Minor things that bother you

[thspfc]

I'm not sure what the term for this is. But people trying to be too nice always makes me want to punch a wall. In most situations it is a minor thing:

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

There are situations, though, where trying to be too nice is a major thing, and not in a good way. For example, if the first office of a plane is too afraid to offend or annoy the pilot, he might not speak up urgently enough if he notices an issue, which can lead to disaster. That's an extreme example for sure, but it does happen.

Similarly, when people use "sorry" or "thank you" as a cop-out word even though it's not the word that is supposed to be used.

[Max Rockatansky]

That I feel funny today. 

Mary Hannah have something to do with that?

[tolbs17]

That I feel funny today. 

Mary Hannah have something to do with that?

No...

[Roadgeekteen]

That I feel funny today. 

Mary Hannah have something to do with that?

No...

Tolbs, I can explain, but not here in public.

[tolbs17]

That I feel funny today. 

Mary Hannah have something to do with that?

No...

Tolbs, I can explain, but not here in public.

Ok

[zachary_amaryllis]

*Tolbs plays darts as he eats popcorn and gets a bullseye!*

Why does that bother you?

Cause one time I choked...

you choked on a lawn dart?

[Scott5114]

Don't eat the lawn darts, folks.

[kphoger]

Don't eat the lawn darts, folks.

Brought to you by the Ad Council.

[J N Winkler]

I'm not sure what the term for this is. But people trying to be too nice always makes me want to punch a wall. In most situations it is a minor thing:

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

I personally don't think of this as being "too nice"--it's really an example of bait and switch, though I realize that in context, the motivation is often to avoid feeling responsible for inflicting a personal preference on the group.

There are situations, though, where trying to be too nice is a major thing, and not in a good way. For example, if the first office of a plane is too afraid to offend or annoy the pilot, he might not speak up urgently enough if he notices an issue, which can lead to disaster. That's an extreme example for sure, but it does happen.

This is thought to have contributed to the Tenerife airport disaster in 1976 (still considered the deadliest aviation accident in history).

[kphoger]

I'm not sure what the term for this is. But people trying to be too nice always makes me want to punch a wall. In most situations it is a minor thing:

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

I personally don't think of this as being "too nice"--it's really an example of bait and switch, though I realize that in context, the motivation is often to avoid feeling responsible for inflicting a personal preference on the group.

Or they want to hear you idea, to find out if it's better but they just hadn't thought of it yet.  That is to say, their mind wasn't 100% made up yet.

[ethanhopkin14]

I'm not sure what the term for this is. But people trying to be too nice always makes me want to punch a wall. In most situations it is a minor thing:

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

I personally don't think of this as being "too nice"--it's really an example of bait and switch, though I realize that in context, the motivation is often to avoid feeling responsible for inflicting a personal preference on the group.

Or they want to hear you idea, to find out if it's better but they just hadn't thought of it yet.  That is to say, their mind wasn't 100% made up yet.

It's called marriage. 

[kphoger]

Workplace annoyances:

1.  If you drop a foul-smelling deuce in the bathroom, for the love of God, don't shut the door and trap that stench in there.  Let the nasty OUT!  Otherwise, it's still going to stink in there 20 minutes later when I go in.

2.  If you use the microwave oven, and you take your item out before the countdown reaches zero, is it really too much trouble to clear the display so the next person doesn't have to do it for you?

[kurumi]

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

Sometimes they're not really looking for your input; they're looking for validation of a decision they've already made. They want you to have picked the same thing. It's kind of a dance sometimes; if you say "sure, let's go to B" just to move things along, that won't count; "now you're just saying that". You have to go with the reason you picked A, and (depending on your goal) find a reason you'd be fine with B this time; you'll go for the black pepper scallops or something.

[ethanhopkin14]

Other person: "Which restaurant do you want to go to?"

Me: *thinks about it* "Let's go to restaurant A."

Other person: "Are you sure you don't want to go to restaurant B? We were thinking about going to restaurant B."

If your decision is made then don't give me an open ended question to think about. Simply asking "Do you want to go to restaurant B?" makes things much easier.

Sometimes they're not really looking for your input; they're looking for validation of a decision they've already made. They want you to have picked the same thing. It's kind of a dance sometimes; if you say "sure, let's go to B" just to move things along, that won't count; "now you're just saying that". You have to go with the reason you picked A, and (depending on your goal) find a reason you'd be fine with B this time; you'll go for the black pepper scallops or something.

Yes.

95% of the time someone asks for "advise" on picking one thing over another, they really don't give a crap what you think.  They are hoping you pick their decision to give them validation for the choice they made.  This also can be applied to advise in general.  They don't care about your input, unless your input is 100% in line with what they already decided in their mind. 

[ethanhopkin14]

Workplace annoyances:

1.  If you drop a foul-smelling deuce in the bathroom, for the love of God, don't shut the door and trap that stench in there.  Let the nasty OUT!  Otherwise, it's still going to stink in there 20 minutes later when I go in.

2.  If you use the microwave oven, and you take your item out before the countdown reaches zero, is it really too much trouble to clear the display so the next person doesn't have to do it for you?

Number 2 (pun not intended) is one of my biggest annoyances.  I hate time left over on the microwave.  I am so glad I am not alone in that driving me crazy. 

[CoreySamson]

I've actually managed to stop the microwave with 0 seconds on the timer several times in the past couple years, and I have the pictures to prove it. I guess there's a split second of time between the timer hitting zero and the beep. I always clear it afterwards, though.

[kphoger]

I've actually managed to stop the microwave with 0 seconds on the timer several times in the past couple years, and I have the pictures to prove it. I guess there's a split second of time between the timer hitting zero and the beep. I always clear it afterwards, though.

Depends on the model.  On the one I grew up with, we used to do that all the time–after zero, actually, such that the display reverted to the time of day without ever beeping.  On the one at home now and the one at work, I'm pretty sure it's impossible.

[Scott5114]

I never understood what the point of opening the door with 5 seconds left on the clock is anyway. Is the microwave beep really that bothersome?

Maybe they should make microwaves that automatically zero out after remaining time has been left on them for more than 5 minutes or so.

[kenarmy]

I never understood what the point of opening the door with 5 seconds left on the clock is anyway. Is the microwave beep really that bothersome?

Maybe they should make microwaves that automatically zero out after remaining time has been left on them for more than 5 minutes or so.

I know some people that mute the microwave somehow to avoid waking others in the house

[formulanone]

I never understood what the point of opening the door with 5 seconds left on the clock is anyway. Is the microwave beep really that bothersome?

It makes you feel like you've just diffused a bomb and saved the entire planet from imminent destruction. The ticker tape parade and talk-show circuit comes after the meal.

[kphoger]

I never understood what the point of opening the door with 5 seconds left on the clock is anyway. Is the microwave beep really that bothersome?

1.  For microwaves that stop beeping as soon as you open the door, it's no big deal.  But, with the one at my house and the one at work, it beeps five times no matter what.  That's pointless, if I'm standing right there and other people are trying to concentrate on TV/reading/work/whatever.

2.  If your food appears to be done cooking before the thing reaches zero, what else are you going to do?  Let it go longer for no good reason?

Maybe they should make microwaves that automatically zero out after remaining time has been left on them for more than 5 minutes or so.

I can't decide if that would be a silly little benefit that everyone would think unnecessary, or if everyone would think it's genius and buy that model.  I'm leaning toward the former, but if all else were equal...

[hbelkins]

Workplace annoyances:

1.  If you drop a foul-smelling deuce in the bathroom, for the love of God, don't shut the door and trap that stench in there.  Let the nasty OUT!  Otherwise, it's still going to stink in there 20 minutes later when I go in.

Not possible in my office, where the main bathroom has two stalls and two urinals, and the two facilities on either end of the building have one stall and one urinal each.

The best option is for some air freshener or other odor-eliminating solution be available. If you open the door, the smell wafts out into the general area and everyone has to endure it (and if they saw you come out of the bathroom, they know who did it.)

In my old office, someone had really stunk the place up just prior to my going in to take a leak. (It had one stall and three urinals; the upstairs bathroom had two stalls). When I came out of the bathroom, the smell followed me out. The crazy cleaning lady we had working there at the time was walking by, caught a whiff, and loudly (in front of the employees and visitors in the lobby) accused me of fouling up the joint.

[kphoger]

The trend of removing capital letters from corporate logos/names.

[J N Winkler]

The best option is for some air freshener or other odor-eliminating solution be available. If you open the door, the smell wafts out into the general area and everyone has to endure it (and if they saw you come out of the bathroom, they know who did it).

I agree that there should be effective odor removal.

While I realize that this is not an option for many (the accepted range for bowel regularity runs from once every three days to three times a day), I try to time bowel movements for when I am at home, not just to avoid glares for stinking up a shared office environment, but also to avoid feeding other people's curiosity about how far off the rails I may be in terms of diet.  (As an example:  a stool that smells of burnt coffee is often a sign of constipation.)

[ethanhopkin14]

The best option is for some air freshener or other odor-eliminating solution be available. If you open the door, the smell wafts out into the general area and everyone has to endure it (and if they saw you come out of the bathroom, they know who did it).

I agree that there should be effective odor removal.

While I realize that this is not an option for many (the accepted range for bowel regularity runs from once every three days to three times a day), I try to time bowel movements for when I am at home, not just to avoid glares for stinking up a shared office environment, but also to avoid feeding other people's curiosity about how far off the rails I may be in terms of diet.  (As an example:  a stool that smells of burnt coffee is often a sign of constipation.)

Boy, I wish I could do that.  My system works like this: It's coming, whether you want it to or not.