The twenty-first century can be a frustrating time to live in, especially when your stress levels are up, and London is a veritable hub of annoyances for me at the moment. I try to be a happy and cheerful person, but sometimes it just takes the tiniest thing before I’m grinding my teeth and fuming silently.
I keep getting amazingly annoyed by the things some people do, and so I started to list them in the hope it will release some of this frustration. Little things, eh?
- Not removing the stickers on the bottom of your shoes
- Rubbing your Oyster card on the reader (you only need to tap it!)
- Holding your mobile to your mouth, not your ear (how can you hear what the other person is saying?)
- Not removing the tacking stitch in the vent on coats, jackets and skirts
- Licking your finger before even trying to turn the page
- Wearing Ugg boots, flip-flops or any other unsupportive footwear
- Slamming the lid of the photocopier (just… why?!)
- Not letting people off the train carriage before you try to board
- People who are not in a rush choosing to go to the post office at lunch time on a weekday (some of us have to get back to work!)
- Talking on public transport during rush hour in London (just don’t even think about it)
I’m sure this list will be added to in time. Just starting it has made me feel better though. Feel free to list your annoyances in the comments!
UPDATE: I wrote this post six and a half years ago, but all these things still annoy me. Helpfully, Timothy Long at the Museum of London has created a handy video to explain number 4 in my list above. Avoid accidental embroidery, people!
Image via Tom Page‘s Flickr photostream.
Don't get me started…People who think the combined entrance & exit of a supermarket is the best place to hold an impromptu meeting oblivious to everyone trying to traverse around them. On a similar supermarket annoyance I'll throw in people who dump unwanted items anywhere on the shelves rather than take them back to source (eg: a packet of bacon dumped amongst the chocolate).On the whole it's nearly all aspects of supermarkets that get me foaming at the mouth though I have lots of time for those stuck working on the checkout tills and throw virtual darts into the backs of anyone who is rude to them.
How could I have forgotten supermarkets? If our flat was findable by delivery drivers and we were ever in, I'd be tempted by internet shopping. As it is, we just go in the middle of the night so there are fewer idiots to negotiate.
Reading these made me twitch just a little too much.
In fairness though, all of these things are excellent indicators of whether people are fuckwits.
I would normally say if they do any of those things, they're pretty certain to be the type of person you want to avoid.
And if they do three or more, just summarily execute them there and then. The world will thank you for it.