Author Topic: Daily Life Pet Peeves  (Read 15048 times)

Offline Kerry

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #20 on: September 06, 2008, 08:37:25 pm »

Sydneysiders are very impatient drivers and very heavy on the horn, especially in the part of Sydney where I live, which is near Sydney's Little Italy. An Italian friend literally drives with his hand permanently resting near the horn, just incase he needs to use it at a moment's notice, which he does, often and with enormous gusto!  :o  But I suspect this is perhaps a big city, Sydneycentric thing going on and not representative of Australians in general. For example, when I visit country villages up the coast, one seldom hears a car horn.  :D
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Offline David In Indy

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #21 on: September 06, 2008, 08:47:25 pm »
Hey Amanda, funny topic.  I could add about a thousand other scenarios to your list.

DavidInIndy, I agree with part of what you said.  Lived here in St. Louis most of my life, only been in two car accidents -- one from driving down a hill in ice very slowly, with the brakes on, but gently bumping into a parked car on the side of the road, and the second from a lady not paying attention who slammed into my '71 VW Bug's hood after running a red light.  Some of us are terrible drivers, some of us not. 

Perhaps there is a difference in driving skills between Missouri and Indiana. ;)

And I should have probably said MANY Midwesterners are terrible drivers. At least this is the case in my part of the Midwest. It's not that they are really bad drivers, but rather they fail to pay attention to what they are doing. They drive very fast, zip in and out of lanes suddenly, talk on their cell phones when they should be paying attention to the road, tailgate, cut across three lanes of traffic at the very last second in order to exit off the interstate, and a whole host of other things.

And hey, I'm a Midwesterner too, and I do some of those things sometimes as well! :laugh:

I also had the experience of living in South Florida for a couple of years. Jesus have mercy! Talk about aggresive driving! WHOOOO! >:(

:laugh:
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Offline southendmd

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #22 on: September 06, 2008, 09:30:09 pm »
Rude and aggressive driving is the norm here in Boston.  It's the slow drivers I can't stand; I always seem to be behind them.  They inch along, and then invariably run a red light!

Cell phone use in public is a huge problem.  Why do people shout into their phones?  It ain't necessary.  I try to duck into a corner and be discreet, rather than those who just walk along, blathering at the top of their lungs!

Offline delalluvia

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #23 on: September 06, 2008, 09:32:36 pm »
Sydneysiders are very impatient drivers and very heavy on the horn, especially in the part of Sydney where I live, which is near Sydney's Little Italy. An Italian friend literally drives with his hand permanently resting near the horn, just incase he needs to use it at a moment's notice, which he does, often and with enormous gusto!  :o  But I suspect this is perhaps a big city, Sydneycentric thing going on and not representative of Australians in general. For example, when I visit country villages up the coast, one seldom hears a car horn.  :D

Someone should do a study.  In the U.S. New Yorkers - the city - are famous for their constant honking.  In my city, no one lays on the horn at all.  You can go days and not hear anyone honk. 

Is it because in our state we may be armed?  ;D

Offline Mandy21

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #24 on: September 06, 2008, 10:15:42 pm »
Perhaps there is a difference in driving skills between Missouri and Indiana. ;)

And I should have probably said MANY Midwesterners are terrible drivers. At least this is the case in my part of the Midwest. It's not that they are really bad drivers, but rather they fail to pay attention to what they are doing. They drive very fast, zip in and out of lanes suddenly, talk on their cell phones when they should be paying attention to the road, tailgate, cut across three lanes of traffic at the very last second in order to exit off the interstate, and a whole host of other things.

And hey, I'm a Midwesterner too, and I do some of those things sometimes as well! :laugh:

I also had the experience of living in South Florida for a couple of years. Jesus have mercy! Talk about aggresive driving! WHOOOO! >:(

:laugh:

David, this is getting even more hilarious, because my current boyfriend's from Indiana, and he won't even play the radio when he's driving, or have anything resembling a conversation.  All eyes and thoughts on the road at all times, that's his motto.  Would never in a million years occur to him to talk on a cell phone while driving.  I must say that I don't do any of the things you described above.  Always drive the speed limit, signal and check before changing lanes, one at a time, don't talk on a cell, don't tailgate, etc.  So, in your estimation, pretty good drive.  I do believe that a car is a weapon that can easily kill, and needs to be treated as such.  However, unlike my boyfriend, when I'm the one driving, I, crazy girl that I am, do actually allow the stereo to be playing, and conversation to be rolling, even when it's only with myself:)  Hope you don't think less of me for that.
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #25 on: September 06, 2008, 11:06:57 pm »
Rude and aggressive driving is the norm here in Boston.  It's the slow drivers I can't stand; I always seem to be behind them.  They inch along, and then invariably run a red light!

Cell phone use in public is a huge problem.  Why do people shout into their phones?  It ain't necessary.  I try to duck into a corner and be discreet, rather than those who just walk along, blathering at the top of their lungs!

 :laugh:  This must be universal, Paul. Same thing happens, here in Sydney. They crawl along, hogging the road and then accelerate at great speed when the traffic lights turn amber, leaving you, furious and fuming, at the red light.  :-\
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Offline southendmd

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #26 on: September 06, 2008, 11:10:09 pm »
:laugh:  This must be universal, Paul. Same thing happens, here in Sydney. They crawl along, hogging the road and then accelerate at great speed when the traffic lights turn amber, leaving you, furious and fuming, at the red light.  :-\

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #27 on: September 07, 2008, 08:31:16 am »
:laugh:  This must be universal, Paul. Same thing happens, here in Sydney. They crawl along, hogging the road and then accelerate at great speed when the traffic lights turn amber, leaving you, furious and fuming, at the red light.  :-\

what irritates me is, I will be driving along, after finally getting my little four cylinder up to speed after a stop light and someone will pull out in front of me requiring me to put the break on...and looking in the rear view mirror to see NO ONE IN SIGHT>.....so if they had waited two seconds I could have gone and they could have pulled out behind me.  ::) ::)

they are really counting on me being a nice person that has a sense of self preservation....they don't know how close they come....sometimes I think I could just go ahead and ram their behinds...

(and they NEVER do this when I am driving the F350 by itself....they will if I am hauling a big ol horse trailer or a load of hay but not when it is just the truck itself....why is that, I wonder?)

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2008, 08:38:07 am »
One time we were hauling five horses to a show in Athens....now we are talking a Ford F350, a five horse slant trailer with a dressing room, five horses (by themselves weighing almost three tons) barreling along at 60 MPH. You can't stop suddenly when you are hauling lifestock, they lose their footing and can seriously injure themselves...

and a woman in a little white subcompact pulled out in front of us.

You want scared? My husband laid on the horn and the brakes and finally took the truck and trailer over on the shoulder, because she wasnt' moving...how he managed to not flip it, I dont' know.

and she honked at us and flipped us the bird....

 >:( >:( >:(

Offline Mandy21

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Re: Daily Life Pet Peeves
« Reply #29 on: September 07, 2008, 09:46:38 am »
One time we were hauling five horses to a show in Athens....now we are talking a Ford F350, a five horse slant trailer with a dressing room, five horses (by themselves weighing almost three tons) barreling along at 60 MPH. You can't stop suddenly when you are hauling lifestock, they lose their footing and can seriously injure themselves...

and a woman in a little white subcompact pulled out in front of us.

You want scared? My husband laid on the horn and the brakes and finally took the truck and trailer over on the shoulder, because she wasnt' moving...how he managed to not flip it, I dont' know.

and she honked at us and flipped us the bird....

 >:( >:( >:(

That's an interesting little factoid, Jess.  I didn't know that about the livestock losing their footing.  I'm always fascinated when I pull up next to a trailer with a horse in it, looking out at me, wondering what the heck I'm doing.  I always wonder what he or she might be thinking as they're watching the world go by, without moving their legs at all.  They must find it very strange indeed.  So yes, I guess it would be very easy for them to lose their bearings if that world suddenly started moving much slower than the one they'd adjusted to.  Hmmm...  Will be especially careful to stay far, far away from horse trailers next time I'm out driving in the country.  Thx!
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