Meerkat Prompts: Pet Peeves
Where do I even begin with this?! I could rattle off a very long list of things that aggravate me, but the WordPress prompt of the day is looking for three, so I need to figure out how to keep this concise. That may not be possible.
So, what annoys this meerkat? What gets under my skin in a bad way?
- Football Management Games
I have something of a love/hate relationship with football management sims, to the extent where I no longer play them. Whilst I understand that real football will cough up variables all day long, a computer game is governed by numbers, so it greatly pisses me off when my team winds up repeatedly failing, especially if my team is, on paper, a good team. This irritation can reach nuclear levels, especially when I try out tactics that supposedly work wonders for others, yet never seem to yield consistently good results for me. That said, I’ve enjoyed some spectacular success stories on management games too, it’s just that there’s too much gnashing of teeth, thanks to what I consider to be some faulty premises and execution.
- Aisle Blockers
Have you ever been seeking something in a store or supermarket, and you reach your desired aisle, only to discover that someone – or possibly a pair of someones – has blocked the entire aisle with their trolley? In an era of online shopping this is not as big a peeve as it once was, but there was a time when it seemed a lot of people showed zero awareness, and would block entire aisles. They would then have the audacity to give you a dirty look if you moved their trolley. Among the worst offenders for this would be old ladies. They would love to stop and have a chat, in the middle of an aisle, with no regard for anyone else.
- Late Arrivals
This particular peeve was one grand enough to spin into an entire post of its own. I know it cannot be helped, I know sometimes people can’t make it to any given shop until shortly before closing time, but there are some environments where there is no excuse for this, and where it’s simply tardy. It is also highly inconsiderate to the time and lives of retail workers. Check the opening hours of shops, they are available online, and there’s remarkable device called a phone, so you can also call the store to find out when they shut. Do not roll up five minutes before closing time, simply to browse.
I could greatly expand this list. Militant sci-fi fans, rabid religious fanatics, the failings of technology, the cruelty of certain political groups, and a host of other things could make it to this post. For now, I will leave you with this, and I will ask: what are your pet peeves?