Eric’s Blog

I get it, we live in weird times. That doesn’t mean life stops though. What happened to being courteous, kind, merciful, or compassionate? Just because 2020 sucks doesn’t mean the people living in it have to be jerks to one another. Stop acting so entitled and treat your fellow human-beings with respect.

One of the biggest things I’ve seen lately is how people drive.

I’m in the car, just diddy-bopping down the road, listening to a book or a podcast, on my way to one of the three places I’m allowed to go (home, work, or store), and a vehicle at a cross-intersection pulls out in front of me without fully stopping first.

Okay, no biggie. Oh wait…OH CRAP!!! HUGE BIGGIE!!! DUDE FIND THE GAS-PEDAL!!! BRAKES, BRAKES, BRAKES, CLUTCH, CLUTCH, CLUTCH!!!

I don’t mind you pulled out in front of me. I’m not in a rush; I usually go everywhere with the cruise set at the speed limit or five over. I even slow down and speed up in areas where the speed limit changes using the cruise control. I don’t care if you get there before me or not; trust me, I’m in no rush to get to the office. What I do mind is that you pulled out in front of me without gauging how fast I was travelling, and you decide to do your own thing at your own pace.

Hint: your pace is not my pace. If you’re going to pull out in front of me like that, “Get on her Mel!” In other words, put the pedal to the metal! You’re joining traffic, it should go without saying that it is courteous of you accelerate to the speed others are travelling, not slow everyone down to a crawl. Or, be kind enough to let me go by first, then join traffic. At least gauge how fast traffic is travelling before you creep out into the flow of things.

One dude actually pulled out in front of me going to the island the other day, I passed him on the way to the gate, then he realized he couldn’t go through the gate and flipped a U-turn right before the gate. That’s not a big deal really, but anyone who knows this area knows were Wallops is and knows you can’t get through if you don’t have the right access. This dude pulled out in front of me from a local livestock area/granary just down the road from the main gate. He had to have known what was down there. Why pull-out in front of me just to slow me down, make me pass him, and then turn around at the gate?

Parking is another big thing I’ve noticed lately.

I haven’t been to WALMART since February. I hate that store, I hate big crowds, and I’m becoming less than fond of people in general lately. This past weekend, the wife and I stopped by to pick a few things up from there because we were in the area.

I put my best foot forward, my mask on, and stepped out into sweltering heat to go in a place I don’t like to purchase produce. On the way to the entrance, I notice a car parked by the handicapped parking spot that didn’t have handicapped tags or the placard on the mirror. Not that they needed it, they were just by the handicapped spots. They were actually parked on the yellow, diagonal lines next to the handicapped spots that provide enough area for people to get their wheelchairs in and out of vehicles.

This one really steamed my broccoli. Who the hell do you think you are? You’re so important that you get to park your car where there is clearly no spot, without proper authorization, affecting people with disabilities who need those spots? Again, where does this sense of entitlement come from?

The generally nasty way human beings treat one another.

I’ve had issues with this one for years. People are just nasty towards one another. My wife and daughter were in line at the local ice-cream parlor wearing masks and the girls beside them weren’t social-distancing, and weren’t wearing masks. My wife said something to them about it and received the reply, “Well, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.” They were also quoted as having said, “I’m over this whole Corona-virus thing,” and, “it’s just a hoax you know.”

I’m glad I wasn’t there, because I would have made a scene. My poor daughter (sorry kiddo, you get your lack of emotional control from me), almost said something to them, but my wife stopped her.

Don’t care what you think about COVID-19, back-off my grill! I’m allowed to have personal space, virus or no virus. My family should be entitled to that also; instead we have to stand in line with the cattle and take your verbal abuse because our beliefs are different than yours? What the hell man!

I like to think of myself as a fairly reasonable individual. I strive to, “Seek first to understand”, but when I have an opinion, it seems that I’m racist, or hedonistic, or intolerant, or a misogynist. You know something, I’m getting sick of it. I’m getting sick of putting up with crap from people because it’s the right thing to go, but it’s okay for you to treat me like a dog that just crapped on the middle of the living room carpet on Christmas morning. It’s unfair and wrong.

What really steams your broccoli? Let me know in the comments below, don’t forget to hit like if you enjoy my ramblings, and follow me for more content.