Think for Yourself

Politics are pretty popular - probably due to all the peeves people have with personal values, ethics, religious affiliations, etc... but what I am really beginning to get frustrated with is the public mindsets of people on subjects they have given no original thought to. So here's something to give thought to.

Rev. Gregory Boyd has apparently gotten in a lot of hot water for not taking a stand on issues from within the walls of his congregation. However, he's quoted in the New York Times with a statement that really made me think (I appreciate people who make me think).

"When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses," Mr. Boyd preached. "When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross."

Should you take a stand on issues - absolutely! But should you let the church, or your political party take the stand for you? That's what the above statement made me think about. I don't want my political party to set my focus and define what makes me a Christian in the eyes of the public. What do you think about this quote or the article about Mr. Boyd in the New York Times ?

Barry Manilow vs. Teens

This story has pet peeves all over it. According to BBC, an Austrailian town is taking action against some local "hooligans" with the help of Barry Manilow. In an effort to keep young drivers from annoying local residents by reving up their engines in parking lots, officials have started playing music loud enough to annoy the kids but quiet enough not to bother local residents. They plan on testing this plan for about 6 months.

Whether listening to Manilow or putting up with loud teenagers is your peeve, I appreaciate this story because it's a classic peeve vs. peeve showdown. Who do you think is going to win this battle; Manilow or hooligans?

Geico's Celebrity Appearances

One of Geico's newer commercials has recently helped me appreciate a minor pet peeve that consists of celebrity spokespersons. Some companies really just do a bad job incorporating the use of celebrities with their products. I would tell you which companies those are, but as you can tell they didn't stand out to me. So, I forgot who they were.

Anyway, back to Geico. Along with previous commercials that included people like Alan Ruck, Tony Little, Jamie Lee Curtis, Burt BachaRach, Geico continues to improve their use of celebrity appearances in unconventional ways. I love how they make fun of the use of celebrity appearances using Little Richard and Charo.



By the way...is anyone else sick of the gecko commercials yet?

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Gets Wax Job

Okay...I am going to go ahead and spot a new trend that could potentially become a pet peeve of many others. It has to do with celebrity babies. After the bidding wars on who would get the first photographs, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have come up with a new way to make money through little Shiloh. They have allowed Madame Tussauds to turn the baby into wax.

I have to admit - this was smart. There's no doubt this display will make a lot of money.

So is this the new trend? Instead of portraits hanging on walls, and little feet stamped in ink, will celebrities start creating wax figurines of their kids to display at home? It will make for a great party game, I'm sure. When guests arrive they can play "Which one's the real baby?"

Any thoughts on how long it will be before Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes think of this idea? Who do you think will have the next celebrity wax baby?

I Pooted

To a lot of people (mostly girl people), pooting is a pet peeve. However, it just so happens pooting is not a pet peeve of mine. There is just something funny about poots.

That's why the child in me really likes the promotional efforts of Cartoon Network's "Cheese" from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. In addition to this simple, but funny (to me) clip, Cartoon Network is also putting up billboards in major cities that simply say in large white letters with a red background - "I pooted".



This is about appreciating the things that annoy others, instead of me.

Cash Not Accepted Mr. Moneybags

I always enjoyed playing Monopoly for about the first hour or until someone got both Boardwalk and Park Place loaded down with hotels. There were a lot of little pet peeves about playing that game with others - most of them had to do with cheating though.

Anyway, it looks like Monopoly is updating their payment methods which may make it more difficult to cheat. Now you can buy property using plastic instead of colorful cash. You no longer have worry about hiding your money under the board to keep your competition from sneaking a few orange $500 bills over to their pile. Plus, you don't have to keep your eye on the banker to make sure he isn't taking a little extra for his own pocket.

Obviously, my "Dave Ramsey" way of handling money causes me to roll my eyes at the fact that VISA, has once again figured out how to get their name in front of so many kids. But at the same time, I have to admit - that's smart. If only kids would learn that VISA debit is ok and VISA credit is bad.

Where will Monopoly go next? Checks? That way a player could land on a property and write a post dated check for the next three rolls in hopes they make it around to "Go" before the bank dings their account.

So, how will kids cheat in Monopoly without the cash? Here are a few ideas.

• Banker adds a $10 bank fee every time you pass "Go."
• Banker charges a $100 overdraft fee if they attempt to buy property but have insufficient funds.
• Players could contest charges on their cards by claiming the player to the right is responsible for identity theft. VISA does not hold you liable for those charges. (If caught steeling someone's card, you must go directly to jail and not pass go.)
  

One other thought. Some people play where taxes and fines go to the Free Parking pot. It just won't be the same without that huge pile of cash building up in the middle of the board. Or, were we the only ones that played that way? Oh well, good luck on this year's beauty pageant Mr. Moneybags - I hope you get first this time!

Clean Clothes are Happy Clothes

I don't know that doing laundry would be classified as a pet peeve, but I really don't like doing it. However, I ran across this TV advertisement on Adverblog and it changed my perception a little about doing laundry. Note that I said "a little".

Now, when I do laundry, I would do well to remember that I don't have to listen to the clanging, banging, and jumping, we use to have to put up with before buying a washer with a front end loading door.

Deal or No Deal: Car Dealerships

If dealing with dealerships aren't a pet peeve of your's already, then this story will put some heat under your collar. According to News Channel 5 in Nashville TN, Bill Heard Chevrolet is having a hard time with deciding whether to give their customers a deal and letting them keep it for more than 24 hours.

According to the investigative report, a salesman made a deal with a customer on a truck. The customer gets the keys, takes the truck home, and feels good about his purchase. The next day, the sales manager calls and basically says they made a bad deal and that they are going to need their truck back unless the guy comes up with another $10,000 dollars.

Of course the guy says no, since they have a contract and agreement. The next morning the poor guy finds his truck missing. Apparently, Bill Heard decided to repossess it. He might say "repossess" - but to the rest of us it sure looks a whole lot like stealing! Apparently this isn't the first time it has happened according to the Better Business Bureau of Middle TN.

I don't really like dealing with large dealerships for a lot of different reasons, so I'm not really surprised about this. But the following statement from Bill Heard to News 5 is what is really unnerving.

The customer "'should have known' that the
deal he got was too good to be true."

Are you kidding me?

Now, let me add that Bill Heard did offer the guy $500 according to the statement that is provided on Chanel 5 News website. Even though the customer post dated his check for two or three days after he left the lot. Bill heard admited they made a mistake in pricing, but they may still be acting within the law. Of course what do I know - I just like to peeve and this one makes for a fun story to talk about. Who do you think is wrong?

Who Installed the Bathroom Door?

I'm sure most of you are already aware of what this pet peeve is about. That's right, it's the whole issue of using public restrooms and then having to "pull" on the door to exit, rather than "push".

It wouldn't bother me too much if I knew everyone washed their hands, but you and I both know that doesn't happen. I just don't understand, with all of the building codes and health regulations we have to abide by, why there's not a mandate requiring bathroom doors to open outwards upon exiting.

I noticed some people like to take paper towels with them to the door. They use them as a buffer to grab the handle - Smart! This works as long as there is a trash can near by. However, I've seen bathrooms without a trash can where so many people have thrown their paper into the corner upon exiting, that the janitorial staff finally got wise and stopped ignoring the pile of wet brown towels and added a waste basket. (I bet this is a pet peeve of theirs.)

You can really appreciate this pet peeve in the movie Along Came Polly, (I think it's that movie) where Ben Stiller's character gets trapped in the bathroom after washing his hands, and there are no towels or toilet paper left to get him out. He finally ends up standing by the door until someone comes in.

Remember, wash your hands. Oh, and don't ever offer to shake my hand, pat me on the back, or touch me in any way while in the restroom.

Did you say "Free?"

There is handy little organization in our area called In Cool Springs Magazine. If you go to their website you can sign up for a VIP card that will allow you to get discounts and free stuff at local participating stores and restaurants. So far I think it's a fabulous idea. I've been to places I may not normally go, simply because I have the card. From time to time they will email me about certain specials that are taking place for VIP members. The best part is, the VIP card is free.

So anyway, I get an email saying that Blue Coast Burrito is going to give away a free Baja Fish Taco to VIP members. GREAT! I had to go by there anyway and the email didn't indicate any "purchase necessary". I've wanted to try the fish taco, so this was the perfect opportunity. I walk in and place my order and it went great - it actually was no purchase necessary. Will I be back because of that? You bet!

Here's the pet peeve. I order one fish taco and end up waiting for nearly 10 minutes. I know it isn't a big deal and after all the taco is free, but obviously I wasn't the only one asking for a fish taco today. When you say something is "Free" you should be ready and prepared for the mob that is to follow. This applies to everyone, not just Blue Coast. In a great marketing effort, they failed - Don't worry Blue Coast, I'll be back because of the generosity, but don't expect me to order the fish taco. It will take too long.

Meet and Greet

One of my newer pet peeves is the old "meet and greet" moments in public gatherings. Whether it is a convention, church, or community meeting the mandatory meet your neighbor really makes me uncomfortable.

Here why I don't like it. First, you never know how long it is going to last before you are interrupted by the MC. There's no reason to start probing into someone's life if you don't know whether you can finish the conversation. Second, it is likely that I have already made conversation with those around me before things got started. We've already gone through the generic questions of "how are you?", "What's your name?", "Have you ever been here before?" and so forth. Third, if it is somewhere I have been before, I am likely to sit near people I already know. Why should I meet and greet people who I arrived with?

The other thing I don't like about it, is the fact that I can spot someone who walked in late, like a visitor at church, from across the room. I realize that someone is not talking to them and immediately they are given the impression that no one likes them. Or if you are the visitor you start to sweat and wonder if anyone will turn around and talk to you. But if they do, you immediately think "how insincere?". Am I the only one who thinks the meet and greet does more harm than good?

Bad Taste in My Mouth

I like chicken sandwiches pretty well. I admit, most of the time when I eat fast food I usually eat a burger, but sometimes I go with chicken. But why am I talking about chicken today? It's because of a recent Arby's commercial on television. I appreciate the fact they are trying to provide chicken that is 100% natural unlike other fast food companies that may or may not be doing the same. However, why do they have to pick on places like McDonald's and Wendy's in the commercial as the bad guy? Frankly, I like everyone else's chicken sandwiches too. After all, Arby's had some pretty good commercials with the skinny Hulk Hogan, and the wife who was wearing fish net stockings.



Here's my pet peeve, whether it's Arby's, fast food, politics, or anything else. I get tired of marketing campaigns that slam everyone else. It's my opinion that if your sandwich, product, campaign etc... is of quality, then sooner or later, word of mouth gets out and you win by taking the high road.

It's only fair now that McDonald's gets to take shots at Arby's. Maybe they could start by pointing out the lack of originality in their other commercials.

So how do I appreciate this pet peeve? I'd like to think I don't bash others to make my self look better - or is that what I am doing right now?

Sheets Happen

One of my favorite things is "clean sheet day". Getting into bed when the sheets are clean always makes for a good night sleep. However, when it comes to my bed sheets and a bad night sleep, it's usually when the following happens. Here's the pet peeve.

You wake up in the middle of the night and realize the fitted sheet and mattress pad has slipped off the corner of the mattress all together. At 2 am you realize your laying on an old scratch surface and in order to fix the problem you have to climb completely out of bed and tug everything back on. If it only happened once, no big deal. But you know as well as I do, if it happens once it's going to happen several times through out the night.

The upside to sheets coming off...I don't know - you get to have "clean sheet day" the next night because you are replacing the sheets that keep coming off?

First in Line

It's the end of the day and I am in the middle of my commute home. In the middle of rush hour traffic "stop and go" driving gets pretty old, especially with a straight drive. However, I still have managed to tolerate the two or three cars that make it through the intersection on a red light as if they never saw it turn yellow in the first place. In fact, sometimes I even appreciate their audacity. I admit, a part of me would like to see them get pulled over just to add a little humor to my trip home, but a larger part of me whishes I was one car ahead so I too could risk taking the intersection.

But here is what puts a stick in my crawl. It's the car that is right in front of me who didn't have the boldness to go for it. However, it's not so much the fact that they didn't go for it on red that made me angry. The pet peeve is when the fact that they are first in line at a red light and weren't paying attention when the light turned green. Screaming to myself I said "For crying out loud, it's rush hour and you are first in line, PAY ATTENTION!"

Now this could be frustrating, but I have a horn that I never get to use (mainly because it doesn't work). As often as this happens to me, I would enjoy laying down on my horn. In fact, I am going to get my horn fixed and hope it happens to me again soon. Maybe wasting 5 seconds of my time is worth getting to pound my steering wheel. Until then, I'll just roll down the window and yell at the top of my lungs.