Nathan Sanderson

Everyone has a couple annoying habits that drive people crazy (numerous people have significantly more). Some folks scrape their teeth on their fork, others smack their chewing gum, and many are unremitting pen clickers. After painstaking research I have determined the most aggravating pet peeves known to man.

Chronic Complainers. Everyone knows someone who didn’t get a fair shake in life (refer to an earlier column). These people get a paper cut and whine about it for fourteen days. Many Complainers are sick for seven consecutive weeks and tell you every day of that time how sick they are?all the while not taking any medication or visiting a doctor. The most effective method of combating such an individual is to complain about the same thing they griped about yesterday and see what they say. Most will not catch on.

Wannabes. Whether you’re a regular “Gap” shopper sporting a cowboy hat and belt buckle with your baggy jeans, a white guy from Beresford playing “Gangsta”, or a country boy with blue hair going punk, you’re not cool. There is nothing wrong with expressing yourself, but don’t try to be someone else. No South Dakotan can ever claim to have been in a real gang. Sure, if you’re from Sioux Falls, maybe you thought you were in a gang, but you weren’t. Think about what you’ll wear to work?probably not Grinch-colored hair, or a cowboy hat with your baggies. For those of you who really do wear cowboy hats and really were a sk8a, you know what I mean.

Mooches. These people never buy a round at the bar. They never help pay for pizza, and are constantly in your room watching your cable because they didn’t get it hooked up in their own room. These people hang out at your place when you’re not there, eat your food, make a mess, and then leave when the place gets dirty. It’s not hard to identify these people?just leave one piece of pizza in an open box in your room. Open your door, then go across the hall and look through the peephole?the mooch will have your pizza and be gone within seconds.

Since the Stone Age when the Cavewoman got ticked because the Caveman brought home the girl from the neighboring cave, people have been aggravating each other. It’s amazing that we survived that first pet peeve.

E-mail comments to Nathan at [email protected].