Sorry about the long delay. It’s been a tough couple of weeks. So I’ve decided to break the silence by resurrecting the “peeve” category. Today’s peeve: misuse of “into.” You see this one all the time in print journalism, from people whom one would expect might know better. Here’s a random example culled from a [...]
Archive of posts filed under the Peeve category.
Wherein I fly off the handle about fees
Okay, I admit I went a little too far in my recent email exchange with Vonage. But it was so much fun. This started it – an email I received a week ago: Dear Dwasifar – At Vonage, we’re committed to providing our valued customers with the best experience possible through regular updates to our [...]
Sears must die
When I was a kid, Sears was a respected retailer. You could get anything at Sears: shoes, clothes, underwear, tires, toys, guns, radio parts, major and minor appliances, furnaces, musical instruments, lawnmowers, tools, anything. They didn’t make this stuff themselves; most of it was made for them and private-branded. But you could count on them [...]
Sorry, it’s policy
This one is more of a peeve than anything. Do you ever wish you could inscribe some basic truth on a big stick, and then hit people on the head with that stick to drive the truth into the head? If I had such a stick, I could use it on just about every corporate [...]
You can’t give this stuff away
What is it about Craigslist free items that makes people into such dicks? Try to give something away free. Just try. People say they want it and then jerk you around, or vanish. Here are some of the things that have happened when I’ve listed things this way: The first time, I made the mistake [...]
TL = Taste Less?
Last night I pulled into a gas station right behind another car of the same make, model and color as mine. This is what my car looks like: I noticed something odd about the car’s stance from the back, though, and when I looked closer I saw the owner had replaced the tires and wheels [...]
An open letter to Orleans Homebuilders
Dear Orleans Homebuilders, Last week I came home to find a flyer from you on my door, offering to pay me $10,000 for referring you a new customer (as well as $5,000 to the customer if they buy). I would be happy to talk to any potential buyer about my Orleans Homebuilder experience since 2006. [...]
Peeve of the day – 04/09/09
Another spelling peeve today: Lead, lead, and led. The verb “lead,” pronounced to rhyme with “deed,” is usually no problem for people. Neither is the noun “lead,” referring to the metal, and pronounced to rhyme with “dead.” But for some reason people think the past tense of the verb “lead” should be spelled “lead.” It [...]
Peeve of the day – 04/02/09
Why must all government communications contain threats? Here’s the text of a notice I received yesterday from the agency responsible for license plates in my state. (Emphasis is mine; subject-verb disagreement is sic.) Dear Motorist: Your license plates have been identified by the manufacturer as being in a batch that has the potential to wear [...]
Not responsible!
Today I was driving and saw this sign on the back of a dump truck: WARNING STAY BACK 200 FEET NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN WINDSHIELDS! And I thought, brilliant! I never knew it was that simple. Whatever you think you might do wrong in traffic, no worries; just put a sign on your vehicle and [...]