Things That Annoy Me, But Shouldn't

People who love to tell you "the book was better". IMO, they are completely different mediums that can't really be compared. Sure, you may have enjoyed the book more because it's a far more personal experience than watching a movie but to say it's "better" doesn't make much sense to me. The more I hear it, the more it translates in my head as "HEY, LOOK AT ME, I READ BOOKS!"

/awaits backlash

 

Or put inflatable snowmen on the roofs of their desert homes, where it hasn't snowed since the Pleistocene Epoch.

 

No backlash from me. I couldn't agree more.

 

Depends. I read Cloud Atlas after seeing the film, and I still didn't understand the book. The film was perfectly clear (flawed, the Cavendish timeline wrecks so much and does next to nothing other than giving Sonmi a toy) but that one was an improvement on the book. As was Forrest Gump, the books are mean-spirited drivel but I found the movie quite charming. Reminded me quite a bit of Candide by Voltaire, actually.

 

The manga is always better than the anime.

 

*feels challenged*
*resists the urge to lash back*

 

I don't do Christmas, never really have, or any holiday for that matter. It's a religious thing. When this comes up in any kind of work setting, usually because I'm opting out of holiday traditions/malarkey, two distinct types of people generally present themselves: the A, "You're Ruining the Country and Destroying Capitalism Because 'Happy Holidays' is replacing 'Merry Christmas' and That's the Most Repression I've Had to Endure in My Life" person; and the B, "Oh You Poor Misguided Soul, I Must Go On A Quest to Teach You The Meaning of Christmas and Thereby Solve Them Meaninglessness Your Life Must Have Because It's Beyond The Scope of My Understanding to Accept that Different Cultures and Perspectives Do Exist and The World Isn't a 90 Minute Made For TV Holiday Special" type person. I hate them both equally. But I hate person B even more equally because they're a lot harder to ignore.

Fixed.

 

I take it you're not a fan of the Peanuts Christmas special?

 

No, no, I meant what I said. But if you're into comic books and cartoons, great for you.

 

I hate person C because they demand that I dial back my own enthusiasm for any holiday that I / friends / family / culture might express through music, dance, decorations, spirtual solace, culinary endavors, gifting, dress, writings, movies and Peanuts specials, and conversations because it might offend.

This annoys me.

Live and let live.

 

While I agree they're different media and should be judged separately and etc., etc., the fact is, if one is more enjoyable than the other, it's better. People can be super annoying and snotty about it though. I'm with you on that.

I'm reading a lot of books these days (mostly audiobooks, but whatever) with movies made from them I've already seen, repeatedly in some cases, and you're right. Sometimes the movie is better. I recently listened to the audiobook for What Dreams May Come. It was no where near as good as the movie. And it wasn't the performance. (Sometimes that's a problem.) They just expanded on the book in so many great ways. It was far more emotional, for one, for another, Robin Williams. That's not the only Matheson book either, as much as I love his work. The various incarnations of I am Legend (I haven't seen Omega Man, but the other two) are better than the source material.

Geek moment: If any of you ever get a chance, read the novelizations of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. They're so good. The movies are mediocre; the books are fantastic!

 

Delivery drivers who ring the doorbell (or knock) and then 5 seconds later, ring it again.

 

Garbage trucks that compact the garbage in front of your house. Stench!

 

People who nuke fish, (the reheating, not made for nukers kind) in a community / office microwave.
Ever notice how anything afterwards comes out also smelling like that same fish? Ew!

 

I've often thought about fireworks and have even considered writing them into stories. For me they symbolise everything wrong with humanity. A juvenile vomit-burst of light and noise which frightens dogs and cannot be controlled in any way. Reading, music, relaxation? No chance.

 

Where I live brilliant parents let their children play with them unsupervised. No need to go into detail on the outcome of such grand parenting.

 

When you mother throws away your favourite shirt because it has too many holes.

 

When you send a query to an agent who boasts that unlike other agents and agencies, she personallly responds to every querier, then doesn't.

 

Supermarket pâtés labelled 'coarse' which are, in fact, about as coarse as whipped cream.

 

Lordy if that ain't a first world whinge

 

I'm kinda the opposite. The ones who ring/knock and leave within 5 seconds, and I end up having to chase them down the driveway. I'd much rather they kept ringing the bell till I got there.

 

I have to second this. A month or so ago Amazon arrived to deliver a package I had waited 8 weeks for (Vietnamese incense). The driver knocked on my gate, I opened the door and told him I am coming, just needed to get my crutches. It was plain to see that I had an injured leg and needed a few extra seconds to get to the gate. The driver jumped back in his truck and drove away - but I live on a dead end, so he had to U-turn. I was there, waving for him to stop, but he looked right at me and kept driving.

That's really F'n annoying. I got a refund (it was expensive), but I wanted the product, and I had waited for it. I tried to find out who the actual delivery company was so I could go pick up the incense at their facility, but the guy was driving an unmarked truck, and Amazon didn't know which local companies were contracted to do what deliveries.

He was right there with my incense and could not wait five seconds after I waited two months. A big thumbs down for Amazon.

 

No, I'm totally justified. If I buy a 'coarse' pâté I don't think it's unreasonable of me to expect it to be... well, you know... coarse.

 

Thing is, I can't chase them down the driveway. Usually, when the ring the doorbell a second time, it means they're on the verge of leaving, by which time I'm only halfway down the stairs (since I'm an amputee, and it takes me longer to get down the stairs then regular folks).