A few pet peeves trump resolutions

Instead of making a list of New Year’s resolutions I’m certain to break before the month is out, I’ve decided instead to itemize some of my biggest pet peeves.

By venting about the things I love to hate, maybe it will give me some measure of peace for the remainder of the year. One can only hope.

Thoughtless and careless drivers are at the top of the list. Since I commute from Whitefish to Kalispell on U.S. 93, I’ve seen my share of motorists at their very worst. It wasn’t long after moving to the Flathead Valley 22 years ago when I saw someone wearing a T-shirt that said “Pray for me; I drive Highway 93.”

I now understand the full meaning of that sentiment.

The thing that irks me the most are drivers who pull out in front of you — when you’re going full speed and there’s little to no traffic behind you — and then proceed to turn off the highway at the next side road. Of course this kind of inconsiderate and even dangerous behavior isn’t confined to U.S. 93; it happens on most other roads, too.

Sometimes drivers are too tuned into their cellphone conversations to be bothered with actually assessing the traffic; sometimes they’re just plain rude.

And here’s another thing.

If I want to drive 40 mph on icy roads, don’t tailgate me or make an exasperated face (or worse) when you pass me. Just leave me alone; if I want to drive like “an old lady” I’ll do so. Better safe than sorry.

Enough about driving. People who don’t write thank-you notes are next on my list. This may sound petty, but is it too much to ask to get some kind of confirmation to at least know if a gift arrived in the mail? I have to chastise my own nephews for not writing thank-you notes, though one of them did email me once thanking for a graduation gift.

I find it ironic that in this day and age of social media, when people are posting what they had for dinner on Facebook, or going on and on about any number of self-absorbed observations, they can’t find the time to hand-write a note for a gift. Last summer I sent a $100 personalized coat rack to a young woman for a wedding gift, and finally at Christmas she scrawled on the back of a holiday photo card: “Thanks for the wedding gift.”

Once again, if this makes me sound like “an old lady,” so be it.

Also in my top 10 pet peeves are people who blog incessantly about their newborns and post way too many photos online. First of all, other than perhaps the baby’s grandparents or immediate family, the rest of the world doesn’t care about ear infections and potty training.

Bloggers in general irritate me. Just because the endless confines of cyberspace allow you to write on and on about a particular subject doesn’t mean you should.

I haven’t mentioned passengers on planes and all of their idiosyncrasies, but I’ll stop here because I already sound pretty cranky. Now that I’ve had a chance to rant, I vow to write more uplifting prose as the new year progresses.

Have a wonderful 2014; let’s hope it’s the best year yet.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.