Things I hate about people # 42+E(8):

People who wear flip-flops as shoes on the way to work.

People who can't pick up their feet while they're walking to work wearing flip-flops.
All the way to work they walk behind me... Half a mile of --scutch--scutch--scutch--scutch--

People who think they're better than everyone else. (Ironically enough.)

I realized yesterday I don't actually hate people as much as I purport. The weird thing was how this occurred to me. I was watching people walking in front of me as I was going back to work with my lunch food. People of all shapes and sizes. Women, men. Nice looking casual-business friendly people. No one that was annoying or snooty or stupid. General, unassuming public. It was actually kind of nice. And I realized that's the majority of the people I encounter every day. And then I happened to notice the panty lines on a woman who was sort of middle-age-ish, but not unattractive. And I realized, I like the kind of women who bother to wear underwear, especially the kind of underwear that they could care less if everyone sees them, and not because they're particularly sexy. My mother used to say, "They're clean and they're paid for." That's about all that matters.

Then I got to thinking what should bother people and what shouldn't, and what you should care about other people thinking about you, and what just doesn't matter.

Things I can't stand that people do:
putting on makeup/brushing hair in public
looking at themselves in every reflective surface they pass
complaining about their food in restaurants (especially when it's excessive)
rudeness to service-people
nearly running over people crossing the street
stealing parking spaces
cutting people off in traffic
vandalism in all forms, even as little as picking at corners of signs
littering anywhere
smoking with no regard for others


Things that are important to me, or actions that I like when I see them:
most are personality/character traits (blah, blah, blah)
manners
positive dispositions
emotional strength (but not too stoic)
kindness to animals
overtipping servers
holding doors
giving up seats to women or old people
letting the women off the elevator first
pulling the car to the side of the road for a funeral procession
smiling at strangers
saying "thank you" to bus drivers
letting cars into traffic

Also, I was in the "mall" area of my work building today, and there was a boy who was separated from his parents. He was walking around sort of whimpering the way kids do when they feel like they may be lost. In front of me was a young business man, who if you didn't know any better you would think wouldn't care about what was going on in front of him. But as he was passing he slowed down to watch, and took an interest in seeing what was going on with that scared little kid. When he finally saw the kid's dad come out of the store and bring him back in, he turned around and went on his way. But I was touched by his interest.

Unfortunately though, in this day and age, I was struck by the momentary flash of "pedophile," but I like to think I live in not so nearly a cynical world as all that.