Week of Annoyances

For some reason, there were many things that really annoyed me this week.  Here are some of them, in no particular order:

1.  People who ride their bikes on incredibly busy traffic streets where there is no bike lane.   
So there I am, driving down Downing along Wash Park in rush hour.  It's always kind of a cluster fuck along this strip because of everybody parking, the drivers people watching, cars turning without a turn lane, and all the pedestrians.  But then imagine a not-experienced bike rider riding along on the street.  Not twenty feet away on the bike path in the park, but in the street.  This is really not a good idea.  Passing her was a bitch once, but then any time traffic stopped for a turner or a light, she would pass all of us again and then we'd be stuck behind her again.  At one light, I stopped really far to the right so that she wouldn't be able to pass us again, but somehow she still managed to get past.  UGGHH!

2.  Contractors who don't come to the job site when they say they will.
My boss was in Dallas this week for an install.  I had scheduled various contractors to be on-site to do their various jobs.  Half of them didn't come when they said they would, screwing up getting the project done.  My boss makes it seem like it's my fault somehow.  Right, like I can control somebody in Dallas who I've never met.  For example, the wallpaper installer was supposed to be on-site Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The guy was there on Tuesday doing prep work.  But then nobody came by on Wednesday.  When we called the company, they said they got backed up on another job and wouldn't be able to have somebody there that day.  They would make it up by having three installers there on Thursday.  Irritating but okay.  By mid-day on Thursday, nobody had shown up yet.  Calling the company resulted in more excuses.  Nobody ever came by on Thursday.  Friday, finally an installer finally showed up.  But only one.  Until John sent a scathing email to the company and the clients.  Another installer came later, but not the three installers that we were promised.  So irritating!

3.  Finding out that somebodies excuse for not attending an event was a total lie.
This explanation is going to be a little cryptic, sorry!  Recently some friends gave an excuse for not attending a big event that seemed totally legitimate.  They had something else coming up that was really big and couldn't afford the time or money that this event would cost them.  It made total sense.  But then I found out that they did something else during this time that totally negated their reasoning for not attending the big event!  It is so irritating.  Don't lie about something when your lie will be totally obvious to those you lied to!

4.  Parking.
I have always been a bit of a parking nazi.  When I lived in Capital Hill, I was constantly irritated with the way people would parallel park on the streets near my apartment.  I mean, really, parking was at a premium down there, so you had to park really tight.  This week, parking has been a bit of an annoyance.  At my current apartment, though I now have a lot to park in, space is still at a bit of a premium.  Especially if anybody has people over.  Mid-week one of my neighbors had a few friends over.  Really I think she was attempting to see how many people could fit in her apartment.  It was packed!  Therefore our lot was packed.  When I came home at 8pm there was not a parking space for four buildings.  I ended up parking in a no-parking zone.  Nice.  The other parking related item is an on-going annoyance.  My office is now at my bosses house.  We park on the street outside his house.  He lives on a corner and his neighbor around the corner and on the other side of the house, for some reason, always parks in front of his house.  But not only her, her nurse parks there, her guests park there.  Everybody who visits her house parks there.  She has a driveway.  You can park on the street in front of her house.  Why do they all insist on parking over here?  When I come to work, I have to park halfway down the block because of them.  It's annoying.  And I know it annoys my boss, too.

Hopefully this week will be much better!  Thanks for letting me vent!