Things I hate

I may live in Northern California, but I was raised by New Yorkers and spent considerable time in the Northeast corridor. So you can bet I know from hate. In my family growing up, we hated people who had more money than we did. We also hated people who had less money than we did. We hated people who didn’t go to mass every Sunday; truth be told, we hated those who did go—especially once we got into the crowded parking lot with them. When I first moved to San Francisco I thought I was the only one in the city capable of strong emotional reactions to ANYthing.

I could rant and rave endlessly about politicians who posture and obfuscate just to increase their own standing, regardless of what that does to us poor slobs who are trying to keep our jobs and houses. But what thinking person wouldn’t be upset about that? And I guess I shouldn’t get started about the LACK of thinking people who frequently participate in our electoral process. For instance, in this past election? How could anyone have been undecided? I mean, what were they? Dead?

I hate corporate CEOs who announce that the company needs to institute pay cuts, magnanimously laying out how it is to be a gradated cut, starting at the top and trickling down to all the dweebs. Sounds great until you realize that base pay is only a tiny fraction of the total executive compensation package. And if the CEO’s top goal was reducing costs throughout the organization, this pay cut just got him his bonus.

I hate it when people in my yoga class fall asleep during the meditation. I mean, take a nap before class if you’re that tired.

I hate when my husband leaves his boat-size shoes around the house. And I hate that my 8-year-old son is starting to do the same thing with his nearing boat-size shoes.

I hate it when I don’t wake up in time to get my 14-year-old greyhound outside in the morning before she poops on the floor. I really hate it when I step barefoot in that cold slippery poop. But I hate most of all that she’s not going to be around pooping, whether indoors or out, that much longer.

I hate when butthead conservative zealots from Utah shove millions of dollars into promoting their narrow points of view in my state so that we pass a ridiculous and hateful proposition that keeps my gay friends from having the same access to the legal system that I have. Stay in your own state. Marry as many teenage brides as you can convince to marry you, I don’t care. Just leave us alone.

I hate that I know so many people who have recently lost their jobs. I hate that the world feels totally out of control these days. I hate that there are nuclear bombs and nutcases who would use them. I hate bubble gum ice cream. I hate complacency and laziness and people who are mean.

What do you think?