There’s nothing that makes one prouder or brings one more joy as a parent than new skills. I’ve slacked a bit on getting Nefarious skilled on her bike, but today I made sure to throw it in the back of the truck for when we went to the park. In the past I’d had her biking on her own, without training wheels, but today she figured out how to get herself started all by herself, with no push or start-up balancing or anything else by me. It was such a pleasure to watch her biking down the path without me, and restarting on her own after she stopped.
There are always weirdos at the park, but today there was a guy communing with the trees. He went from tree to tree, and at each one he’d “strike a pose”, usually with his hands pressed up against the trunk, but sometimes he’d hold them in the air, like a mime pressing against an invisible box, or rest them parallel to the ground, as if he was pressing down a force-field that was floating just above the surface. He’d do this for about two minutes, and then move on to the next tree… Very odd.
We went to the mall after the park, to replace the bike bell that had broken. When we were walking in, we had to walk across a crosswalk in the parking lot. There a hundred-or-so year old lady in a minivan came screaming through the parking lot at full road speed, and didn’t stop or even slow down at the crosswalk, missing Nefarious and I by about a foot. I hate bad drivers in general, but this psychopath-by-incompetence old fool is going to kill someone — illustrated by the fact that when she tore past us I punched in the side of her vehicle, loudly denting the side of her van (and skinning my knuckle). Hearing this noise, which easily could have been her hitting someone, she didn’t even slow down and kept on driving at full speed as if she neither noticed nor cared.
Anyway, we’ll be back to the park later because the band next door is playing tonight… they got a new bass player so there will be lots of noise this summer. However, now that they’re letting me know in advance it’s not too big a deal because we just go out those nights.
9 Comments
forget the 100 year olds. What about the 30-40 somethings texting while they are driving.
When you see commercial vehicle straddling the emergency lane while he/she is texting, you can only imagine that there’s a point at which someone is going to die.
It’s SHOCKING. I’ve seen people doing it far too often. Really unbelievable that someone would think that was OK.
Glad you are ok! I volunteer as a crossing guard at my kids school, I see every type of idiot driver. The one who really KILL me are the ones who are TEXTING while driving…that guy missed me my a hair! I had just pushed kids out of the way. I tried to throw the HUGE METAL stop sign I have…I still don’t think he’d have noticed.
Yesterday I watched a guy cross two lanes of the Turnpike and cross over the outside lane divider. Followed him for a few miles at 0ver 80 as he careened wildly. When I finally got abreast of him he was fiddling with his blackberry. With both hands.
here in Ohio, there are cities that are banning not just talking on yuor cell while driving (requiring a bluetooth or something) but also texting. if a cop sees it, you’re ticketed. Banned already in Cleveland, but Bowling Green tried to pass it too earlier this year (it failed).
I’m glad you 2 are ok too. Too bad you didn’t have a pad and pen with you – to record the license plate. (but then again, the safety of both of you is 100000% more important).
As far as the whole cellphone thing… A few yrs ago I was in the car with someone who went through a red light becasue of being on their cellphone. Because of that (and other incidents I have heard of ) I refuse to answer my cellphone when driving. I tell people that if they call me while I’m driving, leave a message and I’ll get back when I’m not driving. It is too easy for people to get distracted from driving when using a cellphone. I live in Ohio too, and I hope that one day texting and being on the phone (without the proper hands free devices) are things that a cop can pull a person over for. My way of thinking is this: If you are worried about getting a call or sending a text – then who is concerned about driving? Multitasking while driving is not a good idea.
You should have got her number plate and reported the stupid cow.
Some old people can be menaces on the road for many different reasons. You normally see them driving big spanking posh cars at 30mph in a 60mph zone with a queue of traffic behind them eager to get past.
If you’re right behind them you normally see a few big mops of hair sticking up and the occasional glance of a bald head.
When you’re finally able to get past without causing a head-on-collision, you manage a quick glance to the left and what do you see?
About four almost static-looking figures driving as if they’re stuck in some kind of timewarp. Physically they’re in 2009 but mentally they’re still living in the 1950′s.
The world is going on around them and they’re seem almost oblivious to the fact.
You’re always getting pulled by the police for stupid, petty little things – like having no mud flaps.
The truth is that this old woman has probably been driving like a fool for years and has so far managed to evade the law. Chances are she will continue to go on driving like a fool unless someone manages to report her.
There’s never a cop around when you want one, is there?
ive put a few dents in cars that way myself. only once did the driver stop…not to check if we were OK, but to try to beat us up. i pointed out that he almost killed some people and he just said. ‘you fucker kicked my car!!’
dillholes
on another note, whats so strange about communing with trees?havent you mentioned seeing auras and such?
to each thier own.
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