Three Assorted Annoyances

First Annoyance:

No picture, but could someone please explain to me why a major CATV/Internet provider cannot keep their service running uninterrupted overnight? It's not like the servers have to get eight hours of sleep...

Second Annoyance:

There is a story behind this photo... The first cheesy snack jammed, so a second was purchased by the same person; it also jammed and pressed the first package even more firmly against the shelf above. A third bag was purchased by a second, more adventurous person (it is hidden by the first two bags); it came completely free but was somehow driven upwards by the rotating spirals so that it pressed the two other bags even more tightly against the shelf above. At that point, the machine stopped accepting sales for the jammed vending slot (as well as the now-blocked vending slot next to it), but a third person thought that something coming from above might free the jam and purchased the last bag of potato chips directly above all the other bags... which, weighing just a few grams, had insufficient mass to knock anything loose and simply joined the log jam. (The glass front of the machine is nearly invisible in the photo, but  provided the chips with a secure surface to lean against.) I could hear people banging on the machine, shoving it side-to-side and lifting & dropping it, for almost half an hour before the crowd gave up. Of course, this occurred after normal business hours on a Friday night before a three-day holiday weekend, so no one will be getting any snacks (or any refunds) until at least the following Tuesday... (Note: Yours truly did not participate; I was merely a bemused observer who happened to have a camera handy -- but I guarantee that several other people were quite thoroughly annoyed.)

Third Annoyance:

This chandelier is supposed to be lighting (and providing a welcoming atmosphere in) the foyer of a local nursing home. If you look closely, you will note it has sockets for 9 bulbs. If you look a little more closely, you will note it has 5 dead bulbs and a 6th is missing entirely. Ahh, so bright (not)! So welcoming (not)! So... well, annoying. It was dark in there...


Oh, well... have a good Memorial Day weekend anyway, everyone -- and please try to take a few minutes to think about the real meaning of the holiday. The United States of America owes a deep, unrepayable debt to its veterans past, present and future.