The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a call-in column called "The Vent" where people can call up and complain about their lives, their days, etc. That's what this thread is supposed to be...but keep in mind that it's supposed to be in good humor and somewhat civil, rather than merely name-calling at someone whose posts you don't care for.

My vents:

1. People who don't pay attention to pedestrians at crosswalks. Cars who think stopsigns are optional if there are no other cars waiting. I've been nearly hit at least five times this summer by idiots who think that they can roll through me and my dog because we don't have four wheels and headlights.

2. People who don't know how to yield: Missouri drivers apparently think yield means speed up and cut off those who you were supposed to yield to.

3. College students who approach a general (liberal arts) education with an "I don't understand why we have to study this subject" attitude. Fill in your subject: history, composition, or, my subject, philosophy. Part of the project of an education is to get a broad base of knowledge, in lots of different areas, not just to focus on one strand of thought.

Well PE, I totally agree with the first two! I ride my bicycle to and from work every day, and drivers who have forgotten the rules of the road really piss me off! I don't have a license, but I have taken drivers lessons, so I know the rules well. People who don't stop when turning right at a stop sign, and drivers who don't signal their lane changes would be two of my biggest peeves on the road. Oh, and of course people who don't check for cyclists before opening their door after parking. As far as the third point, I do tend to disagree a little, but only a little. I think the purpose of elementary and secondary school is to provide a general education, and post-secondary should encourage more specialization. Everyone should have a solid base of all-around knowledge to survive in society, but I think the elite of a certain subject should be focusing on that subject almost exclusively. I feel this would lead to more inventions and technological (as well as philosophical)advancements. I mean seriously, where are the flying cars, teleporters and time-machines we all expected by now?

It sounds like your worst nightmare might be a freshman liberal-arts major driving in the parking lot while you're walking to your car (with or without your dog.) Your first two vents would probably be seconded by all drivers and "legal" pedestrians. As time goes by, you will find more people driving more-dangerously each year. Another thing which bothers me is a pedestian walking through a red light or in the middle of a large street. Even if they don't get hit, it's a smash-up car accident waiting to happen for the nice person who waits for them to get across.

Hey, pE or S, have you received any CARE packages lately from your fellow RedBird fan? I'm still waiting on a little reciprocity (package-wise); I don't really need any outside-(of my wife) strokin', although I wouldn't be above accepting some, if it was the right kind (WTF?)

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Originally posted by Smenkharon:
I think the purpose of elementary and secondary school is to provide a general education, and post-secondary should encourage more specialization. Everyone should have a solid base of all-around knowledge to survive in society, but I think the elite of a certain subject should be focusing on that subject almost exclusively. I feel this would lead to more inventions and technological (as well as philosophical)advancements. I mean seriously, where are the flying cars, teleporters and time-machines we all expected by now?

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This is a good point, S. It's funny: academics tend to be of two types; teachers and researchers. Those who like teaching usually don't like researching, and those who research usually hate dealing with students. I'm in the former camp. But you're right...specialization is good. I guess my point should be more narrow: students in a traditional liberal-arts program should expect a fairly broad range of classes, at least as freshmen and sophomores. But, of course, there are more specialized programs and schools out there for those who really know, at 18,what they want to do. But I'm not sure many people stick with what the want to do at age 18.

Of course, there are also the opposite cases: "great books" schools where NOBODY majors and there are no class selections or electives. These students, from my encounters with them, seem to come out well prepared for a multiplicity of fields.

I agree, though, that post-sec education needs to encourage specialization. It usually does, after the first or second year: juniors and seniors get a boatload of courses in the majors and minors. More specialization, starting at the freshmen level, would be fine with me if I was confident that all incoming freshmen had gotten a good high school education. The sad fact is, not all (not many?) do. I'm continually shocked at how many students here at WU (a top 10 undergrad university) are seriously lacking basic reading comp and writing skills. Most of them were top 1% in their high schools.

But, enough of this! I'm being a whiny academic, something I NEVER want to be. The majority of my students are great, hard-working, and seem to care about what I'm traching them. The few who think they deserve to skip my class may have good reason to. They're probably smarter than me.

And, S, I'm SO on-board with the teleporter. I'm tired of the 9 hour drive from St. Louis to Atlanta!

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:

1. People who don't pay attention to pedestrians at crosswalks. Cars who think stopsigns are optional if there are no other cars waiting. I've been nearly hit at least five times this summer by idiots who think that they can roll through me and my dog because we don't have four wheels and headlights.

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PE:

What you have to do is this: Anticipate the car blowing off the sign, let the car get really close to you, and fake like you got hit in a really over-the-top way while you throw your back-pack or keys or whatever onto his car. I've done that kind of thing a couple of times and screwed up a couple of paint jobs. One time, I forced a car to screetch to a halt, and I unnecessarily jumped on to his hood, causing it to cave in... ha! Sound a little unhinged?? Sure, but I hate it just as much as you do, and perhaps secretly wish I had become a stuntperson.

I hate bicyclists that drive in the road and then when a red light hits they jump up on the crosswalk and go through the light.Then they proceed to jump back out on the street.

I have seen it cause 2 accidents on the seattle waterfront.

I also agree that like nobody stops for people at ceosswalks.But around here 5-O sets up a kind of sting op and nabs people that run through the crosswalk when an undercover try to walk through.Once the pedestrian is actually one foot in you are required to stop...and if u dont u could get a ticket.Like cops are searchin gthat out frantically though.


Oh yeah...i also hate soccer moms who think their priorities are more important than anyone elses and it allows them to drive like idiots.


Time is already up?Ok i will see ya next time doc!

TGIf

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Originally posted by Imprezu21:
I hate bicyclists that drive in the road and then when a red light hits they jump up on the crosswalk and go through the light.Then they proceed to jump back out on the street.

I have seen it cause 2 accidents on the seattle waterfront.

I also agree that like nobody stops for people at ceosswalks.But around here 5-O sets up a kind of sting op and nabs people that run through the crosswalk when an undercover try to walk through.Once the pedestrian is actually one foot in you are required to stop...and if u dont u could get a ticket.Like cops are searchin gthat out frantically though.

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I'd like to see that sting operation here, especially near Forest Park and Tower Grove Park, two of the larger, nicer city parks.

And then there's the great bike debate. A series of angry letters and calls were exchanged in my local paper about the status of bikes on the road, but I have to concur with Imprezu: if you want to be on the street, then you need to follow the rules of the road as if you were a car. If you ride on the sidewalk, then you are a pedestrian. You can't have it both ways. The road bikers in my part of the STL seem to totally ignore stop signs, stop lights, and any other interferences when they're on their way to wherever it is they're going. And if you honk at them for running a sign or a light, YOU get the finger. You're the asshole simply because you're in a car.

I respect and appreciate those who can bike rather than drive, but I'm tired of them wanting to play both sides: either you're considered a vehicle or a pedestrian, not both.

This is the point where angry bikers can insult my gas-guzzling ways to distract from the point.

A thread worth reviving maybe?

CRAAAAAAP! Who invented friggin' Legos?! Because I wanna shove these things down their throat! Those damn things hurt like hell when ya step on 'em with bare feet! Those darn kids! Why is it they can't pick up every single block? Are they that hard to keep track of? Honestly?! I've thrown away, what seems like, hundreds of these damn things and they keep popping up beneath the soles of my bare-flippin'-feet! I keep checking my foot to see if it's bleeding because it hurts so friggin' bad! THOSE CORNERS ARE REALLY PAINFUL!!!!!!!!! Oh, and don't think Duplos are any better because they have more surface area. They feel like someone just tried to $#@%*^! punch through the bottom of your $#@%*^! foot!

Oh Monkey, that is why you give children books, not useless blocks of plastic.

nah thats why you make them keep the legos in their room.

btw legos are awesome.

People on the road shit me! I’m considering making a whole bunch of additional novelty car horns that yell abrupt, but necessary comments for specific situations. Almost every day, I come across at least one of these scenarios:

Someone changes lanes without indicating/signalling or checking their blind spot, thus almost ramming me off the road. Horn: “LEARN HOW TO DRIVE!”

Someone ridiculously speeding and ends up tailgating me (that’s when I start to decrease my speed, and box them in if they try to over take me). Assholes! Horn: “STOP SPEEDING ASSHOLE!”

Someone driving all over the road at inconsistent speeds because they’re too busy talking on their mobile phone. Horn: “CONCENTRATE OF THE ROAD!”

Someone who can’t stay in one lane. Horn: “PICK A LANE!”

Seriously though, no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. What really frustrates me is the arrogance, when someone is clearly in the wrong, and they refuse to admit it, for example: the other day I’m at a red light, there is one guy in front of me, then the light turns green, 5 seconds later the dude still hasn’t taken off, so I give the guy a quick beep to wake him up, with no attitude whatsoever, and he gives me the finger, then flaws the pedal and burns rubbing taking off, he sure showed me.

Wow. I am suffering from insomnia and I refreshed this page and my gosh. El J'Shed, your post has to be one of the funniest ones I have read in such a long time. It's 3 o'clock in the morning here and I had to cover my mouth and bury it so I didn't wake any up, I was literally laughing out loud. Wow, thanks for that.

The house rule is : ALL TOYS REMAIN IN THE BEDROOM, but my kids are 3 & 4 years old and are constsntly wandering out of their rooms with their new lego creations. I didn't buy 'em the things, it was the in-laws. I woulda waited a few years (I LOVED Legos as a kid), when they FULLY understood the concept of putting stuff back where you got it.

Oh, yeah, El. I can't stand those who don't seem to understand the simple courtesy in following some basic rules either. However... I am one completely against laying on the horn or cussing out the idiot that just did the dumbest thing imaginable because you just have NO CLUE who you're attempting to piss off!

My wife is a horn-honker. I can't stand it when she's in the driver's seat because she honks at the slightest infraction! It's extremely nerve-racking... and got us chased one frikkin' night! We had just gotten onto the highway when a car full o' folks cut her off. She didn't just honk at 'em, she flippin' came up on the side of 'em and layed on her horn! What did they do? They slammed on their brakes and swerved behind us! At this point, I'm pissed. It's late at night and I'm not feeling well (I was scheduled for an operation in a few days), and now I might be getting my @ss kicked because my wife JUST HAD to make sure that these guys knew she disapproved of their driving? How fair is this?! I tell her to wait until the last possible second and then swerve onto our exit ramp. What does she do? She turns on her friggin' turn signal a mile before the exit!!!!!!! I was all, "If I end up getting my @ss kicked, we're getting a divorce! I cannot believe you just did that! What are you doing?! Take the third exit AND DON'T USE YOUR SIGNAL!!!" When we get close to the exit... she slows down! I had to step on the gas myself to force her to make a right turn without stopping! The stress was unbearable!

Don't ask me how we ended up losing 'em. I doubt it was because of my coaching because the girl didn't listen to a word I said without making some HUGE mistake that let our pursuers know what we planned to do next. They probably only wanted to freak us out, but I've been involved in a few other late night car chases (and one daylight one) and I was able to keep the reason of the pursuits a mystery. I've seen some crazy crap on the news 'round here and I'd rather NOT end up a late-breaking story, ya know what I'm typin'? What's insane is that she didn't learn her lesson and she STILL honks at EVERYBODY!

I just wish I could understand the thrill of honking your horn, but I don't see a point unless it's to warn someone of something that would cause an accident unless they HEARD your horn beforehand. Like when I first got The Truck. I didn't know it, but when I put the top down, I had a blindspot on the passenger side. I was attempting to change lanes, when I suddenly heard a horn! I then swerved back into my lane and was able to see that there was a small car right next to me! The way the top folds back causes it to obstruct my view of anything directly on my side, just behind the seat. My hearing the horn PREVENTED an accident. EVERYTIME my wife honks her horn, it's AFTER the person has ALMOST caused an accident, but didn't. So why does she honk her horn? I DON'T KNOW! There's no real reason the offender NEEDS to know what they did. Chances are they either have NO IDEA what you're mad about or they KNOW and don't care.

It's also nerve-racking if you can't help what's going on with your car and those jerks are honking at you. Like you can do anything about it! Like the time I was trying to drive a stick in the friggin' snow for the first time! I can't stand driving a stick, but it was the only car I could afford for delivering pizzas in. I found that when I hit a slick spot, the thing needed to change gears when the tires sped up. But after you changed gears, the tires got a grip and the car would shut down or give me some other stupid problem that kept me stranded in one spot for several minutes! Some jerk came up behind me and just layed on their horn like there was no tomorrow and I just wanted to get out and smash his figgin' windsheild! I didn't need their horn to remind me there were people behind me! It wasn't like I was enjoying this! If I coulda moved, I woulda, dag-nab-it!

I will give a short honk at green light-stallers, though. That's just annoying! Ya know there was this one time I had one where the person NEVER moved and I couldn't go around 'em because of the way the road was set up! I was forced to sit through 2 light rotations!

Oh, yeah. Always tip your delivery drivers! If you guys think you have it bad whenever you're on the road, imagine somebody who's on it for most of their job! I have thousands of these kinda "stupid/jerk driver" stories, all because I delivered pizzas for 8 years. It's why I'm a DEFENSIVE driver. I'm ALWAYS expecting the person next to me to be a moron.

quote:

Originally posted by El J'Shed:

Someone ridiculously speeding and ends up tailgating me (that’s when I start to decrease my speed, and box them in if they try to over take me). Assholes! Horn: “STOP SPEEDING ASSHOLE!”

I like to hold these people behind me a nice long while so they are really good and hot, and then I slowly merge over and release them right as we enter a speed zone that is monitored by cops. This has actually succeded in getting at least one of them pulled over as they gun it and angrily try to fly around me.

I feel bad about it though. Because, hey, I've been in a hurry before too, and who knows what was going on in their life. But I know deep down, they are typically just jerks, and it's not worth it to kill yourself and others on the highway.

quote:

I like to hold these people behind me a nice long while so they are really good and hot, and then I slowly merge over and release them right as we enter a speed zone that is monitored by cops.

Oh I am so going to use that.

people who fart in public places are crude. I have never done such a thing.

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Originally posted by rockthief:
people who fart in public places are crude. I have never done such a thing.

Yeah, farting hasn't been cool since the '80s.

At least that's what I think. Of course I was in grade school in the '80s so my perspective might be skewed.

Oh, this really fries my hash! I live 2 blocks from my in-law's. They've recently had a problem with the kids in their part of the neighborhood. They don't like them dragging their basketball goal in front of their neighbor's house because the kids run through her yard and tear up her fence. (Actually, it's metal posts holding up some ropes.) So, what did they do? They called and nagged the city until NO KIDS COULD HAVE A BASKETBALL GOAL AT ALL! My wife's mother actually tried to argue with me about how UNFAIR it would be to only take the goals away from a few and not others, but I kept making the point that it isn't FAIR to the kids that DON'T MESS WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S YARDS AND THINGS! Like the kids that live across the street from me. They play out there all day and have NEVER been a bother, but now they have to trash their goal because my wife's parents made sure they couldn't play in the street. Her mother kept making the ridiculous point that it's dangerous for the kids to play in the street anyway. In a RESIDENTIAL street? With HARDLY any traffic? What person reading this didn't grow up playing in the street in their neighborhood? It's like everyone just forgets what it was like being a kid! How does THAT happen?! I'm 30 and I can still understand their point of view and sympathize with 'em!

Ya see, the most messed up thing about all of this is that we live on a hill. The reason the kids 'round here drag their goals around and play in the street is because they have to find some level ground to play on. Our backyards are made up of steep hills. Not flat areas. Same with our driveways. There aren't any parks for at least 5 miles. So what the crap are these poor kids supposed to do all day? My mother-in-law actually had the nerve to put the burden on their parents, saying, "The parents have to take responsibility for their children and take them where they can play basketball properly." Um... How many of YOU PARENTS have the time to drive your kids to the park whenever they wanna go play? How many of you kids would be willing to play basketball AFTER walking OVER 5 miles, knowing you'd have to walk back?! Then she said that we should petition the city to raise taxes and build a park nearby. WHY?! We already had the kids taken care of and it cost the city and taxpayers absoloutely NOTHING!

I really don't like these people. I mean, if they were at least a little sad that they ruined it for the "good kids", I wouldn't be as pissed at 'em. But they aren't! They actually think this is best for the neighborhood. If this was a neighborhhod full of seniors, it would be, but it isn't. Nearly every home in the 'hood has kids! I can't wait until we move away from these pompous jerks. Anything for their OWN happiness and who cares 'bout anyone else, huh?

eh, my family drives me crazy. Why is it that because I don't conform and listen to garbage music and watch pointlessly dumb television programs that I'm the weird one?

My little brother (he is one year younger than I) just walked up to the computer and is like 'let me show these videos!' I didn't ask to be bothered, I didn't ask to see any videos. So he goes to Youtube (I was immediately skeptical) and then finds a couple viral videos that I'm apparently supposed to like.

Bo Burnham was the first place he went. It's some incredibly white kid with parody rap and a bad pun per second. Yuck.

The second video was another horrid viral video featuring a baby biting a little boy to which the little boy does his best Forrest Gump impersonation. I get it, kids are cute, now leave me the fuck alone, seriously.

Why am I the bad guy? Because I don't want to watch American Idol or Tila Tequila with you? Get real.

Jesus, I'm not an asshole but my family makes me feel like one.


Your mother in law sounds like a wench, Monkey.