Things that irk you......

Same here, and I hate that feeling. It was cold and raining here yesterday, miserable weather that I didn't want to drive an hour each way in just to sit at my desk. I like to bundle assignments on days where I have to come in and there was nothing other than writing and desk work on the agenda yesterday. I put in a full day, wrote three or four stories and pumped out a sports section from my kitchen table.
And yet I kind of feel like I get the stink eye from our news editor when I do it. I'm also mindful of tiny breaks that occur when I'm on the clock, like swapping out a load of laundry or taking a minute to walk to the mailbox. I could take those little 5-10 minute mind clearance breaks without giving it a second thought at the office, but at home it's like, "Do I need to do something else off the clock to balance this out?"

 

The internet has revealed way too much about the way shipping works...or doesn't.

I am within hollering distance of Nashville. A package sent from Ohio via FedEx spent four days in Independence, Kentucky. Then it was in Indianapolis for two days. When it departed from there, I thought it would finally arrive at my P.O. I thought wrong, it went to Southaven, Mississippi. It's supposed to be delivered today.

 

Which is insane when you (or me anyway) think of the time I spend at work on a normal day randomly surfing the web. Do people still surf? Or is it a different term nowadays?

 

At least you got a response. E-mails and a hand-delivered letter I've sent to two magazines have resulted in crickets.

 

I'm used to watching commercials as everyone is trickling in, but it was jarring to see a commercial when the previews started. Jerks, I'm already seeing ads for other movies, I don't need to be asked if I want a Sprite Cranberry from LeBron too.

 

There's a special place in hell for editors who don't respond to pitches or submissions, even if it's a not-so-subtle thanks but no thanks. Or we're not currently taking submissions from new freelancers or whatever. I've been told some derivation of "this doesn't really work for me" or "this doesn't seem promising." Occasionally I'll try to plead my case or explain further if the terrains seems amenable. But more often than not I'll just reply, "Fair enough. Thanks for your time and consideration."

 

Their inboxes could be slammed with people like you sending in pitches. There's
no point getting upset about that. I, too, can't reply to everyone.

 

If they can't reply with a pat/form rejection, then they belong in a different business. They're obviously reading the pitches (I hope, because if they're not then they DEFINITELY belong in a different business). So just send a form rejection. Hell, the New Yorker has been sending the same rejection letter for like 20 years. They get more submissions then probably any publication and they always respond. Always.

 

I’m going to blame the bland, mostly indistinguishable, labels on the various Target generic house brands for my unforgivable shopping sin: I mistakenly bought single-ply toilet paper.

I didn’t realize my mistake until the rest of the household began replenishing spent rolls and started grumbling. I didn’t think that it could be possible, but this paper is worse than the paper in the stalls at work.

I guess I’ll have to relive high school and think of someone who had irritated me enough to be TPed. Hopefully it will be a house with Christmas lights in their trees so that it will look extra festive.

 

I once made the same mistake. I was young, fresh out of college and just saw inexpensive tp. The problem was I bought a humongous pack of it. I had that pack for years before I bought a new one.

 

I guess that's worse than when the perforations on two-ply don't line up.

 

When you show up to work with a cup from Starbucks and everyone gets pissy that you didn’t ask them if they wanted any.