Z'DOLA · COLUMN · What Bothers Me

What Bothers Me

25 August 2026 · Darko Ciglenečki · hrvatski

An endless paper list unrolling past the edge, with tiny scenes of everything that is annoying.

+ and what I find POINTLESS - this column will have no sequels, only my own additions to it

not using turn signals in traffic; when a pedestrian just steps onto the crossing without checking if a car is close; cyclists, scooter riders cutting across the pavement (my elbows are going to start earning their keep soon!)
when an ad claims some product kills 99% of bacteria - compared to what, exactly? When deodorant ads promise 72 hours of freshness (and the ones who actually believe that are the ones who reek the worst on the tram, the bus, the train…)
a phone call that could have been a text or an email
an official meeting, a session - that could have been an email
people wearing sunglasses or a hat, a cap, indoors (ok, some have sensitive eyes and genuinely need to)
banning backpacks at open-air concerts, only A4-sized bags allowed - come on, is there a men’s version of a “clutch bag”? If I have come from far away, where am I supposed to leave my backpack?
cliche lyrics and rhymes: lavanda-bevanda-veranda (lavender-spritzer-veranda), fire-desire…
when people stubbornly write and say “biti ću” instead of the correct “bit ću” or “ću biti” (a stubborn Croatian tense mix-up), or address a woman formally with something like “ako ste odradila sve…” (mixing the polite form with the wrong gender ending), those new filler phrases like “ajmo reć” (“let’s just say it” - so let’s just not!), and lately plenty of people mixing up the words “letvica” (lath) and “ljestvica” (scale) - how does that even happen?
loud smacking and chewing noises in company, or hearing someone chomp away on the other end of a phone call
not washing your hands after the toilet (and then that person touches the door handle too?)
when a smoker, in company, just lights up without asking. Ask, and I will tell you - NO!
being late to a meeting, without even an apology, or being late or forgetting an agreed date or time altogether
when someone’s phone rings in a meeting full of people - and they actually answer it out loud? Guillotine!
shoving into my personal space, getting right up in my face and breathing on me (or my neck - when standing in a queue), poking me with a finger, slapping my shoulder or the like (“TWO METERS AWAY FROM ME!”)
in movies, in shows… when someone just lies down in bed with their shoes on; when everyone eats breakfast at the table in the morning already dressed for work - come on, eating cereal in a tie, having pancakes, coffee, juice? After breakfast, after coffee, you do not need the bathroom? Right after getting up they brush their teeth, but not after breakfast? Showering in the morning - what, did you go to bed filthy the night before, like you had been down a mine until morning? And are you going to wash all the bedding in the afternoon too?
that the “alkar boys” (the young horsemen of Sinj’s historic Alka tournament) do not take part in PRIDE marches
that in summer, by the sea, the big topic is how much a scoop of ice cream costs, when the same money (2-3 euros) buys you at least a kilo at the shop, or a pack of 4-6 ice creams
that in summer the big topic on the TV news is the queues at the toll booths (thankfully no longer at the border, now that we are in Schengen - except in some spots the toll booths sit right next to it, looking at you, Bregana), and in winter it is how many people are going skiing (so lame, man!)
that on social media plenty of people wish a happy birthday to dead people - come on, where is the party, two meters under the ground? What is wrong with you people? Do not try that with me, I will come haunt your dreams like a nightmare!
in cooking shows, when they pile the table with plates and skip the salad, when someone says the dish is under-salted, needs more pepper, is missing seasoning (mate, just ask for it, even though it is often not even on the table, same with oil, vinegar, toothpicks, napkins, bread - where is your soul, people?), or when they mark a dish down because they need to save something for the finale (come on, just give it a 10 if it is all good)… when people leave every plate and dish in the sink or scattered around instead of at least soaking them so tomorrow’s washing-up is easier (dishwashers are overrated, I hate them)…