Pet Peeves

My husby and I often talk about pet peeves and the like. I thought it might be fun to inform my readers of what I consider to be some of the most...well, peeving things in life. Remember that these are my pet peeves, and not yours, so please don't be offended by some of the following statements.

1. Stepping in something wet while wearing socks. This is rather annoying and extremely inconvenient if you are not at home. You see, I don't really like socks or shoes all that much (something I attribute to my Floridian need to remain barefoot for the majority of the time), so when I am actually wearing socks, I am wearing them for the strict purpose to warm my feet. Stepping in something wet while wearing my socks makes my feet cold and completely defeats the entire purpose of putting the socks on in the first place. I would rather step in something wet while barefoot; it is so much easier to clean off, and you don't waste the water and detergent to wash a useless pair of wet socks.

2. Individuals who drive without their lights on when it is raining. Is is just me, or does it seem like more and more people are guilty of this act? Seriously, if you are using your windshield wipers, that should send an alarm to your brain to turn on your lights! And I'm not just talking about your parking lights or your daytime running lights. The purpose of turning on your lights while it's raining is not necessarily so that you can see better, but so that other people can see you. Specifically, if you are the owner of a gray or silver car, please turn on those lights when it's raining for pete's sake! This is more than a pet peeve; this is a safety issue.

3. Gum smacking. This sound is worse than nails on a chalkboard. Honestly, where did people learn their basic manners? If we understand it is considered rude to chew with our mouths open, would we not be able to make the connection it is also inconsiderate to masticate gum so noisily that others around us can clearly hear? This pet peeve is doubly annoying to me because- don't freak out on me here now- I don't like gum. At all. Period. I realize that I am in the minority here on this preference, and I don't hold anything against the pro-gum chewers out there. However, if you start smacking your gum near me, we'll need to have a conversation about the potentiality of your habits affecting our friendship.

4. Incorrect grammar. I'm learning to be more merciful in this area, because after all, not everyone had Mrs. Baxter for 7th and 8th grade English and developed a deep appreciation for correct grammar, but I still get perturbed (yes, more than annoyed) when I see incorrect grammar in published writing. At the Columbia Regional Airport, there is a sign that reads: "Your already smart, be savvy." No, you're not already smart because you don't know that 1) it should be you're and 2) you should use a semi-colon, not a comma- unless you were meaning for that to be a run-on sentence. I am, however, happy to report that I recently noticed The Add Sheet corrected their horrible grammar on their TV commercials. Yes, please notice that you no longer "save alot," but rather "save a lot" with the Add Sheet. *Sigh* I felt so much better when I saw that.

So now that I've bared my soul to you all, what are your pet peeves?