Tiny Moments of Stupidity and Woe

Each day, we move through our routines and do our best to get by without strangling someone. Life's little irritations come and go but we rarely complain; they're simply too trivial.

Still, sometimes the tiniest things can cause the greatest aggravations. Though most only occupy a couple minutes, they add up over a lifetime. I bet the cumulative percentage of time wasted dealing with small setbacks and delays is larger than we realize.

Here's a brief list of the kind of minor frustrations I'm talking about:

• Being stranded on the toilet because the previous user finished off the roll and didn't bother to replace it.
• Sitting in class when some asshole reminds the teacher that there was supposed to be a test.
• Being unable to find your glasses because, well, you aren't wearing your glasses.
• Ruining a perfectly good bowl of Cocoa Puffs because you didn't realize the milk had gone sour.
• Getting stuck behind some nimrod who insists upon writing a check for two items in the Express Lane.
• Having to feign appreciation for a Christmas gift of clothing given by a relative who stopped observing fashion trends in 1972.
• Suppressing the urge to smack the know-it-all who warns you to "be careful" after you've disgracefully fallen flat on your ass.
• Running into an old friend only to learn that they've found Jesus and their new life's purpose is to subtly ensnare you into the collective.
• Scrimping and saving for several months so you can buy that nifty gizmo you've wanted for so long, only to see the price slashed by 40% one week later.
• Discovering Jehovah's Witnesses at the front door.
• Sadly accepting that it's easier to drink the Diet Pepsi instead of driving all the way back to the Burger King drive-thru and demanding the Dr. Pepper you ordered.
• Burying the sense of insult that comes from someone else pushing the same elevator button after you, as if you couldn't figure out how to do it correctly.
• Going on vacation and realizing that although you brought your toothbrush, you neglected to pack toothpaste.

What kind of tiny, insignificant setbacks irritate you most? How commonly do some of these things pop up in your life?

Jam it back in, in the dark.