I like to think I’m an unflappable kind of gal. You know, in the face of any alien invasions  or earthquakes or such, I’m the calm, cool and collected person who, hopefully can take charge and delegate duties or, I’m most likely the calm, cool and collected person who can follow orders. But at the end of the day, after battling catastrophes and nincompoops, I want my own peaceful oasis without any further hassles. So, I have compiled a list–a list of my pet peeves that can really wreck any peaceful karma and thoroughly tests your patience.

1) You’ve waited through 4 changes of traffic lights. Just as you prepare to finally make that left turn, two idiots step off the curb without checking for cars and slowly meander across the street. These idiots also don’t know how to check the pedestrian light to see there is a humongous hand in the universal “Stop” position, leaving you, the motorist, stuck  in a half-turn against traffic, due to another light change.

2) The Cellphone and/or Texting Junkie who is welded to his/her tech toy. They don’t have time to check for cars ready to squash them like bugs–after all, Pedestrians have the right-of-way. Somewhere in their “Handbook for Pedestrians,” this is carved in stone and permanently embedded in the Junkie’s teeny-tiny brain. Common sense is left at home whenever they venture out.

3) There is a campaign in my home-town to “Share the Road”–meaning cars and cyclists can co-exist amiably. This certainly sounds good on paper, but in practice, it is a constant struggle to be ever vigilant for cyclists squeezing into a car lane because the bike lane abruptly stops and picks up again after a few kilometers and/or miles. Now, some cyclists are becoming more aggressively demanding–forcing drivers to move slightly over the centre line to allow the bicyclists through.

4) People darting across busy streets for their buses literally take their life in their hands. They have to dash across a busy main street because they have to be on that  bus right now! Listen, you dummy–if you hadn’t stopped for that coffee or whatever, you would have been at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare.

5) Coffee bars are usually fun places to read the newspapers, enjoy a decadent snack and meet friends. But, no one needs to hear a loud cellphone conversation detailing every single moment of a hot date; an ugly fight between partners or the latest juicy gossip of who-cares.

6) Some supermarkets provide mini-shopping carts for little munchkins who like to help their Mommies and/or Daddies. I love kids but I really, really hate with a passion, the few out-of-control kids who race madly down the aisles, careening off ankles that blocks their temporary race-track. Your worst nightmare is when there are more than one child, each with a mini-cart, racing and screaming with manic excitement. Parents are usually 5 aisles over and totally oblivious to the chaos their child is causing.

7) And my all-time favourite peeve–I enjoy my concerts. I love classical music, jazz, blues and rock ‘n roll. I enjoy any music performed well that fully captivates the audience. We are totally immersed in the pure joy of listening when a dratted cellphone blasts forth with its own melody to ruin the moment. At the last concert I attended, I was delighted to hear the request to please turn off any cellphones–that’s progress!

Okay, now I feel better. Tossing out those pet peeves that can drive a person bonkers, (if you let it), is really great therapy. What’s your pet peeve(s)?