Is there something in your house that makes it impossible for you to relax? Is it a cat in heat? A leaky faucet? Loud, stupid neighbors?

What have you done to combat this irritation?

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

Answers

I agree about the telemarketers. I try and take a nap and the phone rings and it's a salescall. I hate that. I know they have jobs to do and I don't like it. I try not to be rude, but when you're sleeping really good and the phone wakes you up, it's hard not to be rude.

Another thing that pisses me off is my dog. When I'm home for the day he is always under my feet. I feel bad because I know he loves me and just wants to be by me, but I always step on him and make him squeal. That is irritating. That and when I try to sleep he will lick either my nose or mouth to wake me. ARGH.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

I worked as a telemarketter once. It was a temp job, thank G*sh and only lasted three days. Here's the thing I discovered: it's nicer to hang up on them early in their shuck-and-jive than waiting for them to read the whole script and then say "no thank you." They won't take it personally -- they have about five hundred more people to harass.

Muscle-car-mania starts around noon Friday and goes straight through until Sunday night -- every car in the neighbor's barn gets rolled out into the yard and started and allowed to idle for the weekend while they all lean into the engines to tinker. Because of this, I not only get the nonstop rumble of engines, I get a steady barrage of buttcracks spilling out, sometimes right outside my living room window.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

Chalk me up on the "I did telemarketing in college for money" list. Thankfully, it was for non-profits, and the people we phoned had already given money, so they weren't cold calls; still, keep in mind that the next time you give $10 to the local zoo, you're theirs for life.

One job perk: we phoned all over the country so if I had a good day my boss didn't mind if I called friends long-distance.

But I'd have to chalk up telemarketers as an annoyance. Fortunately, my housemate (in whose name the phone is, so no one ever calls for me) has a vaguely unusual first name. Anyone who asks for a variant of said name--especially if I hear the distinctive "beep" at the beginning of the call, or if I hear lots of people in the background with their own beeps--gets a polite-as-I-can-stomach "thanks, we're not interested." Hey, I was once on the other end of that phone; I won't listen, but I see no need to piss them off.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

I am so sorry about the butt cracks. I think I would rather have my dog lick my mouth and nose than have to see that! haha

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

my mother. she works nights, 3 nights a week. so if i have an afternoon off, she's either sleeping, or nagging me. and both options suck. she's a light sleeper, and if i wake her up (by oooo i don't know, BREATHING) she's nagging me. either way i'm screwed. so generally i have to GO somewhere if i have the day off. and i really really like to be at home. it's just so ... nice... and yeah, i could move out, but then i would be paying rent instead of saving for a house and buying stock for my glorious future. ;p

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

Nothing interupts my afternoons off... I don't GET any.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

Getting a call from work. It never fails I take off and someone has to call just to ask a stupid question.

Ahhh, but I have learned to check the fricken caller ID before I answer the phone now.

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999

I am lucky to live in a quiet neighborhood with nice neighbors who sell their old cars instead of storing them in their (front or back) yards. I am also lucky to have an unlisted number, and I *never* put my number on forms I fill out. If you can't mail it to me I don't want it. I get telemarketers once in a blue moon, and since I use to do marketing research, I try to be nice. I do the surveys, but I never buy anything. Marketing research was the most horrendous experience I ever had and I used to make myself sick so I could either get off the phones or go home. It was a psychological thing.

ANYWAY! The only thing that ruins an afternoon off is the ringing of the phone. Thank heavens for Caller ID. I know who I'm yelling at when I pick up the phone and be snotty to the person who woke me. =-)

P.S. My neighbor has a cute butt, so I don't particularly mind walking out of the house and finding him tooling around with his truck. =-)

-- Anonymous, May 28, 1999