#5 Selfish Parents

Imagine seeing this woman on the street, immaculately dressed from head to toe. Tailored suit, leather gloves, and sensible heals complete this trendy ensemble.

Now imagine her again holding the hand of this child.

It doesn't make sense does it?

This is beyond a simple irritant. I absolutely HATE it when you see a mother dripping in finery and her child is dripping in filth. It's not the kids fault either, it's the selfish parent that forgot that they are responsible for another life.

Besides the visible dirt on this kid, there are several things wrong with these images. First things first, do you see how angry her hair is, because I do. Mom is dressed for winter and her daughter still has on short sleeves. If you put on gloves before you leave the house in the morning, shouldn't you put some on your child as well?

Children are supposed to be miniaturized reflections of you; your ideals, your morals, and your philosophy. So much so, that even if your kid has no personality, a random person will be able to tell that your baby is loved enough to be kept clean.

It's irresponsible and selfish. If anything your child should go out in public looking better than you do. Don't try and stifle a kids individuality, but when there's mud on your daughter's FACE as a parent it's time for you to draw the line.

These two obviously aren't mother and daughter, but the point is real. There are irresponsible people out there that look after themselves before they meet the needs of their children and that's just foul behavior.

#50 The Tit for Tat Driver

This pet peeve might not count because I can sympathize with both parties. Nobody likes getting cut off, and I can understand the urge to get revenge, but nearly causing another accident is no way to go about it.

This is an example of a Tit for Tat driver. All is well and dandy on the road, but one thing that I've noticed about them is this type of behavior doesn't end on the highway. The Tit for Tat Driver moves around in plain sight putting relationships in jeopardy with his/her spiteful retaliations.

It's not always that one has to take the 'eye for an eye' approach to living, but try telling a TTD that in person.

Let things go, I promise your blood pressure will go down.

#47 Did you really just park next to me?

My car sits alone in the empty parking lot of 7eleven. There are countless spaces to the left and right of me. Another vehicle enters the lot and parks close enough for our car doors to have an impromptu kiss.

Why?

Why did the car park so close? Why do I now have to magician my way out of the drivers seat and crawl over to the passengers side in order to get out?

I feel like there's an unspoken rule about parking spaces that some crazies don't follow. It's like the buffer seat you leave next to you in the movie theater, on buses, planes, and in the pews at church. It's the "I don't know you," distance, and just because it's my car and not my body doesn't make a difference.

You've just invaded the space of my vehicle… for no reason.

Seriously, do you see all that space?!

Irrational Drivers #87

Police cars cause so much drama on the roads.

Everyday lawbreakers become extra cautious on the roads and slam on their breaks in the middle of the highway. Here's the clincher; the police car that has caused such an upset is NOT five feet away with a radar gun pointed at their car, it's about 72 miles away on the other end of the intersection, separated by a raised median, cars going the other direction, and is issuing a citation to another driver. You weren't abiding by the laws before, and now that you've realized no form of reprimand can come your way you continue to drive like a snail and back up your whole lane. It must be the irrational fear that the police officer, that is so far away from you, will sprout wings and nose dive into your vehicle leaving speeding tickets in the wreckage.

It's so frustrating because he can't get to you!

It is virtually impossible for a police officer to accomplish what so many people fear. There is no super power present on this earth that would allow an officer to do the following:

1. Spot your speeding car across the intersection

2. Conclude his/her ticketing process

3. Drive horizontally down vertical traffic

4. Hop the raised median

5. Catch up to your speeding car

6. Issue you a citation

I know that the simple words that I am writing won't change the mentality of drivers and their almost habitual need to inconvenience others and slow down traffic for no reason… but it was worth a try.

The places that I do find joy are with the few people i know that have taken advantage of the preoccupied cop. I have a friend that cut off a police officer, then proceeded to make an illegal right turn right in front of him because she saw that he had a full back seat. What could he do but stop her then let her go?

Nothing.

#16 The Sirens

You're driving down a residential street at a slow speed with the sun setting just beyond the horizon; smooth jazz playing on the radio as a weightless feeling settles within you. It's bliss.

Then you're smacked with the lone figure that can disturb such peace in less than ten seconds. Light perspiration on your brow and a furious heartbeat. The altercation leaves you with a slightly suicidal feeling; you'd do almost anything to get away from it. But what is it? What is this presence, this entity that takes command of your senses? The screaming sirens that deafen you and the loud red and blue lights that blind you. It's the parade of rescue, so shrill and disorienting that it could cause accidents in its wake.

Its like you're frozen before you get a chance to react; before the police car or ambulance comes charging past you. You know you're supposed to move out of the way, but what can you do? You can have a mini heart attack on the road, gather your senses, and move the hell out of the way.

For this reason alone, the split second of time that immobilizes the sane, I cannot stand emergency vehicles in action.

#11 The Song That Doesn't End

It sure annoyed my mother because I would sing this song over and over again. Unnecessary repetition can really get on your nerves, but when dealing with such an endearing figure you've got to tell the parents to "get over it!"