I've noticed recently my complete intolerance of certain things. It's not like I do anything in retaliation for these unforeseen affronts to my sensibilities: I just file them against the offender, and all that's left is a slight irritation the next time I see that person.
It may seem weird, but every time the offender "re offends" the irritation gets slightly worse, perhaps like a insect bite that needs a little vinegar to stop the sting: just without the vinegar i guess.
The things that set me off are strange. This isn't a trait entirely my own. My grandmother used to get profoundly irritated when her toast was not buttered to the corners. Another of her dislikes was people who ate toast without cutting it in half: she explained it to me as "bad breeding".
The toast thing aside my Grandmother was not stark raving mad - nor am I.
Today one of my co-workers filled up his coffee cup with the spoon in it. That is just simply wrong. the fact he went on to drink the coffee with the spoon in it made it doubly wrong, but the icing on the cake of "bad manners" was I saw him do the same thing with soup the other day. WITH SOUP!!!!
I mean - really - a spoon in your cup whilst drinking?
I suppose on the scale of human achievements in bad breeding "the spoon incident" is minor, but why does it upset me so?
To be aware of other peoples dislikes is a curse - Ever since the "toast incident", I always buttered my Grandmothers toast to the corners on the odd occasions, we, the Grandchildren, made our Grandparents breakfast in bed. We never cut the toast on any angle other than 90 degrees lest we offended them.
It's funny now, years after they have both passed on, I cut my toast on a diagonal, and when not amongst polite society: uncut.
I have no strict butter spreading rule, but I hate my toast burnt and despise the scraping of burn toast: I'd rather throw out the burnt offering and start again.
I'd like to think these indiscretions are minor in nature, and to be fair this post had a point: It's just I've forgotten it.
5 comments:
I hasten to add the offending workmate was filling up his coffee mug(with spoon)at an expresso machine!!! A fully functioning steam injecting wonder we have at work.
I have no issue per say with a teaspoon in a cup of instant whilst adding the water - thats normal for gods sake!!!!!
Habits of a lifetime are hard to break but our own little habits are not noticeable or annoying to us and it's great that they have the ability to annoy the shit out of others. Perhaps it's the negative effect and the delight we receive when we watch the faces of those near and supposedly dear to us that we repeat. I like to cut my toast in fingers or when I give it to someone else take a great bite out of the middle leaving teeth marks in the butter. I try not to pick my nose at intersections and look disapprovingly at others who do!
You know... that from a distance even an innocently scratched itchy nose at the traffic light could be mistaken for a full on nose picking.
I'm just saying that I wasnt picking my nose when you saw me :)
Cute as a wee button, you sometimes are ... :)
And... there it is....
The "single" curse for all to see :)
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