Pet Peeves and Personal Protocols

I wanted to write this being that all of us are created by God as individuals, and as such there are certain ways we perceive as acceptable and unacceptable, based on our individuality.   Much of that is based on our individual likes and dislikes, but some is also indicative of our culturation, upbringing, etc.  What I want to do today is to share a few of my unique pet peeves, idiosyncracies, and protocols, of which some of you may think I am absolutely off the beam, but that is OK too.  So, let's get started!

As mentioned, over the years culture and personal taste have shaped some of my own behaviors and mannerisms, and these are some of my various quirks I have I will share now:

1.  One very strong conviction I have is that I will not go barefoot in public - it is uncomfortable to do so, and I have had that conviction since I was very young.

2.  My eating regimen has a strict protocol as well.  I like eating certain things separately, and although I may like both food items separately, I will not eat them together.  I also don't eat overcooked vegetables, undercooked french-fried potatoes, or broccoli with pasta.  I also will eat ground beef patties, but not at cookouts or other gatherings and not as a hamburger sandwich.   I also love block cheese, but will only eat it if I cut it myself.  Additionally, I am picky about eating out of potato chip bags anyone else eats out of, and I eat little at company dinners or church potlucks due to the fact something I don't like often sits too close to something I do like, and people tend to get sloppy when serving themselves.

3.   When at work, I have a very strict policy about having my breaks interrupted.  If someone does that, they cross a fine line with me and it often causes me to like that particular individual less as a result.

4.  If I am reading a book, writing something, or am engaged in any other activity, I don't appreciate people asking me about it.  I don't like sharing aspects of my life with strangers or people whom I personally don't care for very much.  For a person to do that comes across rude to me and it is something I don't even consider doing to anyone else.  If I want someone to know my business, I will tell them myself if I feel they are trustworthy enough.

5.  When I am at a store - in particular thrift stores, where I often hunt for vintage LP records for my collection - I don't like people crowding me when I am engaged in a search for something.  Related to that, I don't like store clerks that bug you every five seconds either.  That same protocol goes for bus stops and other venues.

6.  I HATE - I repeat HATE - having to repeat myself to people.

7.  I have a BIG taboo about micromanagement by co-workers, supervisors, etc.

8.   If I don't particularly care for someone or don't know them, I don't share personal information with them.   My mechanism for dealing with this is giving them cryptic answers.

9.  Name-dropping and patronizing don't impress me at all, and I definitely don't feel comfortable engaging in it either.  Pseudo-intellectual showboating nauseates me more, in particular if the subject matter is something I know more about anyway.

10.  Being the creature of habit and routine that I am, it is very upsetting to me when a routine I have is interrupted.  Deviation is not an option on such things.

11.  Religious talk for the sake of talking is not something I appreciate either.  If you truly serve God and believe in him, then it is not necessary to insert gratuitous "God," "Jesus," "Hallelujah!" "Praise The Lord," and other references into a conversation every breath.  If the person is truly of the faith, the other party should have the spiritual discernment to see it, and therefore no impressive "sanctified" language is necessary.  I also am upset by panhandlers and con-men using religious references to prey on the emotions of others for the same reason, and honestly it makes me want to vomit.  This to me is "taking the Lord's name in vain" in the truest sense.

12.  I am proud of who I am, where I come from, and what I stand for, and take very serious issue with anyone who would have the stupidity to belittle it within my hearing.  That is one reason why I have little tolerance or patience for those clods who belittle our Appalachian people and culture, Christians, Jews, or others.   I grew up humbly, am proud and believe I am blessed of God by what I have accomplished, and therefore strangers have no right nor place to belittle either my roots or the people I belong to.   Try it, and risk suffering the consequences!!

There are probably more of these I could share but won't because it would take way too much time to catalog all my idiosyncracies.   Any rate, these are some of my more notable ones.   Hope you enjoy.