Pet Peeves

Austin often asks me what my pet peeves are. You'd think he would know all the things that he does that annoy me by now, but hey, some things take longer to click than others. Anyway, I have two new things that annoy me to an irrational degree. And here they are:


One, when people wear headphones on the subway, but play their music loud enough for everyone around them to hear. And usually it's not even good music. And sometimes it's embarrassing. Celine Dione, on the way to work, really dude? Not that my iPod has good music on it—I haven't downloaded a cool song since the last time I was cool and let my infinitively cooler younger cousin drag me to the mosh pits at Warped Tour a few years ago. But, I don't offer my iPod up for party music, and I certainly don't play my iPod loud enough for the guy sitting next to me on the subway to hear. I'd be mortified (if "Mmmbop" came on). And that is sooo annoying. If I wanted to listen to your music, I'd ask to share your headphones.


Two, when people don't turn the resistance up on their spinning bikes as directed by the spinning instructor. I realize that the class is "what you make of it." I know that the bike resistance of the spandex-clad woman spinning next to me has no impact on "my ride." And yet, when I am spinning, i.e. barely moving the pedals, at a resistance level of 8 out of 10, and that spandex woman is cruising along so effortlessly, her pedals whipping around in rapid circles, her short ponytail just barely bouncing—I really am annoyed. Now, I'm not talking about the sixty-plus-year-old women who take the bikes in the back of the room and blatantly have no intention of following anything the spin instructor has to say for the 45-minute class. These are the women who regularly come to class 10 minutes late, pump their arms above their heads as the instructor is calling out "stay connected to your bike," and stay seated on their bikes while the rest of the class is jumping between positions. These women do not bother me in the slightest. If my grammy went to a spin class, she should be able to do whatever she wants to do. I am talking about the spandex-clad woman who seems to hear everything the instructor says with the exception of "turn your resistance up." Faker. Cheat. Do you think we don't see you over there, right next to the full-length side mirror?