Five more things that make me grumpy

As always, I remain grumpy.

Here are a few more things to add to the list of infuriating things that make life just a little bit more difficult. If you would like to read some of the other things, here are just a few examples - here, here and here

1. As I write this I am in a telephone queue waiting to speak to Ikea, not to complain but to just get some wheels for my office chair, that I foolishly didn't buy at the time I bought the chair. First grumpy thing, is hold music, and the inane things that they say during your hold duration. So far Ikea have played me Mamma Mia (Obvs), and then randomly, Just a small town girl, this is interspersed with  'thank you for holding'. Earlier this week, I had to call the doctor for an appointment. First challenge is to actually get through to the hold music, which at the doctors is generic nothing music as they haven't the money to pay the royalties for real music, this is interspersed with tales of booking appointments online (you can't, there are never any available there either) After 20 minutes of this your forehead will be on a table and you will be weeping. Oooh Ikea have just changed to Waterloo... exciting (Imagine my face as grumpy cat right now)!
2. Number two is how people speak to old people in hospital. My Dad had a brief visit yesterday to hospital and my Mum spent the last few months of her life in hospital. Both my Mum and Dad, I would say, had/have above average intelligence and are both articulate and bright. Sadly, both my parents became hearing impaired with old age but couldn't 'get on with' hearing aids, so you do have to speak loudly to them. I get that, but it doesn't mean you need to treat them like children. Now my Dad has dementia, however, I find the more I speak to him (as clearly and loudly as I can without shouting) the more engaged he becomes and the more he remembers. I will talk to him about current affairs, television programmes, mostly past events as that's what he remembers better, but he still has an opinion and a voice.
3. People who have indoor cats or take their cats for walks on leads. I was recently, given a rather lovely 3/4's ragdoll kitten for my 50th Birthday, he is loving and gentle and actually seems pleased to see me (most un-cat like). But, do I keep him in? (He is now 8 months old, so old enough to be going out) No of course not, he is a cat, with cat instincts, he loves it outside. Keeping a cat inside, in my opinion is cruel, I don't care if it's a fancy breed, they should be allowed outside to climb trees, chase birds and chew grass (to those who don't have cats the chewing grass thing helps them to throw up their fur balls). Release your cats and let them be free.

   

   Gus, My gorgeous boy, sitting on the coffee table - WHERE HE IS NOT ALLOWED!

    
4.  Student Loans make me grumpy. Why, because they are pointless. Well not pointless exactly - let me explain. A student gets a loan, its a big loan, probably the biggest loan they will ever get apart from their mortgage. It's a loan that gets bigger and bigger, and until they earn over £21,000pa they don't pay for it, then they pay, I think, and don't quote me on this, about 6% of their income, every month to Student Finance England. Now, unless they become super high powered they will never, ever, pay the whole thing off. In fact they are probably just about covering the interest on all that money. But, and this is the thing, those young people (and soon to me as I return to being a student at 50) will have that loan hanging over them, what if the law changes, what if you suddenly have to pay off more. It's like a great big dangly, made of money, sword of Damacles. Rubbish.
5. Finally, for today anyway, the crap that I get through my letterbox. Why, oh why, oh why, in this time of  recycling and ecology, do I still get so much that is just rubbish, to go back into the recycling? I get estate agent fliers telling me they could sell my house, take away menus, fliers from local supermarkets, and all the plastic charity bags....gah. Marketing people, I am talking to you when I say, I will not be selling my house with a particular estate agent because they put a flier through my door, nor will I go to the supermarket that does, or  the takeaway. In many ways, it screams desperation. And you are wasting countless trees by printing this nonsense. I live in a digital world, if I want anything, I can find it on the internet, similarly, I can check that something on the internet first for customer reviews so I know it's not pants. So, marketing people, it is not the 1970's any more, when it was OK to break the environment with our vast amounts of hairspray and wasteful paper usage. Stop bothering me with this and think again. 

I thank you as ever for reading my ranty ramblings and look forward to seeing you again next time. As ever, if you liked it, please like and share. xxx