Pop goes the weasels

What is the deal with all these fireworks? I am all for tolerance on the night of the 4th, but the idiots in my neighborhood started up on Friday and kept going right on through yesterday. I wish Darwin were a bit more effective, because the politicians and law enforcement certainly aren't stepping up to the plate. Thank god we had enough rain to keep homes from burning. Why are all the Cletuses and Bubbas so fired up about these things. I know, when I was a kid, if someone we knew were lucky enough to be driving North they might get a few firecrackers from just over the Alabama line, but that was a rare treat indeed. But nowadays the loophole has made liars and petty criminals out of a great number of people in our community, and half the people on my block have the Super Duper Exlosive Extravaganza pack. How is it these parents find it quite ok to show their kids it's ok to lie when circumstances aren't what youd like them. Its ok to say we're scaring off the crows tonight Johnny, light that Roman Candle. Little Suzy use that firecracker to go mine that anthill. There's also the litter and the noise violations. I'm all for the rocket's red glare, but in a professional setting, not my neighbor saying, hold my Bud and watch this.

And I know that it should be Pop Go the Weasels

The Airlines: Need I say more

Even though I probably don't, of course I will. Been doing a lot of travelling lately. Business, since I will probably never fly for pleasure again unless I have to cross wide expanses of water. No longer is travelling by air an experience in anything but stress, frustration and futility. Tempers are short, customer service is starting to reflect the Wal-marting of the airline industry. Whom can we blame but ourselves. As a whole people valued nothing more than the price of a ticket. Take Southwest. People were all too willing to be hearded like cattle into a plane, or line up hours in advance like a Star Wars premier to count on being able to sit with loved ones, all to save $50 over a major carrier ticket. I can't recall but one time on a Southwest flight where I didn't hear a plea for someone to give up their seat so a parent and child could sit together. The response around us was often, they should've shown up earlier or something along those lines. Yes let's blame those folks instead of ourselves for creating an airline where such events were acceptable and commonplace. Let me state for the record that I only travel Southwest because my business dictates the carrier I must use for certain flights. I would never choose to fly Southwest if I the decision were my own. As market forces will have it, the majors have been forced to lower their standards of service to keep ticket prices competitive. I have heard good things about Jet Blue, but haven't had the opportunity to fly them yet. Let's hope there is at least one exception to this price is more important than value mentality this country it getting.
OK and what about those people who think it's perfectly acceptable to take their shoes off on a packed plane? Just who do you think you are? Or how about the folks that reek of stale smoke. Air travel used to be something people got dressed up for, a special event, now it's just like a high speed bus ride. The problem is there is no fresh air option on a plane. Again, as my previous post stated, just take a little forethought and think about how your lack of manners might affect those around you.
It is also quite obvious that TSA is understaffed. Since 2001 I have seen 2 hour security lines go down to 10 minute lines and now its back up to over an hour, and getting worse. A plane trip of less than 2 hours often takes 5 hours or more with check-in, security, baggage and the other associated headaches of air travel.
I like to think the airlines are on the verge of waking the sleeping giant. I for one will choose to drive to my vacation destinations and will only use air travel out of necessity. The stress of trying to fly at the beginning and end of a week off negates the positive aspects of the vacation.

A little personal space is all I ask.

OK here's the straw that broke this camel's back. I was in my local favorite breakfast spot. Nicko's on Florida Ave in Tampa, FL. It's a cool little greasy spoon with perfect ambience and impeccable service. For those of you who are familiar with the bistro, you will know the tables to which I will refer, for others let me describe it just a bit. This cafe is the classic american diner style, with counter service and barstools in the center, and booths around the outside. The exception is space at either end. There you will find small tables that work very well for groups of more than 4 people if they are added to the booths on either side. However, they are very close to the booths on either side, particularly when you don't know that person. I have had a number of unpleasant experiences while seated at those booths on either side of these tables. Let me convey a couple of those, starting with the most recent, which was by no means the worst, but disagreeable nonetheless. The place was rather empty, plenty of seating both in the booths and at the counter. Lo and behold where does Mr American Idol decide to plop down. You guessed it at the little table right next to the booth where I was sitting. Normally my personal envelope is very responsive to my environment. Stroll along in Times Square and it's virtually form fitting, but take me out to a nice mountain state park or a deserted beach and it may stretch out to something closer to a 200 ft radius. I do recognize that people are different, and this issue was two-fold. This fellow could first off, sat at the counter or a booth unto himself. Before you chime in, yes the booths are normally reserved for two or more, but given the number of folks in there at the time it would have been perfectly acceptable for him to occupy one himself. That was the lesser of the offenses however. No sooner did Mr I-don't-know-the-words sit down that he starts audibly humming to the background music. I mean come on you sit right on top of people and then start making noises. Did you ever stop to think that we don't want to hear it? Really, we don't. Well maybe those 200 billion americans that watch American Idol might, but not the .0001% of us that happened to be in Nicko's Saturday morning. Sit down there and keep to yourself or sit somewhere else if you want to hum, not one of the handful of places where you're forced to be only two feet away from strangers. Next incident happened a few months ago. This time when we entered we had our choice of corner booths, but no other. The crowd seems to come in waves and soon after we took our seats the place got noticably quiet as several parties departed. Thinking, wow this is gonna be nice, next thing you know, boom in come two people who are too large to fit in the booths, and where do they sit, not at the table next to the empty corner booth, NO they sit at the one next to us. I have nothing against people of larger girth, I really don't but I do have a problem with the lack of courtesy displayed by them sitting there making audible smacking noises and one of them wearing so much perfume that my eyes begin to water, right in my personal space. All I am asking is just think for a moment, the restaurant is pretty empty, I can't fit in the booth, so where would be the next less intrusive spot for me to sit? Just take that moment and think before you act. It's easy. We all have moments where we lapse, it's to be expected, but let those moments be the exception not the rule. Next time you go to the beach and the folks are spread out rather uniformly with plenty of buffer, pick a spot to match the pattern, equally apart, don't settle in with your screaming rugrats 10 feet away when the whole beach is at your disposal. I mean come on. Same thing goes when youre enjoying a park, or forest or any other public resource. While youre exercising your right to go where you want to go, sit where you want to sit and all, try exercising a little courtesy.

Let's get this party started.

OK, Here goes nothing, I am pissed off, I stay pissed off a lot. Why? Because the world is full of idiots. Self-centered, irresponsible, morons with a misguided sense of entitlement and a complete lack of common courtesy. How much forethought does it take to just stop for the briefest of moments to consider how your actions impact those around you and minimize the negative impacts of those actions from the beginning? How much, I ask...apparently way to frickin much. I am creating this blog to vent my frustrations, to be that unspoken rage we all feel when the idiot next to you on the airplane can't control his flatulence, or the chain smoker can't walk an extra 15 feet or so from the business entrance, forcing us to walk through their pollution. How about that dickweed that speeds up, cuts you off only to turn at the next driveway, and there was no one behind you? Who among us hasn't had to contend with a service person who walks temptingly near your table when you've run out of drink, but never makes eye contact? I am going to attempt to document those everyday occurences as they happen. Think of it as a support group for those of us people call Grumpy. Why is the onus always on us? Why is the perception that we are the one's with the problem, because we don't get all warm and fuzzy when people invade our personal space with their cellphone conversations, or talk obnoxiously loud during a movie? And so the saga begins.