I was talking...or attempting to talk to an irate parent yesterday. In the middle of the conversation she abruptly just hung up on me. I don't know why it bothers me so much but I absolutely hate being hung up on! Perhaps its the feeling of just being dismissed, like you're not even worth saying goodbye to. I can't honestly ever remembering doing this to someone. I waited about 30 minutes, called her back, and said, "We must've been cut off. Let me finish telling you whats going on here at school". The rest of the conversation went by without incident.

Other pet peeves?

It bugs the hell out of me when people aren't ready to pay for their purchases at the grocery store. Awhile back I was standing in line behind a woman who had a large cart of grocery purchases. She waited until every single item had been scanned and THEN broke out her checkboook. I could've written a two page letter in the time it took her to fill out that check.

In my work, one thing that has always bothered me is the parental statement, "my kid never lies". It is all I can do to resist rolling my eyes in an unprofessional way! I actually heard it today. An angry mom told me, "she says that she didn't use profanity in class. That settles it for me because my daughter never lies". I love kids, but most kids will lie when they're in trouble. Most adults will, for that matter. Sometimes I take great guilty pleasure in proving them absolutely wrong. I once caught students stealing from a teacher's purse on videotape and one of them still denied it! I told him, "if you can find that identical twin of yours that is wearing your exact same clothing I won't suspend you." He denied it to the bitter end.

I find people who like to boast about themselves absolutely insufferable. I've known a few people like that. No matter what you say, they've done it before and better than you have! This is especially true of people who constantly find ways to tell you how much money they have! I find humility an attractive quality.

I don't understand people who don't tip when the service is good. Maybe its that I've worked in service industry jobs and understand how much delivery people, waitresses, busboys, etc. depend on tips. My feeling is that if you can afford to go out to eat, you can afford to tip.

On the other hand, bad service or rudeness just drives me nuts. I once rented some movies from Blockbuster after standing in line for quite awhile, got them home, and realized that those plastic security things were still attached. I went back to the store in the pouring rain, went inside, and explained my situation to the girl at the counter. She dismissively told me, "you'll have to go to the back of the line". I went to the back of line and stood there for 15-20 minutes just fuming! When I finally got to the counter, my usually genial demeanor abandoned me. I raised hell about the bad service and rude behavior. She kept sputtering, "I'm sorry sir", but I wasn't placated until I spoke my mind.

Pushy salespeople irritate me as well. I don't mind being approached, but if I say that I'm just browsing I hate being followed around. This is especially true of car salesmen and telemarketers. I understand that they are trying to earn a living, but when I say no I don't want to be harangued about what a terrible mistake I'm making. Its a sure way to turn me off of the sale.

I'm about as laid-back as you can get, but these things bother me. So what bugs you?

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