Column: Annoyned and Happy

by Woody

Mood Swings Like a Pendulum

If you were expecting 700 words of happy and nice this morning, phone your grandma. I’m in a “Look At That Idiot Wasting Precious Water During Our Drought By Watering His Sidewalk And Driveway” kind of mood.

I’m starting to love brown grass.

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I get annoyed when I see someone toss litter out a car window.

I love seeing Good Samaritans picking up litter that isn’t theirs.

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I get annoyed by the Ventura County Fair’s crushing crowds, late-night noise, parking hassles and impossible-to-win carnival games.

I love the Ventura County Fair’s happy crowds, late-night music, convenient shuttles and carnival games that I am going to win at this year!

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I get annoyed when I call a customer service line and have to wait so long my ear gets irritated by the phone receiver.

I love it when I get a customer service rep who is friendly and helpful and we even ask each other where we are located and how’s the weather.

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I get annoyed when Tiger Woods is in the newspaper headlines and TV promos when he is not even in the hunt.

I love it that golfers call infractions on themselves.

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I get annoyed by failed role models in the world of sports.

I love that Mike and Bob Bryan, the all-time winningest doubles team in history, continue to be even greater champions off the court. For example, by raising more than $100,000 at their recent V-Grid Tennis Fest to benefit local junior tennis programs and other deserving youth groups.

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I get annoyed when half the sesame seeds on my bagel fall off and make a mess.

I love it when a frozen yogurt has a mess of toppings.

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            I get annoyed because Clayton Kershaw’s pitching gems haven’t been televised here in the Southland due to network disputes.

I love that Vin Scully has decided to return to the Dodgers’ broadcast booth next year for his 66th season.

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I get annoyed when exiting the parking lot at a big-venue concert seems to take longer than the concert lasted.

I love the ease of attending the local “ROCK The Collection Summer Concert Series” on Saturdays at Riverpark.

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I get annoyed when a quick service restaurant meal for eating on the premises, not take-out, still comes wrapped in two pounds of aluminum foil, paper, cardboard AND a paper bag – a lot of waste for 30 seconds of use.

I love it when I remember to take reusable bags to the grocery.

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I get annoyed when I don’t take someone’s wise advice.

I love it when I do.

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I get annoyed when I try to buy tickets on-line for the Ventura Rubicon Theater because its website is so glacier slow it seems faster to drive to the box office and buy them in person.

I love seeing plays at the Rubicon Theater.

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I get annoyed when people don’t clean up their dog’s mess.

I would love an ordinance that requires the people who don’t clean up their dog’s mess to clean up the mess from the rest of our shoes.

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I get annoyed when my Facebook news feed posts “new” items that are a couple days old. More than once I have gone to a food truck or local live music performance because of a “new” post only to discover the truck or musician was actually on site yesterday.

I love local food trucks and local live music.

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I get annoyed after I let a salesclerk up-sell me.

I love it when a salesclerk steers me in the right direction.

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I get annoyed when I don’t have my reading glasses and my arms aren’t long enough to compensate.

I love it when a restaurant has I-Forgot-My-Readers-Friendly Print Size in its menu.

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I’m no longer annoyed by how quickly my car gets dirty because I feel like a good citizen by not washing it.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

 

Check out my new memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece”