Well, I work from home, meetings happen on IRC or conference calls. Now, this being news.ycombinator.com, remember that when you launch your own startup, being "the boss" gives you the power to summon and dispel meetings at will! :)
>PROBLEM: nagging girlfriend
High-maintenance relationships aren't a fact of life, they're choices. It's only a problem if you want it to be.
> PROBLEM: traffic congestion > PROBLEM: stupid shitty and cold weather
Telecommuting make these seem a lot less threatening :)
> PROBLEM: an IT department that's incompetent > PROBLEM: annoying neighbors
Well, I don't really have a solution for these. Sometimes you just gotta work with less-qualified-than-we'd-hoped-for people, and you also gotta live somewhere.
I take those as facts of life, and then you have to decide what mindset you'll take on when dealing with those "problems".
Realizing you too can be annoying and also incompetent in a number of things can surely add some perspective do it.
PROBLEM: corporate meetings that accomplish nothing
SOFTWARE: Collaboration software. If everyone is informed, meetings don't have to happen.
PROBLEM: nagging girlfriend
SOFTWARE: Tweet often and have them sent to her phone. All she really wants is a leash, this should do the trick.
PROBLEM: traffic congestion
SOFTWARE: I already check my city's online webcams of traffic before I have to go somewhere congested so I know what route to take.
PROBLEM: stupid shitty and cold weather
SOFTWARE: See Superman 3. It'll happen, don't worry.
PROBLEM: an IT department that's incompetent
SOFTWARE: yosho must work for the man... are you sure the problem isn't between the keyboard and the chair? ;)
PROBLEM: annoying neighbors
SOFTWARE: Damn. I got nothing. After all that, you win.