Pet peeves, an addition to what makes this world give me gray hairs. Nothing ticks me off more than my pet peeves being an inconvenience at the wrong time and place. If you’re reading this and a mention pet peeve concerns you, you’re the reason for my premature wrinkles at the age of 16. Buckle your seats for Petty Paula may come out for vengeance.

Open boxes in the pantry. Typically at the top of a cereal box, for example, has words alongside “open tab here” or “insert/close tab here.” All a person can simply do is break the seal of the package and close it after their use. If you didn’t know, now you do. But nooooo, it appears my siblings enjoy a lecture from me. Visually, having every container in the pantry/cabinet flawlessly shut is a breath of fresh air. Instead, I choke on my spit whenever my siblings leave behind a disaster. Continuing with things in my household, pens that are not being utilized and are left out with the tip exposed to the air is a “huh” moment. This pet peeve is not a huge deal to me, for it requires two seconds to click the top of the pen or put the cap back on.

Generally, I ensure my house is quiet so I can concentrate during a class meeting. However, when it comes to having my camera and microphone on for a Theater performance, oh my gosh. Dishes are being put away, my dog is barking, my sister is baking with the stand mixer on, or my siblings are on Discord. Is my family out to get me or what?

The existence of avocados. Call it a pet peeve, a personal dislike, I ABHOR avocados. The smell, the texture, and the appeal are revolting. Consuming avocados has me shuddering in my slippers. If I get flamed for my disapproval of avocados, that gives me an even more reason to burn down Every. Single. Avocado. that I make eye contact with. The process of growing avocado trees is killing the environment (but that can be said about other foods) due to the high demand. If I were to move to California, I would want, no, NEED someone to hold me back from throwing a punch at a bunch of avocados for looking at me dirty.

In the environment of a school, some occasions have me pulling my hair from the roots. Starting with teachers that say, “The bell does not dismiss you, I do.” Oh, I’m sorry, I hope the same energy is maintained when a student shows up to class late because “the bell does not tell me to go to class, I do.” Even with this logic, please get to class on time kids. When it’s passing period and all I have is five minutes to walk one side of the campus to the other, a group of students standing in the middle of everybody’s walkway is a common occurrence. It’s an “lol” moment because I can’t be the only person who wants to walk through the crowd and push everyone to the side. Stop being this type of person and stand to the side. I’m saying this in the nicest way possible, it is a nuisance.

Nothing irks me more than people not respecting an individual’s privacy. A person’s dating life? None of your business. Someone wants to protect one’s identity and not reveal their face to the world? Back off. Someone not feeling comfortable sharing their emotions and/or personal life with others? These hands are rated E for everyone. Curiosity is a common thing and I understand that, but one should know there are boundaries to not cross.

If I come off as aggressive, expressing my pet peeves was progressively me just venting. I won’t hold a vendetta over someone liking avocados or being intrigued to know something. I may be petty, but not THAT petty.