Things That Irk Me

1.  Referring to me and my colleagues as "you guys".  Really?  We're sitting around a table deciding whether to engage you on a project, or whether to buy your product or services and you think of us that colloquially?  As though we were drinking buddies?  Rivals on the basketball court?  I hate that!

2. Appreciating Me.  Now the single most overused term in modern times - to the point where it has lost all of its meaning.  What would you rather hear?  Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.  Versus, I know you have a lot on your plate and I would truly like to thank you for the time you have given me today.

3.  Like, Like, Like.  Sometimes I wonder what foreigners think of Americans.  Why do they speak a better English than we do?  That word, the pervasive filler for a mental pause, has become a noun, adjective, verb, adverb, dangling participle (what are those?) and more.  There's another four letter word that does that too, but, again, it belongs with my drinking buddies or on the basketball court.

4. I Hope You Enjoyed Your Meal.  Which they say to me as they hand me my check and have already turned their body away from me.  I hate that!  They don't care whether I enjoyed my meal or not.  They DO care whether I leave a 10, 15, 18 or 20% gratuity.  Hey!  Don't read me a script.  I really want you to care whether I enjoyed my meal or not.

5.  I've been busy.  Oh boy.  This one really, really irks me.  I chuckle when I hear this one.  I'm trying to launch my own business (resurrect it, actually), interviewing for job positions (a job in itself), architecting complex software systems, coordinating efforts with co-workers, writing hundreds to thousands of lines of code a day, networking with other technically minded folks, meeting with existing and potential clients, reading about new trends in technology and then applying them to real business problems, working out to stay in shape, jogging in the Texas extreme heat, giving my wife and children some well deserved time, and keeping my classical guitar fingers somewhat nimble.  And they're busy?  Come on, man, I was able to get back to you, and you don't hear me complaining about being busy!

... and why have I been so busy?  Because I want to use technology to make the world a better place.  Don't you?