Honking Horn: The New Knock

Wow, it's been a long time since my last rant. Lately, by the time I've typed them, I'm over it, so I delete the post. But tonight ... not so much.

This is about basic respect for your fellow human beings. WHAT is the deal with people sitting in front of a building honking their horn? Are they there to pick up someone? If so, why not get out of the car and knock on the door?

What really gets me is when it's a father picking up his kids for the weekend. What kind of message is this sending the kids? I don't care if the father doesn't get a long with the mother. Show your kids enough respect to go to the door and tell them you are here.

When I was in High School (a loooooong time ago), my parents told me if the guy picking me up for a date didn't respect me enough to come to the door, then I wasn't going. Simple enough, right? I never even had to say anything, as the guys I went out with were decent guys.

Fast forward a lot of years, and I have people laying on their horns in front of my building because whoever they're picking up isn't coming out of their door fast enough. After the first honk, how about you get out of the car and knock on the door? You'll get a faster response since you'll be harder to ignore.

Side benefit: the neighbors won't call the police and report you disturbing their peace.

Annoyances Du Jour

My, goodness, but I've had my share of annoyances today! I had to drop my car at the mechanic (that part was fine!), and when I do that, he drops me at the Metro (train, subway, whatever you call it in your area), and I take the train to work and back again and have him pick me up. Generally, there is an unspoken (HAHAHA!) 'quiet' protocol on the train. You do not do anything to annoy those around you. It is just how normal adults would behave. People who whip out cell phones get the evil eye, from a LOT of people.

So let me tell you about my day.

On the way IN to work:
(1) Guy had a newspaper spread out in his lap and was CLIPPING HIS FINGER NAILS. I stared at the back of his head, but he could not feel the evil thoughts I was flinging his way. People around me turned around and looked around to see where the annoying sound was emanating from. They wrinkled their noses and/or rolled their eyes. One asked me (I was standing), "IS SOMEONE CUTTING THEIR NAILS?!?!?!?!?" and someone else added, "Ew, that's GROSS." Guy kept going - he must have had 34 nails to trim, too... took him forEVER. Amazing.

(2) Public speaker. Woman with no clue what an "inside voice" is. She stood near one end of the car, talking VERY LOUDLY to a friend standing next to her, and she annoyed about 60 people for about 20 minutes straight. EVERYone kept turning and staring at her, but she was smiling and clueless. Just before my stop, I notice the woman next to me was having a fit of some sort - like an asthma attack. I asked her if she was okay, and her response was (through clenched teeth), "If that WOMAN does not SHUT UP ... " and went on to mutter something about personal space and sense of entitlement and "the world revolves around me" attitudes. What a great way for all of us to begin our mornings.

I wonder if you can claim medical disability because you were driven insane by a nail-clipper or a self-centered loudmouth.

On the ride back to pick up my car:
(3) By noon the train cars are mostly empty, so I thought I was safe. Nope. Woman across from me was cracking a massive wad of gum, and seemed pretty happy about it, too. What is it with people who chew with their mouths open and then crack their gum? Why do they think this is okay? She thankfully got off the train two stops later.

(4) I started hearing a tap-tap-tap sound. I turned around and a guy was tap-tap tap-tapitty-tap-tap tap-tapping his ring on the metal rail tap-tap-tap on the back of his tap-tap seat. tap-tap tappity-tap tap-tap-tap AAAAUGH!

After all that tap-tap-tappity-tapping, I get back to work and have the opportunity to call a Helpless Desk for a water delivery company. I had a problem with my settings on their site. I used to have two cards listed that could be used to pay my balance, and now there was only one. I tried to add the second one back in and got an error, so I HAD TO CALL THEM. At least they were not in India, though I think she was reading the same script. She had what I later diagnosed as a "listening problem".

Me: I have a question about my payment methods.
She: Okay, how can I help you?
Me: I am on the Make a Payment page, but my second credit card seems to have dropped off. Can you tell me why?
She: Can you go to the Make A Payment page and tell me what you see?
Me: (pause) I am already on the Make A Payment page, and I see only one of my two credit cards listed.
She: Can you edit it?
Me: Edit what? It is not there!
She: Ma'am, I am only trying to help you, and you are getting irritated with me.
Me: Okay, can you tell me where the edit button is?
She: Are you on the Make A Payment Page?
Me: .... (breathe, just breath ...) Yes, I am on the Make A Payment Page.
She: Once you get there, tell me what you see. Do you see an Edit button?

Are you dizzy yet? I was seething, and she could tell. Bottom line: after about 10 minutes of this, I gave up before she could say "thank you for calling ..." and I deleted/re-added my own information. Then I sent an email that I hope gets to their programming staff that their Make A Payment Page has an opportunity for improvement.

Thank goodness it is Friday.

My Thoughts On Football

Let me begin my defense for what I assume will be a deluge of hate mail, but I hate football. Well, that's not true. I hate (intensely dislike) football fans. No, that's not it, either. Okay, I have a low tolerance for people who are such rabid fans that their team can do no wrong. Yeah, that's closer.

I grew up in Ohio, but I did not attend Ohio State. I will cheer for my own college (Miami Univ), but I have no interest whatsoever in who or what or when OSU plays. When I moved to Michigan, I learned everyone was assumed to be declared for either UMich or Mich State, no matter where you actually attended college. My co-workers could not understand how *I*, a gal from Ohio, cared not for OSU. It was just not in their chemical make-up to comprehend such things.

I was the product of non-rabid fans. My Mom was from Brooklyn, and she told us a true fan stood by their team through thick or thin, win or lose. They LOVED their Dodgers, and went to the games because they were fans, not because the team was on a winning streak. She told us people lined the streets and cried when the Dodgers left town.

Nowadays, no player stays with a team for very long if they can get more money somewhere else. It is a business and I think that is what has soured me to all sports. It's more about money and winning (and drugs) than it is about playing the game.

Okay - The Washington Redskins. I am in "Redskins Rule and Cowboys $uck" territory, and it makes me crazy! One season after a loss to who-remembers-what-team, all the guys could talk about was how they would have won "if only so-and-so had not been injured" or "if that call had gone in our favor". HELLO! You LOST! Accept it and move on, okay?!

Last Friday all I heard was how Sunday was going to be a cake walk - they were playing the joke-of-a-team not-even-worth-our-time Detroit Lions. I looked it up and the Lions had not won a game in like 2 seasons. Okay, fine. But where was the sportsman-like conduct? They know not of these terms.

Imagine my GLEE yesterday when I heard Detroit had won the game! OMG, I could not WAIT to get to work and hear what people had to say. Today, all day, it was vewy, vewy qwiet ... {tee hee}

Then, as I was leaving the office, I saw the Washington Post out on a table, and glanced at the headlines:

"Washington Bails Out Detroit". Okay, guys, YOU WERE TROUNCED! But I am not surprised this was spun into a positive tone. Not one bit surprised. I am sure all week I will be listening to how "if we had only ..." excuses. Yeah, guys, write 'em down and play the game next week, okay? Do you think maybe you were just a wee bit complacent and assuming in this cake walk gig? Well, do ya?!

I am done, now. Thank you for reading.

I Wish I'd Been There

I just got this in an email with no attached credit, or I'd definitely tell you where it came from (from where it came.) This is a perfect summary of all I think is wrong with a lot of people these days. Ooooh, how I wish I'd been there.

STUNNING SENIOR MOMENT

A very self-important college freshman attending a recent football game took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation."You grew up in a different world, actually an almost primitive one." the student said, loud enough for many of those nearby to hear. "The young people of today are much more advanced than people your age. We grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man walking on the moon and the internet. We have cell phones, nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars; computers, automated manufacturing, amazing technologies, ...and...," he paused to take another drink of beer.

The senior took advantage of the break in the student's litany and said, "You're right, son. We didn't have those things when we were young.....so we invented them. Now, you arrogant little shit, what are YOU doing for the next generation?"

The applause was resounding...