Smudger Snippets
Created | Updated Nov 16, 2006
I suppose it's because I have so much time on my hands these days that all these memories come flooding back to me.
Typical
I have not been giving my full attention to my computer recently as we have been going through a rather stressful time over the past few months.
It seems that it all stems from our next door neighbour. We had politely asked him to keep his dog quiet a few months ago, as it barks constantly all day and night keeping us awake, only to get a mouthful of abuse and threats of violence from him. So we contacted the police along with the council and they are now taking action to have the dog taken away from him. Once he received the letter from the council informing him of this, he then went and paid one of the local junkies twenty pounds to put our window in.
Luckily for us, he took the money but did not carry out the job himself; he gave the job to some one else. The person who took the money is now going to tell the police that he was, in fact, paid to do it, which will now give the police all the evidence they need to prosecute him. Our neighbour then went and found another person and paid them to do it again, in fact it has been done eight times as mentioned in my 'Is This Living' thread. At present we are still waiting the outcome of it all, as the police do not seem to be in a hurry to do anything just now.
The cost of all this is to us has not only been a living hell it has also caused us a lot of stress, let alone the fact that we might not be able to get house insurance ever again as our window has been replaced five times now. The whole frame had to be replaced the last time as it was twisted out of shape by the force of the brick coming through the window. We have also had to claim for damage done inside the house as the missiles have come right through the window and broken items of furniture.
Anyway, I digress from the subject, yet you can understand that my mind is fully occupied with other matters. Have you ever noticed that the police always put up that yellow tape with the warning on it saying 'crime scene do not cross' yet everyone who turns up to the scene just lifts it and walks under it? So why bother to put it up? I have noticed this along with other instances, like a hole in the road. No one bothers to go near it when they see it but, as soon as someone puts up the barrier with a warning sign on it, they always go over to have a look in. Why?
Also, when someone is working up on a ladder no one bothers to look up, yet when the person comes down and is standing around at the base of the ladder, the passer by will look up?
Why is it that most people go into a zombie mode as soon as they enter a large store or supermarket? Not only do they do this with their cars as they drive round looking for a parking bay - at which point, by the way, all courtesy they show out on the road has gone - and it's the survival of the fittest. They also do it when they get behind the large trolley they have selected. The trolley seems to replace the car they have just left parked across two bays in the car park. They stroll aimlessly up the centre of the aisle, without a care for the person behind trying desperately to get passed, and about two inches from the heels of the person in front of them. Then they will stop suddenly without warning, abandon the over-sized trolley and go over to look at an item which they then replace after spending all the time just looking at it.
The worst is yet to come. You have just found a gap through which you hope to get past this moron and then they see a friend coming towards them so they both stop bang in the middle of the aisle to have a chat! All is not yet over! This very same person you have collided with over the past hour or so, who you have tried your best to keep away from, beats you to the checkout. Then they start to empty said trolley, but only because the lady at the till had pushed the sign with 'next customer please' up to them, otherwise they would just stand there all day. So they have stood there waiting patiently, as have you, as the person in front gets ready to leave - which is usually a few minutes or so - yet at no point have they made any effort to get their wallet or purse out. Then, and only then, will they start the dreaded cheque book hunt! This normally happens after the checkout person has ran all their shopping through the till, during which time they have just stood there making no effort to get things ready to pay.
'I know it's in here somewhere' they say, as they tip the whole contents out onto the conveyor belt then, horror of all horrors, they either cannot find their credit card or they cannot remember the pin number that goes with it. At this point you feel yourself filling up with rage yet you simply step back when they stand on your toes as they look for the item that has just fallen off the belt and rolled into some obscure corner never again to see the light of day.
Yes but all hope is not lost. Not only have you seen the last of the person as they struggle away from the checkout, but also you are soon to be greeted by the poor checkout lady who has only had to suffer that person for a few minutes. She sits there and still manages to force a smile, which is very surprising as she has probably met quite a few others of that kind during her shift so far. Yet the dread of all dreads waits in the back of your mind that you will probably find that, when you return to your car after the whole frustrating incident is behind you, he'll be there trying to squeeze past your car after his poor attempt at parking earlier. Back and forth he goes with the engine revving and people diving for cover to get out of his way. Why do these people park in areas where they know they lack the driving skills to drive out of? This is probably the last thing you ever expected when you saw him disappear into the crowd, probably clipping a few more heels on the way, after leaving the check out. Yet the last words you heard from the checkout lady as they echo in your head, were 'Have a nice day and thank you for shopping with us'.
