what has pissed you off recently?

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001

Answers

I'm standing at the ATM in the student union (I am not a student, but a university employee)getting my cash and minding my own business. A Blimpies worker is dragging the metal tables and chairs around the tile floor creating fingernail/chalkboard sounds that reverberate in the empty, in between semesters union building....I cringe at the sound and notice the tall, well-heeled, goodlooking young man on the telephone look over his shoulder in anger.

I ignore him and continue with my money. But he gets off the phone and walks over to me, towering over me as if to intimidate me and sarcastically says "Thank you VERY much!" and accusses me of waiting until he was on a very important phone call to make those screeching sounds and that I was very rude. Nonplussed I say "Excuse me, but I didn't make those sounds", but I am saying it to his back as he stalks away to get a Blimpies sandwich. I am very angry and call him a rude motherfucking asshole to his back...but not too loud. The table dragging lady starts to drag her table again.

I am fuming and pissed off at him for ruining my glorious morning...fucker...asshole..my face is red in anger...and I look around the ATM to glare at him and he sees me...and walks over. I'm ready to tell him off when he grins sheepishly and begins to apologise, telling me he thought the ATM was making those screeching sounds and how sorry he was for being so rude to me. I give him a big grin and thank him for apologising...and told him that even if the ATM was making those sounds..it still wouldn't have been my fault.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001

That's actually a wonderful story of redemption, Ann. It's so cool that he came back and apologized. AND, it's so cool that you were nonplussed (i love that word) when you responded to him, initially (at least, the audible response.) I'm impressed. When I get mad, "nonplussed" is nowhere in my vocabulary. It's more like "kneejerk" "type A" "rude Jersey girl" and just plain "jerk". Sigh. Luckily for my blood pressure, no one has made me made lately. But I wanted to commend you on your behavior. Including the swearing. Because, you're human. And it's a good steam valve.

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2001

I've been pissed off this week because no one wants to help me or my friend whose husband is being sucked into a cult. (This is the guy from that Cult thread that I started last fall) He told his wife he wants to leave her so he can spend more time with this group, whose leader claims to channel alien beings, and they are trying to reach the Fifth Dimension. The counselor that my friend and her husband have been going to has done no research on this group or its leader, and my friend's son thinks his father is just going through a phase and will come to his senses in a year or so and doesn't want to confront his father about him wanting to divorce his mother. My friend is in shock and doesn't know who to go to for help, and I live 6 hours away so I can only be of so much help to her. I've tried talking to her son and he doesn't want to get involved and I've contacted various cult sites for help and have gotten no response from any of them.

I'm very stressed this week and haven't been able to work well, which isn't good since I started a new job and the first few weeks are very important in making a good impression with various management.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 2001

Ah Nicole,

What a bummer. It *is* so frustrating to try to get help for people and no one will listen. It sounds like you've tried to contact the right people. Maybe a mental health facility would know how to get in touch with those people who rescue cult members. What a good friend. Good luck.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 2001

The only one who has pissed me off lately is myself. I wish I could be more industrious at work and at home. Sometimes this internet brings our the worse in me. I indulge in a lot of idle chatter when I should be working. It annoys me. Maybe it's just a balancing act in the information age, but I wish I could focus more on real immediate things. Bad Joe, no biscuit today.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 2001

Nicole, I'm friends with someone who has been in a cult situation and gotten back out of it, and I think she has a lot of information and links to resources for people who are/know someone who is being sucked into a cult situation.

If you're comfortable with the idea, you could email me (the above is a valid address) and I could ask her to send you anything she had in the way of information that might be useful. She really seems to know a lot about it and also a lot about how to reach people who are getting a cult kind of mentality.

In any case, good luck to your friend and her hus

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2001

Nicole, best of luck to you. I can't even imagine how shitty it must feel to watch that happening to your friend. I hope Eva's friend's advice helps you.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2001

I was at Old Navy and the stupid ass staff was following me around like i was a wanted person....they would stand 4 ft from me and stare...i mean come on! i was wearing a skirt and a halter top, and carrying a wallet...what am i gonna steal and where am i gonna put it!? Anyways it pissed me off cuz i don't like being treated like a criminal. They didn't even ask if i wanted help...stupid thing to piss me off i know, but my life is boring.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001