Friday, July 14, 2006

friday five :: pet peeves

Reverendmother over at the RevGals' blog posted this highly entertaining Friday Five, and I encourage everyone to go over there to read the great responses that have amassed so far.

The topic: "I'm wondering about your pet peeves. Here's your chance to vent, gripe, and grumble to your heart's content. Go ahead, it's therapeutic."

1. Grammatical pet peeve
Where do I begin? I have many, but I think the worst is when I see reputable news agencies (I'm thinking especially of TV news stations) butcher pronoun-antecedent agreement (I hope that's the correct term). For example: "Company X has announced that they are going to lay off 150 people." Come on, people! Company X is singular, and you already acknowledged you know that by following it with "has" instead of "have." So why, then, do you refer to that company as "they" later in the sentence, followed by "are," instead of "it is"?

2. Household pet peeve
That would be when dishes get put away in the wrong spot so that when I later go to find, say, the clean butter dish, I cannot find it and am left with a slippery block of butter in my hand, rummaging through cupboards and drawers until I find the object that should have been within easy reach in the first place. I know ... I shouldn't have unwrapped the butter until I'd located the butter dish, but one gets in a hurry.

3. Arts & Entertainment pet peeve (movie theaters, restaurants, concerts)
The newfangled ads-disguised-as-entertainment programming before movies really grates on my nerves. I'd rather sit in silence and chat with my movie date, or even answer the cute quiz questions they have at the Highland and Grandview theaters, than be subjected to this loud, MTV-style drivel.

4. Liturgical pet peeve
When the organ in the back of the church cannot stay synchronized with the choral voices in the front of the church, my hair stands on end.

5. Wild card — pet peeve that doesn't fit any of the above categories
It bugs me when cars turning into a two-lane street turn into the far lane immediately, rather than into the near lane, where they then should signal and shift into the other lane like any other vehicle would do. What if someone is turning from the opposite direction onto that very street, going that very same direction? Why then, the two cars could potentially collide, and it would be the fault of the driver who failed to turn into the near lane in the first place.

Bonus: Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God: What do YOU do that others might consider a pet peeve?
I confess that I burp and release other gaseous bodily creations (made even more abundant by pregnancy) perhaps more than my husband would prefer me to do in front of him. *Blush.*

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Emilie, I think you get a break on those things when you are pregnant!

Cathy said...

Emilie,
4. Liturgical pet peeve
When the organ in the back of the church cannot stay synchronized with the choral voices in the front of the church, my hair stands on end.

Does your church choir have a director that conducts? This is very difficult to keep in sync when the organ and vocalists are so far apart. For them to be TOGETHER, both have to watch a conductor. If not, then the organist has to "think" and play slightly ahead of the vocalists. No easy task. It all has to do with the speed of sound and the ability of the organist and choir members to sync up to the notion!

Spoken from one who has been the organist AND the choir member.

Laura said...

No other big pet peeves to add... but, I wanted to let you know that I've been able to fart and burp louder than husband since our college days. Hee, hee!

Anonymous said...

1. Grammatical pet peeve:
When the word "all" is slurred into the next word, for example: "All's I said was X." Or "All's she said was X."

2. Household pet peeve
No other than pulling long hairs out of the shower drain grate!

3. Arts & Entertainment pet peeve (movie theaters, restaurants, concerts):
Nightclub cover charges that dwarf all others in a not-so-hot city. For example, most covers in Portand (OR) don't exceed $10. But there's one "trendy" one that's $20. I'm thinking, $20 cover to a club in Portland? Maybe NYC or LA, or even Atlanta, but Portland?? Not worth it if all it is is to be "seen." Club attire here don't emphasize individual style, just some version of the camisole top found at every stunkin' mall in the US. At least in NYC's intimidating club scene, you can find some hot vintage and people with "real" clout.

4. Liturgical pet peeve
When the Archbishop's appeal or any fundraising message is used as the homily.

5. Wild card — pet peeve that doesn't fit any of the above categories
Em, I got pulled over once for doing your pet peeve on this one!! Only because it was night and I happened to drive in front of a cop car while I was on my way to the far lane....Anyway, a pet peeve is when people make a statement but sound like they are asking a question by making their voice higher at the end. It sounds so shallow. Ex: I had the wierdest thing happen yesterday? I was driving and when I came to a red light, the guy in front of backed up and almost bumped into me? And when he got out, I recognized him from high school?

Bonus: Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God: What do YOU do that others might consider a pet peeve?
Making loud sounds when I chew my gum