the family rant

I love my family. I really do. But sometimes they drive me insane. This is not limited to just my parents and brother. Other family members irk me too, particularly some of my cousins. It's not like they do anything major to annoy me. Unfortunately my irritable personality syndrome magnifies the little things.
One cousin in particular annoys me just by sending a chat message as soon as I log in on Facebook.  Some days I feel like she sits around and waits until I log on just to send a, "Hi Cuz." In the grand scheme of life, there are more important things to get annoyed about than a simple greeting from my cousin. I really can't explain why it bothers me. You would think I appreciate the fact she always speaks to me. BUT I DON'T (sorry my IPS is flaring up)! Some days I respond back. Most days I don't. Maybe what irks me is the fact that she's not going to engage in conversation. She's simply going to say hello. I feel like what's the point.

Another cousin doesn't seem to get the hint when I want to be left alone. At the last family reunion, I literally had to kick her out my hotel room. It was late, and I was tired. She made no effort to leave when I started getting ready for bed. Perhaps if we were chatting I wouldn't have minded that she overstayed her welcome. She was on the phone with her boyfriend! GO TO YOUR ROOM TO TALK TO HIM, AND LET ME SLEEP! Each reunion she tends to find me and never leave my side (and to no avail I try to hide). We are not even close like that. I don't like having someone follow me around like a shadow.

There are other examples I could share (quite a few little cousins I don't like), but I realize I seem like a hateful person who doesn't want to have anything to do with her family. That's not the case. I enjoy them, just on my own terms (and that just sounds bad too). The problem is quite possibly the fact I'm not really friends with any of them. And just because we're connected through blood I don't feel obligated to like them, entertain them or spend time with them.