Skip to main content

Things that bug me

Sorry for the lack of posts. I’ve got a list a mile long of things I want to blog about, and just haven’t had the time. In the meantime, this is really short, a bit of a vent, but hey, it’s something light for a change.

Bathrooms at airports – They tell you not to leave your bags unattended, and then expect you to go to the bathroom in a stall that has a door that opens inwards. Does anyone else have a problem hauling a suitcase, carry on and a purse into the stall, and then trying to get the door closed? Or even better, trying to get out again?

Restaurants at airports – Again, you’ve got all this baggage and you’re expected to struggle through a little roped off line, and then balance a tray with everything else you’re carrying.

Press releases with no contact information – About 20 percent of the press releases I get have no one to contact. Are you kidding me? Like I’m just going to run what you wrote verbatim without asking a single question or even knowing who you are. Please!

People who ask me for my drivers license – I’m legally blind and use a long white cane, but am routinely asked for my drivers license. I do have a state I.D. but still, I can’t help but find it slightly annoying, but very humorous.

Braille ATMs with no speech output – For years I’ve heard all the jokes about the drive up Braille ATMs. Well, they’re brailled because they make all the ATMs at the same factory. But, what kills me is that they bother to Braille the keys, but offer no way to tell what’s actually on the screen. Yes, I can read most ATM screens if I get close and the sun isn’t shining on them. Still, it’s the principle here that annoys me.

Spam e-mail – Okay, who’s answering the bloody spam e-mail? Who ever you are, stop it! You haven’t won the lottery and some Nigerian prince isn’t about to give you a bunch of money for no reason. Someone must be answering those darn things right? Why else would they send millions of them daily?

Yep, no one has to tell me these are trivial things to be annoyed by. I know what a real problem is very well. But still, it’s kind of fun to complain about silly stuff for once and not major, life and death problems.

Anyone have anything they’d like to add to the list?

Comments

Anonymous said…
When people press the elevator call button even though it's already pressed...

When people stretch themselves over to see if the train is coming...even though it's not going to make a difference as there is no alternative to that train...

When people write "long time I have not read from you" or "I'd like to take a few moments of your time" on a listserv post...

Popular posts from this blog

Ratner's Cheesecake

Here's another recipe from Toby! Thanks Toby......and I'll get the others posted soon! Ratner's Cheesecake and plain cookies Ratner's was a Jewish dairy restaurant in the lower East Side of Manhattan. This recipe, from my disintegrating, no longer in print Ratner's cookbook, is the closest I've ever gotten to reproducing the rich, heavy cheesecake my mother made when I was a kid. It's worth the time it takes to prepare and every last calorie. Dough Can be prepared in advance. Makes enough for two cakes. Can be frozen or used to make cookies – see recipe below. 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup butter 2 eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients with hands. Refrigerate 3 -4 hours, or preferably overnight. Filling (for

The next generation with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

I'm so behind on posting about the trip to Puerto Rico. Since the episode of Mystery Diagnosis on Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome ran right after we got home, it's been a little busy. These, however, are my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico. I know, not pretty senery etc - but these little guys and gals inspire me. They are the next generation of folks with HPS, and if we keep up the hard work, they will live better lives because of it. They motivate me.

Help for one of our newest HPS friends

As many of you know, I have a google alert set up for all sorts of key terms like albinism, pulmonary fibrosis etc. The following was posted on the blog of a friend of Melanie's. Melanie is one of our newest members of the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome family. Unfortunately, like so many she didn't know she had HPS and the lung disease sort of snuck up on her. Melanie will be 26 years old next week. Perhaps some of us would like to contribute to the fund set up to help her and her family for her birthday. Here's the post: Melanie Hernandez, beloved sister and daughter to Pete, Monique, Cookie, and Bugie, has been diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a lung disease occurring in people with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, a very rare disease.Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (“HPS”) is a genetic metabolic disorder. It is characterized by: Albinism, Vision Impairment, Bleeding Disorder, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Lung Disease – Pulmonary Fibrosis. With the family’s research and the recollect