It's Tough to Make a Decision

I hate making decisions, especially on things that don't matter very much. When Adam and I were dating and he asked me what I wanted to do for a date, I hated thinking of something. Even now, I hate to think of what we're going to have for dinner. We try to plan family days, but coming up with something to do is sometimes impossible. Not because their is a lack of things to do, but it was a lack of planning so we wouldn't get to enjoy our moneys worth or the weather ends up not cooperating. (excuses, excuses....really I just hate to make decisions) Don't get me wrong, if the decision is between just a couple things I will let my opinion be known. And we all know I have opinions. =)
I think the majority of people do not enjoy making decisions. However, my rant this time is when someone already has made the decision, yet asks others what their opinion is of that decision. For instance: I know a lady who had a bread machine. She told me that she got rid of it because someone else she knew told her the bread tasted like metal and that's when she realized she tasted metal in her bread. But it was someone's opinion which made her take action. This drives me absolutely nuts! How did she not know the bread tasted like metal (a VERY noticeable taste to me) before she spoke to someone else?  I also get annoyed when someone has used a product for at least a year and then they ask me what my opinion is about that product, which I've never used. I want to shake that person and ask them why they are asking someone who has never used it. Get your own opinion! I don't know if it is a way to make me feel like my opinion matters or to make me feel included. Either way...STOP!!!! Nobody likes to be asked their opinion and then it is ignored. That's what these type of people do. They ask, ask, ask, and then do what they were going to do anyway. Which in turn makes the people who gave their opinions annoyed and not want to share their opinion again. And then that person who doesn't want to share will write a ranting blog. =)
As much as this bothers me, it also makes me laugh. Do you have stories?

We've got News! ... or not.

We don't have many opportunities to make announcements. We live a simple life with not a lot of changes from day to day. However, when we do have news, we rarely get to share it with all the people we would like to because someone else has already made that announcement. When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first people I told (other than Adam of course) was my best friend. Out of habit of not getting to share our news when I wanted to, I asked her not to share with anyone other than her husband. Her response was something along the lines of 'I don't share other people's news.' I wish more people would do the same. For example: when I was pregnant the first time, I told a woman and then she announced it to a whole room of people that I was pregnant a few days later. It was a little embarrassing considering I didn't feel like my pregnancy was to the 'safe' point and I didn't know these people.

I don't mean to 'throw anyone under the bus' here, but it is very common for this to happen with a couple family members. We sometimes joke that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are the same person. We have called them Jeanemily (Jen- Em- ily). If you tell one of them, the other one will know. Adam wanted to surprise me for the location of our honeymoon. I told him a couple places I'd love to go, but he was more than welcome to make the final decision. I had been with him when we picked up several brochures for resorts and I saw them a few days later on my mother's-in-law counter. I pointed to one and had said that it was probably my favorite out of the ones we had looked at and she said something like 'Oh, isn't that where you're going?' Adam was standing right there, and thankfully she was wrong.

Anyhow, my point its, it's really annoying not getting to make your own announcements. I understand being excited for someone, but if you spill the beans before that said person can announce it, it makes the person you told feel like they weren't important enough to hear it from the rightful person. Or as in the example of the surprise honeymoon location, it is no longer a surprise. So please, be like my best friend and don't announce other people's news.

Pet Peeve

A huge pet peeve of mine is people owning animals they shouldn't. I remember as a little girl I wanted a kitten or a puppy, whatever the flavor of the day might have been. I always thought they were so darn cute. Who doesn't? They're still soft, cuddly, playful, and most of small. If someone owned a female cat, they usually had kittens to get rid of at some point in time. I remember asking my parents time and time again if we could have one. You ask yourself what is wrong with that?
Well, the problem is people owning animals they don't give the proper care. You must give your pet more than just food and water. You need to give them love and attention. You need to give them proper shelter. You need to get them fixed (so you don't have those unwanted kittens or puppies) and vaccinated. You need to train your pet. Cats need to learn to use a liter box or let you know when they need to go outside. Dogs need to let you know when they need to go outside. I am so disgusted when I go to someone's home and there are dog turds on the floor. I mean, seriously? Wouldn't you scan your house before you had your guess come and visit? Yes...this DID happen to me. I've seen pet stains in a number of houses and this is very disturbing to me. You really want me to put my child on YOUR dirty floor?
My next issue with pet ownership is getting a pet blindly. Again, I know a number of people who have gotten dogs to 'alert them when someone comes to their home.' Seriously? Most dogs will do so, and not just strangers, they'll alert you when ANYONE comes to your home. If you want your dog to only bark when it's a stranger, THEN TRAIN THEM. With that said, these same people have been super annoyed with their dog because it always alerted them and the owners get mad because 'all the dog does is bark.' That's like having a baby and saying "all it does is cry." OF COURSE! Barking is how your dog is communicating with you! Now, there are some dogs that bark less than others. Note: If you are annoyed by barking, PLEASE DO NOT GET A DOG! KNOW THE BREED! Don't get a breed just because it reminds you of your childhood dog. You probably forgot all the annoying things from that dog. You need to find a dog that matches your personality. My favorite is when someone gets a dog just like someone they know and then have all these problems that they didn't know existed.
The next problem I see is "trading up." I cannot stand to see people trade up on their pets. Again, I've seen this with dogs. I know a family who cannot stand their dog after about a year. They tend to 'trade up.' Somehow the dog goes 'missing' or 'dies.' Conveniently the owner then gets a new and 'better' dog (usually blindly). This particular family can find an excuse for the trade up. I don't care what the excuse is, keep your original dog until it dies naturally (being hit by a car or personally 'putting them down' do not count) or find a new home for your now unloved and unwanted pet.
Other animal annoyances like:
*hair. Know how much your dog is going to shed. I HATE hearing people complain about how much their dog sheds. It's so annoying. Most things do shed, so you're kind of naive to think your pet isn't going to shed. Be prepared to have animal hair on your clothes. Invest in lint or animal hair rollers. There are some great ones out there. Okay, so this one is personally bothering me right now with my wonderful dog. He's a Siberian Husky who lives both indoors and outdoors. Right now, the temperatures have been in the upper 90s and lower 100s. He has been shedding since April. I was warned about how much he was going to shed, but each year when it came to that season I thought 'this isn't so bad.' This year, I think he's shedded about enough hair to cover two more dogs! I'm not complaining. =)
*smell. Your animal will smell. There are a few things to know how to get rid of the smell. 1. Get your pet fixed! 2. Some animals secrete oil (much like the oil on your own head) faster than others. So you have to bathe them more frequently. You will know how often you need to bathe your animal if you learn about said pet before you get it. 3. Depending on where your pet spends the majority of it's time (indoor/outdoor) will depend on how much it will smell. 4. Clean liter boxes, food and water dishes and vacuum on a regular basis. Mop the floors. 5. Brush your pet's teeth.
*allergies. Okay, I'm not going to lie, I cannot stand it when someone claims they have allergies to a certain type of animal when they have been over to visit a number of times and have never had a flair up or reaction before 'now.' Either you are or you aren't. You can't be at someone's home for a visit and all of a sudden on your 100th visit or the 100th day of your visit you have allergies with that animal. Oh, and you can't be allergic to one dog and not another in the same home. (Maybe you can be, if one dog never leaves the house and the other one does. But how likely is that since most dogs don't use liter boxes and must go outside to relieve themselves. Just saying.) Again, I have had a number of people come to my home and claim they are allergic to cats. However, most people will sit in the one chair that my cat sits in the most. Only three people who claimed to have cat allergies have had flair ups when they came to my home and sat in that chair. So, to all the rest of you, You're a bunch of liars! In fact, one friend just walked in the door and had a flair up.I believe him!
Other things to consider:
If you travel and are gone for more than one week out of the year, be prepared to pay for your pet to be watched after or pay to put them in a kennel. It is unfair to the pet and the person watching your pet to leave for weeks on end. Especially if this is what you do year after year. All the things that annoy you about your pet will be multiplied by the pet sitter.
If you don't live on your own (as in, still with your parents), you probably shouldn't get a pet.
I'd love to hear your comments and annoyances with pet ownership. Agree or disagree.
Come Rant with Rachel!

My Intentions

My intentions of this blog are to express my feelings about pet peeves and other topics that tend to grind my gears. I listen and see so many things that I want to say something about, but who do I say it to? Some things that require research will be researched. Others are just my opinion from my personal experiences in life. I will say this: These are my personal feelings, so please do not take them personally. However, I might write about a topic that I recently discussed with you or you said something to me about. Please do not take this as me putting you down. It was just the source of the topic. With that said...stay in touch for your dose of "Ranting with Rachel."