Snap, Crackle, Pop

Pet peeves.
It seems that when the good Lord was passing these out I got a double dose. The list of things that annoy me is lengthy. Every time I go out in public it is as if there is a test to see how quickly a total stranger can get on my nerves. Maybe I am over reacting... probably so... but there are also a LOT of people out there who need to just knock it off!

Gum ~
I hate gum! Gum should be stripped from the face of the earth and illegal to buy, sell, own, chew, store, or HAVE in any form whatsoever. Chomping, snapping, smacking, popping .... ANY noise made while one has gum in their mouth should be totally against the law and the offender should be cooped up in a small room with someone else who's even more obnoxious than they are! Then there is the improper disposal of gum... don't get me started with how disgusting that can be.

Flip flops ~
Being in the vicinity of someone walking in flip flops is especially irritating. The clapping noise when the sole slaps the wearer's foot if maddening to me. Living in Florida makes it difficult to avoid this irksome noise pollution.

Shuffling ~
PICK UP YOUR FEET!!! If you are too tired or lazy to raise your feet up off the ground when you move yourself forward... STAY HOME so the rest of us don't have to listen to you drag your shoe heels across the floor. Shuffling while wearing flip flops makes my skin crawl.

Humming ~
This is not the same as singing softly along or humming along with the music being played in the background. That can be quite humorous actually. I am talking about encountering someone who is just humming out loud. Nothing recognizable. Just humming. Do they hear a tune the rest of us don't? It's trying to have this person standing right behind you in line at the grocery store. (Whistling at random fits this category as well.)

Strollers in public ~ this is tied with gum
There should be a rule. If you have brought your child AND the stroller into the public place, the child must be IN the stroller. Not running amuck while you use the stroller as a shopping cart. The only thing worse than this is when the "grown up" allows the child to push the stroller. (Strollers will be addressed some other time as a separate issue as I find them especially frustrating to deal with.)