Daily Dose of Common Sense

I hate preemptive honkers.

You’re sitting at a red light, waiting for it to turn green. The split second that the light changes, someone behind you honks–as if you were holding up a long line of cars by not flooring it. Only, you weren’t. Are these the most impatient, annoying drivers in the world?

I don’t honk capriciously. I use the horn in extreme situations–such as danger or when another driver isn’t paying attention to the road. I don’t use it to hurry everyone else along at changing lights. Driver’s Ed Guru has written a guide to Horn Honking Etiquette. They say to wait at least four seconds after the light changes before you tap your horn lightly to alert another motorist to get a move on.

Calm down, you overzealous honkers. We’re all moving just as fast as we can. You’re not busier than everyone else, so be nice to your fellow motorists.

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How awesome is this bathroom sign?

I wish all bathrooms had such a direct, to-the-point message. No one wants to see your hair, pee, or WORSE after you’re done doing your business. And, for those of you who think only men’s rooms are disgusting…you are wrong! Women’s bathrooms are gross, gross, gross, too.

Clean up after yourselves!

(Thanks to Dean Cameron for the photo.)

Waiting in line sucks. We all hate it, yet most of us do it every day. At the grocery, post office, drug store, restaurant, Target…. we’re in line waiting to pay. Well, here’s a gripe: Why isn’t everyone READY to pay when the time comes? You were in line. You knew money would be exchanged soon. You had the time to get your credit card or cash ready while standing in line. So, why are you fumbling around in your wallet once the cashier gives you the total? The rest of us are behind you and we’re READY to pay.

While in line, get your finances ready, people. That way, the line moves faster!

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If you live in close confines, chances are your neighbors hear you having sex. Most walls just aren’t that thick.

A group of New Yorkers were polled, and…

According to the survey, the most common sounds heard through the walls were thumping (60 percent), moaning (56 percent), screaming (28 percent) and “other” (23 percent).

But just 12 percent of New Yorkers said neighbors ever complained about their lovemaking, and only 24 percent said they went out of their way to pipe down.

So, you can assume that your neighbors hear you getting it on, but the good news is that you won’t receive many (if at all) complaints about it. Pretty good news the day before Valentine’s Day, huh?

[Via PatsPapers]

One thing I’ve noticed about suburban shopping is that it’s hard to return a shopping cart. Why else would you see a parking lot like this:

Actually, it’s not hard to return a shopping cart. It’s fairly easy. There are cart return sections all over most parking lots. Some people just won’t expend the effort. In this particular photo, there were at least six parking spaces rendered unusable because of the unreturned carts.

I have also seen carts bang into cars, people, and buildings. All because someone wasn’t courteous enough to take two minutes to return the cart to a proper place. Come on, are we so lazy?

The answer is almost always do NOT regift. If you don’t want it, what makes you think someone else will? But, times are tight so many people may be desperate to cover all their gift bases. If you MUST regift, consider these helpful hints:

How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting. Never give partially used gift cards. Don’t give items that you have owned for a long time. A general rule of thumb: if you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable. 

Is this going to work? Successful regifters use common sense. If you are going to regift, be sure you know who gave you the item, so you don’t return something to the original giver. Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.

Do you have good intentions? Don’t just give a gift to give a gift. Be sure that the recipient will appreciate the item. Remember, if you feel that an item is undesirable, the recipient probably will too. If you are regifting simply because you ran out of time, gift cards are simple to obtain and always well received.

The smarter thing to do with unwanted gifts is to give them to a charitable organization. Visit this information page by the Better Business Bureau for ideas.

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What do you eat while at the movies? Junior Mints? Raisinettes? Nachos? Well, if it’s popcorn, please CLOSE your mouth while chewing. The sound of people loudly munching on popped kernels of corn smothered in fake butter is one of the most annoying disruptions to the movie-going experience. The rustling of the bag is no picnic, either. But, we’ll put up with that in exchange for quiet chewing.

Why do we encourage everyone to chew with their mouths closed EXCEPT at a movie theatre. Well, we’re starting a revolution, people. Eat quietly. That’s all we ask.

Oh, and if you break a tooth on an unpopped kernel, you won’t be able to sue the theater, genius.

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As I’m sure most parents have now heard, Southwest Airlines flight attendants kicked a cranky two-year old child off their plane last week. Mother and son were flying together from Amarillo, Texas to San Jose, California, and the toddler started shouting and crying before the plane took off.

Pamela Root’s 2-year-old son was screaming for the Southwest Airlines plane to “Go! Plane! Go!”

“I want Daddy!” Adam shouted. Over and over again.

Despite her embarrassment, the stay-at-home San Jose mom remained confident that once the plane took off and she fed him, Adam would calm down and take a nap–just as he had on the half-dozen other plane rides with Mom.

The flight crew wasn’t willing to find out.

The mother couldn’t give the kid a few small snacks to keep him quiet before takeoff? He’s hungry, in a strange space, and screaming, and she decides not to give him anything. Huh? I’m assuming they were not the only two passengers on the plane. Did the mother not care at all about anyone else around them? I’m not saying the airline should have kicked them off the flight, but come on, lady. When it was obvious her son wasn’t calming down, her common sense should have kicked in. Giving him something small may have distracted him and prevented the whole episode.

Seems like an unfortunate incident that could have been avoided with a few Cheerios.

I recently began driving again after a sixteen year car-free existence. I have one question: What happened to the friendly “thanks a lot!” driver wave? No one seems to bother anymore. If another driver does me a solid by letting me in, I give a friendly wave to show appreciation. Some days, I feel as if I’m the only one.

This also applies to pedestrians, cyclists, roller bladers, people on scooters…really everyone. But, there seems to be something about being in a car where people feel they can be rude without repercussion. It’s no wonder there are so many incidents of road rage.

Come on, drivers. Just remember to be polite and people won’t key your car later.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: tedkerwin

Today’s common sense quote comes courtesy of an old friend, who happens to be wise beyond his years.

“There is little difference between a bathroom stall and a voting booth. One really shouldn’t try to hold conversations between them.”
–Constantine Soteriades via Facebook

Right on! LBJ famously used to host meetings while he was in the bathroom. Gross! Good if you want to make everyone super uncomfortable, I guess. But, for us regular folks, it’s best to not talk to others while doing your business.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: ttarasiuk