INLSA
M1 North blocking traffic for hours. Many motorist are stucked for more than two hours. Picture: Mujahid Safodien
Sometimes it’s the small things that get under your skin and really pee you off.
And sometimes it can be the major issues which cause the blood pressure to rise.
But all of us have some (or several) pet hates that really get us going.
So at the risk of being called a moaner, too sensitive, intolerant, fussy or impatient (I admit to being all of these things), allow me to go through the list of what gets me upset.
Many will share my major one, which is impatience on our roads, and the fact that most drivers are idiots.
My worst are those who are in the right-hand lane at a traffic light and, as it turns green, they turn on their indicator, meaning they have to wait for the hundreds of cars coming in the opposite direction.
I know we’ve all day-dreamed at traffic lights and forgotten to flick the indicator, but yes, that is up there among them all.
And we are not even going to mention the manic lane-changing by our taxis, which, in fact, I have got used to, and delight in trying to speed up so they can’t just indicate and switch direction.
Other road behaviour which drives me mad is the car that is going at about 40km/h in a safe zone with no traffic in front and the robot is showing green from about 20m away.
You know the robot is going to eventually go to amber, and then red, and it seems as though the car in front deliberately wants to stop, whereas I hate red robots and want to speed up slightly and make it through.
Nothing dangerous, mind you, but why dawdle and almost will a traffic light to turn red when you can stick to 60km/h and get through and save time (and petrol)?
From roads to supermarkets. Don’t get me going here!
If it’s not the queues that get me going, it’s the people who try to get in the hand basket-only section with a limit of 10 items and stand there with their bulging trolleys, ignoring the signs.
And there are never enough check-out counters for those wanting to pay cash.
Another thing, albeit very small, is the way the cashiers hand you your change.
Why do they insist on putting the invoice at the bottom of the notes and then the loose change on top? That means you have to do a balancing act, trying to get the 20 and 50 cent pieces and one rand coins in your pocket while trying to clutch the slip and the notes. Does anyone else get peed off with this? It’s quite funny, really, but it drives me loony.
Put the coins in the bottom of the hand so they fit snugly in yours with the notes on top. Geddit!
And what about the people who arrive at the check-out counter with their potatoes or onions or apples and have forgotten to have them weighed? So there you have to stand while the packer trudges back to the fruit and veg section to get it weighed. Grrrr!
And of course, if you are in the fruit and veg section and you are eyeing some ripe and blood-red tomatoes, someone will always be there first, snatching the one you had your eye on and you are left with the squishy one that is over-ripe.
It’s the same with bananas and avocados. Most places sell two small avocados for about R20 or more just because they are ripe and smartly packaged. I try to resist this and buy ones that are not ripe and then wrap them in newspaper and put them in a dark place to be ready to be eaten in a couple of days.
Only one snag here. You are bound to forget about them as they sit in the recesses of your cupboard and then go vrot.
Ah yes, I could go on about things on the road and in supermarkets. And don’t even get me started on the banks and the lack of tellers on any given day. And the never-ending queues.
It’s really time I learnt how to bank on the internet and also buy groceries and other items on-line.
Now, if only I did not have to use the roads!