OT; PET PEEVES

Litterbugs Swearing in public Tampon ads during childrens tv programming

Those are MY Pet Peeves. But as for the parking space issue that is on the table currently........ As for the handicapped parking places. The original intention of the designated "Handicapp" spaces was for physical disabilities. If a person doesn't have a physical dysability or if they are using the car inappropriately, then that is wrong. Another major benefit of those spaces was intended not to simply shorten the distance to the door, but also to provide the xtra area around the car for persons needing the room for wheelchair, scooter or walker set-up. When capable persons use those spaces it is wrong! I know for a fact that I sat and ate lunch last Friday at a major department store gazing out the window and watched 75% of the persons parking in the handicapped zones pop out of their cars and zip with vigor into the store. If they had a handicapp, it certainly didn't limit their ability to move easily to the entrance of the store. Every handicapped spot was taken.

So whether the shopper was color blind, couldn't read or didn't care I don't know. What I do know is that when we say that we can't judge them bcause it is none of our business and we shouldn't get involved....well, then, one day we might be the old lady in the wheelchair who can't make it into that shop because there are no spaces.....because nobody felt like offering an embarrasing glance at them. Perhaps people would think twice if they thought people were watching them and DID CARE. Joy

pet peeves...

the loo seat left up, drivers that don't indicate, especially on roundabouts, trolleys that steer themselves, people that walk soooo slowwwwly across the pavement when I'm in a hurrry, etc. etc....

Liz.

I got the DH with that a year or so back... I was flitting from thing to thing, cooking the dinner, pressing quilt blocks and fabric, supervising the S&H with some homework, tidying the table for the meal.

How can you do all that at once? he asked.

Multitasking, I replied. You men have only been doing it since you invented computers, but we women have done it for millennia! You'll never catch up...

He laughed!

If you tell a man something, that's OK; you can 'remind' him of it once... about a week later. After that, it's nagging! And if they STILL forget, it's YOUR fault for not telling them!

ohhhhhhhh I dunno, I live in a very large city (second largest in the state) and my grocery store does the same thing, well, except we have more than one stall reserved for expectant and new moms. But then maybe in the LARGER towns people aren't so co operative as to take turns so only one lady is pregnant at a time. ;)

Val

Karen, I agree with you and recently, I am seeing more stores with parking spaces designated "For Expectant Mothers Only". Emily

Sharon, I LOVE this idea!! Thanks for sharing it with us. Maybe it will catch on in the rest of the world. I live to hope. Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Joy adds to the peeve list:

When I was visiting Europe a couple of years ago I was *shocked* to hear the American kids in the Internet cafes using the "f" word so fluently. It was just another adjective to them, like "like". It made me very sad to think that these rude young people were representing my country all over the world.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

SewStorm's cat walked across a keyboard and came up with this:

OK gals, hate me if you want, but I really disagree with this idea. Even when I was pregnant and toting toddlers I thought it was overkill.

Penny S

i've always thought that the pregnancy parking was silly... (i am having my baby 1 week from today)

maybe because i've never had any problem getting around while pregnant...(i am just about to walk out the door to walk my 3yo DD to preschool a mile and a half away)

it's public transportation that bugs me...i hate when no one will get up and offer me a seat...it's hard to balance on a moving vehicle with all that baby out front!!

kristen :)

With both of my pregnancies I had such terrible sciatica that by the end of my 8th month, walking even a few yards was difficult. Not every pregnancy is easy. Personally I'd prefer to err on the side of compassion.

Kathleen

Kristen L. Renneker's cat walked across a keyboard and came up with this:

I'm with you Kristen... I think people are getting way too far away from using their bodies to get themselves from point A to point B. Granted while there are certain health conditions that warrant special considerations, I think a lot of people are just too lazy or in hurry. They have to have the closest parking spot, or move the car from one end of the strip mall to the other instead of walking. Or circling the lot until a close in spot opens up, instead of walking the extra 50 feet! And they wonder why they carry extra weight! It's easy to incorporate movement into your daily life, whether it's taking a far spot in the lot, walking one flight of stairs instead of the elevator, or putting your groceries in the car and then walking over to the video store instead of driving to the other end of the strip mall.

Penny S

Yup. And too many people have illnesses, that they feel makes them handicapped, that could so easily be helped with diet and exercise. There are several people in my own life who act like ancient ones, hobbling around, moaning and groaning (knee problems, diabetes, heart problems), and if they would just lose 100 pounds they wouldn't have any of the problems they have. I know it's easier said than done, but at least trying is better than just giving up!

Unfortunately, these people all have handicapped signs for their cars, and I'd much rather see an expectant mother, who is in that state for a few short weeks, get the help than the ones who honestly need to walk a little further!

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

I have both kinds of tags - one is portable, one is on my license plate. Believe me, I've "been there" I know what it's like to get the scrutiny because there are no visible signs. And you can't tell if someone has heart disease or any of a dozen other diseases. I've been guilty of the same reaction, when I saw someone with no visible problem park in a handicap spot. Then my dad got sick (heart disease) and my mom (emphysema), and me. So even though I know there are people who abuse the parking spaces, I give them the benefit of the doubt. Sharon

Neat! That's a town to be proud of! Sharon (the other one :>)

Taffy -

My daughter had her hair cut this summer from waist length to shoulder length, and donated it to Locks of Love. My rheumatologist did, too. Sharon

I don't think Locks of Love had been created back then. The shop may have sold it to a wigmaker, though. I just remember everything in the salon coming to a halt, and everyone gathering around my chair to watch. It wasn't quite as long as Crystal Gale's, but it was close.

Today, that husband might be found guilty of spousal abuse. For years, I thought abuse was when one spouse struck the other physically, but I have learned since then that there is another kind of abuse, which is belittling and dominating. The issue is the same, one of control. A woman can become a prisoner in her own home without her husband ever raising a hand.

In France, on public transport, the seats near the door are for: wounded soldiers, blind and disabled civilians, pregnant women and mothers with small children. There is a list detailing who exactly is allowed to sit there, and usually little drawings, which are quite a hoot.

:) Trish