People,

So, one of my personal goals this year is to stop being on such a hair-trigger when it comes to becoming irritated. I feel like I'm always annoyed or teetering on the bridge of being annoyed and folks, that just ain't healthy.

Anyway, in this battle sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. This morning I lost. I was riding the elevator at work and it was crowded. Although being jostled and having the contort myself in various uncomfortable ways pushed me to the edge of irritation peak, I remained cool and collected. However, when the elevator stopped at my floor this big fat lady would not let me by to get out. Now, I'm a reasonable guy, so at first I just made a couple throat clearing sounds, each one more condescending than the last. Nothing. Ok, now I was starting to get annoyed. Two more excuse me's were similarly ignored and be this point I was starting to think I was going to miss the door. Finally, I hit my exasperation limit and, in a moderately loud voice, announced "Could you puh-lease get out of my way? Jesus!"

Of course at this point the big fat lady finally turns and looks at me. She didn't hear me because she's deaf. Ouch. And as she turned to look at me I got the chance to see past her - just as a lady who had to be three-hundred and twenty two years old ambled out into the hallway. Damn.

You just can't win them all.