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

Utter political polarisation.

The other side never do or suggest anything right apparantly. Whatever they do or suggest, it is too late / unneccessary / wrong / could have been done more cheaply. (Unless you are sucking up to another politician who's support you may want to foster at a later date - "I agree with N*** there").

And the vox pops! Aaaaargh! Why only pick on people who's command of language, politics and reality is little more than tenuous?

It will pass soon.

PP

PP, it´s "mind over matter". You don´t have ideas of your own - just spread the Good Word that any ideas whatsoever are poison.

I might have said this before, but our supermarket re-organised recently, putting the vegetables right on the way in. So now you have to keep lifting up the lettuces and mushrooms so they don't get squashed, and putting the washing powder underneath them. Drives me mad!

Supermarket re-disorganized? Yup. Please excuse me while I step outside to have a short spew - only there´s no room there, they have new billboards.

Supermarkets without spewing areas - tut tut.

OK, they still have spewmante on the wine shelf.

PH: People who pronounce your name properly until they see it written down.

Your surname or your first name? I suppose monolingual English speakers would pronounce both wrongly when they see them written down.

When I lived in France, a friend did some free-lance English teaching. She used a book which had the sentence "These vacuum-cleaner salesmen are a nuisance!" The French had no problem with this until they saw it written down!

PH? The battery life on my phone. With average use it lasts about 1 1/2 days on a brand new battey. I've got a spare, fortunately, but currently nobody is offering a high-power version of it...

Poeple whinging to you about something A) you cannot pass comment on, or B) they have no intention of doing anyhting about

punctuality, or a lack of. I don't know if that counts as a petty hate though

Quite right, TC. They can also never deal with my surname, they treat the first bit like a "Mc" here, ie capitalised and with no space...

Another petty hate of mine is the cupboard door on the left in the office. It sticks, so you have to open the other one and smack that one from behind.

It's not Germany, is it, Mala?

I mean, I know it's not Germany, but "it's not like Germany" would have been clearer, I suppose.

I know what you meant. The Germans also don't know how to deal with it. I've a lifelong petty hate of my name being written wrong, and of being alphabetised under the wrong letter.

Have you ever considered changing it officially to 'Malabarista'? It would be less confusing for everybody.

But then I'd have to find a new screen name!

No no, that's the whole point, let your screen name be your real name. For example, my request to be renamed Toybox is on its way

I did accidentally sign an office e-mail "Mala"...

Did they pronounce it Ma-La or Mar-La?

I'm with you on that PH, Mal. People always mangle my name, too.

What's actually kinda fun is never to correct them - and in a few months they'll hear someone saying it properly, and try to correct *them*. The embarrasment when it sinks in that they've been wrong all along is quite amusing.