Five things …

Jenna has done a blog post about things that cheese her off. I do try to be positive, but am a person of definite opinions, so how could I pass up such a vague and uninvited opportunity to describe a couple things that irritate me? I shall restrict myself to five.

1. Bad grammar. I don’t think anyone has an excuse. Most people in the US had plenty of opportunity in their many years of required, government-subsidized primary education to grasp the rudiments of appropriate punctuation and sentence structure. Choosing to ignore that education does nothing for you but convince people you hope to impress that you are not really the capable person you hope they believe you are. Like on resumes and college papers for which you will be graded. It’s not cool to sound inept.
2. Cell phones at dinner. If I am eating with you and you answer your cell phone at the table, it is a mark of my great appreciation for you in other areas if I do not just get up and leave. But you’ve pissed me off. Cell phones are now so common that people no longer think that they can be overused or that there are times when their use is inappropriate and rude. If you’re conversing with someone else, let your voicemail get it. Theater, dinner, while driving, just leave it be.
3. Carpeting. Once I moved away from Texas I discovered that people in other parts of the country like things like wood and tile floors. Here there’s this obsession with wall-to-wall carpeting that’s baffling. I like some carpet, but all over? Ew. You know you can’t really get that clean, right?
4. People who cut me off on the road or tailgate. Something about the size and safety features of cars these days seems to make people believe that a large metal object traveling at high speeds will not really hurt you, or that it couldn’t happen to you. Basic physics says it will. Is the big hurry you’re in really worth risking the lives of the people around you?
5. People who spell medieval “midevil” or imply that the time period was full of uncouth, unwashed savages of no learning or culture whatsoever. Not so! Yeah, that’s not a complaint most people have, I know. I struggled enough with translating their Latin that I have a fine appreciation of their erudition.

Somehow Microsoft didn’t make it onto this list. Odd.  They’re often #1.  You know what?  Here’s five things I really like, just to even it out.

1. Flowers are the best thing ever.  This spring you will no doubt see some of the extent of my obsession with wildflowers in particular and flowers in general.  The Texas Hill Country is nothing if not known for Lady Bird’s wildflowers.  There’s just nothing better than a flower.  My favorites are all versions of daisies, but I won’t say no to any of them, even the prickliest of them.  Hope, new life and beauty.
2. I love pillows.  There’s nothing better than a new pillow on your bed or a huge squishy pillow for the floor.  My first sewing project was a pillow.   They’re my favorite type of craft project - short, sweet, decorative. Oh! Even pincushions are a type of pillow.
3. Cats.  I love my dog, and never tell her this, I’ll deny it but … I think I’m a cat person at heart.  Independent, aloof, silent, prickly, inscrutable, demanding cats.  They’ll never promise to be anyone’s friend and they’ll always mistrust your motives.  I visit zoos just to visit the big ones.  Who really can resist a white tiger?
4. Coffee is easily my favorite beverage.  My favorite is fresh-ground, strong-brewed, percolated Ethiopian Harrar, but as long as it’s not some icky cheap unfresh kind, I’ll probably like it.  Black coffee?  Just a little milk, please.  Cafe du Monde chicory?  Wonderful, and I’ll take the cafe, too and a beignet.  Espresso?  What a great idea, I’ll take it straight, triple please.  Turkish coffee?  Sure, where’s my sugar cube and funky perforated spoon?
5. Tax refunds.  Having just done my taxes, I am pleased to report that I did not do anything stupid to cost myself money this last year.  The fact that I’m getting money back is so completely icing on the cake.  This last year was the last one we were able to deduct tuition expenses, so that’s going to hit hard next year.  What to do, what to do?  Shall I be responsible and pay bills or go to San Francisco?

Probably I’ll go to San Francisco in the spring and drink coffee and look at flowers.  Just a guess.