» The nicest thing someone's ever done for me

bearpookie's hitchhiking question reminded me of this...
I live in a rural area, so actually we see a fair few hitchhikers cos all the towns are miles from each other. However our little corner of the South West is stoner-mecca and most of the hitchers are pissed, shambling wierdos and generally the kind of people that you wouldn't want to sit in a confined space with. I had just passed my driving test (at 18 years old) and my mum had been telling me that I should never, under any circumstances pick up hitchers, could be dangerous, blah blah and I agreed.

However one rainy afternoon Mum was driving between the villages and saw a lone figure, a girl in baggy jeans and a hoody and a rucksack, trudging along, head down, with her thumb out. Before she knew what she was doing, Mum had stopped the car. The girl apparently took a few moments to realise that the car pulling up had actually stopped for her, and when they found out Mum was going to within half a mile of where the girl needed to be (a good 5 miles away) she gladly accepted a lift. Turns out the girl was at college and had just had a run of bad luck that day, culminating in missing several buses and having no means to call anyone for a lift. She had steeled herself to walk home, and was only half-heartedly gesturing for a lift, because she really didn't imagine anyone would stop. The rest of the journey was small talk about families, the weather, the usual British things. They didnt exchange numbers or money, it was just a random, one-off act of kindness on my mum's part.

Mum has never picked anyone up before or since, and says she can't remember making a concious decision to stop, just remembers pulling up. She thinks that it was because this girl was around the same age as me and my sister, and had obviously not prepared herself clothes-wise for the walk. Mum just had a gut maternal instinct that she would want someone to show that kindness if either of HER daughters found themselves having to walk 5 miles in the pouring rain.
(Fri 3rd Oct 2008, 13:56, More)

» Phobias

Paperclips
Specifically metal ones. Eurgh! I shudder just watching someone put their fingers into a pot to fish one out (just shuddered then, surprisingly), especially if the pointy end bits come in contact with the fingernail (oooheewww - sorry, mini spazz-attack), and I actually have a quiet, internal panic attack if I have to un-paper clip something - quiet and internal because I'm very careful to conceal my paperclip related spazzing at work, where everything is paperclipped and paperclips lurk in dusty corners, hidden under piles of paper etc.

The scratchiness just tears into my very SOUL. No idea where it stems from, never been attacked by a paperclip (nor, I suspect, has anyone else. Ever.) but for some reason I cannot bring myself to touch one. I don't even like having to read stuff that's clipped together because the paperclip moves and I know it's scratching against the paper a little bit and ergh I'm going to have to stop typing now but you get the picture.

Reading this back I sound mental, but I'm not I swear! Loooong time lurker, have read many many QOTWs and never felt the urge to post until now. Thanks for reading (if you've bothered) and if anyone else shares my irrational fear of paperclips please let me know. I have some excellent mini staplers you can borrow.
(Tue 15th Apr 2008, 14:34, More)

» Pet Peeves

People who keep the stupid plastic lids on when they drink take-away coffee
That's not what they're there for! They're for transit, and the little hole is just for the stirrer or spoon to poke through - once you are sitting down REMOVE THE PLASTIC LID! It takes much less time to drink and, oh, you don't look like a cretin.

I cannot fathom why people think the done thing is to try and sip their coffee through that tiny little hole. If your fine motor skill isn't developed enough to drink from a cup like a big boy/girl then you probably should have asked your mummy before buying that hot drink.

Whenever I see people doing this I want to ask them whether they ever try to eat bananas with the skin on because 'that's how it gets given to you'.

*EDIT* If you are on a train then yes obviously keep the lid on and drink through the tiny hole, that's what the lid is for (TRANSIT), but the people who then sit at their desks and keep the lid on... I think they're idiots essentially. Thinking about it, I suppose they're trying to say 'I'm so terribly fucking busy that me and my coffee might be on the move again at a moment's notice - so I'd better keep the Tommy Tippee lid on!'
(Fri 2nd May 2008, 12:31, More)