Popular Things to Dislike

*The works of Ryan Murphy. I think mainly I envy Ryan Murphy, because he is so prolific and so successful. But how often is a Ryan Murphy show actually a good piece of writing? I was pretty consistently hooked on "The People vs. O.J. Simpson." But even then I wonder, did the series need to exist? Did it accomplish anything that Jeffrey Toobin hadn't accomplished (in greater depth) in "The Run of His Life"?

*The recent public statements of Ellen DeGeneres. Ugh. Dig deeper, Ellen.

*The Jefferson Market Library. This is one of the most popular libraries in New York City, and it has recently moved its daily open-the-doors time to 1 PM. Unacceptable. How does anyone live in this town?

*Amazon chicken cutlets. Amazon, you know we want to prepare these in a skillet, and that we're going to need to "thin-slice," as prep, so everything gets cooked-through. Why not do the thin-slice on your end, and save time for everyone?

*Polite listening. I feel my job is mainly nodding and making affirmative noises while people deliver speeches that are in no way relevant to the actual tasks I'm asked to carry out. I don't do this to people. I don't go to a colleague and say, "I'm going to think out loud about PORGY AND BESS now, though you've never indicated an interest in PORGY AND BESS, and I expect you just to back me up." Also, as a secretary, I sometimes feel my impatience and my frustration are visible behind my eyes, and then I worry about that problem, even as I'm doing my affirmative nodding. Very tiresome.

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