Unwritten rules (until now)...let's talk about 'em
 

If I'm driving, I control the car radio

Scary movies are always to be watched in the dark

My house, I'm player 1 (Playstation)

If two people are walking towards each other on the sidwalk, everyone go to the right. Avoids that herky-jerky, "which way should we go" dance.

When driving, always wave your hand up in acknowledgement of the favor (merging, etc) another driver has done for you.

Never, ever ask a woman if she's pregnant unless you see her giving birth.

Don't talk during "Jeopardy."

Never ever change the radio presets if you are borrowing my car for a few hours. (Seriously? Why does this even have to be a rule?)

You better let me off the elevator before you get on it or I will run you over.

Always call before dropping by.
(Even I'f you're family...wait, scratch that. ...especially if you're family lol)

If you call or text, I will get back to you when I can (which might be tomorrow, not in 5 minutes). No need to keep leaving messages.

As a guest, always ask if there is someway to help/to do the dishes. The answer will be no, but still ask.

As a host, always offer something to drink.

When two lanes are merging, don't drive around the person in front of you who is in the process of merging.

DON'T TOUCH A PREGNANT WOMAN'S STOMACH WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!

To expound on the elevator courtesy, this applies to subways, buses, trains, etc. Always let passengers leave before you enter.
(I got tripped getting out of a subway in NYC by oncoming passengers, one leg fell INTO the gap between the subway car and the platform -- up to my thigh -- and NO ONE helped me. I thought I was going to be drug down the entire length of the subway platform.)

Valets -- don't look through my glove compartment or change my radio station, and try to put my seat back in place.

Yes, TonyB -- ALWAYS give the "traffic hand" to acknowledge that someone has been nice to you in traffic.

If you have visiting my next door neighbor (even for a moment), don't park in my driveway. If you are dropping picking up or dropping off someone off at their residence, don't double-park on a busy street. Park at the curb, even if it's 1 house away. (And, don't pull into or block my driveway to let someone off who isn't going into my house.)

If the on-ramp merge lane is ending, let the merge car get in the lane.

For emergency vehicles, pull over to the side of the road and STOP -- not merely slow down. Oh wait -- this IS a law!

Don't steal shopping carts and leave them in front of my apartment building! (Oh, wait -- also breaking a law. This time, it's a felony.)
It is the urban version of a non-working car on cinder blocks on the front lawn.

And for the penultimate -- you are driving a $100K Mercedes and you have a handicap parking permit.
What's your handicap??? You're RICH??? (Sorry, I live in LA and this is overly-abused.)

For emergency vehicles, pull over to the side of the road and STOP -- not merely slow down. Oh wait -- this IS a law

YES YES YES!
When did it become the norm not to do this? I have almost gotten in a a wreck because of people not following this law

This is a tough one because there are often so many cars on the road, you can't all pull over to the side.

Handicap stickers are overly-abused in lots of places, but I don't see how having a $100K Mercedes would preclude the possibility of being handicapped.

Dishes must always be RINSED before placing them in the sink.

The flatware MUST, and I mean MUST, be washed first. Followed by the plates. Then, the bowls, cups. And, any big cooking pieces MUST be washed last.

Don't come between me and my coupons.

Don't burn two different candle scents at once.

Don't use more than one scent of body wash/lotion.

My legally disabled relative drove a handicap-stickered Mercedes because it was simply the easiest type of car for her to drive with her type of disability.

It doesn't. I can legally apply for a placard (birth defect plus aftereffects of ACL/MCL injuries), but don't.

Abundancy of handicap placard fraud: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may...rking-20110522
Take a drive in the business section of Beverly Hills, any day. The amount of placards will have your eyebrows looking like Jaden Smith's.

My old boss used his mother's placard ... on his Ferrari. Even when going to the gym.

Can we agree that the point of driving somewhere is to get from point A to point B? So rules:

1) Never drive lower than the posted speed limit unless there is a valid safety reason why not.
2) If driving lower than the posted speed limit, choose the lane farthest to the right and under no circumstances, do you drive next to someone who also wants to go slower than the posted speed limit.
3)

http://www.trafficquagmire.com/wp-co..._genius.pn.png

^^^ also applies to construction zones with closed lanes. I hate it when someone "special" thinks they get to cut in right before the construction lane closure.

Once I was following a state trooper just as we approached a construction zone. There were about 4 signs that said, "Left Lane Closed in 1 mile, 1/2 mile, etc." and a guy tried to pull this. He zooms up next to me, sees the police car, and slams on the brakes. The trooper waved him in, to merge in front of him. Then he turned on his flashers and pulled the guy over. BEST. TIMING. EVER. :D

thread hijack:
Yep, the person speeding up and blowing by everyone who's merged is annoying, but (having learned in many traffic engineering classes) it's actually the law in some states and the preferred traffic flow in most states to stay in your lane past the notifcation signs right up UNTIL the merge points. It's called "late merge zipper". It's not what we were all taught as "polite" driving, but it actually makes traffic flow better when implemented correctly.
/hijack

Donuts must be eaten in a circular manner around the hole. Then you can eat the remaining ring.

Scrambled eggs must be cooked until they are entirely immobile.

The bottom of the cupcake must always be eaten first.

Do not do something at someone else's house that you would not do at your own. For example, leave wet towels on the antique chair.

I appreciate that you want to be "green", hotel chain. I'll let sheets slide, but I am always going to want fresh towels every day.

This is all I could think of when reading your post…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z9NyQnDdz4

:p

OMG, so much this, squared. I had a horrifying experience with a soft-boiled egg in 2nd grade, and ever since my eggs must be RUBBERY. No liquid eggs allowed.

If I'm eating in someplace like a diner, and someone else orders runny eggs and does something horrifying-to-me like let the yolk run all over their plate and sop it up with their pancake? I'm so grossed out I have to excuse myself from the table.

Gaaaccckkk, I'm icked out just thinking about it.

http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/icons/icon14.gif


1. Don't EVER touch a photographers equipment unless the photog offers.
2. In the BIIIIG CITY, when traveling on whatever subway system (we have 2 in San Francisco) using the escalators, ESPECIALLY during commute hours, STAND on the RIGHT, WALK on the LEFT. And for the LOVE OF GOD, DON"T put the kiddies that are in the stroller on the escalator. Either take the kid out and fold up the stroller or take the ELEVATOR.

3. DON'T EVER ASSUME it's ok to touch a pregnant womans belly. Just don't.

4. Just because I'm African American and in a historically Af-Am sorority, don't assume I can "step". ( I can but I don't)

5.Don't kiss on the first date. Ewww.

That said, perhaps I should have added a should-be-written rule.

Chew with your mouth SO BLEEPING CLOSED. Once your food -- or gum -- enters your mouth, the rest of us should never see or hear from it again.

I sit next to a loud gum-chomper at my job; I'm actually moving offices to get away from him.

I also have dumped perfectly nice men for chewing too loud.

Have to disagree, I think rubbery eggs are nasty. Eggwhites should always be cooked though.

Never bend the spines of books backwards, especially when you're borrowing them from someone else.

Never assume you know the whole story when it's not about you.

Riding a bike in the dark? Use lights!!!

Don't suddenly stop walking when you're in the middle of a busy sidewalk

Don't double dip your chip

Toilet paper rolls must unfurl in a clockwise manner (paper end at the back).

My rule: Never use words like "penultimate" unless you know what they mean. ;)

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I used to have a co-worker who used that word incorrectly all the time.)

My favorite place to get cupcakes doesn't cook them in the paper cups, and after baking they turn the cupcakes out of the pans and ice the bottom and sides, where the paper would be. Wonderful!

So many of these rules should be common courtesy. It's a shame enough people disregard them that others have to point them out.

A few of them, though, make me go :confused:...

So, the speed limit isn't so much a limit as it is a starting point?
I can't imagine doing this, nor can I imagine seeing an adult eat their donut this way.

Wha? Really? Again, never heard of this technique.

This is one of those topics which people feel strongly about - one way or the other - yet no one seems to have an explanation for why they prefer the method they prefer other than personal preference. I'm an over-the-top TP kind of girl, myself. Perhaps because I grew up with parents who were fans of the over-the-top method? Who knows.

Survey says... BZZZZZT! The paper end must be in the front.

Absolutely. I also like it when hotels fold the end piece into a point.

When you do this, are you wearing it like a ring on your finger? I can't imagine why this would be a thing except for my daughter, who thinks it's funny to wear food as jewelry.

So you can play ball with them? Yuck. :eek:

I can not imagine a messier way to eat a cupcake. You eat the part that doesn't have icing on it first so that you lose the convenient place to hold it? Unless you're eating a cupcake with a fork, and then you lose the whole point of cupcake and it's just miniature cake.

I honestly don't care about the direction of toilet paper, although I know that people have definitive opinions about it. I'm just happy when the person who uses all of the prior roll actually goes and puts a new roll on the holder. That's my unwritten rule.

1. If you are getting of an airplane or bus or any vehicle with rows of seats, unload in order of rows. Do Not try to cut in line. You will get out in good time. Don't be an a**hole.

2. The toilet paper always goes OVER because it makes it easier to find the end. The paper ending in the back likes to hide and in hotels they end up with feces on the wall.

3. Don't honk your horn if you are driving through a residential area at night. I'm sure letting the other driver that didn't wait his turn at the 4 way stop know what a jerk he is seems very important, but really you are being the jerk.

^Wow. Yes to all of this. I also want to throw in that your bags should be small enough to fit over your own seat and people in their seats should not have to go back a few rows with their carry-on luggage because you thought you should bring 8 bags and take up all the space. It's obnoxious and rude!

My thing is somewhat weird (for others) but, it really does get me. I hate when people use Walmart (or other store plastic) bags as garbage bags in their bathroom garbage can. They make small garbage bags you can get at stores--even the dollar store. I don't need to know that your bathroom garbage bag represents that you went to the Dollar Tree. I don't know why but, it really gets under my skin. The funny thing is that all of my family does it but, I don't. It really annoys me.

:eek: Oh dear god, I rescind my earlier statement about not caring about which direction the toilet paper is. Rescind! Rescind! Rescind!

LOL. Do you know my wife? Eggs, over easy (or "runny,") totally squigg her out. Sometimes, I'll just order them scrambled, so she can enjoy her breakfast out.

I use these bags all the time to bag and keep separate wet gym clothes from dry clothes and other things in my gym bag. Why not get multiple use out of something you've already paid for?


Another previously unwritten rule:

If someone is speaking, don't Bogart (overtalk) them to make your point. It shows poor listening skills on the part of the Bogarter. (and will likely result in the conversation, if it was important, anyway, being ended in the next minute anyway if I'm the one overtalked.)

I certainly seemed to have hit a nerve on things -- everyone has preferences. It wasn't meant to offend. No, you don't eat the donut on your finger. And my preference is not for runny eggs. That's all. I thought that was Tony's objective -- the quirky rules we set. Sorry for misunderstanding.

The bathroom is not your office. It is gross that you are going in there to do your business while you do your business. I can't believe you couldn't find a spot someplace else. I do believe you are hiding from your boss in there.

Also - don't use the handicap bathroom if you really don't need it. That's where they decided the changing tables should go and its often the only place you can fit with your toddler in tow. (Why don't they design bigger bathrooms if there's that many people that need them?) The Kohl's near us has a stunning family bathroom, complete with a second kid sized toilet and a chair for kid #2 to sit in while you change kid #1.

Agreed...I used to buy those little can liner bags, but I came to feel this was less sustainable than reusing the grocery store bags. And they are good for post-swimming, post-work out, etc.

That's a different definition of Bogart than I have heard before....

Buffet line serving utensils gross me out. I use a napkin to hold the handle, because those have been touched by waaaayyyy too many hands. I think buffet restaurants should put out hand sanitizer; I bring my own.

It's all about the science.

I'm sorry! I was just teasing. I guess it came out differently in text than in my head.