I’m in kind of a foul mood this week, probably due to the heat and the fires, so this is a really bad time to post one of my very, very rare rants…
but I’m doing it anyway.
Here are four things I’m really sick of and what I’m doing to make it all better:
1. Online attacks against religions, political parties, or whatever. Some people don’t seem to care who they offend or hurt. The folks launching these online attacks are aggressive, mean, inconsiderate, and often uninformed.
What am I’m doing about it? I’m unfriending on Facebook, unfollowing on Twitter, and dropping bloggers from my Google Reader if they behave badly. I’m not spoiling for a fight, and I’m not interested in listening to or reading the words of those who choose to exercise their precious freedom of speech in this manner.
Heavens. I feel better already. On to No. 2:
2. Patiently waiting behind drivers when the light turns green (especially in the left turn lane when the green arrow doesn’t remain on very long) because said driver is busy with his phone/texting/GPS map or whatever he’s doing besides moving his car.
What am I’m doing about it? “Patiently” is going out the window. The “two second rule” now applies. If the driver can move but is clearly not paying attention, I’m going to honk my horn, something I’ve avoided doing my whole life except in emergencies because I thought it was bad manners.
3. Sales calls, survey and poll calls, political calls, and solicitation calls from charities and schools (knowing the second and third type will be increasing as we get closer to the election).
What am I doing about it? We finally got caller ID and voice mail (as opposed to an answering machine) on our phone, and I don’t answer if I don’t know who the caller is (or know and don’t want to listen to the pitch). If I receive any important calls and the names don’t show up on the ID, I sure hope they leave a message. “Unknown caller” or “Toll free number” just don’t cut it.
4. Not having enough time to do all the things I want to cram into each day.
What am I doing about it? I’m rethinking everything I do and cutting out the least enjoyable activities while increasing the time I spend on the stuff I love the most. You’ve probably already noticed I’m posting to my blog less frequently and spending less time tweeting, updating, and commenting. All of that is fun, but not nearly as much fun as the other things I want to do like reading and writing more, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.
There. Rant accomplished. Over and out.
This was great! 🙂 My wife says I use my horn too much to which I reply, “There’s no such thing as too much. Besides, you have to make sure it still works from time-to-time.”
With you on the rude, bigoted “junk” that goes down Online. Call me old fashioned, but I think the “if you can’t say something nice …” rule generally applies to electronic communication as well. Frankly, if I wouldn’t say it to someone in the grocery store checkout line, I won’t say it Online.
With you 100%.
You go, girl!
Jan, when you visited the Shambhala at Red Feather Lakes you were only about 45 minutes from where we’ve been living since 1998. I’ve only been up there once on a day tour, but was very impressed. Thanks for your warm thoughts…I’m just hoping the lightning refrains from starting any new fires…
John Paul, feel free to implement any part of my action plan that appeals to you…but don’t unfollow me. I promise to be less grouchy starting tomorrow. 😀
Damn straight, Pat. Thanks. You hit four right off the top of my list. What I especially appreciate are your ways of dealing with these peeves. I’m going to copy your techniques for making things better…if it’s ok, that is.
I love this rant! Why? Because you rant a bit and then you take action – that is what I spend much time trying to get my clients to do. Don’t idly complain – do something!
I’ve been thinking of you folks in Colorado these days – going on line – posting photos from my time near Red Feather Lakes at the Shambhala Mountain Dharma Centre, and my earlier time living in Colorado Springs. My husband’s folks are from North West River, Labrador and they were all evacuated (not his folks – his dad has been gone many years and his mum is in the hospital in nearby Goose Bay) but all his cousins etc…
Crazy world.
Much love to you and yours and hope for an end to this soon.
Thanks, Lynn. I feel a lot better for it.
Pat, going to a cell phone is so tempting, but then I’d feel obligated to keep the darned thing on all the time. Currently I only turn my cell on when I’m traveling or if I have a flat tire or something like that.
There is nothing wrong with an occasional rant. I think we need to do it, from time to time. I agree with all of those things. The one that bugs me the most is the phone calls. The phone rings, you pick up the receiver and say hello and there is a pause because NOBODY is on the other end yet. Then the computer there, gives the connection to a salesperson. We had our number put on the no-solicitation list, but it didn’t help. We got rid of our phone instead! It is so awesome NEVER having to listen to that darn thing ring, ever again. All we really need is a cell phone anyway.
is it wrong to say, i enjoyed your rant!
Hi Kaye — my town is close to the High Park Fire which hopefully will be fully contained this weekend (thanks to some pretty great men and women who fought like crazy to get the fire under control). It was scary, but not nearly as frightening as what the folks in southern Colorado went through with the Waldo Canyon Fire. I would have been terrified if I lived around Colorado Springs and probably traumatized for life.
Margot, there have been so many sad deaths because of inattentive drivers, and yet I still see them on their phones all the time. Drives me nuts!
Luana, thanks for the moral support about honking. 😀 As for blogging, I just can’t see making that a priority in my life. Let’s vow to blog less and write more.
Hi, Misha. And yes, I’m referring to even those folks who might share my opinions but are rude and unpleasant when they seek to ram their POV down someone else’s throat (or in this case, Twitter stream or Facebook timeline). I find I enjoy my day lots more if I don’t see any of that stuff on the social media sites I visit.
I’m with you 100%.
Rude religious/political/any other sort of flaming really get on my nerves. And this is from ANY religion or political party. Even my own. Just because we think we’re right does not give us a reason to be rude or superior.
Drivers who text or talk on their phones while behind the wheel are not only rude but more often than not dangerous. When I’m sitting in the car with someone and they take out their phone while driving, I take it from them. I’m not about to die/get hurt because that person was stupid.
Luckily for me, telemarketing is pretty much illegal in my country now.
And I don’t have enough time for everything I need to do either. Sigh….
Good for you, Pat! I love that you are doing something about your peeves…taking action is freeing. I totally agree about the angry political posts. I have FB friends that do that, too. I also have friends who sometimes post inappropriate things. Instead of unfriending, I just hide their posts so I don’t see them unless I go to their wall.
Also don’t worry about honking. Once I was the driver in the lane that was day dreaming when the light turned green. The car behind me honked and I woke up. I was grateful, not upset.
I also get where you’re coming from about blogging, etc. I don’t spend as much time on my writing projects because of blogging. Going to rethink my blogging schedule.
Pat – I couldn’t agree with you more on all of the above! I’ve been doing the unfriending/unfollowing thing too when someone starts that ranting thing. Please – a little respect! And yes, drivers who pay more attention to their electronic devices than to the several-ton thing they are driving make me nuts. I can’t help worrying about the person they will inevitably hit…
And I admire the dickens out of you!!!!!!
We must be sharing the same rant wave this weekend.
I’ve had you on my mind and hope you’re safe (my sense of geography stinks).
And here’s to doing the things we truly enjoy doing with the people we truly enjoy doing them with.
Hugs!