Miss Sassafras

At least it's not a post about why I don't post.

I am becoming increasingly annoyed by people lately. It doesn't take much to annoy me, either. Nuisance projectiles that used to sail right over my head now smack me dead center between the eyes. Why these little nuisances changed trajectory (or why I moved in the path of the trajectory – whichever) is a mystery yet to be solved. At any rate, in the interest of sharing the company-loving misery I seem to experience more and more often these days, I've made a list of all the stinkin' things that tick me off. Feel free to share your list or expand upon mine in the comments.

1. Cell phones.

I have recently developed a type of loathing for cell phones unlike any other I have previously felt. And I see cell phones everywhere. People cannot do anything without talking on a cell these days. Are people unable to shop without a cell phone attached to their ear? Can people not use the bathroom properly without talking on a cell phone? It would seem so.

Worst of all are the drivers who insist on navigating traffic with one hand attached to their ear via cell phone. These people tick me off to no end. They can't keep a constant speed because they're concentrating on talking; they can't turn properly because they only have one hand on the wheel; they can't shift gears because one hand is on the wheel and one is on the cell phone (Yes, I've seen drivers with manual transmissions use cell phones in traffic.); they can't stay in their own lane because they're fiddling with the itty bitty buttons on the phone; and they can't see right because they're hunched over to one side resting their elbow on the door (or the even lower armrest) so they don't actually have to support the arm that is holding the phone to their ear (How can you see to drive when your face is directly behind the A pillar?).

And it's not only the usage of the cell phones that annoys me so much; the volume of that usage that tends to make me angry, too. People are incapable of talking on a cell phone at a reasonable volume. Instead, they scream their conversations at levels that would seem to make using a cell phone unnecessary.

2. Insurance companies.

Being the money-loving capitalist that I am, I understand the urge to make a buck. What I don't understand is the urge to make a buck off the suffering and/or death of people by overly complicating the process by which they suffer. I'm not saying that all medical insurance companies are professional sadists, but I have yet to find one that isn't.

3. Morning people.

4. The Income Tax.

I despise everything for which income taxes stand. And I loathe the organization that collects them. So look at the Fair Tax. Read Boortz's paperback about it. [Here's the already-published hardback, if you prefer. The paperback isn't published yet, but it has more material than the hardback - such as corrections and clarifications. Which means that I'm going to have to buy the paperbck even though I already have the hardback.]

If you support it, do something about it. Contact your representative. Really, it's the best, most feasible solution for abolishing the IRS.

5. Work whistlers.

If you work in a cube or open office-type setting, don't whistle. Please. If not for your sake, then stop for your own: people who whistle at work go to a special Hell reserved for mass murderers and people who talk in movie theaters. [Geek note: Firefly reference, somewhat.] And I guarantee that your coworkers are plotting the fastest way to get you to that special Hell even as we speak.