Things I cannot tolerate (I dislike the word 'hate'...maybe that would be one of them? LOL):
Telephone solicitors - they always tend to call at dinner time, which in itself is annoying, but I also keep thinking of homes who may receive these calls whilst they are in the throes of pain...divorces taking place, a loved one being sick or just having passed away, extreme financial stress...I'm sure anyone going through any of these things doesn't want to receive a call from a stranger who is hawking a product or service, or looking for donations. And while I don't blame the people doing the calling, I do deem telephone solicitation as an invasion of privacy.
Parents or childcare givers who are too rough with their children...yanking them brusquely by the arms (almost hard enough to dislocate a joint), or picking them up and shaking them, or screaming in the little ones' faces.
Children who are not introduced to manners. I have several relatives and friends whose children are allowed to do whatever they feel like doing, no matter where they are at. In stores, I've seen them rip open packages to play with a toy, only to toss it back on the shelf again; they will run through someone's house, helping themselves to whatever they want in the fridge or cupboards, without asking; they will play with expensive electronics (again, without permission); at dinner time, they constantly get up and run around or leave the table and go to watch tv instead of eating; they never have to pick up toys, clean their rooms, etc.; they constantly interrupt when someone is talking (and all attention goes to them when they do, so it is actually encouraged)...and on and on. Very annoying!
Cars and cyclists who run red lights, or don't stop at stop signs. I'm a cyclist, and can't tell you the number of times I've almost been struck by a driver who is in too much of a hurry to slow down. I also see drivers who seem nervous when they see a cyclist approaching an intersection, and I understand that completely, because so many bike riders go straight through without stopping. (For the record, I have been struck twice now; once by a driver who didn't see me as he was merging into traffic from a side street, and once by a cyclist who was in front of me swaying and swerving all over the road. He finally turned off onto a side street, only to suddenly swerve back...and he struck me full-force. Wound up with separated pelvic bones from that one. Ow!)
Parents who belittle their children, whether they realize they are doing it or not...I guess this was a biggie for me when I was growing up, as my brother and I - the two middle children - were the target of our father's constant verbal attacks. I was constantly told, 'You're too stupid to learn that', 'You'll never amount to anything', 'No one would ever love you', etc. etc. etc. And while I love my dad dearly, and now realize that my he simply didn't know any better - he was repeating the same things he'd heard as a child, before his father abandoned him - the damage that negative comments make can be enormous, and have lifelong effects. How I wish this sort of thing didn't happen.
And I guess it's along the same lines as physical child abuse and animal abuse...both are the most horrific things that can happen in a little soul's life.
On a lighter level:
Just missing the bus - literally by seconds - on the one morning when you have an important meeting to attend. The next bus doesn't come along for another half an hour, and when you look at your watch, you realize that the reason you missed the bus in the first place is because it arrived five minutes early.
Purchasing a new electronic item and finding that the instructions on how to set it up and operate it almost requires a degree. 'So simple, a six-year-old could do it'. Suuure...
On the same topic, purchasing a piece of furniture that has to be constructed, only to find that the instructions are 22-1/2 pages long, and when you finally get it all figured out (five days later) there is always a) one screw/panel/wheel/rung missing; or b) there is always one screw/panel/wheel/rung extra...leaving you to wonder what you did wrong, and how long will it be until it suddenly falls apart (or spontaneously combusts).
Being woken up six or seven times in one night by a dog who has diarrhea...because she somehow managed to raid the garbage bin while her now sleep-deprived owner (who has to get up at six in the morning) was at work. (On the other hand, I suppose the alternate would be worse...a dog who doesn't bother waking the owner and simply goes all over the place; so there are small gratitudes in these annoyances.)
Silent vomiting...my dog is famous for this, esp. in a car. She doesn't make a sound if her stomach is upset and she is about to lose her cookies...the only way you know is if you are looking directly at her (she tends to get that 'green around the gills' look on her face).
And my final gripe of the day:
Being blindsided by a certain testosterone-rampant bunny as I walk past the raspberry bushes - the buns' favorite hideout, where they make all their insideous plans together (hear that, RAPH???)
