Pet Peeves

My husband says that if I stop expecting people to be thoughtful, polite individuals, I wouldn't feel exasperated a good chunk of the time.  I admit he has a point.  In theory, I know the only thing I can actually control is my reaction to bad behavior but... wouldn't you just want to know if you were doing something that annoyed the hell out of another person?

Ummm... on second thought, never mind.

I've been feeling a little put out the last few days by people I don't even know.  Twice, in as many days, I have picked up the phone before 8 a.m. and had this conversation:

Caller:   Who is this?

Me:   You called me.  Who are YOU?

Caller:  Someone from this number called me.

Me:  Well, did they leave a message?

Caller:  No.

Me:  If someone calls you from a number you don't know and they don't leave you a message, that usually means it was a wrong number or the call wasn't important.  Do you realize it isn't even 8 a.m.? 

That's the point in the conversation when I hang up in disgust.  It drives me crazy that a wrong number can't just be a wrong number anymore.  If you didn't recognize the number in the first place, why didn't you just answer the phone? 

I think the bigger issue here is that we live in a society where we have to be so "connected" all the time that we are actually more disconnected to people and basic human interaction.  How many times have you been to a restaurant or in line at a coffee shop and the person near you barely gets off his phone long enough to bark an order at the counter help?  We are not interacting with people so much as we are briefly pausing to take what we need from them before moving on to something else.  What we gain by this so-called multitasking is not offset by the lost human connection and the awful example we are setting for our children.  If we can't take a moment to thank the cashier in a store, greet a neighbor, or live with the mystery of a wrong number, how can we expect our children to be polite and not pursue a life ruled by the guarantee of instant gratification?

While I was mulling over the ills of society and my Luddite tendencies, I was smacked with the scent of my second pet peeve.

Human Poop.

At the playground.

That my newly walking Ellie stepped in.

For the sake of all that is decent, if your kid shits at the playground could you at least have the decency to clean it up?  I know kids need to go and often it is at a time when no bathroom can be found but if you are required by law to clean up after your dog, could you not extend the courtesy to your fellow parents and children at the park?  The most annoying thing in this particular scenario was that the parent clearly knew the child pooped (inside a plastic playhouse no less) because the dirty wipes were sitting right there.  Shameful! 

OK, I'm done.  What are your pet peeves?

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.