Pet Peeves

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We pay for TV licences here too. Theoretically it funds the state broadcaster, although really their money comes from advertising.

Something to do with the fact that the broadcast spectrum is state-owned IIRC. It's always been a contentious issue, and many people don't bother paying it.

--A

[Sorus]

And yet the BBC still has better programming than most of our 150+ channels with nothing worth watching.

My pet peeve of the day: Out of control children in public places. There was a boy at the laundromat - maybe 5 or 6, I've never been good at judging those things - monkeying around on the carts while his oblivious mum had her nose buried in her phone. I was reading, but I'm always aware of what's going on around me, so I managed to block the cart with my arm instead of my face when he lost control. Ended up with a spectacular bruise and a cracked (but still functional) Kindle, but could have been worse - I thought my arm was broken at first. The mum was apologetic, the kid mumbled an insincere apology after being prompted twice. If I'd done something like that at his age... well, my mum won't be writing any parenting books, but I'm glad I was raised to be a responsible human being. I know humans have been despairing of the younger generation for about as long as there have been humans, but the future seems pretty bleak sometimes.

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It's ok Sorus, we won't be here to see it.

--A

[sgt.null]

a few years back me, Julie and our grandson were at Luby's. while in line to get our food some young child was running about unwatched. nearly ran into our grandson. I told the mother to watch her child. she started on about his special needs. told her again to watch her child. she then asked me...
"don't you care about special needs children?" before Julie could stop me, I declared flatly and loudly... "no, secure your child."
the woman was shocked, her husband was moving further away. Julie said something to the woman... the woman replied "I'll kick your ass lady." I told the woman she lay a finger on my wife that I would have her arrested, and repeated she needed to secure her child and move along.

the next week all three of us were at the restaurant and were surprised when the manager comped part of our meal, thanking me for taking a stand,.

[Sorus]

It didn't seem like a good time to offer parenting advice, though some choice phrases did come to mind. Parents whose children have legitimate special needs don't tend to apathetically ignore their kids bouncing off the walls. I have no doubt he went right back to it within five minutes after I left.

[sgt.null]

Sorus - the best part was I could see Julie trying to warn me to say I don't care about special needs children.
she knows me so well.

I have no problem being patient with truly autistic children, this kid, by hi sand his parent's behavior, not so much.

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Yeah, amazing how often it's an excuse for not parenting.

--A

[lorin]

It didn't seem like a good time to offer parenting advice, though some choice phrases did come to mind. Parents whose children have legitimate special needs don't tend to apathetically ignore their kids bouncing off the walls. I have no doubt he went right back to it within five minutes after I left.

did she offer to repair the kindle? These friggin' phones will be the death of us........figuratively and literally.(spoken as a recent victim of the addiction)

[Sorus]

Nope. I probably could have pushed for it, but I'd thought the sound of the screen cracking was my arm breaking, and it flashed through my mind that there is no part of my job that doesn't require two hands, and no way my boss would have any tolerance for me being incapacitated, and I was too relieved that it wasn't my arm to worry much about the Kindle at the time.

[MsMary]

My latest pet peeve is people posting stuff that's false without checking it out first - and then it goes viral and people see it everywhere so they think it MUST be true. And it all starts cause one person posts something without checking the facts first.

Happening a lot this election season. On all sides of the issues. Seems to be a lot of faux news sites around.

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Sadly it sometimes seems like the facts are less important than the rhetoric.

--A

[MsMary]

Sad but true.

[sgt.null]

pet peeve at work - lazy coworkers using our staff shortage as an excuse to get out of work.

[peter]

Same here! Moaning about staff shortages and then continuing to be half hearted and lazy and avoiding the hard work where ever they can.

{mind you - our mid-management bosses are just as bad; we get 20 minutes break in a 9 hour shift of continual humping and carrying stock etc, and last week we had a memo telling is we are not allowed to split it into 2 x 10 minutes. We can however be pulled back to the shop floor if it gets busy, but are not expected to use that as a reason to restart our break, which must be continued from the point where it was interrupted.}

[Sorus]

All of that. I don't even bother trying to take breaks anymore - and having people who NEVER miss a break taking it for granted that I will cover for them bothers me more than actually missing my own break.

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I take a smoke break every hour, but that's it. Don't take lunch or anything. (By law everybody in SA is entitled to an hour lunch break or 2 x 15 minute tea breaks and a 30 min lunch break.)

--A

[aTOMiC]

I work for city government and they practically make you take your breaks and lunch period but there are times when I am grateful to get outside for a few minutes to breathe air.

[Sorus]

I take a smoke break every hour, but that's it. Don't take lunch or anything. (By law everybody in SA is entitled to an hour lunch break or 2 x 15 minute tea breaks and a 30 min lunch break.)

--A

Ours is about the same. Considering the paper trail over the last couple of years of them clocking me out for breaks I haven't taken - which is 100% illegal - you'd think they'd treat me better, but no. We have the clique who can get away with doing anything (or nothing) and those of us who are expected to pick up their slack are taken for granted. It's actually quite fascinating sometimes. I'm not allowed to take a sick day, but when two clique folks Taser each other at work (it was apparently consensual - they were curious about what it would feel like) - they both get to go home because they 'weren't feeling well' and I get to do their jobs on top of mine. The problem is endemic though (speaking of unpaid overtime, not Taser-happy coworkers) - and while I have worked in better places, I have also worked in worse places. One worse place, anyway.

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Labour laws are taken very seriously here. I'm not forced to take lunch, but I am entitled to it if I choose to.

--A

[Sorus]

There are big fines if they get caught - I calculated that they'd owe me almost $7K in penalties for last year alone - this year would be higher, but I haven't done the math because it's depressing. There's a paper trail and the knowledge that I shouldn't let them take advantage of me like this, but then there's me living in the real world and knowing it would raise 15 kinds of hell if I reported them. (And the worst transgressor would escape punishment because she doesn't get her own hands dirty.)