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Sitting in Starbucks is an interesting way to pass an afternoon.  I mean, I have good company with my wife and her good friend, and therefor, a fair share of laughs.  But listening to the conversations around us is just too much fun sometimes — especially in a college town like Ithaca, NY.

However, in overhearing things, it’s fair to say that I’ve found a fair number of things that simply annoy the heck out of me.  This list isn’t by any means complete or all that fair to those around me.  So, in no particular order, here we go.

1. The word ‘super’ when used in response to the question, “How are you?”  I have no idea why this bugs me so much, but it just does.  I can’t help but think of the word ‘super’ as it relates to size, or quantity — think “supersize”.
2. People who wear headphones and still sing along to the music.  Seriously?
3. People who listen to music and don’t wear headphones.  I don’t like your music and I wouldn’t expect you to like mine.
4. People who feel the need to re-arrange all of the furniture.  While I don’t mind this in principal, when you insist on blocking the walkway so no one can pass just to fit that eighth person at you tiny little table, you’ve gone too far.
5. Noisy children.  Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t mind kids all the time. But to allow them to run and scream in a public place simply pisses me off.
6. People who start a conversation while waiting in line for the bathroom.  Don’t talk to strangers — especially while waiting to go to the bathroom.  Just don’t do it.  Ever.  For any reason.
7. People who bring printers / scanners and set them up on a table.  Don’t you have a home?  This isn’t just annoying, it’s quite frankly weird!

So… what pisses you off in a coffee shop?

Edited to add:

8. Loud ringtones.  If your phone goes off over and over and over, you aren’t popular, you’re annoying.  Phones do have vibrate functionality.
9. Fake / excited “valley girl” type accents.  Very annoying in all settings.  Piercing and shrill in a coffee shop.  Should be outlawed everywhere except for perhaps some areas of California.

In the process of closing over 200 Waldenbooks locations the parent company Borders will be forced to dispose of a decent chunk of their inventory.  So what will they do with all of the books they can’t sell before the closing of the stores?  Tear the covers off of them (to prohibit them from being resold) and throw them away.  Seriously!  Check it out!

In a time when schools are facing huge budget cuts and many are going without, why are we filling the landfills up with perfectly good books?  Better yet, why not donate them to a charity that could pass them out to those who could really benefit?  What a waste…