Jessie: On the coast of Maine, enjoying warmer temperatures and walks along the shore.
In our continuing discussion of madness this month, I was wondering what is something that unfailingly drives you mad. Swarms of mosquitoes? Cold coffee? Barking dogs?
Julie: I have a few things that drive me mad. When people slow down to a crawl to turn right. I know that’s safer, but I live in Boston. When people walk slowly and take up the entire sidewalk. People who lay on the horn when it doesn’t do any good. People who stand in the door on the subway. There’s a theme here, and a good reason to stay home.
Barb: Almost all the things that drive me mad are aural. I seem to lack some important human ability to block out noise. Your white noise in the background is my constant distraction. I can’t listen to music when I write or with any task that requires concentration–because I can’t not hear the music. City sounds are fine. And this isn’t an issue when I’m asleep. Here in Key West I routinely sleep through the roosters and the sirens and the emptying of the dumpster across the street at five every morning. But last year due to flight schedules we had to spend a lot of time in JFK going to and coming from Europe. The United lounge had this computer-generated bing-bing-bong type music that almost did drive me mad.
Edith/Maddie: Barb, I am SO with you on the background noise thing, and Julie, with the people who just don’t get on with it. I mean, really? I posted recently about a sign in my doctor’s office with a spurious apostrophe, which also drove me bonkers. Unfortunately I had neither Wite-out nor a sharpie in my purse to fix it – and believe me, I would have. But since Jessie brought it up, that neighborhood barking dog over the back fence absolutely drove me mad. So I put him in a short story, killed off his owner (fictionally…), and “Bye-bye, Jojo” appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (March-April, 2022). It will be reprinted in the weekly ezine Black Cat Mystery Magazine next month!
Sherry: Along Julie’s theme of people turning right are those who swing out to the left as they turn right. But the thing that really annoys me are shopping carts (or carriages for those of you in Massachusetts) that are left in the middle of the parking lot!
Jessie: What an interesting range you have all shared! One thing that drives me nuts is the wrong sort of drinking vessel. I want whatever I drink to be in the correct thing. I don’t want wine in a tumbler or hot coffee in a clear mug. And I don’t ever want to drink anything out of something made of plastic. It just ruins it for me! I also am irritated when I am watching a movie or a show and for some reason, it needs to be paused. I would rather not watch at all than to have the experience chopped up in that way.
Readers, what drives you mad?
The Wickeds 
I get irritated by barking dogs while trying to sit outside at night to enjoy the cooler FL air. People that shoot off fireworks when they are illegal. I once was stuck behind a car from Vermont that stopped at every single crosswalk even though no one was trying to cross.
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We have a constantly barking dog nearby too and it can be so hard to take!
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I’ll list two: When two people stop in the middle of a grocery aisle to chat and are oblivious to others (me) trying to get past them. Move to one side, people! Secondly, when the person leaving the store ahead of me stops just outside the door to look around, blocking the exit.
I suppose this explains why I prefer curbside pickup!
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I find those grocery chatters tough too!
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This makes me bonkers: Doctors or others in positions of power who make others wait more than 15 minutes for a scheduled appointment/meeting without a heads up they’re running late.
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I agree!
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Think a lot of the things that drive me mad all boil down to the the lack of common courtesy. It’s people that walk down the middle of an aisle in the parking lot instead of walking on one side or the other making it to where a car can go around them instead of going slower than a snail behind them (same thing in the store and walking in the middle of a two way aisle). It’s people in cars that think they have the right away when their sign says to yield. We’ve turned into the it’s all about me society and the heck with you.
Everything else may be slacking as I “mature”, but my hearing isn’t one of them – thankfully. However, at times it’s a curse. We have cuckoo clocks and musical clocks that make noise 24/7 and after years of living with them you don’t actually hear them. But get a very low pitch (meaning I’m usually the only one to hear it) noise that’s constant and I drives me nuts until I can find it and make it stop. Crickets outside at night drive me mad because I can hear them from inside and can’t stop them.
And I must add something that’s just started up in the past year or so. Why does anyone advertise FREE books, when in actuality they are not free. You have to subscribe to that author’s newsletter. Often after you click to check it out, it will say you can cancel later. Isn’t that a disservice to the author to grab a book and run? And it’s a pain to the reader. I don’t care to go through a million emails deleting them because of no interest or no time. I’d rather take my time reading the emails of interest to me. All I’m saying is it take only two seconds to add a disclaimer to the first post that it’s free with subscribing to the author’s newsletter. Just something that drives me mad.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
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That is great feedback for authors, Kay! And crickets make me crazy too! We had some get into a house we rented years ago and they woke my new baby up over and over all night long!
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I really do try not to let things like this get to me these days. Too much stress on me and does it change them? No. But I will admit that if I’m sitting out in my sun room, on a nice summer evening, enjoying the quiet and someone’s dog is barking incessantly, it does ruin the moment. Fortunately, the people with the REALLY yappy dogs moved a couple of years ago. I noticed a definite down-turn in noise level!
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Congrats on the move!
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People who talk during live performances – concerts, musicals, etc. – drive me up the wall. I’m not referring to those who exchange a word or two in lowered voices. I’m talking about people who chatter away throughout the show. Can’t these inconsiderate souls pause their conversation for a couple of hours?
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I totally agree! Why even attend something live if you prefer to talk than to pay attention?
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Not sure if “I have come to the right place” or the wrong place as I gave myself this mediation for today: “I expect kindness. I expect space to breathe. I expect gentleness.” Listing any of the things that drive me nuts is bouncing up against that meditation boundary. Which is really a good feeling. (Tempted to say “be happy to tell you tomorrow”.) Wishing you all a kind, spacious, gentle Wednesday.
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Gentle Wednesday to you too! I hope you’ll drop by again tomorrow!
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What an interesting list! I’m nodding at almost all of them. Which is making me wonder if I need to chill.
People who can’t find their gas pedals (it’s down there by your right foot where you left it) drive me batty. As do people who can’t seem to settle on a speed. I think they are mostly texting. There seems to be a correlation.
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The texting thing drives my husband nuts too!
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The new paper straws. The feel of them on my lips is most unpleasant. And, worse, if you don’t drink all your iced coffee right away, when you go back to it the paper straw has started disintegrating into your drink. Yuck, and now no suction. So, I’ve started to carry plastic straws around with me.
And, I’m with Barb on the background noise, especially music. I now carry little packages of ear plugs in my purse.
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Packages of ear plugs sounds like a terrific solution!
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As a former/always ELA teacher I could list a gazillion things! I know you all could to! I agree with Barb, me and her share the same thoughts. Her and i’s connection is write their! Take a bough Barb! If your going to due a book tour, I’d like to no wear so me and you could meet in person. I’d love to meet all of you’se to!
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So many things drive me mad that I work really hard not to let things bother me. I do find that loud noises bother me – like a neighbor’s dog barking for hours, etc. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
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Constantly barking dogs seems to make a lot of our readers crazy!
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I agree with all of your gripes. I’ll add drivers who block intersections at traffic lights and who don’t use turn signals.
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Blocked intersections! Grrr!
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