:: and this i know ::

A week ago I found myself in a hole-in-the-wall “restaurant” near my home. “Restaurant” in quotations because I would not categorize it as such, but with food served, and tables available, I assume this is the best choice. I was picking up food for what was to be dinner for myself and my mother, who wanted something that they were in the process of bringing out from the kitchen. In other words, I had to step aside to wait so that I could complete my order.

During this time I heard other people in line ordering their meals, some on the phone confirming orders for people, some discussing which items they would get so that they could share. You see, the thing about this place is that they serve rather large portions, portions that are surprising given the amount that they charge for their food, portions that I usually have to spread across a couple of days to finish. From what I gathered, I am not the only one who does this as I overheard a woman in line commenting that she was trying to figure out what would make the best leftovers so she could have it the following day.

In general, people were keeping to themselves, speaking either on their phones (as mentioned above) or to the people with them in line. All except for one woman, likely in her 50s. She, rather rudely, was commenting on what people were being served. No, not in terms of “that looks good,” or “is there more of that dish,” but in terms of “are you planning on eating all of that?” Yes, to strangers, she was commenting that it was too much for people to eat, even commenting that “you should just order half of that.” Some looked uncomfortable, others, like the senior citizens in front of her, ignored her. Neither reaction caused her to stop.

I am unsure what could have been said in reply to her comments. I am unsure what prompted them, whether it be a mental issue, or, as I fear, plain rudeness. I do know that due to the small size of the establishment it was not difficult to hear the various plans of people wanting to either save part of their meal for another day, or to even share their meals with others (like I was planning). I also know that it was rude for her to comment as she did to strangers. It is not even a matter of respecting your elders, it would have been out of place for her to comment on this to the teenagers who were in line behind her – the same teenagers who were raising their eyebrows trying to figure out what was wrong with this woman.

Her order, for the record, was a quart size container. Given her comments I doubt she would ever find someone willing to share. After all, if she can speak to strangers in this manner, can you imaging how she would speak to friends?

No Comments | In: wtf? | | #

5 thoughts I had in the tire shop this morning:

1. That smell better be from the work being done outside this waiting room.

2. Yes Old Man, I did see you pick up the business card with the twin females featured on the front.

3. Have these people ever thought of heat as a courtesy feature?

4. So it is not just doctors’ offices that specialize in out of date magazines.

5. That smell better not be in the car when I am finally able to leave.

No Comments | In: wtf? | | #

There seems to be a bit of an issue that my neighbors have with me.

There once was a hedge separating the driveway with their backyard. This meant that we could hear each other, good in times of need, but not see each other, great in terms of privacy. Unfortunately, age has taken its toll on the female of the household, causing a younger relative to move in to take care of her as she struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. I will give credit, and will show patience toward this individual as I know that he is in a situation that I wish upon no one.

However there is one problem. For some reason he decided to remove the hedge soon after moving into the house. Was this due to wanting to plant something else, something new? No. There has been no effort to grow anything in the backyard. True, this is their property, and I truly have no say except for when it comes to one thing. Even with the driveway separating the properties, if one stands in the corner of their backyard they are able to see my TV through the window. Given that there is an effort that has to be made to see my TV (and it would need to be completely silent to hear anything I was watching), you would think that this is not a big deal. You would be wrong.

I know when the girlfriend is visiting with her child due to the loud remarks about how she hopes that they (i.e., me) am not watching anything horrible on my TV that her kid can see. Apparently there was one time where I was watching TV and her child stood in the corner to see if she could figure out what I was watching. Granted, I do watch some adult dramas (again, not porn, but I am an avid viewer of cable dramas found on HBO, Showtime and FX), but am careful to draw the blinds when it is something truly questionable. However I am left to assume that there was something that was on my screen that she was not happy that her child was able to catch a glimpse of through my window. This means that I get to hear the comments being made about her child . . .

Her child that I assume is not present during the drunk sing-a-longs (to be honest, I do enjoy the laugh I get listening to them). Her child is also not there when in the week leading up to the fourth of July they sit around throwing fireworks at each other (I’ve seen it when parking my car). In cases like these I am mistaken when I catch a glimpse of a child playing in the yard.

I know I should be worried about just keeping my blinds down during the daytime hours on the weekends, but then again, I only have to worry about them when I know the child is around the one weekend a month. Luckily, I just have to listen to the complaints about my possible TV viewing, which are soon followed by her complaints about how she has to watch her kid for the weekend.

Yes, the glimpse of my TV will be much more damaging to your child than hearing her mother complain about having to spend time with her for one weekend a month.

No Comments | In: wtf? | | #

Things I have seen while driving:

1. A man walking a chicken on a leash.

2. A man pulled over on the side of the freeway so he could fly a kite.

3. The LAPD racing on the freeway clearing the way for the Los Angeles Bomb Squad Truck. I have no idea what they were headed toward, but I did make my way off the freeway as soon as possible. I also kept an eye out for reports on the news, but found nothing.

4. A monster on the hood of a truck. Not someone dressed like a monster, but a large, paper mache monster head on the hood. Luckily it was parked. I think I would have been too distracted if I saw it approaching in my rearview mirror.

5. Brian Austin Green driving behind me on the street. This was beyond exciting as he truly is precious to me.

No Comments | In: wtf? | | #