Don't you hate it when someone is excessively proud about something that he shouldn't be excessively proud about? The first example that comes to mind is when people have excessive pride in their town/state/country. Don't get me wrong here; I'm a full supporter of being proud of one's roots and I respect people who are. I also love and am thankful for the freedoms and liberties provided for me in the United States. I do feel, though, that there is a line that needs not be crossed. For example, I can't just say Ohio sucks because I'm from Pennsylvania. I have no grounds to say that Ohio sucks. The word "sucks" in general is really generic because it isn't really definitive about anything. I'm proud that I'm a resident of the Pittsburgh area, but just because I love where I'm from it doesn't mean that places where other people are from "suck." A more specific example of this is sports teams. I have friends from Ohio and the New England area who are supporters of the Browns and Patriots, respectively. I honestly don't know how many times I've sat around on Sunday afternoons watching NFL games and heard the same argument that consists of, "the Browns suck" followed by, "yeah well the Steelers suck." The entire disagreement usually consists of comments along those lines and has limited substance. I love the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, and Pittsburgh sports in general, but these discussions get downright ridiculous. It would be different if someone said something along the lines of, "the Detroit Lions are a poorly run organization because of Matt Millen's terrible run as an ineffective general manager." I think that most NFL fans (whether from Detroit or not) would agree with that assessment. That is much more productive than saying, "yeah Detroit sucks!" Another thing that annoys me is the "my child is an honor roll student" bumper sticker. Congratulations...I don't care. You don't need to advertise to the entire world that your child made the honor roll. Yes it is an accomplishment, but people do it every day in every state across the United States. I personally respect somebody more who is modest about his accomplishments than providing an arrogant advertisement. I think that everyone has things that he should be proud of and I don't want to discredit people's accomplishments, but before you run around boasting the accomplishments of you, your hometown, or your kin try not to be the excessively proud person.

Until next time,

Zac

The Homework Caller

Don't you hate it when those people from your class only call you when they need help with homework? This happened to me more in high school than in college, but it still happens on a rare occasion. You've done the work that's due tomorrow a couple days ago because you know the Steelers are playing the Ravens on Monday Night Football. You're hanging out with your friends watching the game, and you get a call from a classmate who you don't really know outside of class. And so it begins. You decide to ignore the call because you expect you know what the want. Two minutes later you receive a text message saying, "hey this chem homework's pretty tough" as if he's trying to have a legitimate conversation. You wait a little while but finally respond and play it off as if you were in the shower. He asks if you're done and you say yeah, but the whole time you're trying to play it off as if you're unsure if your answers are correct because you don't want to leave the comfort of your couch to help him. Finally, you just give in and decide to meet him in the library. Depending on the course, assignment, and individual you're helping this could take anywhere from five minutes to five hours. Whenever it's done, it's done, and you're annoyed because you missed Troy Polamalu's 90-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal the deal in overtime. What's even more annoying than this is when you receive a call or text message from an unknown number desiring the same thing. Honestly? You don't even know me well enough to have my phone number, so you probably don't know me well enough to ask for help with your homework. That is what really irritates me. At least with the first type of person you have his phone number for a reason. Maybe you two exchanged it in class for this purpose or you got it randomly at a party. Either way you two have each others number for a reason. The unknown number person had to work to get your phone number from someone else. If he used the time that he took to get your phone number to work on his homework instead, he may have completed the assignment and answered his own question. At the same time, I've been that guy. I try really hard not to be and the people I usually ask for help are my actual friends, but I am guilty of this and I would venture to guess that most students are. I usually end up helping in either situation because I know if I was in a bind and needed help I would want somebody to help me out. In the future though, try to get the work done a little while in advance so you at least provide the courtesy of not asking for help at the last minute.

Until next time,

Zac