I routinely point out pet peeves #571 and #4,367. The challenge says just five. Le sigh. Let’s try. Oh, and expletives not deleted. You were warned.

#5 Enunciation

Truly, is it so difficult to pronounce words? If so, do you think I will be more receptive at higher decibels? Are you in such a hurry or did (do?) you really believe the twelfth letter of the alphabet was ellamenopee?

And I am not in the market, thank you very much.

#4 Punctuation

I would much prefer to read something with no punctuation and get the completely wrong idea than be assaulted by something loaded with misplaced punctuation which makes my eye twitch because the obvious effort was to use punctuation instead of language to make the point.

I have been known to string more than eight obscenities into a grammatically correct sentence over quotation marks, semicolons, commas (and lack thereof) and ellipses. If your email contains more than three (3) total exclamation points, I am likely to have a stroke from the rapid rise in blood pressure.

#3 Shoes

In the house. Before you get to the door, you have had bricks, stairs and two different types of mats to get the crud off your shoes. When you step inside, there is another mat. No one else is wearing shoes. It is how the floors stay clean. Completely not rocket science.

#2 Laziness

Let’s get something directly off my chest. I do not expect anyone to put as much into any one thing as I do into everything. Very few people I have ever encountered are as driven as I am. On the other hand…

• Get out of the bed every day and do something, even if it is wrong. At least you will learn what not to do.
• When presented with an opposing viewpoint, do more than blink. Process the information.
• Punching a clock does not entitle you to a paycheck. Performing your job at a satisfactory level might.
• Dirty socks cannot crawl to the laundry basket no matter how strong their odor.
• If you break it, fix it or buy another one directly after you dispose of the broken one.
• Toilet paper rolls from the top.
• If your engine seizes up because you could not drive through an oil change, you will have to call a cab.
• Laps to the kitchen for a refill on your sweet tea and crullers are not exercise. Neither is complaining about the weight you are not losing.
• You did not have time to mow grass, but you had time for a FRIENDS marathon?
• You do not get a gold star for putting your plate in the sink (right beside the dishwasher) when you have more than 18 dirty implements where you fixed your meal… which I am allergic to…
• You use it once a month. Why is it on the counter every day? I make coffee 8 times a day, and it is in the cabinet.

#1 Stupidity

Anyone who has ever spoken to me, read The M3 Blog for more than two posts or known me for more than 6.1 minutes knows:

I abhor stupidity.

Hate. Loathe. Despise. We really are not in the ballpark yet. It will always be my number one pet peeve. As (rotten) luck would have it, it has become more and more prevalent.

Makes me see…

I entertained the idea as I aged and amassed more knowledge I was just perceiving stupidity which had gone unnoticed in the folly of my youth. On the contrary, the blatant disregard of facts, the circular logic, the died-in-the-wool propaganda spewers (and the sheep keeping them in said wool), the blind eyes, the black eyes and the non-compunction is far more prevalent than it was even 10 years ago.

Get the stick out of your tailpipe. I have taught adults (including a husband) to read because they were ignorant, having gotten out of high school without being able to read a job application. I teach my children. I educate adults around the globe on myriad topics. I am über-patient when it comes to ignorance. Ignorance is never having had the opportunity to learn.

Stupidity is having the opportunity and actively turning it down.

Do we share a pet peeve from this list? Are you up for the challenge? Which of your pet peeves got a tweak recently?

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