These Are A Few Of My Favorite Peeves

Peeve is a funny word.

Also, I wonder if anyone in the world has a puppy actually named Peeve. Like, “Hey friends, good to see you, have you met my new pet, Peeve? He’s cute, right?”

Hello, my name is Peeve. Aren't I adorable?

It must be Friday. My brain is scrambled.

This week has been weird. I’ve tried to get back into my normal workout routine now that my legs are recovered post-marathon (yes, that took about a month, apparently), but my stomach isn’t on board with the “let’s move forward and do stuff” plan. It’s been really frustrating, and even though I’m taking the steroids like I’m supposed to and trying not to eat any remotely exciting foods that might irritate my stomach, I’m still dealing with lots of pain and sleepless nights.

So today, because I hardly slept last and woke up feeling completely miserable, I’m going to indulge my “OK fine, things aren’t always perfect” side and tell you a little bit about some of my pet peeves.

These are the things that piss me off to no end. That, to other people, are probably tiny little life details that are completely irrelevant, but to me they are game-changers, day-ruiners and mood-killers.

Here are a few things that drive me a little nuts:

Misuse of the word “infamous.” People! Infamous does not mean “really famous.” Not at all, in fact. Infamous means you are notoriously famous. Like, you did a bad thing, and now that’s what you’re know for. Your reputation sucks. You are infamous. To clarify: Britney Spears performed with a snake that time at the VMAs and it was awesome. Awesome. Then, when she shaved her head and whacked that car with an umbrella, that skewed her a bit more toward the infamous side. But I still think she’s great. Moving on.

People who clip their nails in public. That sound…the clipping…the nail pieces flying everywhere…oh it hurts to think about. I hate to say there is a man in my office who clips his nails and I can’t see him, but I can hear it, and I bug out every time. Nails should be clipped in the privacy of one’s own home. Not on public transportation. Not in an office setting. Certainly not anywhere food is present.

Absolutely everything about this scene (except the nice man in it, he can stay):

I'm confused.

This little display was found in New Hampshire…in July. First of all, I do not like inflatable things. Secondly, really? A snowman? In July? And the sign is upside down. This just has no reason to exist.

People who don’t move all the way into the subway car. Yes, I am the girl who will yell, “Can you please move in?!” It’s like “Make Way For Ducklings,” only it’s the morning commute version of “Make way so Ali can get to work on time.”

People who are late. I hate waiting. Please on time, and if you’re going to be very late, please show up with wine and chocolate. And a puppy.

When the bus driver makes rest stops. I get it, the driver sometimes has to use the bathroom, and that’s fine. Story of my life. But that 20-minute delay at a rest stop, where the driver also smokes two cigarettes and everyone piles back on the bus with French fries? I could do without that. I’d like to arrive at my destination sooner.

When I get really excited about something I see and I tell the person I’m with to look and they don’t look or they miss it. For example: “Look at that lady on the other side of the street, in between those other nine people, with the thing and the hair and the outfit!” I get all worked up, and the person I’m with says, “Where?” And then the lady is gone. It’s sad when that happens.

Changing lightbulbs. I can’t bring myself to do it. I hate that squeaky sound the bulb makes when you unscrew it.

Excessive use of apostrophes. They aren’t always appropriate. As you can gather, many of my biggest annoyances are grammar-related.

When the masseuse wants to chat. I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to talk. I want my muscles rubbed down.

Let's all be quiet, and enjoy this massage. In silence.

Weak hand shakes and, even worse, weak high fives. When I go in for the handshake, I don’t mind if my hand bruises a little bit. More power to you. If your hand is all weak and nimbly, I’m not impressed.

Weak handshakes may be semi-forgivable, but weak high fives are not. A high five is a fantastic opportunity to share some enthusiasm and make a cool clapping sound with someone else.

What's that? Another marathon photo? You bet it is.

High fives are on my list of favorite things in life (see also Celine Dion, jazz hands, leg warmers, the whipped cream part of the hot chocolate and puppies that have not yet figured out how to use their legs).

When people refer to their pets as their children. I get it, you love your animal. If I had a puppy, I would love the heck out of it. But I would probably also recognize that I didn’t actually give birth to it, and so it is not my child. I think people who have animals are owners, not parents, even if caring for an animal can be similar to caring for a child. Or teenager.

Having Crohn’s disease. Does this even count as a pet peeve? Yes, it does, because I am making the rules of this list.

And my biggest, most-likely-to-make-me-cringe-every-single-time pet peeve: Your vs. You’re. These words are not interchangeable. Ross said it best on “Friends” when he screamed at Rachel, “Y-o-u apostrophe r-e means you are, y-o-u-r means your!”

Also, it’s a good thing I live in a city where I don’t have to drive, because I have bad road rage. Not driving daily has made me a much calmer person. I have many driving-related pet peeves.

Lastly, because I don’t want this post to be all bitching-and-moaning, here is a photo that I like:

I will be healthy soon, and when that happens, it's wine in my belly time, all the time.

I WANT TO KNOW YOURS! What are your biggest pet peeves?

Ali

Ali

0 Responses

  1. ahahaha, so many things to love (hate?) about this post. i am also a stickler for grammatical usage and i am a STRONG advocate for the serial/oxford comma. i don’t care if print media doesn’t like it (because it takes up more space), it just looks better!!!

    ok, that is all. i hope your stomach is ready for pizza and ice cream. if not, i will give it a good beat down.

  2. Bad manners. My future in-laws have the worst manners I’ve ever seen. They belch and fart on purpose, in public, like its a competition. They steal all the jam from restaurants, and they don’t leave tips. I twitch through the whole meal when we go out.

  3. So the bus rest stop thing SOOO MUCH. I take the bus from NYC to boston all the time and I hate hate hate when they stop!!! Just get me home! But apparently some people like it…they’re crazy.

    My huge pet peeve is when people post a picture of themselves on facebook (or worse, on blogs) and have a caption that says “My friend and I at the beach.” I get that you’re trying to be grammatically correct (which actually kills me even more) but in this case you’d say My friend and ME! Like you’d say “me at the beach” not “I at the beach”

    clearly this got me started. Rough.

  4. Maybe someone already said this. (Sorry. I skimmed the comments). Infamous/famous reminds me of “The Three Amigos”. “he’s so famous that’s he’s INfamous!”

  5. Ali you are so funny – you seriously make me laugh out loud. Mine:
    -Too many commas in a sentence. Unnecessary and annoying.
    -People who don’t understand that this: ?!? is not the same as this !!! and will write it after an exclamation. Example: I can’t wait to see you?!? – that is not a statement! I know at least two people who don’t get it.
    -Most eating on the subway. If it’s quiet and contained and not smelly, fine. But smelly takeout or fried chicken or things that are gross? No thank you.

  6. This post is hilarious. I think it’s great to vent out your pet peeves. One of my pet peeves is when my husband sleeps he ALWAYS takes the covers off me every time he moves. It has just gotten colder, so of course, it seems like he’s doing this even more lately. Ha!
    However, I do refer to my dog as my baby. I could see how that might seem annoying to others, and I clearly did not give birth to her, but I couldn’t imagine my life without her. When we have kids (real ones) of our own, it’s going to be rough on her. 🙂
    Happy weekend!

  7. OMG! The guy across the hall from me always clips his fingernails too. Grosses me out every time… and I feel the need to shut my door to prevent any misfires getting in my office :S ICK!

    And one of my stupidest pet peeves is when people don’t put their license plate renewal stickers in the right place on their cars! For whatever reason, this just erks me to no end 🙂

  8. I am completely with you on the your/you’re. And I must say there is a lot of misuse on blogs of those two words. We have been working on those in school and recently I stayed at a hotel in Maine. (Yes these items are related.) The website for the hotel had many mistakes including using your/you’re wrong many times. So I had my students edit the website and write letters to the hotel. They told them they were 8 years old and smarter than they were.

  9. Pet peeves:
    -When people don’t wear deoderant. No questions asked about that one.
    -When people don’t bathe after getting all sweaty. Also no questions on that one.
    -When people use texting language and swear words. How hard is it to write like a NORMAL PERSON? And can you stay AWAY from profanity?!
    -When you go to teach somebody something and they end up being way better than you and win all the awards you’ve been trying for
    -When people don’t control their dogs and their dogs run right into you in the middle of a run
    -When people come into the room only when you are doing something bad and never when you’re doing something good
    -When dogs sit there and cry at you for no reason whatsoever
    -When somebody asks if they can run with you (and then you say yes) and then they don’t slow down for you and make you look like a helpless idiot
    -When somebody asks you to do a huge chore for them and right when you’re in the middle of it they keep asking you to do things at the same exact time and you’re like, “HELLO?! I’m busy doing your chores! I can’t teach you how to use your email right now!”

    More but not going to go on. Or I’ll sound like a complete whinebag.

  10. THANK YOU for the pets as children. Amen to that. I go a step further with “brother” and “sister” and in my family, even “grandparents” to the dogs. It’s a DOG. Yes, an important living member of a family…but not a human.

    I hate, it, when people, misues, commas.

  11. UGH! I’m with you on the nail clipping thing. I work with a lady who clips her nails at work NEXT to the work area…. and I work in a PHARMACY!!! EW!

  12. Did you notice when you were in Australia that they call Pet Peeves – Pet Hates? This has actually become one of my Pet Peeves!

  13. -smelly cab drivers , especially in the summer
    -people eating fried chicken or anything from a white styrofoam container in the subway car
    -assholes who spread their legs when they take a seat in the subway
    -people who speak loudly on their cellphone in a restaurant
    -people who use the word ‘conversate’

  14. One of biggest pet peeves is when people force their way onto the elevators at work before the people have a chance to get off the elevator. I just want to scream, “Please wait 2 seconds so I can get off the elevator and you don’t plow me over!”

  15. Bad grammar is a HUGE pet peeve of mine! I’ve always been very good with grammar/spelling, and my friends lovingly refer to me as the “grammar police” sometimes. Uh..hehe. So I’m right on board with you about “your” vs. “you’re”.

    When I was little, I thought “infamous” meant “not famous” (like “unfamous” or something). I distinctly remember sitting in an Italian restaurant with my mom & brother, having a debate about this, haha.

  16. I love the quotation marks one and the Friends reference. It also reminds me of the episode when joey does the air quotes… “I’m sorry”, etc. hahaha.

  17. I agree 100% with the lightbulb one!!! The very thought of changing a lightbulb gives me the willies. Nails on a chalkboard? I can deal with it. A lightbulb getting screwed in? It feels like the world is ending. The very thought of the feeling of the slow metallic grinding coupled with that god-forsaken squeaking sound is giving me chills as I write this. I wish I were exaggerating. I can’t even look at my desk lamp right now.

    My pet peeves also include all kinds of grammar mistakes. I’m not shy about correcting people, either. It’s for their own good! (Side note: I thought of the Ross and Rachel example about a second before I got to that part of your post!)

  18. I never comment, but I kind of love you! I thought I would let you know that I used to have a cat named Peeve… just because we wanted to say “Hi, this is my pet, Peeve…). See, I’m a dork.

  19. The nail clipping thing in public is JUST NASTY. At the last place I worked, there was someone who would regularly clip their toenails in the waiting room. WHY WHY WHY must that happen? Seriously. Do it at home. blech. Also- the blow up snowman in July is just all sorts of wrong. I’m sorry you even had to see it.

  20. ahhhh nail clipping!! a guy at work does it too! and NEVER cleans up for himself! I have to use the same space as he and there is nothing like walking up to that desk seeing his finger AND toe nails scattered about. UGH.

  21. I think you read my mind and wrote this post. I totally agree with your pet peeves, especially nail clipping – so freaking gross!!
    Also, any grammar issues kind of make me crazy, especially the misuse of apostrophes.
    I think one of my biggest ones is when people aren’t self-aware, like when they walk into you because they aren’t watching where they’re going because they’re texting. You are not more important than the rest of us, buddy!
    I have so many others, but surprisingly, can’t think of any at this moment. 🙂 Fun post. I think it’s good to laugh at our differences.

  22. I hate when people are late too. I’m very punctual or early so don’t waste my time.

    -When people have no idea how to merge onto a highway.
    -people who don’t immediately start going when the light turns green, you are driving a car pay attention
    -people who drive 10 miles below the speed limit in the left lane

    ok most of my pet peeves are driving related, but having grown up on the east coast and now having to deal with washington state drivers all the time drives me a little crazy.

    -people who stand right next to the baggage carousel. How hard it is it to stand 2 feet back so when my bag comes up I don’t have to body check you to get out of the way so i can grab it.

  23. My pet peeve is also grammar-related. I CANNOT stand when people do not take the time to spell check before sending an important e-mail (or really any email for that matter). People, there is even a spell-check that will do it for you! I don’t understand why people don’t realize that failing to check your spelling, etc. can make you look a) ignorant or b) lazy or c) all of the above. Rant over 🙂

  24. The words “pet owner” is creepy to me. You don’t own an animal. Maybe you aren’t the parent, but you certainly aren’t the owner.

  25. 1) My contraction and homonym usage gets awful when I am tired – I’ll go back a read something and be like WTF?!? I am educated! I swear!
    2) People who don’t clean up their shedded hair. Look, I lose a ton of hair every day, too. But I PUT IT IN THE TRASHCAN. Not on the bathroom floor.
    3) People who don’t clean up standing water on the countertop.
    4) 2 and 3 is basically people who don’t enjoy/like cleaning as much as I do.
    5) People who are super judgemental.
    6) Tasti-d-Lite — that stuff is NOT food.

  26. This has pretty much made my day! I’m a weak handshaker…mostly because I don’t want to touch hands with someone I don’t know. But I’m an awesome high fiver!
    I have quite a few…
    1. Worse vs. Worst. Why don’t people know the difference between the two!? If I have to read one more “that’s the worse” tweet, I might go crazy.
    2. People who chew with their mouth open/smack their gum. You aren’t a cow chewing cud. Close your mouth!
    3. People who want to talk the entire flight. Shut up!
    4. Slow speedwalking/running ladies who run 5 across and block the entire trail. Move bitches!
    5. People who refer to every race as a marathon. A 5k is not a marathon. Only a marathon is a marathon. Why is that so hard?
    6. People that tell me that running is bad for me while eating fast food. Errrr…sir, shouldn’t you be a bit more concerned about what you’re eating than how many miles I’m running? Just saying.

  27. I HATE those inflatable things! Especially the ones that look like snow globes. Ugh. Tacky.

    I may or may not refer to my dogs as the babies when I text my husband. And I ask my mom if she can watch the grandkids. Please don’t hate me.

    Current pet peeve – people who blowdry/style their hair naked in the locker room. At least put on pants and a bra. Don’t need the show.

  28. Someone in my old office used to cut their fingernails in their cube, but I never confirmed who it was. They are lucky I didn’t steal their clippers.

    And here is what is currently busting my chops today:
    1) people who think its OK to reheat fish in the office kitchen (no, just no.)
    2) managers who micromanage (if you dont trust us to get the job done, why are we still employed?!)
    3) people who leave cryptic status messages on facebook that are just asking for people to comment (ex: “just found out horrible news…” )

    But in happy news, the sun is shining again in Chicago and I should be able to get a run in along the lake tonight – 40mph winds have subsided!

  29. I could basically cut and paste all your pet peeves–
    1. i hate blow up decorations and my next door neighbors back home do it for EVERY holiday… i swear they invent holidays just to drag out those tacky things that have to use generators to operate 24/7
    2. you’re vs your… i judge people right away
    3. my roommate freshmen year would clip her toe nails on our carpet and not clean it up. to say i wanted to punch her is an understatement
    4. masseuses who speak should be fired
    5. late people too

    haha and now for some originality, aka not stealing yours
    1. when people respond to a long text with “k”
    2. people w/ excessive negative energy
    3. still air… i can’t be in a room w/out a fan or properly circulating air. even on a beach, if there is suddenly no more wind, i start panicking (1st world problems)

  30. Ha! Love these peeves! Especially ‘your vs. you’re’ and ‘infamous’ (REALLY? people use it that way? awful!). I hate when people use ‘anyways’ – not a word. And I HATE HATE HATE HATE FML. I just think it’s crude and seriously used in the weirdest ways ‘just spilled coffee on myself…FML’ – really, really?? Eff your life because you spilled coffee? Please. Ok, that’s my rant hehe!

  31. Totally with you there on the masseuse thing. I just want to relax man! No chit chat! Same with pedicures. Just let me endulge in US Weekly in peace and get up to date on the Kardashian clan. Also, as someone who used to do interviews as a major part of my job, a weak handshake automatically drops you five points. End. Of. Story.

  32. I have a gym related one. People who come up to me while I’m working out and ASK ME TO TAKE OUT MY HEADPHONES. Really? If I wanted to talk to you in the first place, I probably wouldn’t have had them in.
    Guilty of babying Pancake, but I agree that I did not give birth to him. Fair??

  33. I could write a whole blog post about subway pet peeves. Like leaning your whole body against the pole, or refusing to move out of the doorway when people are trying to get off, wearing backpacks in crowded subways, or not letting pregnant women and old people sit down!

    Anyway, doesn’t it feel good to complain sometimes? Glad you could get a few things off your chest!

  34. Bad spelling and grammar in a public forum (Facebook, etc.) or anything else I have to read.
    Chronically late and unapologetic people.
    People who do not discipline their children.
    People who ask, “how long is this marathon?” – They are ALL 26.2! And yes we run the whole thing at once.
    People who ask about my “jogging.”
    People who tell me how “good” I am for eating well and working out. – Hello! It’s not rocket science. I want to live long.
    People who talk (and loud at that) on their cell phones on the bus.
    Sorry. I could go on FOREVER! 🙂 But I feel better now. Thanks!

  35. – People who chew with their mouth open.
    – Self-important people who contribute nothing to society. See “The Real Housewives of Anywhere”
    – People who want the magic solution for losing weight.
    – Adults who call their parents “Mommy” and “Daddy”.
    – The fact that I have helmet hair every single day. Thank you, Taiwan.
    – Skinny jeans on men. WHERE DOES IT GO?
    – Chihuahuas. Quit shaking already. (I’m a big dog person. Kudos to people who love little dogs.)
    – Texting lingo. Is it really so much effort to spell out “you”, “are”, “why”, “ok”?

    Thanks for the vent session!

  36. You would love where I work, we high five all.the.time! Perhaps it’s geographical, but I rarely hear the world “infamous” used or misused. Most likely because people don’t know what it means or how to use the world. The misuse of your vs. you’re drives me nuts! OMG I started writing my reply before I finished reading only to find you write about your and you’re!! 🙂 I realize that makes me a complete dork and I do not care. Last but not least in my senior HS English class (also ENG101/102) we had to shake our teachers hand before each class to practice a proper handshake. She ingrained in me how much weak handshakes suck, pretty sure she used the word “suck” too. Ok I’ll stop taking up space in your comments section.

  37. Dearest Ali, I love this post!!!!!!! My hubby’s cousin writes EVERYTHING with an ‘. It’s AWFUL. LIKE she would have wrote “write’s.” SO AWFUL. I do the same thing on the subway or the T as we like to call it. “Get out of my way BIATCHES!!!!”
    Also, you’re vs. your drives me insane too.

    I have a million pet peeves. As you know! But I prefer to gchat them to you instead of comment on this post because I’m classy like that.

  38. There were SO many times I was on the subway with nail clippers. What makes you think that’s okay?!

    The apostrophe one, too…ex., “I hate Monday’s.” Seriously, who the eff taught you to do that?!?!

    I don’t bug out when someone is late for me (like to dinner or something) unless it makes me miss something. Like I hate, hate, hate coming into a movie and it’s already started (post-previews, that is).

    When I used to take the LIRR to the city from campus in college, I hated when I would ask someone to move over so I could sit down and they would make a big show about getting UP to let me in to make sure they got the aisle seat. Really, you care that much about getting off the train five minutes before I do?!

  39. You know what’s worse than hearing an unseen coworker clip his nails in your office?? Sharing a TINY office with someone who does this right in front of you on a regular basis. Yes, this is what my life was like at my old job. Our desks were facing each other and every week she seemed to have this dire need to clip her nasty nails during the work day. And believe it or not, this was the least of her grievances (which included, but was not limited to, eating tuna/smelly fish daily IN said office with the door closed).

    Anyway, rant over. I love this post. It didn’t sound negative (or maybe I’m just a naturally angry person…)and made me laugh. I agree with every single one of these EXCEPT…I might be sorta kinda guilty of treating my dog a little bit like a child. I mean, he still gets dog food and spends time in his crate (not something I’m planning on doing with my future children) but I may have cried a little bit the first time I left him at a kennel for the weekend. I know, I know. I just love him so much. Please still be my friend?

    1. As long as we can agree on the fact that you did not, in fact, go through labor in order to have your dog then yes, we can of course still be friends. I’m fine with you taking excellent care of your pup. Just don’t tell me he’s your actual child. He’s not. He has fur.

  40. Totally identify with most of these! Here is one of my biggest:

    “I could care less.” That doesn’t even make sense. It’s I COULDN’T care less, people!

  41. Oh, what a fun game!

    Here are my peeves:

    1. Smacking gum/food. I hate this. It’s not cute, it’s not sexy, it’s nothing but annoying. CLOSE YOUR MOUTH.

    2. Improper grammar and spelling. It just bugs me.

    3. When you are reading a book or a magazine and the person next to you keeps trying to engage you in a conversation.

  42. I try to ask my clients what their pet peeves are, so I can try to avoid them if possible. One of my biggest pet peeves is someone parking in MY spot. Yes, we don’t have assigned parking spots, but I’ve parked there for over 3 years. DON’T try to take it. It’s mine. 😀 I also feel very frustrated when people show up late, and I sit with nothing to do. If you want to be respected, you gotta respect others!

  43. Most of my pet peeves are grammatical errors. Example: “You did good” No, no you did not do GOOD. You did WELL. I have heard it a lot in commercials lately and it drives me INSANE. Oh and the word “gooder” is NOT a word – also heard on a commercial. How do things like that slip by every single person on a production team and make it onto television?!

  44. I REALLY can’t stand when people misuse words like infamous either, but that’s probably the journalism major/english fanatic in me coming out. i also can’t stand weak high fives – i want a solid slap coming out of that, otherwise we have to try again. or when i try to go get pumpkin spice coffee at the gas station and they are out (not like that happened yesterday or anything)… HAPPY FRIDAY!

  45. People not moving in on the subway is the worst! Also on the subway: people who take up multiple seats, people who groom (brush hair, clip nails, apply false eyelashes), people on the platform who crowd in front of the doors while they wait for them to open so no one can get off and no one can get on. (There are a lot of annoying-some people on the F train in the morning, apparently.)

  46. People really clip their toe nails in public? I think i would politely barf on a person that was doing this.

    Pet peeved of mine? Not putting the cap on the toothpaste. Also, returning a phone call with a text. If I call I probably need to talk to your or else i would have just texted in the first place!!

  47. ‘Delish’. And other bastardized words like ‘nooch’, ‘fab’, ‘sammie’ (this is only allowed in Australia!).

  48. Love the ‘Friends’ quote, and completely agree! I hate when people use “that” instead of “who” when talking about a person. Example: The mean man on the bus WHO (not that) won’t let Ali sit down. That really drives me crazy and I see/hear it all the time. Hope you feel better soon!!

  49. Oh my goodness, I have a million pet peeves, and many of them are grammar-related. I love that you quoted Ross in the “You’re vs. your” peeve. I feel his pain. My top pet peeves are: people crunching on ice with their teeth (especially in quiet rooms), people popping their gum constantly, and when people use the word “literally” incorrectly. For example, “My headache was so bad my head was literally about to fall off.” Uh, yeah, I don’t think so.

  50. At least one person in my office clips their nails at their desk each week. And there are like 40 clips – how many nails do these people have? Are they doing their toenails too?

    Another – when the people in the spin class after mine walk in and stand next to your bike while you’re stretching or cleaning your bike. Seriously, you can’t wait 2 more minutes?!

  51. OMG I hate when people don’t move into the subway car! Like, REALLY, you’re going to step in and stand in the doorway?? Thanks, Good Samaritan. Also cannot STAND people who walk up the wrong side of the stairs and think its okay to block people trying to descend the other side (and then suddenly need to squeeze in front of you to make room because they shouldn’t have walked up the wrong side to begin with!!). Last one: men who feel it necessary to sit with their legs spread super far apart on the subway seats and take up like 1.5 spaces (oh, I get it–you must *need* all that space more than any other guy on the subway. That’s fine, I’m a girl so I’ll just squeeze my legs together to make room for your GIANT MANLINESS ISSUES).

  52. zomg. dori hit the nail on the head with that last one. IM SO TIRED OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE ENTIRE SIDEWALK TO MOVE TO THE SIDE NOT MOVING, CAUSING A CRASH AND LOOKING AT ME LIKE IM THE RUDE ONE!

  53. I also hate when people are late, or if I am late. I get really annoyed in traffic because I think that it will make me late, so I typically will leave my house ridiculously early.

    I agree with the deodorant comment someone else posted earlier! I don’t think that running a race means that you can just forget about deodorant, there is a reason why we use it! If you already smell before you run then it is just going to go downhill from there!

  54. I really HATE when people drive with their hazard lights on in bad weather. I, too, am aware that it is raining. Your flashing lights do nothing to help my concentration- they just make me feel like I’m at a very wet rave. Also, you now can’t use your turn signals- so now it is raining, you are distracting me with flashing lights, and you are merging into my lane unannounced. End of rant 🙂

  55. I really HATE when people drive with their hazard lights on in bad weather. I, too, am aware that it is raining. Your flashing lights do nothing to help my concentration- they just make me feel like I’m at a very wet rave. Also, you now can’t use your turn signals- so now it is raining, you are distracting me with flashing lights, and you are merging into my lane unannounced. End of rant 🙂

  56. Love this post! I have a friend who got a puppy a few moths ago and she totally treats it like a child…DRIVES ME NUTS! She cried hysterically when she had to leave it at the vet for a few hours then bailed on brunch plans because she had to wait around the vets office “just in case they called.” Really?!! I love animals, but they are not humans. Nor do they need to be treated like them.

    My biggest pet peeve is bad table manners – mainly chewing with your mouth open. After the age of five there should be no excuse here. The sound of people chewing or slurping anything drives me to the edge of insanity. It’s a problem.

    I hope your stomach starts to cooperate!

  57. ohhh good post – one of my worst pet peeves has to do with people using public transporation, particularly the MBTA bus that i take every morning…say im the first to get to the bus stop and i stand on the sidewalk….not to say that i should be the first person on the bus, but i cant stand people who walk up and stand in front of me and push their way onto the bus first. wait your turn! i also hate when people eat on public transportation – why do people eat sandwiches on the subway?! another, when people walk like 4 abreast on a sidewalk/trail and i approach them from behind as i am running. i scream EXCUSE ME and elbow them as i run by them. last one, people who dont walk on the proper side of the sidewalk. we aren’t in england here people, walk on the RIGHT side!!!!! have a great weekend ali!

  58. I can relate to pretty much all of your pet peeves. I have to add the choose/chose issue in there. Lately I’ve seen so many people use the wrong one! And people who don’t use their blinkers drive me insane.

  59. I’m a journalism major so I pay attention to grammar a bit. 🙂 When people use the word “epic”. As in “that hamburger was epic”. I know it’s slang, but it loses it’s real meaning when it’s used frequently and incorrectly. Or when people make words up: ridonculous instead of ridiculous. Not a word people!

  60. I hate when people say “I could care less” when they mean that they COULDN’T care less.

    Also, when I’m going to the bathroom and people try to talk to me through the door. Can you just wait a freaking minute, please?

  61. Running-related pet peeve (and a newly discovered one). People who think it’s okay to skip deodorant on race day. I just ran the Hartford Half-Marathon and had the unfortunate experience of being stuck beside two dudes who absolutely REEKED like B.O. while waiting for the gun to go off.

    Then, at mile 11 or so, I literally had to start sprinting to get away from this OTHER dude who smelled like a pair of gym socks.

    I mean, I know we’re athletes and we sweat lots, but there’s NO excuse for stinkage when we have things like soap & deodorant!!!!!

  62. Standing on line. WHAT LINE ARE YOU STANDING ON YOU ILLITERATE MORON? ARE YOU GETTING ON TO YOUR DIAL-UP LINE TO AOL? STAND IN LINE!!!!!

    That is all.

  63. OMG. I knew we were friends for a reason. People who do not move into the subway car make me MURDEROUS with rage! Soooo freaking inconsiderate. I have a lot of grammar-related pet peeves, as well. Even worse than your/you’re for me, though, is when people make something plural with an apostrophe. NOOOOO. Thank goodness my bf is also a grammar snob — we recently saw a sign that said “Key’s made here” and exclaimed almost in unison “WHAT BELONGS TO THE KEYS!!!???” Haha. One more pet peeve, and it’s running-related: stupid-asses who ride their BIKE the WRONG WAY in the RUNNING LANE in Central Park. Seriously? How are you not noticing that you are doing the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing? Or do you just not care?
    OK, I sound really angry and actually I’m not. It’s a beautiful day and it’s Friday! YAY! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Ali! 🙂

  64. Most things grammar and commuting related annoy me. Here are some:
    – Some people’s blatant misuse and lack of understanding of em dashes. If you don’t understand how to use them, DON’T USE THEM.
    – People who stand on the left side of the escalator.
    – People who hang out in front of the subway turnstiles (WHY is this a popular hang out spot? Please explain).
    – People who walk diagonally down the block on one side of me, but because on my other side is a building, I have nowhere to escape to as they walk INTO me. JUST WALK STRAIGHT.

  65. I have a LOT of grammar-related pet peeves, and I am a middle school English teacher. You can only imagine how many times a day I have a mini-meltdown. Comes with the territory, I suppose.

    I also can’t stand people who drive 10-15 miles slower than the speed limit…in the passing lane. Or people who start a sentence with “No offense, but…” You clearly are going to say something offensive, so why pretend otherwise?

    Loved this. Happy Friday, indeed!

  66. Haha I love this post. I also have tons of pet peeves – your and you’re is pretty bad, but I DESPISE lose vs. loose. UGH!

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about ali

I’m the creator of the Ali on the Run blog and the host of the Ali on the Run Show podcast. I’m also a freelance writer and editor, a race announcer, a runner and marathoner, a mom, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (way better than the first one!), and reliving my glory days as a competition dancer in the early 2000s. I’m really happy you’re here.
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