Susan invited me to go with Walter and her to the "Singalong" our Sunrise Bay Singers presented last night and I accepted with pleasure. Later, Leslie called with the same offer--I'm lucky to have such friends. Saw lots of Drama Club people there, as well as others who came up to compliment me on the Dionne Q. thing. The evening was great fun; I just wish Pat could have gone along.
Okay, here's my list prompted by Pat McH. R.'s "what irritates me" listing of yesterday, but on a somewhat different track. I'm going to make it a little more formal, plus add some things I like. Hope all you thousands (hundreds, dozens, handful, three?) will do the same.
Things I Dislike About Modern Life:
T.V. in doctors' offices: This drives me crazy--what, are they trying to make you sicker?
T.V. in general: It's everywhere and I'm beginning to wonder if it's actually watching us, as in 1984.
"Music"--so called--in supermarkets: This horrible auditory dysentery is not for the customers, of course, but for the vacant-eyed teenaged cashiers.
Various under-40s who call me "Sweetie," "Honey," and other inane endearments and/or who think older people are "cute." Always makes me want to yell out a stream of obscenities--or vomit and show them what "cute" really is.
The stickers on fruits and veggies, each individual one. Naturally, this isn't for the convenience of the customer, god forbid, but for the almighty distributor. (Yes, I pick each off when I get home from the store.)
"Gift" registries: Geez, they're supposed to be gifts, aren't they? I make a practice of never giving gifts on anybody's "registry."*
The promotion and general acceptance of lousy English usage: It's everywhere and few care, but the reason it's a problem is because language reflects (and influences) thought. Hey, think about that.
Celebrity Worship: Talk about mindless, brainless!
GWB and his nefarious gang: Talk about mindless, brainless!
Things I Like About Modern Life:
On-line banking: So convenient, including, of course, paying bills on-line, using a debit card, and ATMs.
Designer coffee: especially hazelnut.
Crockpots: no surprise there.
More casual and/or comfortable dressing: I realize this can morph into sloppiness, but generally enjoy myself more without being poured into a girdle and teetering on stiletto heels.
Questioning authority: This includes all things political (and that covers a broad range), the religion we learned in second grade (you'll go to hell if you use birth control), and the popular wisdom which is so often wrong--but not always, which is why it's important to recognize yourself as the final arbiter of your own morals.
Blogs! Yes, yes, I love the personal ones (present company enthusiastically included!), and lots of others, except the cynically commercial.
Well, this isn't a comprehensive list, by any means, just the things that came to mind (and have been festering...festering...for years, until I just had to pick up the gun and shoot out the television in Dr. Goreguts office...).
* I know all the arguments for "gift" registries and I know almost everybody having a shower, getting married, having a baby, having an affair (oops--scratch that), or whatever, rushes to greedily list the things they want, as opposed to the ugly vase Aunt Martha will give them. It just seems so cold to me, and so sad.
But on the bright side, guess who's happy? All the manufacturers and stores who are raking in the dough.
TUESDAY
I started off the morning with some annoying problems with Amazon Japan re Christmas gifts, but I don't want to go into detail. Left at...
6 comments:
I think you read my list, except for on line banking I haven't quite accepted that. I hear of too many idenity thefts with that. I had never heard of TV's in the Doctors office, we have one in the Dentists ofc but from what I see no one watches it. They are all reading a magazine. I have never used a gift registry for gift giving, I think it is in poor take to tell someone what they want as a gift. It's not so much music in general I dislke but the type of music. My hairdresser has CD's playing in the background and it is soft, mellow music and so low you can barely hear it, sooo relaxing.
Pat goes to 9 specialists and I see my doctor once in a while and they all have T.V.'s in their waiting rooms. Yes, that's just it--nobody watches them! I often politely ask the receptionist if I can turn it off if I know nobody's watching--or I turn it off without asking.
You actually know people who had their idenities stolen as a result of banking on-line? Are they friends of yours? How were the problems resolved? I never heard of that happening with on-line banking--there are safeguards that I'm comfortable with. After all, a whole workup of your identifying numbers is already on-line--i.e., SS, credit cards, phone, and so on. As for identity theft, I group it with road rage, terrorism, and a meteor falling on the house under "things to worry about." It seems less likely to have your identity stolen through on-line banking than having somebody go through your trash, and that ain't gonna happen, either.
Thanks for your comment, Dee.
Rosa, Rosemary, Rosalie (pick one),
One of my biggest irritations is this damm eblogg. It is so hard for me to post a comment from this MSNTV2....I just don't want to bother getting a PC so I'll just have to put up with it.
As you read on my blog most of my irritations are with people...I guess I should visit my online shrink Dr Golb about that.
What I like...yes I actually like some things.
I like the Gift registries...saves me from having to come up with an idea of something they just may hate.
Online Banking: Like it too. We use it all the time. We check our accounts regularly enough that we would pick up any discrepancies. Same with paying bills online. Love it.
Kinda neutra about TVs in MDs ofc...never gave it much thought.
Love the casual dressing of the day. Until I read your entry I forgot about wearing girdles. Now, I try to get by without a bra and the first thing I take off when I get home is my bra.
I hate pumping my own gas and miss NJ. Only Oregon and NJ pump for you.
I love DVR (digital video recording)...same as TIVO...changes the whole way I watch TV. Watch it on the treadmill and skip right over those commercials.
I like 'Stadium Seating' in the theaters...no trying to see around the person in front of you.
Love knowing the real message of Jesus...."love your neighbor" and not a bunch of man made rules.
Love GOOGLE....we have learned so much so fast with this engine.
Also love the find button so I don't have to search the whole page....can't do that with a book.
Well, that's all I can think of for now. Thanks for expanding the topic.
p.s. I never know which name eblogger will give me...the one from eblog or gmail....so I am pat and iloveac.
Pat, I forgot you have to pump your own gas! Yes, that's a lovely feature of living in Jersey (there may be others, but I'm not always sure). For my birthday, somebody gave me a tee shirt that has "Jersey girls don't pump gas" on it.
Myself, as an "under 40" I don't like being called "honey" or "sweetie" by people over 40, or really, anybody else. But the ones who DON'T get the sassy pants response out of me are the over 40's, really the over 60's, as I just figured they came of age in a "different time." Perhaps the young folks calling you honey think it's what you expect.
You are more than welcome to my array of Sassy Pants Responses (tm) to "honey." Try Sweet Cheeks, Toots and Doll Face, said with a smile. It always gets their attention by raising the endearment bar to a comical level, and gets a laugh out of everyone else standing around. Subtle social humiliation works wonders.
I know you hate gift registries. Again, it may be a generational thing, with that breaking point also being the under/over 40. I LOVE them. I like walking into Macy's knowing I would like to spend $30 on a gift, and then getting a set of glasses that I know that my friend will absolutely adore, and will not then have to go back to Macy's and return. I also like looking at the kind of stuff they have registered for to get ideas, if I feel strongly about branching out on my own.
I guess I don't feel that the gift registry is a demanding, greedy list, but a guide, but then I don't have demanding, greedy friends.
I have heard of other friends who DO have those people in their lives using the gift registry as a weapon, mainly by NOT using it. A full set of pink lawn flamingos went to a certain bride in Florida who got a little too demanding with the groom's college friends. She did not see the humor, which was the whole point.
'Doll Face' don't you just love it. I can't wait to use that one.
The flamingo story gave me a good chuckle too.
Post a Comment