Are You Easily Annoyed?

That was our question of the evening for Toastmasters last night. Each week we introduce ourselves and answer a short question in 30 seconds or less. Now I am quite famous, in my own head, for my patience. I will answer the "why" question from small children far longer than anyone else I have ever met. Ok, so that is not the best evidence (or even any evidence), but damn it, I am NOT easily annoyed. Except about potato chips. And poor drivers. And ridiculously poor customer service. AND other people eating or taking my stuff. AND ... Purhaps I need to rethink my earlier opinion--I seem to become annoyed quite easily.

It might be old age. Other people who are old are really quite annoying.

Adam got his driver's license this week. Makes me feel very old--I remember when he got his license at Legoland and that was a big damn deal. Feeling old is very annoying. Forgetting things is also very annoying. It used to be that I could juggle many things at one time--no problem. Now I walk into a room and I can't remember why I got up. I remember that it was very important, but later when I remember what it was, I think--that wasn't so important. Very annoying.

I went to the book store the other day (giving Adam a chance to practice driving). For years it was very dangerous to go into a book store, because I always spent way too much money on books. I still do, but now I buy them at the grocery store or target--not so great a selection so many fewer books purchased. Anyhoo, there I am in a book store and nothing. I couldn't find a single book Iwanted to buy. Not a single book. What is the world coming to. I even went to the children's section--at least I could buy Caitlyn a book. Nothing caught my fancy. I was just about to round up Adam and leave disgusted when I found my romance section. It was very well hidden in the store--a brillent marketing ploy--so annoying. I didn't expect to find a single book I would buy. My escape books are devoured the moment they hit the grocery store shelf. Last year I purchased a suitcase full of paperbacks in Michigan rounding out my complete McNaught collection. Recently I've been restocking my Nora Roberts library and I've really made a lot of progress. This incredibly disappointing bookstore could not possibly offer me that much.

Why don't they have shopping carts in bookstores? Books are heavy. It stands to reason that people would pick up more books to buy if their arms were not already full of the books that they had already picked up and planned to buy. Shall I just say that one of the benefits of getting older and having a poorer memory is that I don't remember the plot or the characters of many of the Nora Roberts books and let me tell you, that wonderful woman is a prolific writer. She has written hundreds of books--same plot, boy meets girl, misunderstanding ensues, boy tries to lose girl, and they all live happily ever after. I am happily devouring her entire collection for the second time.

I recently reread all of the Judith McNaught and one or two I was on my third reading. I enjoyed every minute. I guess it might help if it took more than a day or so to read 500 pages, but even in my old age I am a fast reader. So I picked up far too many books at the book store and I am having a wonderful time reading. I figured out at 7.99 a book plus tax, that I read in about a day--it is almost as expensive as going to the movie.

So work is annoying, because I could be reading. Going to dumb meetings is annoying, because I could be reading. Sleep--I don't remember sleep, I'm reading well into the night until my stupid eyes close on me. So annoying.

I know what you are thinking. Why don't I go to the library instead of spending sooo much money on books. I can't find anything to read at the library. It's very annoying.