Really trivial stuff that amuses you...

[Paul Beardsley]

...even though it probably shouldn't.

The way escalator handles more slightly faster than the bit you stand on.

Once, back in the days of VHS video, Clare and I were watching an episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). The phone rang (or perhaps it was the doorbell) so I pressed the Rewind to go back a few seconds before pressing Stop. It so happened that a car had just come over a hill into view. When I pressed rewind, the car went into reverse and backed rapidly out of sight. Clare giggled.

I'll think of more. Probably.

[Gillianren]

The Reduced Shakespeare Company's Hamlet quotes the line "a couch for incest."

In their version, one of the guys follows that with, "Insects!"

And the third says, "A couch!"

I laugh every time. More than it deserves.

[redshifter]

When I come home from work in the PM and the children that live on our little street have drawn all over it with 'sidewalk chalk'. I always get a kick out of that.

[publiusr]

I'm all the time picking up those same rocks from the street--because--kids being kids--they'll be through my window the next chance.

[Gillianren]

I wouldn't say that's kids being kids. I never threw anything through someone's window, and neither did any kid I know.

[Hornblower]

I was more than amused once while participating in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The first salute cannon fired a fraction of a second after a nearby spectator audibly passed some gas. I nearly split a gut trying not to laugh while standing at attention. I think my uniform stayed at attention, but I was wiggling and jiggling inside it.

[Buttercup]

Gonk Droid at Twitter.

Posts "Gonk" absolutely randomly, lol! Only that -- "Gonk".

[KaiYeves]

I have to write letters in response to letters my office recieves, and it amuses me greatly when the letter-writers have given or surnames that make me think of space or astronomy. (Example, a letter I read this morning from a woman named "Marietta".)

[Jim]

My dog. Every night I take him outside to do his business before coming back in and bedding down. I stand by the door and call him. He gets up from the floor, walks across the room, then stops and goes back to his water dish, where he happily laps away while I wait and wait and wait.

I used to think only children pulled that stunt.

[weatherc]

When I'm inside an elevator, I like to stand with my nose inches from the doors. This really freaks out the people that try to push their way into an elevator without letting people leave it first.

[weatherc]

When I'm stuck in heavy traffic, I always chuckle when I pass the guy that's been weaving in and out of traffic while thinking he's getting somewhere faster. And then I chuckle when I pass him again a mile or two later. And then again a mile or two after that...

[Paul Beardsley]

When I get my students to give me a question in English, I write it on the board but put a full stop instead of a question mark, e.g. "Does Susan drive a car." I then ask them, "What's the mistake?" They come out with, "Does Susan drives" and "Do Susan drive" and so on. When I eventually tell them they groan, especially if I've done that one to them before. I have one student who is wise to it now.

[DonM435]

When I get my students to give me a question in English, I write it on the board but put a full stop instead of a question mark, e.g. "Does Susan drive a car." I then ask them, "What's the mistake?" They come out with, "Does Susan drives" and "Do Susan drive" and so on. When I eventually tell them they groan, especially if I've done that one to them before. I have one student who is wise to it now.

That reminds me of a gripe that I have with the MS Word grammar-checker. If you choose an unusual word order, it is fooled into thinking a declaration should be a question. I.e., you write "Thus did she make her memorable appearance," and it seizes upon the "did" and wants to add a question mark.

[schlaugh]

Even after a bajillion flights as a passenger, I still get a kick out of take-off.

[Gemini]

I always enjoy seeing the Saturn V and Saturn I on the way to and from my university.

[Noclevername]

I was putting my food points on the weght watchers website, and I accidentally typed "snadwiches" instead of "sandwiches". For some reason that made me chuckle.

[starcanuck64]

I don't know if you'd call it trivial but kids on the bus make me smile. It's an amusement ride for the younger ones and it's fun to watch them enjoying themselves.

[Solfe]

I love the way my kids crack up when they see something go "wrong". My daughter called me Mom this morning and I replied "No, George, I'm Dad."

I love the way my younger son is so observant AND honest: "Dad, if you didn't have that little bit of hair... um... right here, you would be completely bald."

I love making the perfect airplane.

[Gillianren]

There is Something very interesting outside our back porch. I didn't see it when I looked, but the cats are fascinated. I took a peek over Malcolm's head, and he glanced up at me and went back to staring. Given how skittish he is, it must be something very interesting indeed.

[Trebuchet]

I sometimes think cats stare at nothing just to bug us!

[Torsten]

I love making the perfect airplane.

I liked that story. I should have said so at the time.

Today I was on one of the ferries from the BC mainland to Vancouver Island. The best seats on one of the decks are at the bow, and they have a fantastic view. They are arranged in rows, and groups of people who want to sit together will often place items on them to ensure their spot is kept if they head off for a stroll. I'd spent most of the trip on the top sundeck, since the weather was so nice, but at one point I went for a walk around the vessel and in this area at the bow I spotted a whole row of empty seats. "Great", I thought, "I'm going to park myself on one of those for a while." And then I noticed that the whole row was "reserved" with a single chocolate bar or other snack placed on each seat. I laughed out loud. "Must be kids."

[Trebuchet]

Auugh! Add that to the list of trivial things that bug me: People "reserving" seats in public places while not actually occupying them. I'd have been tempted to eat the candy bars and sit down.

[Gillianren]

Whenever there's a parade in Olympia (or Tumwater), there are people who will leave lawn chairs and things on a patch of sidewalk starting the day before to "reserve" their place. With no one in them. Just you try that for parades Back Home--someone would steal your lawn chair, and someone else will sit in your spot after they've done it. Or else they'll just sit in your lawn chair and point out that reserving pieces of sidewalk for a parade isn't a thing unless you're in it.

[Noclevername]

It amuses me when people mix up the "Stuff That Bugs You" thread with the "Stuff That Amuses You" thread. ; )

[Siguy]

The thermostats in my house are the iconic round Honeywell-type. I love how, by adjusting the temperature, you're actually adjusting the angle of a coiled metal spring. The spring expands and contracts, and when it becomes too cold, it tilts a little glass vial of mercury with two electrical contacts in it, so that mercury closes the circuit and the heater turns on. It's a very clever little mechanism, I think.

Also, the fact that every smoke detector in my house, and almost every house, contains an entirely man made radioactive element is pretty fascinating to me.

Sometimes I'll flick a bic lighter really quick, and watch little rings of smoke ascend from it. I find it sufficiently amusing to watch. As well as lighting matches, often two or three at the same time.

[Gillianren]

It amuses me when people mix up the "Stuff That Bugs You" thread with the "Stuff That Amuses You" thread. ; )

The chair thing amuses me almost as much as it bugs me.

[Torsten]

The chair thing amuses me almost as much as it bugs me.

I was in a really good mood (after recovering from a few days of illness) and found it amusing. Just something about using snacks - and the fact that no one took them - made me smile.

[Buttercup]

Misogynists. All of them (I'm certain) would have dozens of wives and concubines ala the patriarchs of the Old Testament, if allowed. :-p

[KaiYeves]

Oh, and this just happened...

Caller: "Hello, I would like to speak to (person in our office.)"
Me: "Sure. Who may I ask is calling?"
Caller: "Arthur Clark."
Me: "I bet you hear a lot of science fiction jokes."
Caller: "I do."
Me: "Okay, I'll go get her."

[Paul Beardsley]

Hmm. I would have resisted. Not only will poor Arthur Clark have heard a lot of science fiction jokes, he will have heard a lot of comments that begin with "I bet you hear a lot of science fiction jokes."

Oh who am I kidding. I would not have resisted, but I would at least have felt a bit bad about it afterwards.

I do remember working in a team when we were joined by someone from another department called Ian Curtis. I said, "Oh, as in..." and he said, "Yeah yeah, I faked my death after recording Love Will Tear Us Apart." The funny thing is, I wasn't really a Joy Division fan until later. I'd have been much more amused then.