Every week, the OnMilwaukee.com editors contribute current things they like to the "OMC Recommends" column. In this "OMC Rants" article, the editors finally get to air their grievances and talk about stuff that really irks them.
Bad public restroom design -- In college, I crossed paths with a lot of architecture majors. Some of them were bright, trustworthy and fun to be around at parties. Others were ... well, let's just invoke mom's rule ("If you don't have anything nice to say...") I shudder to think that some of the dullards are designing buildings now, and I wonder if some of them are responsible for the piss-poor designs (pun intended) of some public restrooms. Why is it that bathroom designers see fit to install hand dryers or paper towel dispensers 12 feet away from the lavatory sinks? You wash your hands, which is the right thing to do, and then drip all over the countertop and floor, creating a soppy mess for the next bastard in line. I've seen some newer bathrooms with the towel dispenser right over the wash counter and a hole cutout for hand towel refuse. That must have been designed by one of my "smarter" classmates. -- Drew Olson
Kids' photo studios -- Why does it seem every time I attempt to have a professional portrait taken of my kid, the studio is running behind schedule? Last week, we had the second appointment of the day, yet when we walked in, the lady at the desk informed me they were already running late. We try to time it out so we show up promptly for the appointment to avoid a long waiting time that inevitably turns impeccable, ready-to-say-cheese little people into crabby, disheveled shutterbug-haters. The thing is, an on-time appointment is so necessary because once you're in the studio, the process of getting a cute photo is stressful enough -- especially when you have more then one kid. I think I'll stick to capturing their adorableness with my digital camera. -- Molly Snyder Edler
Cologne inserts in any magazine -- This must stop. I don't want my damn magazine smelling like some two-bit perfume or cologne. Please, please, please stop the perfume and cologne madness! -- Jeff Sherman
Water Street rush hour left turners -- Milwaukee's not that vast of a city, so thankfully the post-work rush hour here, while definitely noticeable, is never really all that horrendous. One frustrating exception, however, is southbound Water Street rush hour traffic. There are signs -- some electronic, others old school -- clearly stating that a left turn off Water Street onto Wisconsin Avenue, among other main veins, is prohibited between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m. The reason? It obviously and majorly backs up traffic in high-density drive times, so much so that many cars get caught in between intersections long after their light has turned red. The trouble is, these cars have nowhere to go because some jerk is trying to turn left with a parade of vehicles in his or her way. All it really takes to curb this problem is for people to pay a little better attention and turn left at the streets that provide the left turn lane, such as Wells Street, a mere two blocks south of Wisconsin Avenue. -- Julie Lawrence
Petty jealousy of other people's success -- Jealousy and resentment are two of the ugliest words in the English language. This thought came to me during a recent conversation with Pat McCurdy. By just about any measure, McCurdy is one of Milwaukee's more successful and popular musicians. Like many people in public life here, he experiences a bit of backlash. Some people think he's overexposed, because he plays at a lot of events. Musicians in town grumble about how he ate up a lot of stage time at Summerfest (the reasons for that seem obvious: he doesn't need an elaborate setup and draws big crowds at all hours of the day).
Before the anti-Pat talkbacks begin, I have to say that this isn't about one artist. When the BoDeans started to get big in the late 1980s, you'd hear people dragging them down, talking about how arrogant they were. When OnMilwaukee.com did a story about the possibility of the Violent Femmes breaking up for good, a lot of people used the occasion to take shots at them, too. It happens with successful radio personalities, politicians, athletes, coaches, restaurants and businesses. You name it. We seem to really like building people up and then tearing them down. This isn't just a Milwaukee thing. It happens nationally, too.
I'm not advocating homer-ism. People need to be held accountable for their actions and work should always be judged on merit. But, it's kind of disheartening when people root for things to fail for no other reason than petty jealousy. -- D.O.
Loyalty programs with print coupons -- I'm a Borders Rewards member. You might be, too. It entitles us to coupons, specials and weekly e-mails on various book related stuff. Nothing too exciting, but its weekly coupons are nice money savers. But, these coupons aren't associated with the card, making them nearly impossible to use if I forget to print them out. If I'm gonna use a swipe card for any business, I want my coupons associated with it and I want my savings tracked. Why should I have to open an e-mail and print out a coupon when they have all the data at their disposal? Not a huge deal, but Borders and many others (Pick 'n Save's Advantage Card is another offender) could make their rewards programs much easier and much more rewarding! -- J.S.
