Gripes and Rants – waynealton

This page is purely an area where Wayne is able to rant and rage about the irritating things in life.

WARNING: This page is explosive with obscenity.

Fucking off mid-conversation

I’m not sure if others experience this or if it’s a new trend in texting, but I’m never going to get used to someone messaging me, me replying immediately, and then… nothing! It’s completely silent. Now, I’ve considered that they might be driving or at work and something unexpected has happened, but even then, with speech-to-text dictation, I expect some response. “Something’s come up, I have to go.” “Sorry, I’m driving now, I’ll text you again soon.”

It appears to be perfectly normal. How would this occur if it weren’t a text message conversation? If someone you’re conversing with on the phone suddenly stops talking, doesn’t hang up, they simply cease talking! It’s incredibly frustrating. I’ll never get accustomed to this.

It’s in my nature to wonder if I’ve ever unintentionally done something like this to someone, and I haven’t. I never initiate a conversation unless I’m certain I can complete it. Even then, if I can’t, I make it clear that I can’t. And in the unlikely event that I may have done, I will always apologise profusely, as soon as possible.

If you’re reading this and wondering if you are a culprit of this behaviour, you also now know that I find it incredibly rude and that my opinion of you is tainted. Haha!

Sexist advertising keeping the equality divided

As I get older and more weary, I am so tired of the overt and blatant sexism that goes on with advertising. Would it really hurt not to have more same-sex couples featured in adverts? The worst are adverts for beds or mattresses. It cannot feature just a woman or just a man, it has to be male and female, embraced together. Why not two women or two men? Very occasionally, I’ll see a same-sex couple, and it comforts me to know that some companies aren’t afraid to diversify.

Coronation Street, huge fan for more than 50 years (1973) but for crying out loud

December 2023: the storyline of Ed Bailey’s gambling addiction is not well played, largely due to Ed’s hopeless acting. But everybody not seeing it before it’s played out, particularly as we learn of his illness from the start, is painfully boring.
December 2023: the stupid Stu and his selfish actions of somehow convincing Eliza’s Dad to emigrate overnight to save a previous marriage and daughter relationship, is beyond tediously boring. I record every show, and thank fuck I do. Along with the advert breaks, I am able to fast-forward through the inane and ‘couldn’t give a flying fuck’ story of Eliza and her Dad. AAARRRGGHH. And Yasmeen’s gullibility is hopeless, too.
The only advantage of Ryan Connor (fit as f) is the elongated story of his affair with Daisy is finally over. < March 2024 – spoke too soon>
Peter Barlow’s reason for leaving and the split up between him and Carla Connor… absolutely unbelievable… no, seriously… it’s not believable.
And… I’m going to make this last rant about Corrie for now, mainly because it’s 1 o’clock in the morning. But if Craig fucking Tinker turns up one more time for every single mildly illegal activity, I’m going to kick my telly in. < March 2024 – I could’ve kicked the telly in several hundreds times over by now.> < May 2025 – oops… well if any of the writer’s are reading this, thanks but that was a bit extreme. >

Philips Shaver costing £300 but then…

Admittedly, it was about 2016, so £300 for a single shaver wasn’t cheap. Jezz bought it for me as an expensive Christmas gift. Over the years, I’ve replaced the shaver head with its unique 3-wheel razor heads, each time spending around £28-30 a time and non-begrudgingly. However, it was only a matter of time, albeit about 5 years later, not bad going. The only way to change the rechargeable battery in the handle of the unit, was to send it away to Philips, a repair centre elsewhere in the UK. I explained on the phone that as I use and need it daily, I wasn’t sure how I would shave while I waited the 2–3 weeks that it would take to change the battery. Not to mention the concern I would have to resort to rely on it not going missing through our antiquated postal service.

As a last resort, I researched the idea of buying the battery and replacing it myself. However, the long and frightening YouTube video, involving dismantling the shaver and soldering wires, was too daunting. So, now… I just keep it on its charger station mat.

UPDATE:

I also now find that I’m having to use my £20 Asda foil shaver to go over bits that have been missed by my £300 Philips rotary head shaver. Why?

Apple Rant

Email Signature in iOS – Ever since iOS update 9.3, it has not been possible to add an image, typically a logo, to your pre-defined email signature in emails. WHY NOT?

Philips Hue

Philips Hue Groups with Siri – For some reason, Apple have not made it possible for the grouping of Philips Hue devices, to be launched using Siri commands. WHY NOT?

Filter Lanes for Turning Right at a Crossroad Junction with Traffic Lights

Why do some junctions have it that you give way on the junction to turn right before the oncoming queue turning right? Yet, at other junctions, you drive past the first oncoming vehicle and wait with the second vehicle in the way. AAAARRRGGHH. It just needs to be wait before the oncoming queue, otherwise everyone is in everyone’s way and there’s a mad dash when the lights change.

Neighbours Having Bonfires or BBQs

The lack of consideration that anyone would have by lighting a bonfire or having a BBQ, seem oblivious of the inconvenience that it is likely to cause to their neighbours. The horrible stench of burnt food or a burning fire that fills a room with a window open is unpleasant, at best! And what about other neighbours who have their washing on a line in their garden. Just disgusting!

Just the other day, my sister visits and we sit in my lounge. It’s a nice enough day to have the back door open for some fresh air and create a cool breeze as we enjoy one another’s company. Almost synchronised timing, a neighbour, two gardens down, decides to light a BBQ, and what smells like a gas-fueled one, and the stench immediately fills my room. Fucking ‘ell.

Cyclists

That’s it. Just cyclists! Most cyclists think that it is perfectly ok to dominate the road and the revised laws (2022) that they can ride two or more abreast, or can ride in the middle of the road to make themselves more visible, is ludicrous. And of course, riding through red lights and being killed by a vehicle that has right of way, is somehow the driver of the vehicle’s fault! WTF.

Here’s another one… cyclists wearing ear pods or worse still, headphones!

Here’s another one… blokes wearing Lycra cycling shorts… if you’re going to be that brazen, have something to show, ffs. I’m sick and tired of crooking my neck around, risking a likely accident, to get a close up through my passenger window of… well, nothing.

Video Recording from a Mobile Phone in Portrait

Why? You have the choice to record action by getting as much of the scene in the shot as possible. Yet everyone just films a narrow and tall version, which looks useless on a different device, like a TV or a computer monitor. Stop it. It’s stupid.

NO To Coffee Shops

No, no, no. Why is it so important that everyone has to get to a Starbucks, Caffé Nero, Costa, or Pret A Minger and spend £4 on a coffee on the way to work? Make a coffee at home and put it in a flask. You’ll save tens of pounds and won’t look a complete bell-end paying to advertise over-charging coffee shops. If nothing else, it’ll look refreshing to see someone not looking like everyone else!
And asking for a coffee by saying: “Can I get a…?” AAARRGGHH.

High Call Volumes

Every company has a recorded announcement at the start of their queuing system stating that due to unprecedented high call volumes, there may be an even longer time wait than usual… always… anytime of the day or night! Any time of the year. When it’s busy, when it’s quiet. Just all the sodding time!

Lack of Politeness Or Friendliness

You’re chatting away to someone online, typically a dating app and all of a sudden, without warning, they’ll block you, leaving you pondering and wanting to know why. I get it if they’ve been offended by something you’ve said or there’s a clear mismatch with one another’s profiles. But even then, I always find the time to say ‘sorry’ and ‘thanks for your interest, but we’re not a match.’
I’m writing this on a morning where I made the effort, turned up, (by the way, I don’t send face photos, ever) and this guy was rude enough to hesitate wondering if I was just too ugly to take upstairs. But, he goes with it, sees me out, and before I get back to the car to send a message of thanks, he’s blocked me. How fucking rude.

The Park – people or dogs?

Having owned a dog for six months, I’ve made a conscious effort to walk him in the park. His behaviour and general park etiquette have improved dramatically. He now heels when asked fetches the ball (though he hasn’t quite grasped the concept of bringing it back) sits waits and drinks water. The most challenging habits to address are jumping up and recall but recall has improved significantly since using a whistle. Therefore, I’m confident to say he’s park trained with room for further refinement and polish.

On at least 6 occasions now I’ve been met with bizarre behaviours of other dog owners and park walkers and I want to rant about them here, and now.

The man with two Rottweilers is outspoken and rightly so. He wants everyone to know one of his dogs isn’t friendly. He moves around the park looking incredibly stressed and keeps the troubled dog on a tight lead. He warned me to keep Hector away and I’ve done so but his energy is far too unbalanced for the situation. Perhaps he’s convinced his dog will attack but if that’s the case then surely the solution is to walk him outside a gated park full of dogs their walkers and children.
Nervous man walking is in the company of another gentleman and they are enjoying their walk through the park. As we approached, one of the men, the nervous one, stands, moves irratically, waving his hands to shoo Hector away, and saying ‘keep him away, keep him away.’ I pulled Hector away but felt compelled to let him know that I consdier if he’s going to be that manic, he should consider walking around the outside of the park, away from dogs. He defended himself by saying: “You don’t understand… I was attacked by a dog when I was younger.” I replied: “So was I and if I was still terrified and traumatised by it, I wouldn’t make myself vulnerable and walk in a park that prodominently has dogs off lead and wandering freely.”
Lady with dog on a lead is walking nervously as we approach in the opposite direction. Instead of warning us ahead by perhaps calling out, my dog is nervous and may attack (which would send us hurrying towards her) she instead says nothing and panics by pulling her dog closer and covering them with her body, and then says something. Hopeless.
Man on his phone on a dark night is walking over the field in the park. His dog is off the lead and when Hector approaches, it’s clear that both dogs want to play and it’s a lovely relaxing thing to observe. However, this man was more interested in staring into his phone and couldn’t see anything else. So, when his and my dog ran and bumped into his legs (something that happens daily and with all dogs running and chasing one another), he immediately fell to the ground. He then chasticed me to keep my dog under control and then claimed that his dog was a nervous dog. Rubbish.
Keep your dog away… mine is on heat. Hmm, this one actually made me lose my shit. I’m not proud of it… I’m actually ashamed of screaming at the man the way I did. On a previous ocassion, I’d seen this man while I ewas talking with one of the dog walker’s. After the minor scuffle of separating two male dogs, attracted towards the female dog in season, the dog walker remarked, he really shouldn’t be bringing a dog on heat in to the park… it causes chaos. Well, it was about a week later and I was walking Hector in the park with Jezz. I noticed the man coming in with his two dogs, the one on the lead was still in season. As Hector naturally was lured over by scent alone, the grumpy man barked and was not able to control his dogs. He was yelling at us to get the dog away. I exploded at him and in his face when Jezz and I noticed him raising his leg in a ‘about to kick-action.’ It took everything in me not to hit him. I haven’t been that angry and vile towards a human being like that since I was 12 years old. But seriously, why put yourself through that much stress… walk your fucking dog on heat around the outside of the park, for fuck’s sake.

Having a dog and exercising him brilliantly in the park has taught me a lot about their behaviour and temperament. It’s all down to the energy of the humans, whether walking alone or as a dog walker. If I were attacked on a tube train, I’d probably never travel on it again or at best be extra vigilant and cautious on future journeys. It seems ridiculous to have a dog without realising other dogs will want to sniff lick and play and occasionally attack theirs. Don’t bring your negative energy and lack of knowledge of your own dog into a park with other off-lead dogs. You’re just asking for trouble. If I encounter you with that energy, I’ll call you out, as I’ve done five times now.