by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Don’t you hate it when people preface some nasty remark with an insincere up-front apology – as if that justifies their tone or gives them leeway to be ungracious. I always cringe when I hear certain caveats that just serve as a trigger for delivering some especially...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
The burden of filling countless hours with TV programming has given rise to the annoying genre I disparage as “filler.” For example, every movie has its filler segments – those endless chase scenes or slow moving dialogues where nothing of substance is added to the...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
I am sure that you shudder along with me as Christmas continues to get attacked from various politically correct angles. I thought I would pass along a spoof holiday greeting to lament how far we have fallen. I apologize to the author since I do not have knowledge of...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
The large neon signs advertising gasoline prices cannot always be taken at face value. Often there is small print that cannot be read by the driver on the highway. Take Lil’ Mart in Wiscasset, Maine. As we pulled up on vacation to refuel, impressed with the advertised...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Marketeers understand the value of money. They covet collecting your dollars early and enjoying the investment benefit for themselves. I find it annoying that subscription renewal notices start arriving many months before you are due to renew. Are we that fearful of...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
The excuse that bugs me currently is: “That is a mistake I can learn from.” I am not so sure that is the case. Instead, it seems to me that if you have been playing this game all your life and have failed to learn that lesson so far, you more likely are solidifying...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
My premise is quite simple: some chairs are designed to be rocking chairs… other chairs are not. I consider it a failure of my parenting duties that my children remain prone to rocking on the kitchen chairs – a pet peeve I continually harped on when they were younger....
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
I thought it was time for me to set the record straight on this important distinction that seems to get constantly muddled. In my marketing profession we are frequently challenged to come up with creative and new approaches to appeal to our target customers. This is...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Our impatient society bugs me no end when either a pedestrian or another driver starts to inch out as I am driving by. Some people seem to delight in trying to time their advance so that they cut it as close as possible. Where is the decency and respect in waiting...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
As tax filing season approaches, you see more and more TV ads focusing on opportunities for tax forgiveness or remediation. Apparently if you owe the IRS enough money, there are paths you can take to reduce your liability or get significant amounts forgiven. Why is...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
One of my daughters touched a nerve with me when she noted that gasoline prices would soon far surpass the cost of a gallon of milk. It’s painful to watch all of those hard-earned dollars expended in exhaust smoke out the tailpipe. I didn’t mind so much before I was...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
It aggravates me when politicians and educators plead for the simplistic fix of throwing more money at their dilemma of how to fix the broken public educational system. Certainly in the business world you don’t reward poor performance by just investing additional...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Here I go alienating another segment of my reading public. How can Rottweilers be tolerated as pets when time after time you hear of horrific attacks? Where is the TV special: “Rottweilers Gone Mad?”The latest incident generated nationwide publicity because the dog is...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
As a former English major, maybe I am more sensitive than most regarding certain aspects of spelling, syntax and grammar. I know that my kids react at times to the oversight of their homeschooling Mom … who out of the blue might just offer a word of correction when...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Nothing ticks me off in a movie like the good guy neglecting to finish off the bad hombre when he has him down and out. How many times have you seen the supposedly mortally wounded thug raise up on his elbows, reach for that hidden weapon and renew the hostilities? It...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
Xmas has inexplicably become the accepted shorthand replacement for Christmas. Now that we are officially entering the season, someone needs to express outrage over the growing trend to take Christ out of Christmas. Are we really that lazy that we can’t take the time...
by Paul Apple | Mar 3, 2020 | Pet Peeves
I am tired of the lame attempt at putting a positive spin on any type of unexpected loss or upset by uttering the profound cliche: “Well, I guess we needed a wake-up call!?” I would contend that teams for the most part are already awake… that is why they can feel the...
