abby « Robin Writes

Admittedly, these are some of MY pet peeves; doing these things doesn’t mean you’ll lose all your “friends,” not even me. But they sure are annoying:

“Talking,” or typing, on the page of a deceased person. Especially when your comments are directed to them. Seriously, peeps, they aren’t watching or reading, let alone going to answer to you. I get that you want to remember them and feel close to them, but surely there are better ways to do this besides social media.

Speaking of, few things are creepier than having a dead person’s birthday show up in your newsfeed. Take the page down or make it private. Please.

Sharing old news. This gets old fast. Some people are going to comment, but probably half of those will be along the lines of “hey dude, this happened TWO YEARS AGO!”

Exhorting people to share something if they think that ________sucks. Good grief. We all know cancer sucks, among other things. We don’t need a sharefest for this.

Likewise, sharing or commenting or liking to “support” something. This does nothing.

“Reply all” has to be one of the most annoying inventions ever. If you get an email asking if you’ll be at XYZ meeting, you don’t need to hit “reply all.” Really, no one but the sender cares if you’re coming or not; if there are one or two people to whom this might matter, email them separately. I certainly don’t need to get 17 emails that say “I’ll be there” or “can’t make it.”

This particularly applies to group emails of jokes, funny stories, lists, and other assorted things that I’ve probably already seen. And especially when some of the recipients take a day or so to respond, because they MUST RESPOND, and I keep seeing it all week long.

Also, don’t send the same damn email to more than one of a person’s email addresses. I don’t need duplicates, I get enough email as it is. Before you reply, or “reply all” ONLY when it’s absolutely necessary, as during an actual discussion of some sort, check the email addresses. Please. PLEASE!

Stop “liking” bad stuff, things like an obit or a horrible news story. Comment if you will, but for heaven’s sake don’t “like” it. Sheesh. “My dog got hit by a car today” received 25 “likes.” What’s wrong with you people?

Old post comments are near the top of the annoying list. Yesterday, I got a FB notification that someone commented on one of my comments. Naturally, I went to look and guess what—I kid you not—my post was from FOUR YEARS ago! Good grief.

And finally, just because virtual communication is effectively 24/7, don’t message someone outside of regular business hours and expect any kind of prompt response. Or even one at all, because we’ll undoubtedly forget all about it by the next day. I understand wanting to do it while you’re thinking about it, but instant messaging is like a conversation; it’s in the moment. Logging on in the morning, or turning on your phone and having six or so messages, is like walking into your office and having a line outside the door at 6:00 a.m.

Nothing is that urgent, unless it’s a family emergency, a life or death kind of thing.

I covered food and water storage a few weeks ago, and today I’m going to give you a list of more basics to start prepping:

Skill sets

Clothing

Heat

Communication

Transportation

Medical supplies/medicine

Entertainment

Defense

Let’s start with clothing. See, a lot of people think of downsizing and plan to live off-grid or homestead or just prepare for an emergency, and this is where you can get tripped up: that downsizing bit.

We’ve all read articles about cleaning out your closet, how to choose things you don’t wear, how to keep from buying more “stuff.” But some of that “stuff” can really come in handy in a prepping situation.

I know you replace towels and blankets and things like that every so often; you either change your color scheme or they wear out or fade. But imagine this: it’s cold, the heat is out, and you’re shivering, wishing you had just one more blanket.

Or someone has been injured and you need a towel to apply pressure or clean up a mess. Most of us will be thinking, “Oh, no, I am NOT using that new blanket for THIS!” In spite of an emergency, we’re still wired to think like civilized people, right?

You can change that mindset, but it won’t be pretty. Assign a tub for all your cast-offs.

Same thing goes for clothing, but with a twist. You can use old clothing for messy projects, sure, but you can also use it for spare parts, so to speak. Zippers, buttons, extra material, repurposing. Bandages or wound care. Bedding. The list is pretty extensive.

For long-range emergencies or SHTF, you’re going to want those old clothes for any number of uses; not to mention the possible impossibility of replacing clothing as it becomes worn out. Think about it: what if you can’t run to the mall to get a new pair of jeans? No mall, no money, no transportation, no time.

Assign another tub for old clothes; admit it, a lot of these can be repaired in the first place.

That’s why you should buy the best you can afford, for the long haul, whether it’s equipment or clothing or properly packaged food supplies.

And that’s why you need to learn or practice your skill sets.