I went to out to dinner last night with some friends -- to a place in Adams Morgan called Pasta Mia, which turned out to be delicious -- and I'd left really early in the hopes of finding a parking space remotely near the restaurant, because I hadn't brought a coat and wasn't relishing the prospect of a 10-block walk to the restaurant in the freezing cold. Of course, when you have 20 minutes to find a spot, one directly in front of the restaurant opens up immediately. I think it's that whole "never rains if you remembered your umbrella" deal. Anyway.

The place (think teeny, tiny, trendy) had only opened at 6:30, and I arrived right about 6:40, so after the initial seating I was first in line to get a table. When the four people I was meeting each arrived individually, it caused much consternation among the zillion other people who piled up behind me -- they shot us evil looks, as though we'd stepped on all their teeny tiny trendy toes on the way in. They were probably jealous of my parking spot. Anyway again.

This is a direct transcript of a very real conversation overheard during the wait:
Him, a middle-aged balding nondescript sort: So how was work?
Her, a much younger but also not-so-descript sort: Aggravating. See, I'm working on this something something about going over a registry of gifts given to Bill Clinton. [I am wondering why this is relevant to anyone now, but whatever.]
Him: Why was it aggravating?
Her: It was just aggravating. See, this aggravating woman was trying to help me blah blah more stuff about someone trying to help her and apparantly not doing a very good job.
Him: Wow, that does sound aggravating.
Her: Totally aggravating. See, there's blah blah something something woman woman aggravating aggravating AGGRAVATING!

OK, do you see where I'm going with this? I'm sure I overuse certain words just as much as everyone else, but please! If any of you ever catch me doing this, in writing or in speaking, just put me out of my misery. I can't tell you how unpleasant a perfectly good eavesdrop becomes if you have to hear the freaking person say "aggravating" every four seconds and "see" at the beginning of every second sentence. Aargh. Aargh. I wanted to stop listening, but, as previously mentioned, it was crowded and they were about three inches away from my ear. God help us all.