Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Trying Something New Here...

You know how some bloggers have cool activities, like lists or whatever, that they do depending on what day it is? Like how Kelli does her Thursday Thirteen lists? Well, here's my new activity which I invite you to partake in, and, true to the usual format of this blog, it involves griping. I'm going to pick a random number... Five. And I'm going to list five things that have driven me nuts recently, but are not exactly post-worthy in and of themselves. And anyone who reads one of those items and says "Aha! I myself have been driven insane by that very thing!" must comment about it, and also leave a new "thing that has driven them nuts lately" for me to enjoy. Basically just some good old-fashioned complaining, but things that you maybe have had the courtesy not to unload on anyone yet. Here's your chance. But first it's my turn:

1. Why does no one in our house ever seem to eat leftover ravioli? There are probably three little containers of it in the fridge at any given time, growing mold like they're trying to supply the world with penicillin, but no one will go near them. Myself included.

2. Why do some couples like to spend their entire day in the grocery store together, grimly debating every single item which is placed in their cart? Why am I always behind said couples, waiting impatiently for them to finish their wheat vs. honey wheat cracker debate so I can get to the stinking Cheez-Its, while Adelay is tossing everything already in my cart to the floor? I was behind one couple for almost an hour straight the other day- I kept trying to dodge them, but they found me in every aisle. Here they are in frozen foods: "Do we need waffles yet, George? I think we still have half a bag." "Well, do you want to have to go out for waffles in three days when that bag is gone?"
And here they are again in dairy: "Excuse me, excuse me, young man." (Harried looking stock boy acknowledges them.) "Do you carry the one brand of cottage cheese with the red label? You usually have it: It has a red label." All of this is said in an agitated tone, while the offending contained with the blue label is thrust into the stock boy's face for comparison. "It's not like this. It's a taller container. With a RED label." Stock boy begins to sweat and looks around for someone to save him.

3. Why do my lightbulbs never seem to last as long as promised? In the kitchen right now, two out of four lightbulbs are currently dead, and in our bedroom fan, only one bulb is currently alive. I swear I must change them once a month. On a similar lightbulb note, why are outdoor lampost style lightbulbs five dollars a piece?

4. Why did I feel completely un-nauseaus for a whole week, then randomly throw up at breakfast yesterday? WHAT THE HECK!? That's just not fair to play with my hopes like that. Either I'm over the morning sickness or I'm still sick. One or the other!

5. Why has our insurance gone from 80/20 to 70/30? And why has our copay gone up by fifty percent? It is now going to cost us about twice as much to have this baby as it did to have Adelay. Not that I begrudge the money or anything, and of course we're lucky to have insurance, blah blah blah, but good grief! How does the medical industry get away with charging as much as they do for stuff? I swear those hospitals charge you like, thirty dollars per sanity pad. It's like, "Oh, would you like an ice pack for those swollen and stitched-up body parts through which you just passed an entire human being? That'll be fifty dollars."

9 comments:

Swistle said...

I enjoy griping and griping-related activities!

Okay, so I have felt impassioned about #5! Insurance companies suck! And I hate them! Even as I am grateful that they deign to pay anything at all, considering they apparently don't have to do anything they don't want to do and can change anything at any time! When I was pregnant with my firstborn, they changed their whole policy EIGHT DAYS BEFORE HE WAS BORN. And my OB was no longer covered! And now there was a $1000 hospital copay! And it was PER PERSON, so one for me plus one for the brand-new baby! YAY, insurance! I swear, I nearly carved a hole in the earth over that one.

Okay, and so now I have to leave something that has driven me nuts lately? The heating bill. HOW did it go up 50% (usage, not cost-per-therm) this month? WHAT HAS OCCURRED HERE?? Did we leave the door open all night by accident? Have the cats been cranking up the thermostat each night? And why oh why is heat so expensive? We've been keeping the thermostat very low, and I'm still wondering if we can even pay the bill. This sucks!

coffee stained said...

I can't say that I have any specific relatable gripes, so I will say that if you lived near us, we would likely be the annoying couple in front of you at the supermarket, except that we would be consoling a pissy toddler while simultaneously fighting over the virtues of whole wheat bread that doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup vs. the fluffy goodness of white bread. That's what happens when people sharing a refrigerator don't share the same nutritional goals.

I'll leave my gripe too, somewhat related to Swistle's... we pay a crapload in condo fees each month which is supposed to cover our heating costs. This morning, for the fourth time this winter, I woke up to ice cold air blowing out our heating vents, which along with the air leaking through our drafty windows, dropped the indoor temperature below 60. I hate feeling like there is nothing we can do to solve problems like these, especially since our management company and board of trustees are pretty much useless. Rant over. Thanks for that opportunity. I feel much better.

Anonymous said...

Yay! I love complaining!!

I would eat those raviolis in a heartbeat. That actually sounds excellent right now (so long as they are cheese only) and it's only 8:45 am. Please send all ravioli leftovers to my house from now on :)

I do have to say that the whole couple in the grocery thing irritates me, because my parents are "that couple". They could seriously spend four hours in the grocery store, and they always end up with two carts of food. I feel the need to remind them that they now have an empty nest and do not need to feed a family of six anymore.

My gripe lately is my nasty pregnant coworker who thinks that just because she is hormonal, she can yell and scream at people all day. Hormones are not an excuse for being a total wench. SHe has yelled at five people this week (and I mean yelled) and it irks me, because everyone says "Oh, she's just hormonal" and then walks on eggshells around her. I'm like, if I can make it to work after I already yakked once this morning (and only had 4 good hours of sleep), and still have a smile on my face and be pleasant with people, she can too. Grrrr......

I fell better now, thanks :)

Anonymous said...

fell = feel - you know what I meant.

Black Sheeped said...

I can't really related to any of these either. Except, hey! I don't even have insurance! I'd have to pay for it myself, and, well. I keep holding out for when Justin is employed by someone who has insurance. I found out last week just a pap in my town costs around 300 dollars if you don't have insurance and don't want to go to Family Planning. And so I have to go to another town, which involves driving over a mountain.

I love ravioli!

jen said...

I looove leftover ravioli. I tastes better all cold and bloated and stuck to their little ravioli friends. mmm...

I hate insurance companies so much I become incoherent and cannot type about them.

I almost made a post like this but I can't remember any of the things that have been driving me nuts! Which I suppose is a good thing.. uh.. um...

okay! I have this online moms club I belong to and the one of the more popular girls is a Priss and I really really dislike her. I'm really freaking sick and tired of my friends "putting a positive spin" on everything. She's a snob, admit it! Please stop telling me she is a super duper awesome person and how you are SURE she will step up to the plate if need be. ugh. I hate overly positive people. They make me appear cranky when I'm really just trying to be funny slash curmudgeonly.

Anonymous said...

Of course, everyone hates the cost of medical care. Blame it on greedy lawyers who are responsible for the huge malpractice premiums and the entire insurance business which has inflated the price of all medical fees. It's only going to get worse, so I recommend to you in the "20-30 something" age range that you start taking good care of yourselves now.

As for my own current complaint, why are all of the television programs that are truly well produced and have quality actors based on crime and/or perversion? When I have time to relax and watch TV, I want to be entertained, not tormented. So . . . I have become a relatively intelligent middle-age woman with an addiction to American Idol!

Chronic complaint - Stepmothers are always portrayed as being evil. I am a step-mother, and while I have not been perfect in that capacity (just as I haven't been perfect in the "mother" capacity), I think it is really sad that the "step" stereotype continues.

Also, I would definitely eat the ravioli which is why I am a middle-age woman with high blood pressure. Remember girls, watch your weight and cholesterol because you won't be able to afford blood pressure meds when you're my age!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of light bulbs, why do mine always seem to die in waves? They will be fine for a couple months, then one goes in the kitchen, followed by one in the bedroom, then dining room, then another in the kitchen and so on. Are there light bulb suicide pacts?

Anonymous said...

as for lightbulbs - I recommend the little spiral flourescent ones. They are more energy efficient, and they last longer! They only flicker when you turn them on and there's no annoying buzz. They do seem dimmer than an incandescent bulb at first, but they get brighter after they've been on for a few minutes.

My gripe is about the cold weather giving me sinus headaches. I don't suppose there are any suggestions for that? I do wear a hat, just like my mom instructed.