A potpourri of pet peeves that pain me

How ‘bout that for a title? It took me a while to think that one up.

As you know, I try to keep the column positive or light-hearted. But, every once in a while, I, like most folks, just must vent. There are a few things that bug me that probably shouldn’t but… Let’s just refer to them as irritants.

Near the top of the list would be smart phones. I grant you; they can be very useful and maybe even lifesaving. So, I, like everyone else, have one and use it daily. But it is too easy to become addicted to it.

I was in a waiting room not long ago with about 10-12 other people. Every one of them was tap, tap, tapping away at their cell phones. No conversation, not even a glance at anyone else. One of my friends told me that his six grandchildren were over one day, and it seemed too quiet for that many kids. When he looked in on them, he discovered that they were all on their phones texting each other while sitting in the same room!

And how many drivers do you see with their attention on the phone, not the road?

Dangerous. Scary.

All day long there are the constant little beeps reminding me I have a text message or email or missed call that I need to attend to. There are news alerts to keep me informed about what’s going on in the rest of the world.

Enough, already! Keep the phone handy but don’t overdo it.

Years ago, a young woman I worked with showed me her new tattoo that she was very proud of. It was a small butterfly, maybe ½ inch or so, on her right ankle. It was cute but didn’t make me want to rush out and get one. Later, a wait staff friend displayed tattoos over her entire body. I didn’t see all of them for obvious reasons, but she assured me that they were there. Her boyfriend was a fledgling tattoo artist, and he practiced on her.

To each, his own, of course. But I can’t quite get the fascination with having someone put ink under my skin in some design that is permanent. I’ll be sitting in a nursing home someday with my skin sagging and the tattoo looking wilted. Ugly.

Roger Stone has a tattoo of his hero, Richard Nixon, on his back. His back? He can’t even see it in a mirror. Go figure.

I admit, some of the tattoos are real works of art. Very elaborate, some even in color. But the artist could do the same thing on paper for us to enjoy. Imagine what Rembrandt could have done with a tattoo needle.

I don’t understand the controversy over vaccines, either. When I was little, our neighbor on Teeds Street, Larry Clouse, contracted polio. Larry was paralyzed for the rest of his life. Polio was common then. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had it. Parents lived in fear of it.

Then Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin developed safe and effective polio vaccines. My mother couldn’t wait to rush me to the inoculation center. Every other kid I knew was there with their moms or dads. I’ve taken every vaccine available since, including flu and Covid every year. Again, people are free to make their own choices, but I’ll take the vaccine.

Thanks for letting me vent. Your thoughts?

Contact Rick at tct@pageone-inc.com