Grind My Gears – No More Freaking Rain!!

Look I understand we need rain, we’ve been in a drought for years, and we really needed to catch up. Mountain Lake was no longer a lake, or a pond, or a bird bath, it was nothing.  With all the rain we’ve gotten it’s back up to 29 feet….since March…

We had 10 inches of rain, just last month breaking all time records…we are on target for the same this month….enough is enough!  It seems for like the past 3 months we’ve had one sunny day to 6 rainy days.  I’ve spoken with a local contractor about building a boat…I’ve already got two goats with me that want on.

This is not Seattle, this is the New River Valley….but I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference by looking outside!  Give me a rain break please!

Grind My Gears – Kids with Mohawks

If a teenage kid with a mohawk isn’t offensive enough, I wanted to punch the parents in the face that allowed their 5ish year old kid shave his head leaving a mohawk in its wake. 

Look I know that a teenage or college kid is trying to find their way, and sometimes that means sticking out by creating a ridiculous mohawk.  I get it.  But a 5 year old has no business getting a freaking mohawk.  What a way to start a kid off right by allowing them to do something like that.  That says to the world that as parents I don’t care what the heck my kid does as long as he doesn’t get upset because I tell him or her NO.  What kind of parent would allow this is beyond me…

Little kids with mohawks is almost as close in annoyance level than those stupid shoes with wheels on them.  Everytime I see a kid wheeling themselves around because they are too lazy to put one foot in front of the other, I just want to trip them…but that is another story entirely

Grind My Gears – Anti Cat Scratching Tools

I have to start out with I love my cats.  They are my children per se, and I am happy when they are, and sad when they are sad.  That being said, one of our cats is out to make me lose my mind!

Our newest cat has this new thing she started last week…at 5:30am she will start hollering at our bedroom door (they aren’t allowed in our bedroom), and she tries to scratch through the carpet between our door and the hall.  We’ve resigned to putting her in a room on the other side of the house at night so we can get our rest.  Not the ideal situation.  The ideal situation would be for her to shut up, but she doesn’t understand English, and I don’t understand cat, so it’s a lose lose.  

Anyway, over the course of two weeks we’ve tried a few things to get her to stop.  We thought she was hungry so we fed her before bed…no luck. I’ve gotten out there and yelled at her at 5:30…no good, she is back in 5 minutes.  I’ve tried spraying her with the water bottle…she thinks its bath time…then this weekend I tried the no-scratch furniture tape…for which the duration of this post will now be called, useless 5 dollars worth of  CRAP!  I put this tape on the floor where she was scratching, and the area where she bangs on our door hoping she wouldn’t want to lay on a sticky substance…it took no more than 15 seconds after I put it down for her to rip it up with her teeth and run down the stairs with the big long piece.  It was funny to watch her do that…especially the speed at which she ripped up the tape and mocked me for such a dumb idea.  I cannot believe that a company should even be able to market a product who’s goal is to repel cats, when my cat plainly laughed in my general direction.  So for any cat lovers out there that has a better idea to keep our cat my hollering at 5:30 and tearing up my carpet, I am all ears…and forget the tape!

Grind My Gears – Paying By Check

Look, I really believe that there are some places where using a check make sense.  Paying bills that are sent through the mail, giving money to a group that doesn’t take credit cards, or passing money to a friend or family member…they all make sense.  That being said, I saw the most absurd use of a check that I have ever seen on Tuesday…to pay for gas at a gas station.  

We got in line for a pump, and this older lady first took her sweet time to pump the gas, then gets back in the car and just sits there…and sits there…and sits there…with my patience running ever thin at this point I was about to get out of the car and tell the woman to move her tail…when she gets out of the car with a check written out for the total of her gas payment.  She has to then waddle over to the cashier, where they then have to process the check.  Never in my life have I seen a worse use of a check to pay for something than did that day. The fact that Kroger gas even allowed the old lady to pay by check blows my mind.

I really hope that banks begin to realize it’s time to start disallowing the use of checks.  JP Morgan estimated that it cost almost 1 billion dollars (with a B) to process the 21.6 billion checks that were used last year…1 BILLION dollars.  The cost to process a transaction is reduced by almost 90 percent if someone were to use their debit or check card.  Not only that by the amount of time that it takes to process a check compared to a check card purchase is in the minutes compared to seconds.  When the cashier at Wal-Mart have 20 people in line those minutes make a big difference in their efficiency.  

So my rant is STOP PAYING BY CHECK!

Grind My Gears – April Fool’s Day

April Fools Day is one of the dumbest days of the year as far as I am concerned.  It serves no real purpose other than to annoy people.  Years ago someone would pull off a good prank, and everyone would laugh.  Now it seems that every regular Joe creates foolish online postings, or dumb web pages trying to make us all crazed. I wish we only celebrated it to 12 noon like many other countries around the world do…it would be better for all involved.

And let me tell you, someone tries to pull a prank on me, today will no longer be called April Fool’s Day, but it will be called April Oh Look I Just Got Punched In The Face Day!

Grind My Gears – Random Rants

I’ve got some more rants to lay down…don’t worry it won’t last long!

Last week my rant was filled with a lot of driving related rants. Well I only have one today:

• Don’t mind me, I cannot read or decipher what shapes look like - I am sure some of you think you are smarter than the engineers that built the roads you drive on, and the ones that determined which road signs go where, but just to make sure that everyone is aware Yield DOES NOT MEAN STOP!  If the person that built the road wanted you to stop at an intersection instead of slowing down to make sure you don’t hit anyone they would have put this big eight sided sign up with the word STOP in big letters…not a triangle with the word yield in it. 

Next rant of the day

• Let me see how few oxygen atoms I can put between me and you – Look I am a pretty laid back person, but if there is one thing that really gets to me is people I don’t know that are up in my personal space.  I cannot stand the people that are like one inch from my back when standing in a line.  I don’t know you, I don’t want you that close, and being that close does not make the line go any faster.  There is one group of people in particular (which I wont get into since its not part of the rant) that cannot seem to grasp the concept that people don’t want unknown people so close to them.  One day I am going to be in a bad mood and due to my twitchy elbow some one might just happen to get one in the face…don’t let that person be you OK?

Final one of the day.  This one has no effect on me, but it just bothers me for some reason.

• The reason that I am eating my food with the wrapper on is because I just put my hands in a big pile of poop – Look I understand there are just some things that make sense to eat with the wrapper on.  Candy bars, and those burritos that will completely fall apart if you don’t keep them on.  In these instances I get it.  But the people that go to McDonald’s and eat a cheeseburger, or a quarter pounder with the wrapper on, or the ones that pack your lunch and eat your sandwich with the zip-lock bag you packed it in surrounding the sandwich…you people need to know – you are really weird.  I have a concept for you…if your hands are so dirty that you cannot touch your food…every eating establishment has a place to wash your hands… so go wash them.  Or if you cannot stomach to go use the bathroom, bring some hand sanitizer.  It’s like you just put your hands in you know what and can’t bare to be near your food.  I have a feeling if your hands are so dirty that whatever wrapper is on your food is probably just as dirty.

That’s all I have this week…you may carry on with your life now

Grind My Gears – St. Patrick’s Day

This isn’t really something that really grinds my gears per se, but it falls under a rant so I figured I’d label it as such.  I find it odd that this holiday is so widely celebrated in the U.S.  We don’t live in Ireland, and it’s estimated that less than 12 percent of the U.S. have Irish roots.  So for you 12 percent go party…for the other 88 percent…it’s Tuesday – go to work!

I’ve never really gotten into St. Patrick’s Day.  Green beer…well the green dye makes my beer taste weird so I rather just have regular beer.  I don’t like getting pinched for not wearing green.  The last time someone pinched me, I didn’t realize it was St. Patrick’s Day so I was close to slapping them. So the only reason I am wearing green today is because I don’t want to get pinched and get arrested for assault and battery.

In Ireland, March 17th was a celebration of planting the potato harvest. It wasn’t to celebrate beer.  Also did you know that before the 1970s, all the bars in Ireland were closed on St. Patrick’s Day?  My question then is how did it turn into a drink all day fest?  I don’t know how, but I bet it had to do with easing the pain of disco music.

GMGs – Those Who Cannot Follow Simple Rules

I’ve witnessed some things over the past few days that I’ve noticed before, but haven’t really bubbled over until now.  There are some simple rules out there that some people think not only are they too good to follow, but are above everyone else, and I guess they believe the rules don’t apply to them.  Here is just a sample of items that I have seen over the past few days that have caused me to write this entry:

1. People that cannot seem to count: I know we have all been behind someone at the food store/super market that don’t belong in the 20 items or less checkout counters, but over the past few days I’ve seen egregious acts that just make my blood begin to boil.  If you have 22 items, even 25 items I would be OK with it, but these people that show up with a cart filled to the top with stuff who have the gall to get into those lines I just want to slap in the face.  It got me going good yesterday when I went to Wal-Mart (yeah for the snow day!) and there were 4 lines open, 2 of them were 20 items of less.  Well both of the 20 items lines had…I’ll say it…old people that shouldn’t be allowed to travel alone, with like 100 items in their cart.  Don’t tell me you are so blind you cannot read the sign!  I know its just you just think you are better than everyone else in the store and don’t have to follow the rules.  To go along with this, I should have to say that the people working the checkout counters need to be included in this rant.  The checkout people should consider it part of their job to turn these folks away, and I have yet to see someone do that every time I’ve seen this happen.
2. If you’re not blind, keep the dog at home!: Unless the sign on the front of the store say “PetSmart”, or you need a service dog to make it around then I don’t want to see your dog in the store.  It’s like some people think that Lowes, or Home Depot, or Target is a free place for your dogs to wander and pee in.  These people walk around like they don’t know it’s been against the rules or the law to bring your pets into places other than pet stores.  I don’t care if it’s freezing cold, or 100 degrees outside, keep your mangy dog at home and stop bringing them to stores they don’t belong.
3. Isn’t the shoulder an extra lane?: Outside of DC who uses their shoulders as a lane during rush hour, the only cars or trucks I want to see driving in the shoulder are police cars, ambulances, or tow trucks.  We were stuck in a traffic jam this past weekend, and several cars went zooming by in the shoulder like it was a special lane just for them.  Unless you are about to birth a baby, or have a bad case of the loose poops, stay out of the lane.  It is so dangerous to be doing that, and you are not above the law!
4. That sign that says slower traffic keep right, that doesn’t apply to me: I will fully admit, I am the driver that most people hate.  I drive fast, and I weave in and out of traffic.  Two things that separate me from idiots on the road; One, outside of going above the posted speed limit, I follow traffic laws; and two, if I see a sign on the side of the road, I pay attention to it!  These people that just play ignorant, and have the “me first” attitude drive me nuts.  You need to realize the roads weren’t built for you alone, and that you should be attentive of the people around you.  If traffic is speeding by you on the right, that’s your cue for moving over to the right.  This includes truck drivers who think I-81 is theirs alone, and that they don’t need to worry about that car they just cut off or forced into the shoulder.
5. (One more driving related rant) Didn’t you know since I am truck driver I play traffic cop too?: I wanted to get out of the car the other day and punch this truck driver in the face.  Just because an accident occurred and a lane is blocked 5 miles up the road does not give you permission to block the closed lane 4 miles before the accident.  Nothing gets me more hot than when a truck driver takes it upon himself to play traffic cop.  The REAL cops will block the road where necessary, you are not helping at all.  All you are doing is causing a larger pile up than necessary, and giving your ego a pat on the back thinking you are better than everyone else because you are blocking traffic.  I know up above I said that the shoulder is to be used in emergencies only, but to me this would be the only exception to the rule, so you can get past idiots like this.

I’ve also witnessed a few other “unwritten rules” that I wanted to rant about.  These aren’t against the law, but really should be labeled “best practices”:

1. My phone is more important than you: Meetings, movies, quiet places, in the car, all should be places where the phone remains in your pocket.  I’ve been to a few meeting recently that a certain group of people don’t realize that by having your phone on a loud ringer, and even worse answering it while you are sitting at the table, tells the 20 other people around you that you are more important than all of them.  The movie theater should be self explanatory by now, but it is still common place to see this happening.  And before anyone says anything, the only reason that I mention cars is that 8 times out of 10 taking on the phone while driving turns the driver into a driving idiot that doesn’t pay attention to what is going around you.
2. Let me see if I can find my checkbook: I know a check is a form of legal tender, and that you have every right to use it to purchase groceries, or anywhere else that accepts checks, but it is 2009 not 1994, and banks now have what they call a check card.  It takes money out of your account just like  a check does, and all you have to do is swipe a card.  The people that aggravate me the most are the ones that wait until they are completely rung up and then go searching for their check book.  If you are going to use a check to pay, at least have the common courtesy to have the entire thing filled out before you are given your total.  By waiting until the last minute, you are basically telling everyone in line behind you that your time is more important than theirs.

OK, rant over.  If anyone has any other things that get to them, please leave it in the comment section.

GMG – Either Snow Or Don’t!

I like snow, really I do. But this snow one inch here, one inch there crap has got to stop! The only thing these storms do is make a mess of my car, make the people that drive slow to begin with go even slower (yes I am talking to you Mr. Ford Explorer!), and make my day start with disappointment knowing that instead of staying home, I have to drag myself to work.  Either snow or don’t, but if you can’t even bother to drop at least 3 inches don’t even bother!

GMGs Are Gone…Or Are They?

For those who visit my blog through the website instead of using an RSS feed reader, you might notice one less heading at the top of the website this morning.  I had a section devoted to things that “Grind My Gears”.  Yes I stole it from Family Guy, but I thought it was a neat addition that I wanted on my site.  I had the intention of doing more artsy stuff with that page, but it became difficult to keep up with it being that I had to be at my Mac at home to make any changes.  So to make up for the loss of the page, I am going to start making GMGs blog posts with that as the category.  This way I can add items on the fly, and will still be able to keep them separate by filtering the category.  Since on a daily basis there is typically at least one thing that gets to me, you should see frequent posts under that category.  :)

In addition to adding this new category, I’ve also decided to add a new section to the sidebar of the website (at least on the blog page).  This will allow you to choose a specific category and see all the posts with those tags. I hope this makes the site easier to navigate now that the number of total posts are increasing steadily.