Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Just give me a damn beep
One of my biggest pet peeves is having to listen to 15 minutes of instructions on how to leave a message when you call someone on the cellphone and you get their voicemail. I don't have the patience to sit there and listen to all of my options. All I want to do is either talk to the person or leave a damn voicemail. So give me a flippin' beep and cut the crap. Ring, ring...no answer...leave a message...BEEP! Thank you!!!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
People
So I'm on the elevator today, heading up to my gym, and it stops a few floors before the 9th floor where I'm to get off. A lady gets on, and being the gentleman that I am, I ask her "What floor?" and obviously offer to push the button for her. She says not a word to me. Stares at the floor, then reaches over and pushed the button herself. Oh, and this is AFTER I said "Hello" and then asked her what floor. Again, she said NOT A WORD. So I'm thinking to myself, this woman is one of those people that just avoids conversation with strangers all together. You know the kind, they try to avoid conversation at all costs. Walking down a narrow hallway in a building or office? This person will duck into the bathroom or bend down at the water fountain, just to avoid having to say "Hi" or "Hello" or "Good day" or something like that. Or if there's nowhere to go, the person will just stare straight ahead or down at the shoes. Absolutely drives me nuts. Sure, small talk is small talk. But what's wrong with actually chatting with a stranger?
Well, I wasn't going to let her win. I just kept talking to her. About the weather. About the parking garage. About anything I could think of in the limited time I had with her in the elevator. And guess what. She didn't say a word. Maybe she was deaf? I have no idea. She just kind of looked at me with a weird smirk and said nothing. In my opinion, saying NOTHING is more awkward than just carrying on a conversation. You don't have to know the other person. Just be nice. Chat. Whatever!!
Then I go to Dick's Sporting Goods later today. I find what I need and I proceed to the register area to check-out. As I approach, I notice that the set-up isn't like what you see at a grocery store...where the registers/lanes are separated by racks of products (gum, magazines, etc.). At this place, each lane had two registers...one on the left and one of the right, but they were diagonal from each other. The one on the left was about 5 feet in front of the one on the right. Anyway, as I approach, there's a guy standing in front of the lane I want to go to, and I stop and wait for him to choose a side. He doesn't move, so I ask him which line he was in...the left one or the right one. He says to me, "Whichever one becomes available next." I didn't exactly understand and was trying to digest what he said, when a few seconds later, a lady comes up behind him, heard my question, and SHE answered the same way, as if I should have asked her because she was apparently in front of me in line (which wasn't the case. I hadn't really gotten behind the guy because I didn't know which line he was in, so she walks up and gets right behind him and snips at me.) Again, I'm taken aback, and I sit there trying to figure out what was going on. I decided to say something to the guy, but right then, a register freed-up, and he scurried away. The lady took a huge, exaggerated step in front of me, as if to prevent me from stepping in front of her. She then proceeded to turn sideways and keep an eye on me out of the corner of her eye.
Now I'm really starting to boil. I start thinking about what has transpired, and I'm about to boil. It's complete BS. Just think about it. Can you imagine going to the register at the grocery store, and as you approach the line, there's a dude standing between registers. You ask him which line he's in, and he replies, "Whichever one gets me to the register faster." So he expects everyone behind him to wait until he knows what line is moving faster.
That's not how it works. You choose a damn line and get in it. If you made the wrong choice, and the other lines move faster, tough luck. It's just like sitting in traffic. The minute you change lanes into the one that seems to be moving faster, it slows down and your old lane starts moving. That's life. Deal with it.
So all of this is going through my mind as she proceeds to a register and I'm waiting for this witch to finish paying for her crap. She's being all snippy at the girl at the register and slammed the pen down after signing her credit card slip. She glares back at me before she walks off, and I just said, "You have a VERY merry Christmas...MA'AM!!!!" She scoffed at me and stormed off. I hope she was one of those idiots that gets mad when you don't say "Happy Holidays."
The girl behind the counter just kinda laughed. She said, "You know, I deal with people like her everyday. You just have to learn to laugh about it. It's her problem, not mine, not yours, not anyone elses. You just can't let people like that get to you." What she said made sense. But I still don't have the patience for people like that....
Well, I wasn't going to let her win. I just kept talking to her. About the weather. About the parking garage. About anything I could think of in the limited time I had with her in the elevator. And guess what. She didn't say a word. Maybe she was deaf? I have no idea. She just kind of looked at me with a weird smirk and said nothing. In my opinion, saying NOTHING is more awkward than just carrying on a conversation. You don't have to know the other person. Just be nice. Chat. Whatever!!
Then I go to Dick's Sporting Goods later today. I find what I need and I proceed to the register area to check-out. As I approach, I notice that the set-up isn't like what you see at a grocery store...where the registers/lanes are separated by racks of products (gum, magazines, etc.). At this place, each lane had two registers...one on the left and one of the right, but they were diagonal from each other. The one on the left was about 5 feet in front of the one on the right. Anyway, as I approach, there's a guy standing in front of the lane I want to go to, and I stop and wait for him to choose a side. He doesn't move, so I ask him which line he was in...the left one or the right one. He says to me, "Whichever one becomes available next." I didn't exactly understand and was trying to digest what he said, when a few seconds later, a lady comes up behind him, heard my question, and SHE answered the same way, as if I should have asked her because she was apparently in front of me in line (which wasn't the case. I hadn't really gotten behind the guy because I didn't know which line he was in, so she walks up and gets right behind him and snips at me.) Again, I'm taken aback, and I sit there trying to figure out what was going on. I decided to say something to the guy, but right then, a register freed-up, and he scurried away. The lady took a huge, exaggerated step in front of me, as if to prevent me from stepping in front of her. She then proceeded to turn sideways and keep an eye on me out of the corner of her eye.
Now I'm really starting to boil. I start thinking about what has transpired, and I'm about to boil. It's complete BS. Just think about it. Can you imagine going to the register at the grocery store, and as you approach the line, there's a dude standing between registers. You ask him which line he's in, and he replies, "Whichever one gets me to the register faster." So he expects everyone behind him to wait until he knows what line is moving faster.
That's not how it works. You choose a damn line and get in it. If you made the wrong choice, and the other lines move faster, tough luck. It's just like sitting in traffic. The minute you change lanes into the one that seems to be moving faster, it slows down and your old lane starts moving. That's life. Deal with it.
So all of this is going through my mind as she proceeds to a register and I'm waiting for this witch to finish paying for her crap. She's being all snippy at the girl at the register and slammed the pen down after signing her credit card slip. She glares back at me before she walks off, and I just said, "You have a VERY merry Christmas...MA'AM!!!!" She scoffed at me and stormed off. I hope she was one of those idiots that gets mad when you don't say "Happy Holidays."
The girl behind the counter just kinda laughed. She said, "You know, I deal with people like her everyday. You just have to learn to laugh about it. It's her problem, not mine, not yours, not anyone elses. You just can't let people like that get to you." What she said made sense. But I still don't have the patience for people like that....
Monday, December 12, 2005
Ignorance
The year was 1952. Prohibition was a major form of controversy in the Mississippi Legislature. As you can imagine, most local politicians, as well as legislators, were very hesitant to take any kind of stand on the issue. However, one man did indeed speak his mind, and that man was N. S. "Soggy" Sweat, Jr.
At the age of 24, he was elected to the House in 1947, the year my father was born. Although he served only one term, he more than made up for his brief time as a legislator by delivering the famous "Whiskey Speech" during his last year in office.
On April 4th, the tension was extremely high and near fist fights were not uncommon on the streets, much less in the House. There was a banquet held that night at the old King Edward Hotel in Jackson, where Senators and their wives, members of the House, and others had gathered. Rumors had spread about Soggy's philosophy on the subject, and he was called upon to speak his mind that night.
When he began his speech, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. As he finished the first half of the speech, the Drys (those that were against the sale of liquor) stood up and gave him a huge ovation. Unfortunately for them, he was only halfway through his speech. When things were quiet again, he finished his speech and he got yet another ovation from the Wets (those that were for the sale of liquor).
Here is a copy of that famous speech:
In 1966, Mississippi finally legalized the sale of liquor. However, Alcorn County (where I grew up) was a dry county. That is, you couldn't buy beer but you could by liquor. The Tennessee state line was only 2 miles away, and that's where you could go to buy beer. It never really made sense to me, but I was a kid, so I never really thought that much about it. But it really didn't make sense. All that money going to Tennessee....there's absolutely no telling how many people drove up to the state line to buy beer. It's really scary to imagine how much money we gave Tennessee over all those years.
Anyway, in June of 1989, just a week or so after I graduated from high school, Alcorn County voters cast out liquor, ending 21 years of legalized liquor sales. That decision came 5 days after the county seat legalized beer sales. So it flip-flopped....they voted beer in and liquor out. What did that mean? Well, you could now buy beer at grocery stores and convenience stores, but all the liquor stores had to close. And so did the restaurant bars, as well as the bar out at the country club. This obviously caused business at those places to flounder, and most of them closed their doors. The country club memberships also declined to the point that it almost closed down.
So why am I writing about all of this? Funny you should ask. Tomorrow, December 13th, Alcorn County (Corinth) will again vote on the liquor issue:
Corinth is a beautiful little town in Northeast Mississippi. It draws a ton of tourism due to its role in the Civil War and its proximity to Shiloh. It is trying to become a thriving city again, putting a ton of effort into drawing companies and businesses to the area. However, nice restaurant chains and larger businesses do not want to go to a town that doesn't support liquor sales. They make big money selling alcohol, and it makes no sense to go to a town that can't see the light and get with the times.
And that's why the title of this story is IGNORANCE. It's funny how your perspective on people changes as you grow older. As a kid in Corinth, in my mind all adults were smart and wise...it just came with being older. Now that I'm 35, however, I see things differently. Corinth has a shot at being a thriving city again. But the ignorant people are bound and determined to prevent it. They should put up a sign on the outskirts of the city that says "Welcome to Corinth....please set your clocks back 50 years so that you can be ignorant and behind the times like the United Drys!!" Perhaps that sounds harsh, but I don't care. It's not aimed at Corinth in general...it's aimed at those ignorant people in Alcorn County that can't understand economics...the United Drys. They have to make a religious issue out of everything. I saw a bumper sticker the other day...it said "I have nothing against God...it's his fanclub I can't stand." That says it all, right there.
So anyway, for those of you out there that give a damn, Corinth's fate will be determined tomorrow. Cross your fingers that intelligence prevails over ignorance.
At the age of 24, he was elected to the House in 1947, the year my father was born. Although he served only one term, he more than made up for his brief time as a legislator by delivering the famous "Whiskey Speech" during his last year in office.
On April 4th, the tension was extremely high and near fist fights were not uncommon on the streets, much less in the House. There was a banquet held that night at the old King Edward Hotel in Jackson, where Senators and their wives, members of the House, and others had gathered. Rumors had spread about Soggy's philosophy on the subject, and he was called upon to speak his mind that night.
When he began his speech, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. As he finished the first half of the speech, the Drys (those that were against the sale of liquor) stood up and gave him a huge ovation. Unfortunately for them, he was only halfway through his speech. When things were quiet again, he finished his speech and he got yet another ovation from the Wets (those that were for the sale of liquor).
Here is a copy of that famous speech:
In 1966, Mississippi finally legalized the sale of liquor. However, Alcorn County (where I grew up) was a dry county. That is, you couldn't buy beer but you could by liquor. The Tennessee state line was only 2 miles away, and that's where you could go to buy beer. It never really made sense to me, but I was a kid, so I never really thought that much about it. But it really didn't make sense. All that money going to Tennessee....there's absolutely no telling how many people drove up to the state line to buy beer. It's really scary to imagine how much money we gave Tennessee over all those years.
Anyway, in June of 1989, just a week or so after I graduated from high school, Alcorn County voters cast out liquor, ending 21 years of legalized liquor sales. That decision came 5 days after the county seat legalized beer sales. So it flip-flopped....they voted beer in and liquor out. What did that mean? Well, you could now buy beer at grocery stores and convenience stores, but all the liquor stores had to close. And so did the restaurant bars, as well as the bar out at the country club. This obviously caused business at those places to flounder, and most of them closed their doors. The country club memberships also declined to the point that it almost closed down.
So why am I writing about all of this? Funny you should ask. Tomorrow, December 13th, Alcorn County (Corinth) will again vote on the liquor issue:
Corinth is a beautiful little town in Northeast Mississippi. It draws a ton of tourism due to its role in the Civil War and its proximity to Shiloh. It is trying to become a thriving city again, putting a ton of effort into drawing companies and businesses to the area. However, nice restaurant chains and larger businesses do not want to go to a town that doesn't support liquor sales. They make big money selling alcohol, and it makes no sense to go to a town that can't see the light and get with the times.
And that's why the title of this story is IGNORANCE. It's funny how your perspective on people changes as you grow older. As a kid in Corinth, in my mind all adults were smart and wise...it just came with being older. Now that I'm 35, however, I see things differently. Corinth has a shot at being a thriving city again. But the ignorant people are bound and determined to prevent it. They should put up a sign on the outskirts of the city that says "Welcome to Corinth....please set your clocks back 50 years so that you can be ignorant and behind the times like the United Drys!!" Perhaps that sounds harsh, but I don't care. It's not aimed at Corinth in general...it's aimed at those ignorant people in Alcorn County that can't understand economics...the United Drys. They have to make a religious issue out of everything. I saw a bumper sticker the other day...it said "I have nothing against God...it's his fanclub I can't stand." That says it all, right there.
So anyway, for those of you out there that give a damn, Corinth's fate will be determined tomorrow. Cross your fingers that intelligence prevails over ignorance.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Absolutely PO'd
Well, I went to my cousin's wedding this weekend and took tons of great pictures....and I got home tonight to post them, and my SD card failed...which means I lost every flippin' one of the pictures.
Needless to say, I'm so PO'd right now. I guess I'll post pictures as I get them from everyone else.
Sorry, Bobby and Britney....I had some absolutely fantastic pictures...but they're all gone now. Absolutely ridiculous.
For those of you with digital cameras, I would advise you to NEVER use Promaster SD cards.....they are CRAP!!!
Needless to say, I'm so PO'd right now. I guess I'll post pictures as I get them from everyone else.
Sorry, Bobby and Britney....I had some absolutely fantastic pictures...but they're all gone now. Absolutely ridiculous.
For those of you with digital cameras, I would advise you to NEVER use Promaster SD cards.....they are CRAP!!!
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Loud Talker
So I'm on a shuttle at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport today, and what do you know....there's a guy not three feet from me having, in his tiny world, a conversation I suppose he thought we all wanted to hear...so I just had to get a picture of the guy. I swear you could have heard him on his phone from El Paso...
To be honest, there's a chance that this site will turn into a Loud Talker Central website. If you're smart, you'll tone it down...otherwise you might see yourself here....
To be honest, there's a chance that this site will turn into a Loud Talker Central website. If you're smart, you'll tone it down...otherwise you might see yourself here....
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
The World if FULL of Idiots
So I had a day from hell today. As a result, I decided to post a message and list the things that happened to me today and why I they drive me crazy:
Sunday drivers in the left hand lane
Why is it that people find it necessary to drive slowly in the "fast lane?" There are four lanes on I-75, one of which is the HOV lane. That means there are three extra lanes, two of which should be used by slowpokes. The lane next to the HOV lane is to be used by people who are either willing to go the speed limit, or are living on the edge by surpassing the speed limit. Either way, that lane is for those of us that have a sense of urgency. On my way to work this morning, I got behind a lady in a minivan who was completely unaware that she was going 45 MPH in a 65 MPH lane. Idiots like this are the ones that need to be given a ticket for just being an idiot. Oh, and the fact that she was on her cell phone takes me to my next frustration.
People who can't drive and talk on their cell phones at the same time
So I'm behind this lady this morning, on my way to work, and I'm not exactly in a rush, but I like to at least go the speed limit....especially since there are extra lanes for the idiots. I get behind this minivan and like I said, it's going extremely slow. So I shift into the right lane and proceed to pass the lady, when I notice that she's ON HER CELL PHONE and is talking at 90 MPH to include using her hands. First of all, what in the hell is there to talk about at 7:00 AM in the morning? Who in their right mind would have that much to say that early in the morning? Even if you did have that much to say, do you have to talk about it at 7:00 AM? How do you get so involved in a conversation that you lose complete awareness of your surroundings? I wanted to follow her and then when she stopped somewhere, get out of my car, grab her cell phone, and beat the hell out of her with it. If you can't walk and chew gum, you obviously can't drive and talk on your cell phone at the same time. Again, IDIOTS!!!!
Rednecks that think this is "cool":
On my way to the airport this afternoon, I got behind a guy in a truck, and he had one of these decals on his back window. I see parents with their kids' school decals on their cars. I have a West Point decal on my back window. But what I don't understand is why someone would want to have a decal of a cartoon kid urinating on something. Frankly, it just amazes me, but my buddy Chris Collins says that's the best way to identify them. It may seem crazy, but at least you now know how to identify ignorant rednecks.
People who think you want to hear their cell phone conversations
So I get to the airport and I'm standing in the security line, and there's a woman two lines over from me, and she's talking on her cell phone. I could have heard her if I were at the Memphis airport. Why on Earth does she think ANYONE would want to hear her conversation? I don't care, and no one else does. So why strain your vocal cords by talking so loudly? I got on the plane and the guy that sat directly behind me was doing the same thing. I was seconds away from turning around and telling him to tone it down, when he hung up the phone. It just amazes me that some people are that clueless. Or that they really think we care what they're talking about. Again, IDIOTS.
People that have a wireless headset and now think they need to wear it all day long
Now I'm a gadget guy, and I'd love to have a phone that supports Bluetooth wireless headsets. One day I hope to have one, and when that day comes, I promise you I won't walk around all day with a headset on my ear. Nothing looks more ridiculous than some idiot that's walking around with this crap covering his ear, but he's not talking or using his phone. Gee...it really makes you super cool to walk around with a piece of plastic sticking out of your ear. I guess that means you're really "hip" and "with it." Guess what?! YOU'RE NOT!! YOU'RE A DORK!! When you're done, take it out of your ear!!! IDIOTS!
People who use the word "like" at least five times per sentence
So I get to Dallas tonight after my flight was delayed an hour, and I go to grab some late night grub. I sit next to a table of kids, and I swear, every single one of them used the word "like" at least 200 times over the course of the conversation. Now I was a child of the 80's and I certainly remember the days of the Valley Girls. But this is different. The year is 2005 people. "Like, I went over Missy's house, and she was like, not home, so I like, went back home and like called her on my cell phone, and I was like, 'Missy...where are you? And she was like, I'm not home...and I was like, I know that...like where are you?...." Isn't that absolutely ridiculous?! Once again, IDIOTS!!
Well, that's it for now. I'll probably post more after I run into more ignorant people tomorrow....
Sunday drivers in the left hand lane
Why is it that people find it necessary to drive slowly in the "fast lane?" There are four lanes on I-75, one of which is the HOV lane. That means there are three extra lanes, two of which should be used by slowpokes. The lane next to the HOV lane is to be used by people who are either willing to go the speed limit, or are living on the edge by surpassing the speed limit. Either way, that lane is for those of us that have a sense of urgency. On my way to work this morning, I got behind a lady in a minivan who was completely unaware that she was going 45 MPH in a 65 MPH lane. Idiots like this are the ones that need to be given a ticket for just being an idiot. Oh, and the fact that she was on her cell phone takes me to my next frustration.
People who can't drive and talk on their cell phones at the same time
So I'm behind this lady this morning, on my way to work, and I'm not exactly in a rush, but I like to at least go the speed limit....especially since there are extra lanes for the idiots. I get behind this minivan and like I said, it's going extremely slow. So I shift into the right lane and proceed to pass the lady, when I notice that she's ON HER CELL PHONE and is talking at 90 MPH to include using her hands. First of all, what in the hell is there to talk about at 7:00 AM in the morning? Who in their right mind would have that much to say that early in the morning? Even if you did have that much to say, do you have to talk about it at 7:00 AM? How do you get so involved in a conversation that you lose complete awareness of your surroundings? I wanted to follow her and then when she stopped somewhere, get out of my car, grab her cell phone, and beat the hell out of her with it. If you can't walk and chew gum, you obviously can't drive and talk on your cell phone at the same time. Again, IDIOTS!!!!
Rednecks that think this is "cool":
On my way to the airport this afternoon, I got behind a guy in a truck, and he had one of these decals on his back window. I see parents with their kids' school decals on their cars. I have a West Point decal on my back window. But what I don't understand is why someone would want to have a decal of a cartoon kid urinating on something. Frankly, it just amazes me, but my buddy Chris Collins says that's the best way to identify them. It may seem crazy, but at least you now know how to identify ignorant rednecks.
People who think you want to hear their cell phone conversations
So I get to the airport and I'm standing in the security line, and there's a woman two lines over from me, and she's talking on her cell phone. I could have heard her if I were at the Memphis airport. Why on Earth does she think ANYONE would want to hear her conversation? I don't care, and no one else does. So why strain your vocal cords by talking so loudly? I got on the plane and the guy that sat directly behind me was doing the same thing. I was seconds away from turning around and telling him to tone it down, when he hung up the phone. It just amazes me that some people are that clueless. Or that they really think we care what they're talking about. Again, IDIOTS.
People that have a wireless headset and now think they need to wear it all day long
Now I'm a gadget guy, and I'd love to have a phone that supports Bluetooth wireless headsets. One day I hope to have one, and when that day comes, I promise you I won't walk around all day with a headset on my ear. Nothing looks more ridiculous than some idiot that's walking around with this crap covering his ear, but he's not talking or using his phone. Gee...it really makes you super cool to walk around with a piece of plastic sticking out of your ear. I guess that means you're really "hip" and "with it." Guess what?! YOU'RE NOT!! YOU'RE A DORK!! When you're done, take it out of your ear!!! IDIOTS!
People who use the word "like" at least five times per sentence
So I get to Dallas tonight after my flight was delayed an hour, and I go to grab some late night grub. I sit next to a table of kids, and I swear, every single one of them used the word "like" at least 200 times over the course of the conversation. Now I was a child of the 80's and I certainly remember the days of the Valley Girls. But this is different. The year is 2005 people. "Like, I went over Missy's house, and she was like, not home, so I like, went back home and like called her on my cell phone, and I was like, 'Missy...where are you? And she was like, I'm not home...and I was like, I know that...like where are you?...." Isn't that absolutely ridiculous?! Once again, IDIOTS!!
Well, that's it for now. I'll probably post more after I run into more ignorant people tomorrow....
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Thanks to all of you SUV driving, cell phone talkin' tennis mom's...
Sorry to say, Easter will never be the same again. It looks like our friend the Easter Bunny was out late again and paid for it this time. $100 says a tennis mom on her $#@%*& cell phone probably plowed over him while changing the $@#%&* DVD for her kids in the SUV that she can't drive OR park. Good thing Santa rides in a sleigh...
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