10:23 p.m. | 2005-07-05 Five Things You Don�t Need To Know About Cruel-Irony. I�ve been tagged by Ladybugge who was, of course, tagged by someone else. (And, I can't seem to link properly so there'll be no linkage in this entry. I'll just hope you're a regular reader.) My mission? List five things that society � in general � enjoys or tolerates that I can�t stand. Let me just say, straight away, that I could go on forever so here are my abbreviated answers. In no particular order. 1. Ridiculous marketing in the grocery store. Remember the �No cholesterol� stickers placed on fruit, vegetables and other items when the �cholesterol-free� diet was marketed? Yeah. I�m particularly fascinated by nutrition but most folks aren�t. So, most people didn�t realize that these products are naturally cholesterol-free. Frankly, I was dumfounded by the number of people who told me that they were so excited that they found �cholesterol-free� apples at their local market. I also hate that colored sugar water is sold as �juice�. I could go on, trust me. Deceptive marketing? Alive and prospering. 2. Road Rage. I know it�s in fashion, but it�s so inappropriate. It�s the attitude that gets me. Perhaps that�s because I don�t drive much. I walk to work and no one gets in my way, even when I�m late. Albeit my ability to show up on time shouldn�t and doesn�t rely on �the traffic�, even if it�s foot traffic. Don�t get me wrong though � I�ll certainly knock you over if you�re making me late. Not so much with the cursing and finger-flipping since I have to actually engage in physical contact to knock you down. See, I think that�s the difference. People can get all puffed up sitting in a car � and insolated by the very structure of it � so it�s easier to be all pseudo-combative and self-important. Face-to-face combat? Not so much. Lest you think I don�t face some walkway challenges everyday, I have to tell you that horses, bikes, construction devices and golf-cart-type vehicles all traverse the same sidewalks I do. Well, and the homeless. Being hit up every five seconds for money isn�t fun but it�s not fight-worthy either. 3. Average movies. I understand that the general public really enjoys the movies. Particularly the new generations of movie-goers. Go have fun. And please, refrain from asking me to either join you or comment on them. I�ve gone to two movies in the last two years. I was invited to attend both as special events, received free snacks and didn�t have to pay to see the movies. Didn�t like either movie. Wouldn�t have seen them except they were free to me. Made nice comments to facilitate polite conversation. I�m a born critic; you don�t really want to know what I think. At least, not when it�s typical production. 4. Coffee Shops. I want to name particular stores here but I won�t. I know that many, many folks are addicted and I�m really sorry about that. It�s a lot of caffeine, sugar and empty calories. Yes, it keeps you awake. I used to be a coffee addict. Back in the day. When coffee was coffee and not some sugar-laden, foo-foo beverage. I broke that habit because I didn�t think it was good that I had to consume a beverage in order to face a day. (Also because I drove my co-workers mad when I was caffeinated. Where, oh where did that energy go?) It�s just not a good thing. And one day, if my dreams come true, the nation will realize that being addicted to caffeine and/or work is not any different from being addicted to any other thing and it will no longer be socially acceptable. A meth-addicted prostitute is playing the same game and I hope that one day people will realize that. Granted the caffeinated work-alcoholic probably isn�t stealing your all your possessions but they have STDs too. Not that I would know, just that they're not particarly chaste according to the water cooler talk. 5. Cell Phones. I HATE cellphones. Hate them. I understand that they�re convenient and often save lives or whatever. I still refuse to get one. Hence, I�m always on the other side of that conversation. And, if there�s not a cellphone in the mix, there�s a crackberry or laptop. It�s rare for me to actually have a conversation anymore that isn�t interrupted by some device. I�m not anti-technology � quite the contrary � but I really miss having meaningful conversations with any body. My response is to stop talking. Silence is still very, very powerful. Especially with the younger folks. They don�t get the purpose of a lull. It provokes an immediate response. Replete with very priceless facial expressions. So, there it is. Five things that irk me. I think I�m supposed to tag five other people so here goes: tuff517.diaryland.com giallothang.diaryland.com uncle-bob.diaryland.com emeraldtiger.diaryland.com sunflowery.diaryland.com Interesting mix, I might add. your thoughts? seed flower