Pet My Peeve

A very good friend and co-worker of mine, Jessie, mentioned to me today that she thought a post about pet peeves could be fun, and I'd been considering one anyway, so here goes. This one's for you, Jessie. I look forward to reading everyone's pet peeves.

Here's one of mine from yesteryear: When I was in college, I worked in retail (CD store), and I absolutely, positively hated it when I'd be trying to help a customer and this other dude who worked there would listen in to what the person was asking and would chime in with the answer. Dude! I've got it under control! My god this guy was a putz. I finally told him that it was the most annoying thing I'd ever encountered and if he did it again I was going to jab him with the pin on my name tag, and he stopped doing it. I could see him chomping at the bit when he'd overhear a customer's question, though, and I'd just sort of subtly tap my name tag and shake my head. Try me.

My biggest current pet peeves involve the good coffee pot in my office. (I don't care about the bad coffee pot -- enjoy your half-strength Maxwell House, freaks.) The good one is a pain in the butt, though, because it has a built-in grinder and it has to be completely taken apart and cleaned between each brewing.

Peeve #1: People who brew a pot without completely taking it apart and cleaning it. DON'T! It'll taste like crap and waste the coffee that either Jessie or I brought in! And trust me, I can tell if it's been cleaned or not.

Peeve #2: Only Jessie and I bring in good coffee, but lots of people drink it! The company only provides Maxwell House. Good coffee drinkers -- pitch in! That stuff's expensive!

Peeve #3, and the biggie: Okay, fine, don't bring in any coffee. You can drink mine or Jessie's, we're happy to share, really. But for the love of GOD, man (and one woman), clean the pot at the end of the day so I don't have to do it at 6 AM when I'm ready to mainline straight coffee beans into my veins! Seriously, why is that only Jessie and I clean that damn coffee pot? If she and I are bringing in all of the good coffee, and there are eight people drinking it, then there are six other people who should be cleaning that pot at the end of every day.

I still have an old associate's tag from Camelot Music. If that pot's not clean in the morning, somebody's getting jabbed.