Thursday, August 09, 2007

Pet Peeves #3

Ok, enough with all that talk about good customer service and all that nicey, nicey stuff. Once again, I'm asking my readers what bugs you?

My pet peeve:
people who don't know/care how to navigate parking lots.

I'm sick and tired of driving in parking lots when all of a sudden some vehicle comes out of nowhere and cuts right in front of me. I always go the proper direction in parking lots...it's not even a question for me. However, a good percentage of the populous seems to think it's a really smart idea to just drive any direction they
want to.

For whatever reason, some parking lots are worse then others. THE worst parking lot I've ever seen for bad driving is the Grand Cities Mall lot. At times, I think I'm the only person in town who bothers to drive the proper direction in that lot.

I don't understand the thought process behind this kind of behavior. I guess it boils down to...

Who cares if I'm the only car going kitty-corner through the parking lot? Those idiots going the proper direction will just have to wait for me and my big old pickup truck! My time is the most important thing! Proper driving etiquette and the safety of others be damned!

84 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else dislike the overhead fans that blow dust at you when you enter Walmart ? Not only does it mess up your hair (ladies) but it sucks up the dust and other crap in the store. It does not serve a useful purpose that I can see. Am I right ? greenglass4.

Anonymous said...

huge pet peeve?
folks in the right lane not making a right on a red....figure it out people...just because you are making a right in the next 3 miles doesn't mean you need to be in the right lane right now...some of us have lives and places to get to..."GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE RIGHT LANE"

Anonymous said...

I happen to like the fans at walmart, in the summer its a nice blast of cold air, and in the winter when its 40 below that warm air feels good.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the parking lot thing. A few summers ago my boyfriend was hit by a teenage girl who decided to cut through the Leever's parking lot. When this girls mom came to get her, the mom drove the girls car and before she left she almost backed into the police car. I guess bad driving is genetic. ;)

As for the Walmart fans, they don't bother me much. I do hate the long lines at the check out though. It seems that ever since it became SUPER Walmart they don't seem to have enough people to work the tills or something. When you have 5 or 6 customers standing in every single line that is open maybe you should open more than 6 tills. Also, why is there a self-checkout if they aren't all open, and sometimes they are ALL closed? I've been told that they have to have an employee working that can help with the self-checkout if a customer has a problem, and if they don't have someone to work that position then they close all the self-checkouts. Why not make sure you have enough employees that can help with that?

Enough bitching. I would like to say that we recently switched to Aurora from Altru, and I'm amazed at how friendly everyone we've met has been. We've had appointments with two doctors, and they were awesome! I hope they build that hospital because I really don't want to ever have to step foot into Altru again. Especially now that I know how good Aurora is.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the parking lot thing. A few summers ago my boyfriend was hit by a teenage girl who decided to cut through the Leever's parking lot. When this girls mom came to get her, the mom drove the girls car and before she left she almost backed into the police car. I guess bad driving is genetic. ;)

As for the Walmart fans, they don't bother me much. I do hate the long lines at the check out though. It seems that ever since it became SUPER Walmart they don't seem to have enough people to work the tills or something. When you have 5 or 6 customers standing in every single line that is open maybe you should open more than 6 tills. Also, why is there a self-checkout if they aren't all open, and sometimes they are ALL closed? I've been told that they have to have an employee working that can help with the self-checkout if a customer has a problem, and if they don't have someone to work that position then they close all the self-checkouts. Why not make sure you have enough employees that can help with that?

Enough bitching. I would like to say that we recently switched to Aurora from Altru, and I'm amazed at how friendly everyone we've met has been. We've had appointments with two doctors, and they were awesome! I hope they build that hospital because I really don't want to ever have to step foot into Altru again. Especially now that I know how good Aurora is.

Anonymous said...

Sorry it posted twice. I guess I really wanted everyone to make sure they read what I had to say. :)

Anonymous said...

I am confused about the right lane issue. So the right lane is for what purpose in your mind? Driving? Passing? What am I missing here?

Still Fighting It said...

IMO, the right lane is for driving, left for driving faster - sometimes known as passing. The real problem is a lack of dedicated right-turn lanes.

There would be a lot less traffic if people thought ahead and managed their lanes better. There is little more amazing than coming up to a red light with 8 cars in the left lane and one in the right lane, or vice versa. So many people in GF drive as if they're lost or taking a Sunday cruise.

I'm not advocating New York or LA, but let's moderate a little - it'll be more economical for everyone, too - in terms of gas, wear, and time.

BTW - I think those overhead door fans create a layer of sorts where outside air, whether overly hot or cold, cannot penetrate. My vote is for them.

Anonymous said...

Fox News

Coffee Guy said...

They're called air curtains, and they serve a great purpose.

Right lane is for driving. It's the standard driving lane. Like a previous poster said, left is for a little faster or passing.

Anonymous said...

I love how the negative stuff is so much more popular than the positive stuff. Well, here I go messing this thread up. I recently had a POSITIVE experience at the Canad Inn. The front desk staff was really nice and treated me like a VIP, even though I am not. (and far from it as I am not rich by any standards.) Thanks to whomever is in charge of those folks and to the front desk staff themselves.

GrandForksGuy said...

I think that's great to hear, localboy.

Anonymous said...

The fans that blast air downward (air curtains) in store entrances create a "wall" of air that keeps the comfortable (heated or air conditioned) air inside and the uncomfortable air out. They work well enough that the cost of buying and running the fans is worth it and actually saves the store money on their energy bill. So, the next time your hair gets messed up or you get a bunch of dust in your eye, think about how much money the store is saving!

The worst parking lot by far is at the movie theater. Narrow slots and narrow lanes make it especially difficult for bad parkers.

elucidarian said...

I used to care about people driving across lanes in parking lots. But I now deem that the much lesser evil next to driving the wrong way. It's all about awareness. Ever notice a police car sitting ahead some ways, waiting to ticket the next speeder his/her radar picks up, and you think, "Oh crap I'm gonna get a ticket," but you slow down and nothing happens? I've come to realize they know people are going speed and prefer, most often, to pull over the ones who aren't paying attention while driving, speeding obliviously right past that marked car.

It's the same in parking lots. If there's a wide swath of lot space and you'd have plenty of time to pick a lane should you see anyone coming, drive as the crow flies. On the other hand, if you're driving between parked cars, having nowhere to go but back or forward, you should not put yourself in a position where another car is going to back up and have to square off, face to face with you because they use their eyes.

One last note about awareness: PUT THE G**D*** PHONE DOWN. Three of the last four times somebody almost hit me, they had a cell phone glued to their ear. One time, this lady was looking right at me, and still kept driving directly toward me as if I were invisible to her! You may think you're immune, but it might be better not to risk it.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of lanes and supermarkets, my pet peeve are people who keep their cart right in the middle of the aisle in a grocery market and are oblivious when people are trying to slip by. It is just another example of people not using common courtesy.

Anonymous said...

Worse story yet about cell phone using drivers... we witnessed a young girl driving recently in Fargo, weaving over the line into our lane of traffic...

She was texting on her cell!
What the f!@# - come on!

Coffee Guy said...

We were almost run off the road by a cell phone user driving to Minneapolis last weekend. He swerved right into our lane, trying to pass a truck. He got within 4 inches of the side of my vehicle at 70+ MPH. I got halfway onto the shoulder of the road using my cat-like reflexes, slamming my son's head into his side window and my wife's arm into the door handle in the process.

We called the highway patrol and reported him. I hope they came to your house and took care of business, Mr. Gold Car MN Tag "LWN-9**"

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry. I was calling to get some blow and some hookahs.

Anonymous said...

I think there was a fatal crash near Boulder, Colorado a year or two ago in which a texting teenager hit a bicyclist. The bicyclist didn't have a chance. It's only a matter of time before a similar tragedy happens here.

Legislation should be into place outlawing cell phone use while driving. I ride a motorcycle almost daily and get a very clear view of the many inattentive/distracted drivers out there. Most are chatting mindlessly on their phones and/or texting.

Onto another pet peeve; overhead air vents.

Anonymous said...

I am also a motorcycle driver. GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!! before you kill someone...namely me!!

Cars don't see bikes as it is...

every close call I have had this summer has been with some idiot on a cell phone..either texting or calling.

also; the right lane left lane thing?
if you are coming to a stop light and are in the R lane...if you look in your rear mirror and see the person behind you "blinking Right"...and it is possible for you to get over into the left lane...just do it...but please look for motorcycles before switching lanes...AND STAY OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!!!

Anonymous said...

I have a couple of things that really bother me....

1. No one seems to use their turn signals in this town. Or they turn them on right before they come to the turn... Am I the only one that understands when and why you need to use turn signals?

2. Why are there so many people in this town that not only smoke in their cars they do it when they have kids in the back seat (and they only have their window cracked). The other day I counted 10 different people doing this on my 8 min drive home from work. If you ask me, driving with a ciggerette hanging out of your mouth is almost as bad as driving with a cell phone to your ear. On top of that don't these people understand how bad that is for their kids! There is a reason why they are getting banned everywhere!

3. Why are there no left turn lights on the intersecting side streets off of 32nd? I am just waiting for the first major accident at one of these lights.

Thats about it for now... I will chime back in if I think of anything else.

Anonymous said...

At the risk of being called a few names - one thing that really is irritating is people speaking a foreign language in the workplace.

elucidarian said...

"Or they turn them on right before they come to the turn..." or, coming from an even smaller town with a higher percentage of older drivers, those who must feel they'll forget to turn on their signal in time so they do it 4 or 5 turns early.

"smoke in their cars ... when they have kids in the back seat" crawling around with no seat belts, to boot! The sad fact is, there is no course to prohibit really stupid people from impregnating one another (aside from becoming a vigilante vescectomist).

Anonymous said...

Here's a driving error that drives me nuts...drivers making a left turn that don't turn into the first lane. They are oblivious to the fact that drivers coming towards them are unable to make a right into their first lane. When I'm the driver making the right, and the oncoming driver sees me, I proceed and turn right into the first lane. They look at me like, "What the hell was that?".
Dumb asses.

Anonymous said...

Pet peeve: hairdressers who eat their salad just prior to getting back to giving haircuts.

That garlic smell really makes it hard to sit through a cut.

Anonymous said...

Pet peeve : city councilmen/radio talk show hosts that try to pollute jury pool ! Emergency hearing in Fargo today in front of Judge Paulson. Trial cancelled in Grand Forks, US Marshalls said there is threat to them and judge and Moe Gibbs by Mike MacNamera ! Trial moved to Bismarck. There is a call to have Mr Mac resign/recall for his behavior as city councilmen. Also call for resignation from KNOX Mac Talk Show. FCC investigating KNOX may have license suspended. Stayt tuned ! greenglass4.

Anonymous said...

i agree with the parking lot driving. Ive almost been hit a few times by people cutting across the lot. In addition to that:

1. people not yielding when they're supposed to. On the north side of town theres no stop signs at intersections, but in most places the north-south roads have yield signs at each intersection. However, some people tend to ignore these and drive right through

2. people that write checks. i absolutely HATE checks. every bank issues debit cards. they're much faster and more convenient to use. not only that, i believe they're more secure. if anyone reading this still writes checks at the checkout, please explain to me why you do it.

Anonymous said...

Everybody seems to be in a super hurry to get somewheres today or fit a million things in a 24 hour day. What ever happened to the virtue of patience. I know I lack patience, so I'm just as guilty. I drive the same streets, too, and from time to time get impatient driving through Columbia Road construction and stopping and going at every red light. And at times I wish they would open more cash registers at Wal Mart and at Hugos. I do my best most of the time to be patient. Scheduling a few less tasks a day while running errands, and practicing patience might improve your overall well being and happiness.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I still write checks because I tend to lose my receipts, and it's much easier to keep everything balanced if I've got my check duplicate to look at if I've lost my receipt. And, honestly, it's just as quick as a debit card purchase, as long as you realize you should probably a) have your ID handy, and b) start filling it in BEFORE you're given the total, not AFTER your $100 of ramen noodles have been rung thorough at the grocery store.

Also, air curtains are really, really important. They're used in most restaurants to keep bugs from getting in because they can't fly through the blast.

Anonymous said...

My pet peeve: greenglass4. Take a grammer class already.

Anonymous said...

somewheres?
anyways?

Not only greenglass4 needs a refresher in grammar. :o)

Anonymous said...

For all the J. Dugan lovers, I must point out that Tammi Osbourne at DAZ is looking super hot. She totally lost her baby fat and looks awesome. Her blonde hair is the best on TV.

Anonymous said...

greenglass2+2, are you still living with your momma? You were when I was trying to collect when you weren't making payments on your pickup a few years ago.

Anonymous said...

your driving a car, not a phone booth. All cell phone users should be shot! Worst invention of all time, probably have caused more death and injuries than any other factor. Not only autos, I have witnessed cell users on bikes, cycles, etc.

Matt BK said...

Outside town, the right lane is for driving and the left for passing. Inside town, each lane is for accessing the side of the road you want to get to. Just because I may drive slower than you want me to does not mean that I should be in the right lane until directly before I want to make a left turn--this makes no sense.

I've never been to Walmart :-D

As a cyclist, I do have to point out drivers who don't pay attention. I've stopped being polite: if you cut me off or almost kill me, I will give you the finger and/or throw whatever is handy.

Anonymous said...

On the subject of bicycles, it bothers me when cyclists don't follow the "rules" either. About a month ago, I was at an intersection with a green light as I was going a cyclist sped in front of me and got mad because I almost hit him he then proceeded to punch the hood of my car as he went around me! When I ride my bike, I always make sure to keep an eye out for cars and only cross when there are no cars coming or the WALK sign is lit.

Anonymous said...

I see that the White Elephant is going to charge $10 for tailgaters this football season. I suppose that will also be considered "profit."

Matt BK said...

I follow the rules of the road better than most drivers. I don't ride on the sidewalks or use the crosswalk just to get somewhere a little bit faster.

Anonymous said...

whoever said the cell phone was the "worst invention of all time" is a complete idiot. I don't think I even need to explain why.

Anonymous said...

My pet peeve is servers/cashiers who do not know how to say "you're welcome". If I say thank you after a pleasant transaction, 90% of the time in this town you get either "yep" or "uh huh". I hate that!

GrandForksGuy said...

"My pet peeve is servers/cashiers who do not know how to say "you're welcome". If I say thank you after a pleasant transaction, 90% of the time in this town you get either "yep" or "uh huh". I hate that!"

I agree totally. I see that all the time and I think that is so rude. I also think that it's irritating how so many cashiers can't bother to even say "hello" to their customers. I would say, more often than not, I'm usually the one that first says hello because it doesn't seem like the cashier is even going to bother to acknowledge me. What's really irritating is when they don't even bother to say hello back!

Too many cashiers act as though they are doing you a huge favor by waiting on you. They don't seem to realize that without you and me - the customers - they wouldn't even have the job.

I just had a very bad experience with both a cashier and a bag boy at Hugo's the other night and it really left me feeling angry. It's actually going to be a while before I go back to Hugo's...

Anonymous said...

I can't stand when cashiers talk to their co-workers while they are supposed to be waiting on you. I've worked various customer service/cashier jobs and I always made sure to focus on the customer. I really don't want to hear about how awful your apartment building is, your boyfriend, what medication you are on, or the latest gossip on another co-worker. I'm still amazed every single time this happens to me that there are people who actually work like this and keep their jobs.

Anonymous said...

the reason they keep their job? unemployment level at about 2%...unfortunately, if the employer fired them, there might not be somebody to take their place, especially in the current job marked in GF

Anonymous said...

"Too many cashiers act as though they are doing you a huge favor by waiting on you. They don't seem to realize that without you and me - the customers - they wouldn't even have the job."

And I suppose they should be SO happy to have that $5.85 an hour job helping your fat ass get another burger or latte, right?

The reason cashiers in this town are not so enamored with the privilege of serving smalltown assholes is that the secret is out: they know that cashiers in other places make $2 an hour MORE than they do to do the same job, and those other cashiers don't have to put up with the typical North Dakota entitlement attitude.

"There's not enough ketchup packets in this bag. I'm gonna get you fired for this! Let me speak to the bald, sweaty 45 year old dropout in charge!"

You're lucky to get ignored when you come in, we'd rather say 'Go fuck yourself, I'm only here until college is over and I can move back to civilization where people are successful and don't have to live in the middle of nowhere just to get by, because they aren't smart or ambitious enough to challenge themselves. But, no, YOU stay here because you like the friendly, neighborly vibe this beet-soaked hole eminates, don't you. It's not at all because you are a washout like the rest. Can I take your order for you, your drunken husband and your REALLY fat kids?'

Anonymous said...

So, if this is an area full of losers, why did you choose to attend college here? And don't say it's because of the good education you'll receive here, because they way you put it, the professors that teach you aren't worth anything either. Everyone around here is apparently a loser, drunk, or fat. Interesting concept, but I have to disagree. I really hope you aren't as narrow minded in real life as your project yourself to be here. If you are, you might as well get used to asking someone if they want fries with that because you don't deserve anything better.

Anonymous said...

On another note, being in customer service. I am always nice to my customers. I love my job and I think it shows by how I interact with them. However, I cannot stand it when I say "Thank you, have a great day!" And get a "yep" from customers too. I think it comes down to basic politeness. Just say "you too" and humor me even if you could care less if I have a good day or not.

Anonymous said...

"I really hope you aren't as narrow minded in real life as your project yourself to be here. If you are, you might as well get used to asking someone if they want fries with that because you don't deserve anything better."

Ummmm....are YOU gonna keep me from getting a real job in an actual city? I'll bet you have REALLY good connections outside of Bumblefuck, ND don't you?

You're right. I should be careful about which farmer I'm lipping off to around here. He might just use his vast resources in the microbiology research field to keep me at my McJob here in paradise for the rest of my life.

Anonymous said...

wow - what an arrogant jerk! I have gotten job offers in texas, cali, and other places...but they just can't get me away from this beet-soaked paradise!

Eric J. Burton said...

I hate it when people are too lazy to fix their divots on the greens at the golf course. I golf Kings walk last night and the greens are really beat up... Fix your divots...

Eric J. Burton said...

For annon. Another pet peeves people that blame all their problems on right wing talk radio and Fox news and want to enact the fairness doctrine.

There is no way CNN or MSNBC can be called objective.

Anonymous said...

My Pet Peeves:

This is not revalent to me anymore but I have been a waitress in three different states now and Grnad Forks by FAR has the WORST TIPPERS EVER!! It is typical to tip 15% to 20% of the pre taxed bill for a well served table. Granted this is not the majority; the majority is normally right on. But there are many who honestly believe that $7 on a $100 tab is a good tip. To add insult to injury they tell you what a fantastic server you were.

Anonymous said...

Another pet peeve I have developed is the loathing hate for cell phone. The major offenders are often teenage girls but many other are guilt as well.

I DON'T want to here your entire DAMN life stories in line at Target!

I DON'T care who is doing what when I a sitting down at a resturant!

It is self centered to have elongated phone calls about nothing in places where people have to hear your "oh my gods" and "No ways." So please spare me allow me to live my life without listening to yours!

"If it wasn't for that horse I would have never spent that year in college."

Anonymous said...

Golfers. I hate them all.

Anonymous said...

"But there are many who honestly believe that $7 on a $100 tab is a good tip."

Yes, which validates the old joke: "How do you get twenty Norwegians into a VW? Throw in a dime."

Anonymous said...

goon...you can't be suggesting that FOX News is objective-or even a news station, can you? If you "news" that has been tumbled through the Rupert Murdoch spinning machine and carefully edited to give you what they (and probably you) want to hear-stick with FOX. I may not always like what I hear on CNN and MSNBC but it IS journalism. During the recent Libby catch and release stories-I didn't see much news about that on FOX. They reported on anything around the country but the Libby story.

Eric J. Burton said...

The funny thing is that MSNBC and CNN do the same thing people accuse Fox of doing its just from a leftist position.

Anonymous said...

"leftist position"

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Anonymous said...

Is Tucker Carlson "leftist"? Isn't he on MSNBC?

During the Clinton administration I remember all the major networks (and Fox) really going after stories. When the same thing happens in the Bush years, people cry leftist, liberal news media. Those guys on FOX remind me of Bagdad Bob's bufoonery. How can you call that journalism? They have Murdoch's hand so far up their
backs they look like Howdy Doody.

Now that's my pet peeve.

Anonymous said...

Speaking as a cashier, I always greet my customers as they are approaching me. It may be something as simple as hello. At least part of the time, I don't get any response back. I always try to thank them and tell them to enjoy their show or the rest of their day. One of my pet peeves is those people who think they should continue their cell phone conversation while ordering their tickets and ignoring me in the process. Could you possibly talk to that person later, or say just a minute? That's just plain rude. Another pet peeve is those people that are late arriving and think you should move faster than humanly possible so that they don't miss something. More times than not they are nasty to you, and you just have to smile and take it. Everyone should be required to work in customer service at some time in their life. Otherwise, you just don't have a clue.

Eric J. Burton said...

Tucker Carlson is MSNBC's Token Conservative and as far as they go he is not all the popular with main stream conservatives. He is more of a RINO. Look its been documented MSNBC and NBC is very biased.

CNN isn't exactly objective either, You can't really make the argument that Wolf Blizter or Cooper Anderson are very objective either.

Anonymous said...

What about Joe Scarborough on MSNBC? He's a republican.

Anonymous said...

I like to call CNN the Crisis News Network. They will take almost any subject, and will over-exaggerate it to death. Most of the time, running news stories for weeks at a time.

CNN will also take any subject, and try and create news off things that are connected TO the subject, but talk about things that have no relation to the point

Faux (err...Fox) News isn't really any better either. I'll basically say it's the Republican bias sensationalist news network.

I don't really dwell on politics, but neither the Republican Party nor the Democrat Party represent the general American interest.

Matt BK said...

My pet peeve is people lumping everything into either Republican or Democratic.

The world is grey, Jack.

Eric J. Burton said...

MY pet Peeve is people calling Fox News Republican and MSNBC and CNN objective.

I have no problem with people saying Fox news is Right Leaning and MSNBC and CNN being left leaning. I do have a problem with people that malign Fox and then turn around and say that the other two mentioned are not biased.

I Know who Scarboro is, I would call him MSNBC version of Allen Colmes, here is there to give the illusion of objectivity.

Anonymous said...

I was the one who posted above matthew.

All news has some kind of bias no matter what, nothing is perfect.

Typically Republicans are associated with the right wing, and Democrats are associated with the left wing.

I just posted about CNN exaggerated during "crisises" so I'm not defending them. I don't watch MSNBC so I'm not familiar with their style, therefore I didn't criticize them.

Anonymous said...

why don't you watch all the networks for the next week and come back and tell me FOX isn't mouthpiece for people like Karl Rove (R.I.P) Dick Cheney, Ann Coulter and the like. I'll admit that Keith Olbermann is "left". But he makes so godamm much sense! And he's funny as he does it. Watch MSNBC tonight at 7. Then turn of Bill Oreally and tell me who is more correct while entertaining.

Anonymous said...

why does FOX always get the interviews with the top republicans (bush, cheney, etc.)? because they are a republican channel.

i think cnn and msnbc being more liberal just balances out the entire cable news media. it's sad that it takes TWO liberal news channels to balance out ONE conservative one, but that's the facts people.

honestly, you have to watch all 3 channels to get the entire story. either way i'm sick of all of them pandering to celebrity obsessed viewers. i don't care what britney, paris, and lindsay whatever-her-face does. i watch news channels to find out about actual news.

Anonymous said...

Earlier anonymous mentioned a pet peeve about drivers turning into the far lane wen turning. It is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. Did most people NOT get that question correct on their driving test? When turning right or left you are supposed to turn into the inside lane of the direction you are turning. Most people turn into the outside lane making those of us wanting to turn from the opposite way wait for them or if we do turn we get either a dirty look or the finger. And, I am the one executing the turn corectly! Geez!

Anonymous said...

nd gal...I think I just found my soulmate.

(Original First Lane Poster Guy)

Anonymous said...

I hate when people sit and try to calculate their 15 or 20 % tip for a server.... i will tip you what i feel like, and if you don't like it, that sucks, get a different job. I tip based on performance, if you're snobby or cold, then you don't get shit, but if you exceed my expectations, i'll tip rather generously. Tips are a privilege, not a right. Which brings me to this BS about some restaurants adding "gratuity" to bills and they have the audacity to call it gratuity. Don't tell me what to tip, and sure as hell don't include it on the bill.

I also hate snobby UND (usually aviation) students (like the asshole a few posts above) who think they're soooo much cooler and more cultured than people around here JUST because they're from some suburb outside of a large city. Oh yeah you're so much better than us, teach us how to be cool!!! PLEASE TEACH US!! It's the worst when they just claim they're "from Chicago, or from Minneapolis" when they're actually from a smaller town 50 miles away...yeah i'm just so impressed that you're from a big city. You rip on this place so much, but you never did explain why chose to come here to go to college. So why don't you quit dodging the question, Mr. Elitist?

Jeni.Ann said...

1. Motorcyclists - specifically the "crotchrockets." These men give no regard to the speed limit, weave in and out of traffic, and I even had one bump me from behind at a red light on Washington last week! I don't care what anyone says, these guys need no extra attention from me, they're already too dangerous.

2. Running the red. And I do not mean the Red Lake rapids, I'm talking all of the people that decide to take off through the intersection once the light turns amber or has been red for 3 seconds already. Nearly anywhere that there is a left turn option people are blowing the red light because they can't wait the extra 30 seconds of the cycle for their protected left turn.

3. Stop lights on 32nd Avenue and 42nd Street. Grand Forks has gone gung-ho on the use of street lights and it makes getting anywhere nearly unbearable (hence the red runners). It took me 14 minutes to travel from the I-29 exit to Washington Street this morning, and that was only about 30 minutes ago at 1am!

4. Cell phone ringers in restaurants and class rooms. Almost all cell phones now come with a feature called vibrate; use it! Also, I really do not want to listen to the latest P.Diddy rap song blast out with its profanity in the presence of my 5 year old daughter.

dale said...

I hate when people sit and try to calculate their 15 or 20 % tip for a server

I never understood why this is so difficult. Take the check (less taxes, unless you're nice) and move the decimal one place to the left. That's 10%. Double it for a 20% tip, cut it in half and add it to the 10% for a 15% tip. Takes two frickin' seconds.

ie: Check = 14.22 10%=1.42; 15%=2.13; 20%=2.84

you never did explain why chose to come here to go to college.

I came here from Bloomington, MN (not 50 miles out of MSP, but not Minneapolis proper either,) to go to college because I hated (and still hate) the traffic in the Twin Cities. As an adult, I've also lived in St. Louis and Lansing, MI, and, weather aside, prefer Grand Forks to all of them.

Eric J. Burton said...

Here is your objectivity at MSNBC: Joe Scarborough has pulled back the curtain on the liberal bias at MSNBC, describing an incident in which people in its newsroom ceaselessly booed President Bush during a State of the Union address.

The revelation came on "Morning Joe" today at 6:02 A.M. EDT. Joe was discussing a recent episode at the Seattle Times in which reporters and editors cheered the news that Karl Rove had resigned. Scarborough applauded Seattle Times Executive Editor Dave Boardman for issuing a memorandum reproving his colleagues. For more, read NB items by Brent Baker and Ken Shepherd.

Joe went on to describe a similar incident at MSNBC.


as a new company they should be ashamed of their selves. All they did was just prove Bill O'Reilly's point...

Anonymous said...

The shame goes to people like Karl Rove. His departure should make ALL of us applaud. Driven by his man crush of George Bush (he still remembers what George wore the first time he saw him...)Rove has been exposed for what he is-a cunning political operative who used every dirty trick he could find to try damage others reputations. Now look who is damaged beyond repair? Stick to O'Reilly if you want your news spun to what you want to hear.

Anonymous said...

If you have a problem with Rove now, just wait until he hooks up with Romney and steamrolls his ass all the way to the White House.

Secret Service already has the ugly-ass black suits and ties, put them on a bike and you get the picture.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Rove-Hater-Anon-Dude,

You are part of a powerful demographic, may even be the group to sway the '08 election.

Check it out...

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_candidates_compete

Eric J. Burton said...

Here is the problem, if Hillary get the nomination people are going to come out in droves to vote against her. Her favorbility rating is horrible.

Anonymous said...

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_candidates_compete

I believe the above falls into the category of satire. Good grief...hope no one takes that seriously!

As for Hillary, Goon; you might well be right. And that's sad, because she'd be able to restore some of what Bush and his self-serving company have destroyed.

Good grief: this country has really gone to hell.

Eric J. Burton said...

If Hillary gets elected to President we will experience partisianship like we have never experienced before in our great nation. I wonder how many Clinton scandels and Babe eruptions we will have to stomach and put up with.

I don't think it is going to happen though, Hillary has more people that dislike her than like her.

Matt BK said...

Aviation students? Cultured?






Huh?

Anonymous said...

Goon: there's partisanship like this country has never experienced before right now...all because of special interest groups dropping the ball and electing a bozo.

Anonymous said...

Democrats share some of the blame for GW being re-elected in 2004. Kerry was a candidate that lots of Democrats really didn't get into. I see this by the amount of people who said they were going to vote for Kerry as a vote against GW.

And I know lots of independents and Republicans who didn't like GW, looked at Kerry and went out and voted for GW.

I see a lot of the same happening in 2008 with the socialists that are pretending to be Democrats running for President. I have at least one Democrat friend who's thinking of just not voting in 2008 based on the current candidates.

The current political situation in the US, both right and left, totally sucks.

Jo said...

All of these pet peeves really cheered me up today :) Sometimes listening to other people's gripes makes your own seem less of a gripe.

I would like to say that I miss the 'right on red' rule of the road. I moved back to Scotland some time ago and we don't have that rule over here (although it would be 'left on red', but you get my point.

Also - poor driving in parking lots and bad parking. This isn't such an issue over here in the UK because we don't have big ass obnoxious truckasaurases. The roads aren't big enough to take them and we could't afford the petrol to drive them.

If anyone sees a crazy old lady in a white Toyota Sienna cutting through lanes in the WalMart parking lot...that's my mother-in-law and I apologise.

Final point - it is now, as of March, illegal to use your cellphone while driving in the UK. It's an immediate monetary fine and 3 points on your license.

Eric J. Burton said...

annon there are a lot of partisan ship in this country, correct and nothing gets done.