Tuesday, January 30, 2007


There's this massive bird nest in one of the biggest trees on my property. I think I'm going to tell maintenance to not interfere with it, although I don't think anyone's living there right now.

In news unrelated to this huge nest, an African white-backed vulture escaped from the Dallas Zoo this weekend. I suspect that turkey is halfway to Brazil by now.

More cold weather coming - NICE!

Here's a modern problem I wonder if anyone else has experienced: I went to a restaurant today and miracle of miracles - the best parking spot in the joint was sitting demurely, all come-hither and I drove right into the spot. I gathered up my bag and my book and I opened the door and *HONK! HONK! HONK!* my car alarm sounded and kept going off for about 30 seconds. THen it stopped for about ten seconds and started honking again. I pushed the red button on the remote and it wouldn't stop. I put the key in the ignition - nothing. Diners are staring out of the windows and giving me the universal *screw-you* stylings of the hairy eyeball, and I'm scrambling through the owner's manual whilst simultaneously dialing my father. Seriously - it was going off and on for about 5 minutes straight by the time we finally got it sorted. I'm the kind of person who can think well under pressure, but this was so incredibly distracting that I read the words aloud from the manual to dad, and he told me to do what the book said - I literally couldn't process it! Fortunately, being addled like that is a rarity for me. What can you do but laugh?

There was a guy, a reverend of some sort, in my class this weekend who was like that. The teacher had us work in groups of 2 or 3, and we were only a few chairs apart and we were obvious partners. I would announce the correct answer to him, and then he would argue with me. I finally stuck my finger in my ear nearest him and just did my own work without discussing it with him. At the time we were to check our work against the answer key in the back of the book, he announced to me "We got number 8 and number 11 wrong." I said "I didn't. I answered them correctly."

Sometimes someone's yammering bossy voice distracts you and makes it hard to think. Sometimes some dickhead's car alarm disrupts your meal. Sometimes, your car/pet/child is dead set on behaving badly in public. I figure you've just got to stick your finger in your ear and get on with it anyway, and hopefully you don't get kicked off the plane/island/planet.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could be a squirrel's nest.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I had something similar happen while Eva and I were waiting for the hubby in the car, whilst he ducked into the liquor store. He must have hit the alarm on the car keys in his pocket and we (in the car) could not get the blasted thing to stop. We weren't disrupting anyone's meal, but people were glaring at us as they passed, and the hubby says he was in the store wondering who the hell the asshole with the horn was.

Anonymous said...

I hate to say it, but that sounds like karma babe. I mean, right up front like that? Karma. Don't mean to infer anything, but damn.

Anonymous said...

I mean the Honk! Honk! Honk!

Karma.

And that's a great move with the finger.

phlegmfatale said...

g bro - he may already have sold some!

barbara - *L* great story! What can you do? Nothing.

fathairybastard - Karma? I guess that means I haven't been getting enough attention lately, right? :) Sweet little lamb like me? Definitely. Let's just say that when I go back to class, I'm taking some earplugs, too.

Anonymous said...

It was ether a shitty accident that just happened to throw you into a tizzy right there in front of everyone where you'd be the most embarrassed, or someone was trying to send you a message. I prefer the whole "shit happens" idea personally.