I generally consider myself to be a pretty easy-going guy. Most of the time, I’m not that easily annoyed. Live and let live, and all that. But like anyone else, there are a few things that for some reason get under my skin. Here is a photo montage of things I encounter too frequently in Geneva for me to just brush off. Yep, these things get on my nerves.

(You should not be surprised to learn that my list of pet peeves does NOT include selfies or surreptitiously taken photos.)

I am a regular shopper at our neighborhood grocery store. Every time I shop there, there are at least a dozen employees stocking shelves. Then when you get up to the checkout line, there are just two checkout cashiers. I wish the management would re-deploy some of the shelf stockers to cashier duty.

It’s a 10 minute wait to get through the line!

I’ve addressed this issue before, but it still bothers me whenever I see a red New York Yankees baseball hat.

Yo, European tourists: Buy blue Yankee hats in NY, not red! (or pink, green, orange, purple, etc…)

I take the bus or the tram on a daily basis in Geneva. Sometimes, there is standing room only. I was raised right, so I always give up my seat for an elderly person, and by elderly I mean anyone older than me. Then there’s knuckleheads like this guy, who is too busy grooving to his tunes to notice that there are several elderly women clutching the standing poles for dear life.

Knucklehead not giving up his seat

And as long as I’m on the subject of public transportation, this guy.

Hang up and ride!

Granted, it’s hard to find parking in Geneva, or any other European city for that matter. That’s why so many people take public transportation. But if you’re car dependent, the rest of us pedestrian types would really appreciate it if you could park somewhere other than the sidewalk.

Nice parking spot!

And as long as I’m on the subject of sidewalks, here’s something I think we can all agree on. If you walk your dog on the sidewalk, bring along a plastic sack. [Note: This woman actually does have a sack, but I needed a supporting photo, and the alternative available photos are not suitable for a family-friendly blog post.]

Please properly dispose of the remnants of this.

I don’t drive around town much, but when I do, it always strikes me as odd that motorcycles are bound by different rules than cars. They can basically go wherever they want, including sidewalks. They are afforded complete line-cutting authority, which just strikes me as patently unfair.

Motorcycle line cutting is socially acceptable!

One of Geneva’s iconic monuments is “The Broken Chair” located just outside the United Nations European headquarters. This monument is a giant wooden chair with a shattered leg, symbolizing the carnage caused by land mines. Appropriate behavior dictates that you approach the memorial with deference and respect, much as you would in a cemetery. Do not act like these knuckleheads.

This is a memorial for land mine victims! Don’t do this!!

So what do I do when I just can’t take it anymore? I heed the words of Mahatma Ghandi, who said “Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.”

Mahatma and me