Please allow me kind readers to step on my soap-box and get a few things off my chest.
Driving -
A vehicle can kill, as such, treat it with the respect entitled to a potential killing machine. You wouldn’t assume The Terminator would follow the lane and maintain speed while you’re talking on your cell phone, eating your food, reading your books or newspapers, yelling at your children, or just in general not paying attention, so why would you expect your automobile to?
Suggestion: Pay the extra costs for the Turn Light Options and then USE THEM! When approaching an intersection in which you intend to make a left handed turn, its considered polite (and the, ahem, Law) to indicate your intention by signalling with either your hand or turn signal indicator lights. If you fail to signal and I’m stuck behind you unable to get around your rude ass, expect a continuous blast of my horn until I can maneuver around you and potentially a finger.
We’re all in this together, so lets be courteous about it shall we? Let someone merge, is the 5 second delay really going to ruin your day? Stop for pedestrians crossing the street. (Today, there was a girl in the middle of two same direction lanes that got caught when the light changed and at least 5 cars in each lane raced past her at speeds in excess of 35 miles an hour. When I stopped to let her safely get out of traffic, I got honked at.)
The other day, I was listening to the morning radio and they were discussing a new law that will make it illegal to smoke in a closed vehicle, resulting in a $50.00 fine. Think about this. They’ll fine you for smoking, but NOT for endangering your life and the lives of everyone in your vicinity while yakking away on a mobile phone. Get a fucking hands-free headset and pay attention.
I’ll be drafting a letter to the powers that be to bring Illinois into the 21st century and have cell phones banned in cars without hands-free devices.
In most European countries, they take driving seriously and as such require more of their citizens than passing a few common-sense written questions and the ability to parallel park. Most drivers in the UK fail their first 2 driving tests. I say we need something like that here. Make the tests harder and get some of these people off the road.
Shopping
I LOVE shopping. I truly LOVE shopping. When I don’t have anything to do, I’ll head to Michigan Avenue and spend a few lovely hours browsing the wares available for purchase, while not actually considering buying anything. Anyway…
I’m bothered by the new trend catching on at finer stores everywhere, requiring shoppers to show a receipt for their purchases as they exit the facility. This afternoon, at HomoDepot, the security guard stood there and watched me scan my items, swipe my card, and grab the receipt. She also watched me put my receipt into my wallet and return my wallet to my ass pocket. As I attempted to walk out, she stopped me and asked me for my receipt. I said “You JUST watched me check out, I saw you watching me. Why on earth would you still need to see my receipt?”
“Its my job” she said as she waved her hand in my direction, prompting me to hand over the receipt.
Thank you for letting me get that off my chest. I’m going to bed now.
*note: If you type in www.homodepot.com into your web browser, it’ll actually go to the official Home Depot site. Maybe Home Depot isn’t as evil as I thought they are.
