h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No, he was youngish and I think had relatively light, sort of sticky-upy hair.

Enjoy the comic!

People who whine and moan and complain without DOING anything about it!

And Country Music. I'm really starting to hate Country Music.

When the supermarket has nearly run out of the product you want, and its on the top shelf. Why don't they bring it nearer the front of the shelf where I can reach it? (I am 5'. A short arse indeed). Then I wouldnt have to scale the shelves!! Feel like I should bring ropes and cow-tails with me everytime I go shopping.

I hate that, too! That happens to me *every* time I need another bag of sugar. It's on the top shelf at our store, and when I need it there is invariably just the one bag left, all the way at the back.

I'm short myself- 5'2" or so. I can't always reach things in my own kitchen cabinets (the top shelves are at around 9' or thereabouts). I use a ladle or tongs to grab them. So perhaps a general petty hate would be being a few inches too short to reach anything...

My mum-in-law was short, less than 5' tall. It really annoyed her that dad-in-law used to put things where *he* could reach them, ignoring the fact that she couldn't reach without a stepladder.

Yes, the "thing at the back of the top shelf in shops" annoys me, too. I deal with it by approaching one of the staff, preferably a tall bloke, and asking him to get it for me. Inconvenient, but it beats climbing the shelves.

Yes! Psychocandy - I'm always reaching for the ladle in the kitchen to hook down stuff off high shelves. Very useful things they are!

It's good to know I'm not alone!

Another truly petty hate but being 6'2" I guess rather miffed by things like handdriers and mirrors being put low down for the benefit of those in wheelchairs. Might not seem an inconvenience but actually when they're almost at knee level and your back's feeling a bit dodgy it is ...

While we're on body size...
Not being able to buy women's clothing that fits my shoulders. If I want to show curves I can't move.
And, for that matter, the impossibility of buying trousers built for the female form with 33'' inside legs.
Why am I not allowed to have nice clothes?

I can identify with the shoulder thing I need to buy tops about three sizes bigger than my waist size.

Not-so-petty-hate: that waitress who spilled an entire tray of beer over me. Before I got to walk home several km in sub-freezing weather.

Move to Cologne, Mal - smaller beer glasses! Can't have been a nice walk in the cold.

People who do cover versions of songs and subsequently make it impossible to enjoy the original.
(Thinking of Westlife this time, but if the cap fits...)

On that note, cover versions that are exactly the same as the original, but with a different singer. What's the point?

Which Westlife one, Bomba? I'm annoyed by Boyzone's "Better" which isn't any better at all, but at least poor old Tom Paxton ( senior moment - it was him wasn't it?....)will get some well deserved royalties. Even more annoying cos Boyzone's previous one (Unbelievably hard to love you) was actually rather good!

Still undecided about Leonna Lewis' cover of Run. Again, nice royalties for Gary and the Patrol lads, and at least it's not identical to the original...and they themsleves do a funky version of Crazy in Love...but

Sorry - turns out I was thinking of Boyzone too (I have trouble remembering which is which all the time. ) But I won't apologise to Westlife - they have their fair share of guilt in the matter!

'Father and Son' was the one I was thinking of. It's a perilous song in a way - it sort of walks a tightrope over an abyss of mawkish sentimentality. I think Cat Stevens pulled it off ok, but Boyzone...Oy.

Back on topic...I don't mind the too high products in supermarkets as it's a good excuse to find the best looking tall bloke near by and act the helpless female

Have I ranted about pre-packed sushi yet? The too-tiny soy sauce fish (and why a fish anyway?) and the over-generous wasabi sachet that can never be ripped open?

Yes i suppose being only 5' is a better thing to rant about. But most of the time it isn't a problem. Have a few steps stools, barbeque tongs etc dotted about the place to reach things with. Maybe I should take these next time i go shopping? Have tried the asking atall person to reach stuff. Usually find the aisle ruddy deserted. Wheres a tall bloke when you need one?

Get a load of this one folks - just seen an advert on telly that tells us that Rihanna's album is "the album of the decade". Now *that's* an advertising agency I'd like to work at! One where they can listen to the albums from the rest of the decade that haven't been released yet.

Also she's "the new queen of pop". Must have missed that poll!

The decade is almost over you know. I don't see why they're not allowed to use the phrase at this point, regardless of whether or not she's actually that good.

Was it really a Boyzone cover of Father and Son? I thought it was just Ronan Keating on his own with Cat Stevens doing the other voice himself, so Cat Stevens must have approved the cover. I heard an interview with Ronan Keating where he said he was gobsmacked that Cat Stevens had said "Yes" - and without hesitation.

Or maybe that was only available in Germany.

Leona Lewis' version of Run is a petty hate of mine. She starts off rather well, all pianos and violins, nice and slow. But then she ruins it with her pointless warbling and shouting the lyric "I can hardly speak, I understand if you can't raise your voice to sing."

It's the Mariah Carey school of singing - warbling to show your range whether the song calls for it or not. At least Leona doesn't do a full Mariah and wear next to nothing in her videos.