People Who Annoy You

Several years back, there was an episode of "South Park" that was true comic genius. One of the fathers was on "Wheel of Fortune," and had to solve the puzzle -- the clue was "People Who Annoy You." The puzzle was N-GGERS, and the Dad agonized -- saying he didn't know if he should say the word on TV, etc... Finally, under pressure, he blurted out "Niggers!" and there was a hushed silence. The correct answer was, of course, NAGGERS, and the rest of the episode went on to explore political correctness, and race issues (he kissed Jessie Jackson's bare butt on TV in an attempt to show his apologies). Anyway, as I get older, I think a lot about naggers, and how certain people have a way of annoying me. I've decided that a prime example of this is the false advice seekers. Last week, I got a terse email from a female professional, who I know through a close friend. The woman has a key position of power, and her email, in its brevity, seemed to signal a problem -- could I meet with her, on short order, to give my advice about an issue. I could, of course -- any friend of a close friend gets Cadillac treatment -- and I checked my calendar and gave several dates. And then -- nothing. I never heard back from her. Since I'm a techno moron, I feared maybe I'd mis-sent my email, leaving this advice starved woman in a lurch. And thinking I was a jerk. So I actually emailed again -- making sure she got my message. Oh yes, came the now breezy reply -- she DID want to meet, but had gotten crazy busy. Could we still meet later this week? In short -- annoying. Not tragic, not even awful -- just annoying. She said, in essence, I have drama that I wish to foist upon you, but maybe it's not that bad once you invest your time and concern. Whatever. I had dinner last night with Mirta, my sister of another mother. We went to our favorite dim sum place -- Kon Chao -- which I call the Poor Man's Tropical Chinese. Mirta has always had certain greater wisdom about the human condition than I -- she dislikes most people right off the bat, and realizes the vast majority of those she encounters are selfish, and care only about their own agendas. She's correct, of course. I guess I inherited too much of my Mom's naivete -- although I control how much I allow people to get away with. I guess the key to growing older without becoming the mean, bitter man who chases kids off the lawn is just being selective. The number of people who get Cadillac treatment grows smaller and smaller. But the naggers will still be there.