For no reason whatsoever, here are some small problems which I find disproportionately irritating. It’s not a definitive list, these are just the things that spring to mind.
The point on a pencil breaks. I sharpen it. Then it breaks again. I sharpen it. Guess what? It breaks again. Maybe it’s a dodgy pencil, or maybe there’s something wrong with my sharpening technique.
A shop assistant hands over the change with the coins resting on the note and all of it resting on the receipt. Cue the dropping of coins while trying to get everything into one’s purse, while other people are waiting to be served.
Typos are everywhere. Even on my blog, I daresay. I see them on the BBC website, in nearly all of the books I read, in the subtitles of films. I try to ignore them but I’m just one of those people who pick up on details.
Notification sounds on smartphones. Little beeps, chirps, chimes, whatever – they are all annoying and surely most of the time are telling the users something extremely important such as a ‘like’ on Facebook.
Letters are sent to your house, addressed to someone who hasn’t lived there for a long time. Cross the address out, write on the envelope that the person doesn’t live here, write ‘return to sender’… and the letters continue to arrive.
Shoppers at the supermarket pick up a bunch of bananas, pull one banana off it, then leave it behind. All these rejected single bananas had better be going to good homes.
Cyclists on the pavement. Now, this is actually illegal in the UK (so not such a negligible problem) but I doubt anyone is ever prosecuted over it. What’s worse is when cyclists – usually teenagers – don’t even stop to let pedestrians go past.
An empty toilet roll in the holder, with a toilet roll balanced on top or left on the cistern, as if it’s beneath anyone to spend a couple of seconds changing it. This doesn’t happen at my house, however.
Do you find these little problems annoying? Anything to add to the list? If you’re interested to know what else annoys me, you might like this post.
Image of a grumpy cat by Manfred Richter on Pixabay.
OMG that second one with the money, YES! It annoys me so much! I hate cyclists too. Well, on the pavement of course, haha! I also hate loud people in public transport. Cars not letting you cross the road when you have priority! Gosh the list is long!
Yes they are all annoying things, I agree there! Oh yes some annoying people on public transport, not that I’ve been on public transport lately… (although once a lady told me off for laughing too loudly on a train!!) And yes, some poor drivers around who don’t let pedestrians across… Thanks for reading!
Great idea for a post! And YES to pencils – with homeschooling and a child who loves colouring with pencils I feel like I spend half my life sharpening pencils that need done again in 5 minutes 😀
I didn’t have to think too hard to come up with this idea! I was just feeling annoyed at the time. As for pencil sharpening, it’s one of those annoying necessities but I think some pencils are just bad quality and prone to breakage! Thanks for reading 🙂
Typos drive me bonkers! I know not all typos are intended – I make some myself from time to time! But they still drive me bonkers! And the letters to your house thing?? Been happening to me for over 20 years now. UGH!!!!
Everyone is getting annoyed over the typos! They are usually slips of the keyboard but still people should try to proofread something, or get someone with an eye for it, to have a look before publishing… I guess there is nothing that can be done about the letters, just keep putting them back in the post and hope the sender will finally realise?!
Oh, I love this post! You hit on so many things that bug me, but the biggest one is typos. I, too, make them (or don’t catch them) and that makes me really annoyed when I see them later!! Here are a few I struggle to not pull my hair out over (or yell about) and they seem to be new thanks to being in lockdown. Being in a zoom class or lecture and other participants’ dogs or birds are sharing their voices and the people don’t mute. Ordering something online and thinking I’m going to get it w/in a reasonable amount of time and then get emails (often) that the date is such and such — way into the future. And my biggie: buying a product I’ve always bought (usu in the shape/form I think it has always been) and when I go to use it, find that its size has been reduced (and usu I’ve paid more for it, too). I know I should be a more aware consumer (caveat emptor, etc.), but when a product LOOKS like it usu does, I just don’t pay attention. This is happening more and more with some of the many products I use regularly. Sigh.
Oh dear! Yes the worst kind of typos are the ones we make ourselves and don’t discover until it’s too late. Hmm, dogs and birds on Zoom could be fun depending on what you’re doing, but definitely not for a lecture! Agree with delivery dates of items, although not one of the most annoying things for me as I don’t order much online. Yes, sometimes products change (often described as new and improved in some way) but actually they’re smaller! Interesting list, thanks for sharing.
So amy typos these dyas! oops!
I knoew its so anoying 😉
😂
What a fun post–I’m right there with you on the pencils. Especially now that my boys are schooling from home. The trouble is with the pencils and the pencil sharpeners, both. The best brand of pencils, I think, is Ticonderoga. And I think you have to do a big, classroom-style pencil sharpener to get the best, sharp pencils. I know, it is a thing, isn’t it? Typos, for sure. I can’t go to a show or a wedding or anywhere without finding typos in written materials. The last novel I read didn’t have a typo but a missing space–so two words were smashed together. I’m still thinking about how annoying it was!
Glad you liked the post 😀 I’m sure there are excellent pencils which never break and sharpeners which work perfectly, but when it comes to children’s ones they tend to be cheap and break accordingly! Oh dear, that error would annoy me too – I would categorise it generally as a typo, when it’s an apparently accidental error in the text rather than a misspelling or something.
Oh I definitely relate to some of these!! Cyclists on the pavement are the worst. And yes, the money! I’m having to juggle the coins all the time! Great post 😀
Yes! 😀 I seem to have resonated with many of you. Although no coin juggling for a while now, I probably haven’t used cash for at least 2 months…
Loved reading this, I agree with all of them, particularly the money one! Something that springs to mind that really irritates me is when people beep their horn as a goodbye when driving off…it’s loud, annoying and unnecessary 😣
Glad it resonated with you! 😀 Oh yes the beeping thing… agree with that!
Haha the typo one makes me cringe. I must say, I’m mortified when I spot an error in any of my blogs. Love the post👍🏾🙂
Yes they do creep in despite our best efforts! Thanks for reading 😀
Isn’t it amazing how we cope with the big irritations but the little ones tip us into a rage! And yes, the ding on my work phone whenever I get a notification drives me crazy!
I know! Lots of the bigger problems don’t get on my nerves so much, I don’t know why! The smaller problems seem like ones which could be solved or made more bearable if people would just consider more what they’re doing?
Oh, in an ideal world inconsiderate people would be put in charge of solving all of the minor irritations that they create!
Lol, I love this post! 😀 Yes all of these are so annoying. I grew up in a house that still had mail coming to it and addressed to someone who hadn’t lived there since before I was born, at least 30 years previously I think! The money thing is the worse for me as I have pretty small hands too and find myself almost losing all the change while trying to throw it all into my purse. Typos are a pet peeve of mine, I can forgive them on blogs but it really irritates me to see them in books, especially as publishers are supposed to have proof readers to catch those things! I love the randomness of this post and yet how we all share such common and small irritations 🙂 🙂
Thanks, glad you liked the post 😀 The mail is frustrating isn’t it, oh I should have added cold calling too… Many’s the time I have dropped my change and have to pick it off the floor – I used to make sure, when I handed change over to customers, that I gave them everything separately and I hope they appreciated that! Typos – we all hate them! Occasionally I read a book which has none at all!
Oh cold calling is probably up there as the most annoying. My mum keeps being asked about an accident she never had and keeps being pestered by people all the time, they always seem to call about the same thing but always from some different and unknown numbers. To be honest spam in my email is just as bad, one day I think one of my email addresses was sold somewhere and ever since it became so spammed I had to open a new one, and then another new one… :/ lol
Love this post!! A couple things that really annoy me…..
– A family walking side by side on a pavement but won’t move aside to let you past and you have to walk on the grass or road.
– People who say “can you borrow me…?”
Thanks! 😀 Yes when people won’t let you pass, that’s annoying. I’ve never heard anyone say ‘can you borrow me?’ but they say ‘can I borrow you?’