Apr 28, 2005

uptight bitchfest (open invitational)

so when did I become such a tightass?

see, I don't when it happened, but I've noticed as late that I have become an increasing stickler for manners

not the "mind your p's and q's, no elbows on the table" brand of propriety
and no, I don't care if you wear white shoes after labor day or what you do with your fork

but somewhere along the way I've developed an intolerance for breaches of certain conscientous ettiquete that represent thoughtlessness
so without further ado...

bus ettiquete:
what is it with young people not giving up their seat on the bus to the elderly or even clearing off the seat next to them of their backback and random crap? i mean, didn't these kids have grandparents or a mama to teach them some respect? and then, second to seat hogging, i have to admit a certain annoyance for people who keep their backpack on with no awareness that this makes them the size of a person TWICE their girth, only complimented by the accompanying propensity to turn suddenly, whapping people near them with the zippers and stupid decorations hanging off said backpacks. it's simple, really: when you get on a bus find a space that suits you, take up your slot, and if it's crowded, take off your bag and place it between your legs, which are no doubt spread to anticipate for the poor shocks and unexpected stops. does that seem icky? then atleast be aware of the space you occupy and turn slowly, taking care not to crack grandma in the noggin with your oversized sack.and speak in your PUBLIC voice, for lords sake. this aint your house, cell phone or present acquiantance, pipe down

timeliness:
ok, so I've been late. repetitively, even. we all have shown up out of breath and apologizing, be it by accident or idiocy or just reckless time management. but I try to make it my business to show up within 15 minutes of an expected arrival and I call when I suspect that isn't going to occur. i mean, most people carry cell phone in this day and age, and while thats certainly no excuse to be late, it makes it an even more agregious error when you are sitting for 45 minutes wondering what happened to your friend or co-worker who left 20 minutes after your appointment started, but for some reason couldn't call and be one minute later. being late, repeptitively just gives me the sense that my time isn't quite so valuble in your eyes. gotta save someone's life? fine, your forgiven. can't find your keys or oh, hell, how did it get that late? call, people, call

returned correspondence:
this is where I'm going to come off anal or a bit neurotic, but
I hate it when people do not return my phone calls or emails. look, i'm not talking about "just called to say hi" calls or friendly stories or FYIS, and sure some people I call so damn often that lord only who knows WHO owes who a phone call.
and yes, I understand correspondence gets lost and that if it's that important I can just pick up the phone and call, again.
but don't make me do that, okay?
recently, I called and emailed a co-worker 4 times for a one word answer within a week that was very clearly time essential and by the time I got the answer I felt like a stalker or a psycho when I very clearly needed an answer she was too busy or spacy to tell me was "no, I'm not speaking at that symposium"
so, my pet peeve of the month is when I pose a specific question in a phone message or email, be it "would you like to.." or "what time is.." and I simply never receive a response, or receive a response so late that the question is now irrelevant or outdated. I mean, honestly, I think 48 hours is really the max anyone should let a pointed correspondence go unheeded, be it work or personal. 24, to me, even seems rude, but I know this aint my planet and I don't make the rules. And yes, just calling to say "I don't know" is acceptable, answering "Ill tell you later" is just fine, but simply pretending you never received the question or invitation or hoping I'll figure it out is just plain rude and unnecesary
and I'm sure your busy, but I've bet you've got ten seconds to tell me so

and yes, yes, I realize all these rants make me seem like I have a stick up my ass, and yes, none of these behaviors make someone a BAD person, but come now people, don't we all have things we wish someone could be locked in charm school for until they promised to NEVER do it again?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just thought of you as I placed a daffodil stamp on my electric bill. I have the BEST non-response excuse right now. I left the plug for my phone in one place while I'm spending a week in another! To top it off, I put my phone number in a bunch of ads to rent our place. Feeling proud.

daff0dil said...

wow
wish I knew who you were, then I could be proud OF you

Anonymous said...

It's Nat, just didn't feel like registering myself. I'm sure you figured me out by the clues.

daff0dil said...

you'd think I could have figured it out, but sadly no

now I'm feeling proud

Anonymous said...

you must love me. i'm anal about those things too. the bus/backpack example is for me, since i don't ride the bus, exemplified by the elevator/backpack no-no. i can't say how many time's i've been crushed against the wall or wacked by some mouth breather turning. fuckers.

anyways, you probably wouldn't know if i ever break any of the mannerish points since you never call to invite me over or out. but that's a whole other ettiqute point. ;)