Mystifying and annoying habits
Oh, the humanity. Living, working and training in the city has given me a ringside seat to other people’s annoying or downright mystifying behaviour in all its glory.
I am by nature a nosy person. It’s why I became a journalist. So, it often gets the better of me and I have to wonder – why? Or, which is sometimes more to the point, wtf?
I thought perhaps it was time for a blog entry on some of these habits and behaviours - either to try and get to the bottom of them or simply to vent. These things I have mentioned before. But it seemed like a good opportunity to ask about things that mystify or annoy you, whatever they may be.
A habit that doesn’t annoy but does mystify is women who apply make-up before going running or cycling. A friend mentioned this today and like her, I cannot wrap my head around it. I understand it if you’re exercising at the end of the day and haven’t bothered to take your make-up off.
But, if you roll out of bed on a Sunday morning to trot along to cycling or running, why take the time to apply a full face of make-up? You are only going to sweat it off.
Do you think these women are the type that surreptitiously apply lip-gloss before their partners wake up?
Then of course, there's mass behaviour on pavements. This seems to annoy many Stuff bloggers. But as for me, Lambton Quay, I'm looking at you.
Now, I'm happy to acknowledge the people that irritate me so much are as much entitled to the pavement as I am. They can wander in a zigzag fashion slower than a wet week, pause, veer in front of me to enter shops, chatter and walk three abreast if they want to. And they do. This entitlement does not stop it annoying seven kinds of hell out of me. Which it does.
Don’t even attempt to run down that street, because you will be very, very sorry. I know I was.
Other things that confuse me include rugby in general – why does our country stop for a group of men chasing a ball around a paddock? And people that drink diet soft drinks with a McDonald’s meal – is that really going to make all the difference?
But one of the most mystifying habits is people who prefer to stand in the bus aisle rather than take one of several open seats beside other people. Then the next lot of people who get on think there are no free seats and end up standing as well. And I’m not including people who won’t sit beside me when I’m in my gym gear. That’s understandable – I might smell.
Which leads me to another mystery of life. It's not someone else's behaviour but it is irritating. How the hell do you get the smell out of running t-shirts without having to soak them for ages? Although I know fabric softener is bad for them, it’s the only thing that seems to work, particularly in a front loader washing machine.
I'm sure it's the question all the great philosophers have struggled with.
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Oh so many points I agree with
I can't stand those who insist on walking 3-4 abreast and soooo slow... especially when you're dashing back to the office after lunch or having to race for the train. And that leads onto 'the people who insist on standing - even if the train is empty!?!' As for the smelly t-shirts.. i have no idea but I run so early I can't scare anyone off (my partner has decided it keeps me safe from prowlers...)
The bus thing gets me as well!! There might be half a dozen empty seats at the back, but people dont look past the people sitting in the front seats behind the door!
I dont know how to get the really bad smell out of running gear. When I came home from Outward Bound, I wound up throwing all my fairly new exercise-specific clothing out, because it just reeked!! I guess thats what basically living in it for three weeks, with the only wash being a swim in salt water will do!
the most annoying habit in the world (to me) is smokers clustering in doorways.
it drives me insane, i dont want to sit at my desk and smell your filthy habit wafting in the flamin door!
since i quit, the smell has become more and more noticeable, and i wonder how i ever managed to not smell myself?!
also another habit of people that bugs me.
on the bus, if there are free seats, like whole empty seats, and you smell like a warthogs back end, please for the love of all that is holy do not sit next to me!
its hard enough to not smell you from the other end of the bus.
when you are in my space and i cant breathe for fear of dying, thats just rude.
B.O and cigarette smoke, the two worst smells in the world. Combined... even worse!
I too have to walk the gaunlet that is Lambton Quay, daily, it does my head in, people should be fitted with brake lights and indicators!!! They seem oblivious to other people around them, walk as slow as they possibly can, then stop. WTF!!! Also on a rainy day, people with umbrella's annoy me, whats with using an umbrella when you are under the shops canopy anyway???
We use Softly - I know it's kind of a fabric softener but it is designed for silks and fine synthetics, and we've used it on expensive tri suits etc. for years. It's fine in our front loader too, we just use a tiny bit and run it on the 15-minute cycle.
I find using warm or hot water for sports gear works well to get the sweaty smell out if it's a technical fabric. I think cotton is impossible though once the smell's gotten in so none of my training kit is cotton. Otherwise a hot soak with napisan usually works.
Mystifying habits so far as gyms go, firstly let me say that I love my gym and no one generally does anything to irritate me. But I can inwardly get a bit antsy when people kind of move into my space to exercise when there is absolutely no necessity to do so. And strangely it's often the same one or two people.
Like I'm about to lie back with a bar to do tricep presses or whatever, and suddenly someone pulls a bench to within about three feet of me. They might know they have a few inches of clearance, but I'm then wondering whether I'll embed the end of a curling bar in their skull when I start, so inevitably get up and move a bit. But I'm wondering... why did they need to move precisely there when there is empty space all over the place?
To be fair to them I do think I'm one of those people who likes space around me, so maybe it is me.
Re. the exercising with make-up comment, i think its obvious the reason is some people feel self-conscious without their make-up! Blame societal pressures, vanity, whatever you like, but it is a fact that will not go away by judging them even more! Also, good make-up does NOT come off with exercise, so if you exercised in the morning it would still be good all day (as it is with me, especially given i sweat very very little even with really streneous sports/running) :)
Make up at the gym, and I'm not even talking some tinted moisturiser type deal. Nope, full face, mascara, eyeliner, the lot. Why? I will never understand.
That and people that use the pool and proceed to drip dry all over the floor before heading to the shower, leaving a puddle. Put a towel on the floor, please!
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I found a product by sunlight that was an odour neutralising liquid and it worked a treat on my ex boyfriend's revoltingly smelly running gear. We used to do a wash of our running gear every couple of days and my gear started smelling like his stuff. Enough was enough and sunlight soap came to the rescue. Seems fine for my current front loader too.