Pet Peeves

Everybody's got a pet peeve. Most have got a lot of them. Mine mostly have something to do with life in Libya. Can you tell I need a vacation?

Here's my list of the things that just drive me crazy, make my blood boil, or just plain piss me off:

1. Being late - I hate to be late and I hate it even more when others are late. I think this is the biggest offence on my list so it is up here at number one. Of course living in Libya makes this extremely difficult for me because everyone seems to be late ALL the time. Not only am I on time - I'm usually a little early. Tick-tock goes the clock - every minute counts! If you want me to be mad at you, just show up late for an appointment. I'll be forgiving, but I won't forget it!

2. Water on the bathroom floor - Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! - another problem with living in Libya as Libyans tend to splash water all over the place while they are in the bathroom and think nothing of it at all. I find it absolutely disgusting to have to wade my way around the bathroom and will usually just turn right around and walk out. Unless it's a total emergency, I can wait. Uuuugh!

3. Remote control madness - I rarely watch TV, so when I sit down and find myself interested in something and someone grabs the remote control and changes the channel, I get pissed off. This is one of the reasons why I don't like watching TV in the first place. Usually it's hubby, channel surfing like mad - switching between Aljazeera, Alarabia and the other Arabic news channels (as if they have anything different to say!).

4. Trees planted in the middle of the sidewalk - Yes, I know it sounds weird, but all over town there are idiots that knock holes in the sidewalk and plant trees there. The sidewalks here are narrow to begin with, so with holes with trees in them, or sometimes holes with dead trees in them, the sidewalk becomes useless. I am a big fan of walking. I love to walk! But with obstacles in the path it is a pain. When the kids were small it was impossible to use the sidewalks if I was using the stroller. Most of the time the only option is to walk in the street itself and risk being run over by a car. Why do they plant the trees in the middle of the sidewalk? Why can't they just plant them in their gardens?

5. Fatima Omar - You don't get a phone bill delivered to your house in Libya, the phone company just puts your phone on receiving calls only and you get a recording of Fatima Omar telling you to go pay your bill. I know it's not her fault, but when I hear her voice when I try to dial the phone I usually swear at her. In Arabic and in English! Good thing it only happens about every three months.

6. Bugs in fruit - In America I never thought much about bugs in fruit. Fruit there is pretty sterile! But in this part of the world you have to pick over all the fruit before you eat it. Worst of all is usually dates - they get these cobwebby looking nests in them with these teeny-weeny little bugs. You have to open up each one and inspect it before popping it into your mouth. . . Sigh . . . There are times when I just forgo eating fruit because I don't feel like going through the inspection process. Now that the kids are big enough they can inspect their own fruit, but it was a hassle when they were small and I had to look at everyone's fruit. I've also learned to reinspect fruit my mother-in-law has inspected. That woman needs glasses and won't give in and get her eyes checked!

7. Rich women with bad teeth - Not uncommon to see women laden down with gold, but when they smile you see a whole mouth full of rotten or missing teeth. "Honey, sell a bracelet and get yourself to the dentist!"

8. Honk, honk, honk! - I hate when ladies come for a visit and when their husband arrives to pick them up they honk the car's horn because they are too lazy to get out and ring the bell. I have a rule in my house: I never, ever respond to car horns.

9. Doctor's appointments - You make an appointment and get there at the right time only to find out that the 20 patients that are sitting in the waiting room have all been told to come in at the same time as you. Why do they do this?

10. Clean laundry in the basket - I spend hours every week doing laundry. With eight people in the house we have lots of laundry. I get to the final stage, folding the clothes and asking that it be put away. The kids just toss them in the corner of their room instead of putting the clothes into the closet. Then when it comes time to clean the room, the clean clothes get thrown in the laundry hamper! Much easier than putting them away! Of course they make sure to toss in a few stinky socks or a damp towel on top. Boy, I hate that!

Phew! Now that I got all that off my chest I feel a little better.

Go ahead and click on comments and tell me what YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE is!