Could you please stop doing that?

[Rizla]

People talking in the sauna. Having chittle chattle in the damn sauna, David. Pairs of them, coming in to a sauna, that I'm in alone, relaxing quietly, and just letting those chins wag. Often barely above a whisper at first, then giggles, then before long they're just jawing away on top volume like they're on their lunch break or at home in their shit kitchen. I would genuinely like to know just what in the name of holy fucking Christ leads them to the belief that this is in any way shape or form acceptable behaviour.

[JaDanketies]

I think I always have a cheery demeanour. I try to hide my annoyance in the following situations, but apparently am not good at it.

- When I'm leaving a room and someone calls me back
- When I'm midway through a task and someone stops me to get me to do another task
- Basically, when I start doing something, I don't want to be disturbed. Is this normal? I would've assumed that nobody likes this, if it wasn't something that everyone does to me, and that they don't seem to recognise they're being irritating and seem surprised by my irritation.

I also don't like it when someone says, "Can I ask you a question?" I don't like pretty much any waffle people do before they get to the point, but "Can I just ask you something" or the equivalent is the most egregious waffle. It's bad enough just having to listen to them waffle and delay and beat-around-the-bush, but even worse when the waffle is a fucking conversation. That's on top of the incredibly obvious point that "Can I ask you a question" is already asking me a question. I usually try to be polite and say "yes, of course" with a smile, but I can't seem to stop my eyes rolling back into my skull, my face slapping my forehead, or my mouth groaning loudly.

...


I was at a concert the other day and a woman on the front row was actually turned around away from the artist so she could talk to her friends. You could see the back of everyone's head, and then her gaping maw yapping away. I was absolutely mortified.

[flotemysost]

I also don't like it when someone says, "Can I ask you a question?" I don't like pretty much any waffle people do before they get to the point, but "Can I just ask you something" or the equivalent is the most egregious waffle. It's bad enough just having to listen to them waffle and delay and beat-around-the-bush, but even worse when the waffle is a fucking conversation. That's on top of the incredibly obvious point that "Can I ask you a question" is already asking me a question. I usually try to be polite and say "yes, of course" with a smile, but I can't seem to stop my eyes rolling back into my skull, my face slapping my forehead, or my mouth groaning loudly.

I agree it's very annoying, but it's worth remembering that sometimes (not always) people say things like this out of nervousness or fear of being seen as an imposition. I normally say "have you got a moment" because I want to make sure I'm not interrupting someone in the middle of something important, but that's probably very annoying as well.

I hate this kind of thing over text/WhatsApp though. Single opening message. "Can I ask you a favour?"/"Are you free on Sunday?", that kind of thing, no other context. I mean I normally just reply with "Yeah, why?", but by then the paranoid part of me is already going into overdrive imagining what it could be.

I've only once had the "There's something I need to tell you, and I'd rather say it in person" message - that was a hellish 24 hours wracking my brains imagining every horrific, legal, tragic, life-threatening scenario possible (in the end it was something vanishingly non-scary. Dick.)

[TrenterPercenter]

Ok I'm getting in on this mine are basically all based on interacting with my dad;

<phone rings>
"Hello, how are you doing Pops?"
<No answer with just the sounds of BBC NEWS 24 blaring in the background>
"Hello?"
<fumbling>
"Hello?"
- Wait a minute, just trying to find the box, the TV is too loud
"Why didn't you turn the TV down before you phoned me?"
- I can't hear you the TV is too loud, where is that flipping thing, aarrrgh not that one, where is the other...
<more fumbling then silence>
- right, that's better, did you phone me?
"No, I phoned you yesterday"
- Oh yeah, I forgot about that"
"we had a chat remember? you told me about Sues operation?"
- Yeah it's ok I just thought I had a missed called from you, my phone doesn't tell if it is a call you've taken or missed
"It does, everyones phone does"
- Mine doesn't, looked it up on one of those, what are they called, forums or something or other
"You have the same phone as me.....ugh, ok anyway, everything alright?"
- Yeah fine, just thought I had a missed call, I'll let you get back to it, Oh before I go did you know Sue is having an operation?
"Ok coming round to bludgeon you to death with a One For All, be about 5 minutes...."