Things That Make Me Annoyed: Rebranding Edition

So I have been meaning to write this post for days now, but I kept distracting myself... with things like cocktails and computer games and stalking the Amazon website to track the status of my recently purchased new toy (a black Nintendo DS - which I am just a little too excited about, and unfortunately all of my checking and rechecking of the website is not speeding up it's arrival... go figure!). So I apologize that I have not posted in so long. Anyways... Happy New Year everyone! I know personally I am really really glad that 2008 is over (I'll just say it wasn't exactly my best year ever), although I am feeling a little more anxious then usual because I have hopes that 2009 will be a really really good year (and I am a tad nervous about implementing some new changes in order to make this happen). Which brings me to this post. 

So the other week I was out running some errands, and I stopped into the grocery store to pick up a few things, one of them being some Diet Pepsi for my mom. Well, I stood in the aisle of the store for a few minutes, staring blankly at the spot on the shelf where the Diet Pepsi usually is. I couldn't find it... or any other variety of Pepsi for that matter. And this is why.

They'd gone and changed up their logo/design/branding. For those of you out there that do not know this about me, I REALLY don't like change. I understand that change is often required, and that good things can actually come from change... but these facts don't really ease my worries about change. There are some changes that I am OK with (usually when they are suggestions made by me), for example getting my haircut, or moving the furniture around in my room. Then there are the changes that just don't sit well with me, like the above mentioned rebranding, or like when my parents painted our house while I was away at college, and I came home to a completely different colored home (in these instances it was not my idea to alter the said object, and chances are my opinions were not taken into consideration). So I picked up a case of the "new" Diet Pepsi and continued on down the aisles contemplating how ugly I though this new design was, and how I couldn't believe that they had gone and changed it on me (I don't even like Pepsi... but still... how could they do that to me?). Then I hit the OJ aisle and was faced with this.

Oh gosh. Now my favorite orange juice has gone and rebranded itself as well. Why? What was the world trying to tell me? Yet again another ugly new design, but the message was pretty clear... both of these companies were attempting to revamp their image, and produce a better looking and feeling product (I'm not sure they have succeeded, but they didn't ask me my thoughts... for if they had you would certainly NOT being seeing these new designs on your supermarket shelves!). However, I had to wonder. Is 2009 going to be the year of the rebranding? Is there something new and exciting out there for everything, and everyone? Well, I guess 2009 should also be the year for the rebranding of Victoria... and that is my New Year's resolution... to make some BIG changes, so that I can have a better and happier year than I did last year.

Things That Make Me Annoyed: Word Game Edition

Being an only child I usually snatch up any chance I get to play a board game. It may sound weird, but the only reason I didn't like being an only child is that I never had someone (i.e. a sibling) to play board games with me 24/7, and they simply don't make a ton of single player board games. It's not that my parent's didn't play board games with me, because they did, but honestly no grownup wants to play Candy Land ten times in a row (trust me, I've done it... it's not pretty)... especially when they need to be making dinner. So like I said, I typically take up anyone on their offer to play a board game... EXCEPT that is if that game is a word game. I am AWFUL at word games. I much prefer puzzle or logic based games. I am a pretty smart individual (at least I think so), and I have a pretty good vocabulary (I mean it's certainly not in the genius range, but it does show that I had a very good education). The problem is, when I play word games (especially Scrabble... which I pretty much loathe) my brain seems to revert back to that of a first grader's. I suddenly forget what the simplest words mean and how to spell them, thus leaving me to look like a complete idiot. I refuse to play Scrabble with my parents, due to the fact that they always beat me by at least 75 points by making words like qat and zephyr, and managing to place these on triple word scores. I meanwhile am lucky if I make a word like pillow, or manage to place at least one of my letters on a double letter score. Thus as a requirement, I usually need at least one cocktail before I can be convinced to play Scrabble... at ALL... with ANYONE. 

Things That Make Me Annoyed: Rolling Backpack Edition

I like rolling suitcases, I also really like backpacks. However, all I have to say is that the person who decided to combine these two ideas has obviously never been around children, which is odd since the target audience of the rolling backpack is children. It seems like a sensible invention... until you add the child that is. For starters, I strongly believe that a backpack should not be three times the size of the child carrying it, and the rolling backpack (no matter who the manufacturer is) is always gigantic. Secondly, I also believe that at least until you get to highschool your backpack should never be so heavy that it requires wheels to transport it from point A to point B. Thirdly, since the majority of the children using these rolling backpacks are under the age of 12, the "drivers" of these bags are sure to be self absorbed and not at all aware of the general public, and the personal space that these individuals need. And lastly, I just don't understand why the inventor of the rolling backpack didn't realize that when the backpack was being rolled that the handle would obviously become a weapon of some sort, like a sword or a bat... thus allowing the child to cause even more chaos with the already annoying backpack. So with all of that said, I warn you to always watch out for the rolling backpack trailing behind a child, because you never know when you will get whacked with it... or get your toes run over. 

Things That Make Me Annoyed: ID Picture Edition

Why is it that ID pictures happen to be some of the most horrible things out there! The whole idea of getting a new ID of some sort is enough to put me into a state of dread. First it starts with the nuisance of having to wait in line to get your picture taken, and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Then it evolves into dissatisfaction when you see your picture, because obviously there will be something wrong with it, and it's not like you really get a chance to do it over. Then there is the ultimate sigh of horror when you get your ID, and see the end product, because then you realize you are now stuck with this thing for at least a good 4-10 years. So in honor of the dreaded ID picture here is a sampling of some of my horrors from over the years, and feel free to laugh... I know I always do!

Things That Make Me Annoyed: Bad Day Edition

Today is just not my day! I don't understand why when you are having a bad day EVERYTHING seems to go wrong. When I have a bad day it is not usually one huge awful thing that happens to me, but is instead usually a collection of tiny mishaps (one after the other) that lead to an overall feeling of frustration. On days like these all of the most random things seem to go wrong, and no matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get anything right. So with that said, I thought I would leave you with this song for your listening pleasure, because Joe Purdy's singing makes having a bad day actually... tolerable!

         

On a side note... I would have left you with the song Bad Day by Daniel Powter but that just seems like such an obvious choice. Oh... and one of the kids I used to take care of (Morgan - featured in my post about Curtis Stone) was obsessed with that song. She would sing it for us over and over at the top of her lungs. So after listening to that song pretty much on repeat for a good three months I sort of despise it!

Things That Make Me Annoyed: Lunchbox Edition

Don't get me wrong, I actually really do like lunchboxes. They are usually very cute, and serve an important purpose. However, when taking care of children the lunchbox takes on a whole new life of its own. You no longer think of the lunchbox as a cute accessory to a backpack that safely carries a lunch from point A to point B, but instead it becomes this annoying box that many times turns into a biohazard zone. What should be a simple task of packing or unpacking one's lunch somehow always turns into the biggest battle ever, many times ending in fights or even tears. The first half of the lunchbox disaster always starts like this:

Me: "(Insert child's name here) did you pack your lunch yet?"

Child: "No, I am going to do that right now."

Ten minutes later, Me: "OK, is your lunch ready yet?"

After standing staring into the cabinet for ten minutes and not moving, Child: "No... I don't know what to pack, there is nothing that I want." I then proceed to rattle of a list of whatever there is to eat in the house.

Child: "OK, fine. I guess I will have (insert whatever food they have chosen, begrudgingly I might add)."

Ten minutes later, Me: "OK, are you done now?"

Child: "No, I still need to find a snack."

Me: "AHHHHHHH... OK fine, well hurry up!" Ten more minutes and the lunch is finally packed, then I proceed to go on for another five minutes reminding said child to get their lunchbox into their backpack. It wouldn't be soooooo bad if I only had to do this for one child, but the above scenario must be repeated for each child in the family, which in this case is three. The second half of the lunchbox battle goes like this:

Me: "(Insert child's name here), please empty your lunchbox and put it away."

Child: "OK."

Ten minutes later, Me: "Did you put your lunchbox away?"

Child: "No, not yet."

Me: "OK, please do that now."

Child: "OK."

Ten minutes later, Me: "Did you put your lunchbox away yet?"

Child: "No, I am doing my homework now. I will put it away when I am done."

Me: "Fine, please put it away."

Ten minutes later... I have moved into another room. Said child finishes their homework and comes to join me. Once again, Me: "Did you empty your lunchbox and put it away?"

Child: "Yup!"

Me: "Great!" I then head into the kitchen to do something else where I find either one of two scenarios. One is that the lunchbox has in fact been emptied, but is still sitting on the counter, and not in the cabinet where it belongs. Two is that the lunchbox is still sitting there, completely full of their lunch. So in the end, after pestering three children to empty their lunchboxes for about an hour, I get stuck emptying the stupid things and putting them away. If I am really lucky I will be sure to find some disgusting rotting piece of ancient food that they have left behind as a present for me! Sometimes something great happens though... they buy their lunch at school!

Things That Make Me Annoyed: Rotary Edition

I live in New England. New England, for some strange reason, has decided that rotaries are the best invention ever. However, New England needs to realize that the rotary is not actually an ideal way to control traffic flow. The majority of the other states in our country don't feel the need to use rotaries in their roadway designs (or if they do it is very rare), and this makes the prevalence of them in New England even that much worse. Now not only do we have traffic from the people waiting their turn to use the rotary, we also have chaos and confusion from the people who don't know how to drive in one. We seem to have rotaries all over the place, merging onto and off of highways, at busy intersections, and even on random back roads. I really hope that one day New England realizes the error of their traffic controlling ways and makes a decision to ban the rotary... until then I will just scream in annoyance every time I encounter one.