Everyone has little things that bother them. Whether they're minor inconveniences, idiosyncrasies, or outright disasters, what sets us off can be just about anything.
Sure, everybody hates getting sick, going to the dentist, stubbing their toe, or running out of gas on the highway. There are many universal hatred items. But we all have little things that seem to annoy us more than most people.
I may have more than most, I don't know, but I'll start with grocery carts. They should be easy breezy and probably are for most people. Put a quarter in, get your cart, get your groceries. But for some reason, I can't do it. I'm never sure where the coin goes and if I figure that out, what next? How do I untether that cart from its clingy neighbour. Usually I give up and just settle for a basket.
Around the house, nothing bothers me more than stepping on little things, particularly in the kitchen. I try to keep the place reasonably clean and free of debris but inevitably some piece of cheese or cracker crumb will liberate itself and hide on the floor, waiting for me to stomp on it.
At least I don't have to rely on having a roommate now. Pretty much everyone in their life, particularly in the college years or there-abouts, has had a roommate. Some are great and become life-long friends. The other 99 per cent, at least for me, appear to have been sent straight from the depths of Hades to torment me.
Basically, you have perhaps 15 minutes when you meet someone and show them your place before you have to make a decision on whether to have this person live in a room next to yours for several months or more. That's if it's your place, if you're the one renting, or moving into a shared place, you're at the mercy of someone else's decision making.
It's amazing how I can tolerate a certain level of mess of my own: a few dirty dishes, a sweater or socks that didn't quite make it to the hamper. But as soon as a roommate leaves a dish out or leaves crumbs on the counter…?
Then it's decision time: do I tell them outright? Ignore it and hope they clean it up, or leave little clues?
I had a landlady in Victoria in my college days that would talk to the dog right in front of me, "Craig needs to clean the kitchen, doesn't he, Sailor? It's pretty messy, isn't it, poochy?" Yeah, really subtle.
I pretty much decided I was done with roommates when I saw a picture of my roommate in Crimestoppers for stealing a $3,000 watch from a jewellery store. Now that was awkward. It didn't really instill confidence for me.
Now video games are usually something I enjoy as do millions around the world. But why do they have to have all the top games come out in the two months before Christmas? Seriously, Batman, Rage, Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3, Skyrim, and many more must-have games have come out in just the last couple of weeks. How are you supposed to finish all those games and still have time to, y'know work, eat and sleep?
Than in the spring and summer almost nothing is released and a poor gamer has to resort to, oh-my-goodness, going outside or something.
Another annoyance is the fact that most games these days come out and when you get home to play the game you need to install the update which takes 20 or more minutes before you can even begin.
I just want to play the game I just paid $60 for. Is that too much to ask for?
I guess that's enough whining for now. Time to buff the hallway floor and see if I can get a lustre that'll last, for a change.