Life’s Little Annoyances!

jambutty · 01-02-2007, 12:38

Once upon a time there were thr …. Sorry! That’s a fairy tale but this is not.

Toothpaste! Or more precisely the tube that it comes in.

Not too many years ago toothpaste came in a tube made from an alloy of lead and something, probably zinc. There was probably a thin coating of something on the inside to prevent the lead content of the tube from leaching into the toothpaste and poisoning the user.

As most of the toothpaste was used up you could place the tube on a flat surface and with the handle of the toothbrush push the remnants towards the neck. And then to prevent the contents oozing back down the tube you rolled or folded it up from the bottom. Or as we used to do, is very carefully put the tube part way through a mangle.

Don’t ask what happens if you put it through too far. You don’t really want to know. On the other hand. BANG!!!! Ooooo! What a gooey mess on the floor, the walls and anything else that happened to be within range, like a passing cat or with a bit of luck the mother-in-law, who came for an afternoon visit and was still around several years later.

Today all the tubes are plastic with a memory akin to that of Leslie Welch. Only old gits like myself or apprentice geriatrics, again like myself, are likely to remember him. I’ll leave it to one of them to explain if they’ve a mind to. In other words no sooner have you folded the tube to trap the toothpaste near the neck it just about instantly unrolls thus negating your efforts.

It’s called progress I suppose.

What is your life’s little annoyance?

pendy · 01-02-2007, 12:45

I can't stand people who stand at bus stops for 10 minutes waiting for a bus, and then when the bus arrives and they get on, spend another 10 minutes rooting around for their Travelcard. Why can't they keep it handy and stop delaying (and annoying) the rest of us!

Also those idiots at London bus stops, where each one has a route map for each bus that stops there, asking "Does this bus go to .........?" Can't they read? - and it says on the front where it's going.

Grrrrrrr - however, at least I am now officially an grousy old git!

WillowTheWhisp · 01-02-2007, 12:46

Kids who don't put the top back on when they've used the toothpaste - that's one of mine!

Do you remember those little devices you could get for rolling up toothpaste tubes? They had a sort of key in them a bit like a sardine tin key.

Ianto.W. · 01-02-2007, 15:18

Quote:

jambutty, Today all the tubes are plastic with a memory akin to that of Leslie Welch. Only old gits like myself or apprentice geriatrics, again like myself, are likely to remember him

The worst offender of this modern 'built in memory' products jambutty is the modest crisp packet, as most squares will only fold 7 times anyway these rascals will return to normal in less than 30 seconds. I find the easyest way is to fold them in 4 and wedge them under the ash tray. What happens when the smoking ban kicks in?

Kitkat · 01-02-2007, 16:41

Big boxes of chocolates, and when you open them they only have one layer when you expect 2 - its sooooooo disappointing

jambutty · 01-02-2007, 17:07

I had a box of chocolates given to me last Xmas but one and it looked like it only had one layer so when that eventually got emptied I picked it up ready to throw in the bin.

I don’t why but something made my lift the empty layer to reveal another layer underneath.

Billcat · 01-02-2007, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendy

Also those idiots at London bus stops, where each one has a route map for each bus that stops there, asking "Does this bus go to .........?" Can't they read? - and it says on the front where it's going.

Grrrrrrr - however, at least I am now officially an grousy old git!

Hi Pendy!!!!! (David may be slightly bacon-deprived, but my deprivation is near-total)

Moan, moan, whine, whinge! (of course, you are accustomed to that at home!)

Just your luck then, as far as the folks at the bus stop are concerned, to live just where many tourists board their very first London bus! All those big tourist hotels house first-timers in London on package tours! The route maps are very good, especially if you know a bit about London geography, but they don't necessarily list the places tourists wish to go.

andrewb · 01-02-2007, 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

The worst offender of this modern 'built in memory' products jambutty is the modest crisp packet, as most squares will only fold 7 times anyway these rascals will return to normal in less than 30 seconds. I find the easyest way is to fold them in 4 and wedge them under the ash tray. What happens when the smoking ban kicks in?

Once upon a time I saw somebody fold one up in to a triangle shape which folded in on itself and held itself together, rather cool and compact!

LancYorkYankee · 01-02-2007, 18:09

I hate trying to get to the bottom of my peanut butter and jelly jars. I was raised to get every bit out of every type container. My dad used to have us put water in the almost empty ketchup bottle to get that last precious drop out but I again digress. I just hate getting jelly and/or peanut biutter on my hands as I dig down to the bottom of the barrel!

Brian

katex · 01-02-2007, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by LancYorkYankee

I just hate getting jelly and/or peanut biutter on my hands as I dig down to the bottom of the barrel!

Brian

Barrel ! know you do things bigger than we do, however, do we have a language difference here ?? ...

Bluebbl.gif

Toothpast tubes Jambutty .. problem with those metal ones were that they always seemed to split ... and toothpaste oozed out of these splits as well as the top. I get pump ones .. much easier, except on the odd occasion they don't pump from new.

LancYorkYankee · 01-02-2007, 19:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Barrel ! know you do things bigger than we do, however, do we have a language difference here ?? ...

Attachment 8107

Toothpast tubes Jambutty .. problem with those metal ones were that they always seemed to split ... and toothpaste oozed out of these splits as well as the top. I get pump ones .. much easier, except on the odd occasion they don't pump from new.

Yeah Kate, bottom of the barrel is just an expression for getting to the end of something. Although . . . it seems that Costcos around here sell practically barrels of mustard and mayonnaise!

If I used those pump type of anything, I find myself (okay VERY embarrassing) cutting into them when they seem to be done to "get to the bottom of the barrel"

Brian

AccyJay · 01-02-2007, 19:34

I hate it when you're waiting at the cash machine (ATM), & just as you think that the person in front of you has finished their transaction....

They insert another card.

panther · 01-02-2007, 19:35

things that annoy me are people who walk slow in town! or suddenly walk in front of you then look at you like its your fault!!!!!!!
also people who live above there station! when they more common than I am

Billcat · 01-02-2007, 20:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by LancYorkYankee

I hate trying to get to the bottom of my peanut butter and jelly jars. I was raised to get every bit out of every type container. My dad used to have us put water in the almost empty ketchup bottle to get that last precious drop out but I again digress. I just hate getting jelly and/or peanut biutter on my hands as I dig down to the bottom of the barrel!

Brian

Gave up on that problem years ago. Finally figured out that my time was much more valuable than that last dab of peanut butter.

jambutty · 01-02-2007, 20:36

We war babies became experts on getting the last tiny morsel of something out of a jar. It took skill and patience.

Like you Brian I used to put a drop of hot water in the bottle but not when it was nearly empty but when there was about an inch of stuff in the bottom.

Then for more years than I care to remember, when the ketchup/sauce/salad cream got down to near the bottom I would stand the bottle upside down. It seems like my method has caught on because we can now buy upside down bottles of stuff.

And finally another drop of hot water and carefully stood the near empty bottle on a new bottle that had been used once or twice. This usually got the very last drop of sauce out of it.

You’re right katex the old tube could split especially in the mangle.

Incidentally Billcat our phrase is “scraping the barrel” meaning the same thing.

One other annoyance is when I following someone else with a supermarket trolley they stop and as I start to pass they set off again.