A Few of My Pet Peeves

Isn't interesting that in Harry Potter books the annoying poltergeist is named 'Peeves', as in pet peeves? I'm sure JKR did this intentionally.

So here is one of mine. "Fewer vs. Less." Okay, at the store, the express lane sign should read "15 Items or Fewer" not "...Less." You cannot have "less items", but you can have "fewer items." And in everyday conversation, people use the "less" when they should use the word "fewer." It's not that difficult to figure out. When you are talking about a plural noun, particularly one that would end in an 's' when it is plural, you use the word "fewer" to refer to a dimished quantity, not "less." Pretty simple. Now do it right!

Here is another pet peeve. Where I work, people are always expecting others to things for them, or expecting others to get some task done. I am a "DO IT!" kind of person. If you really want it done, do it yourself. If you are not willing to do it, and it is something you can do yourself, then shut up! If it can be done by you, and it's not MY special responsibility, than maybe it SHOULD be done by you. Talking about it all the time does not get done. Shut up and do it. Fish or cut bait. Whining about it makes you sound ignorant and incompetent.

Okay, here is another, but it's one that sometimes drives others crazy. I don't like broken things. I fix 'em. If it's broken, fix, chuck it, replace it. But don't leave it broken. When I started my current job, we had a company vehicle that had the driver's door handle broken off. The new handle had been purchased weeks earlier, but not installed. "WHAT??!??!? Just fix it." (See previous paragraph.) I said nothing. I just fixed it. All around me, people are coping with sub-standard stuff and they don't have to. I see people playing pool on a table where the pockets drop the balls on the floor. That will be fixed soon, by me. If it's broken, fix it. If you can't fix it, get rid of it.

That's all for today. Maybe next time I'll have to tell about the "rule of the one place" that Sam and I have. I have vented now. I feel better. But remember to use the word "fewer" more often please.