School Buses, Nice Guys, and Billboards…
W H I N Y W E D N E S D A Y
I think I have a few complaints today that we can all get behind.
SCHOOL BUSES
I’m not bothered by school buses in general. I don’t mind so much, that they’re slow and make numerous stops whenever I have to get somewhere in a hurry. (…like McDonald’s to get an Egg McMuffin before they switch over to the lunch menu, or Curves to get a good spot in the back for Zumba, etc.) But I digress….
The thing that annoys me is when the school bus pulls up to the railroad track, almost ON the track, and opens the door to see if a train is coming. Really? Who’s the genius behind this safety measure? Wouldn’t it seem safer to hurry through the railroad crossing, trusting instead, the flashing railroad arms? It just seems that if a train were coming, that the bus would be sucked in to the wind tunnel vortex created by the speeding locomotive, and with the door open like that? Well, somebody could get hurt. Hey, if the railroad arms are good enough for regular civilian cars then it should be good enough for a bus load of children. Right?
Is it just me or does this look unsafe?
MR. NICE GUY
This is the guy who lets 10 cars cut in front of him during a green light when he has 30 cars behind him who’ve been waiting patiently to get through the intersection. Yeah, you know this guy. He’s the very same one who lets the person with one or two items cut to the front of the line at the grocery store check out. Now, don’t get me wrong, these actions wouldn’t be bad if his “nice guy” routine was a solo venture, if he was alone in line or if there were no other cars behind him. Then, by all means, feel free to let the masses jump in front of you. But when you inconvenience other people in the process, well, you’re not a good-deed-doer, you’re just annoying. Who put you in charge? (I won’t mention that when it’s me that he’s letting through, I don’t really have a problem with Mr. Nice Guy. It’s only when I’m on the flip side of his Robin Hood act, that I get angry.)
Also, notice that I never described this person as a woman. Women don’t have the same need to direct traffic that men do. It’s not in our DNA.
BILLBOARDS
Billboards are ugly. Even with a picture of a rolling meadow or bouquet of flowers on them, they’re still unsightly. These giant advertisements that block a portion of the sky make me mad. I’ll go out of my way to avoid whatever it is they’re selling. They have the reverse of the desired effect on me. I bet the marketing people don’t take that sort of high level reverse psychology into consideration when they create these ads, huh? And I’m guessing I’m not alone. Just so you know, I refuse to visit the Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Joliet, Illinois, eat Dinty Moore Beef Stew or use Missychandler.com as my realtor. EVER! And I’m sure as hell not going to the Tractor Charity and Road Show!
Is this really necessary?
While doing my Billboard research I just discovered that in Hawaii, Billboards are illegal! Good for Hawaii! Hawaiians have got it going on, don’t they?
You gave me a grin today. Thanks!
Thanks Cathie! I always struggle to come up with something funny and usually it’s something as unremarkable as school buses. haha!
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This post counts as a billboard I reckon.
Maybe a little lol
I would have to agree. Pretty cheeky, given my stance on billboards, huh?
“The thing that annoys me is when the school bus pulls up to the railroad track, almost ON the track, and opens the door to see if a train is coming. Really? Who’s the genius behind this safety measure?”
Thank you for making this bitter soul smile especially after the day I had!
And I agree about the cars, I don’t mind people letting on person out but when they’re just sat there not moving I saw revving my engine at him while shouting obsenities out of the window. It’s how it’s done.
I’m gonna try and be more like you next time that happens. I’m gonna channel my inner Pete! haha! One day, who knows when, there are people that I’d love to meet. You’re one of them. : )
Yay! Well hopefully when I win millions of *insert relevant currency here* I shall move us all to a private island, only accessible by my favourite WordPress members 😀 and we can blog every day about how we DON’T have any worries.
That sounds good to me!
Haha about Harrah’s. Such a quality joint. But yeah, school buses are the most annoying when they stop on the tracks. That kind of thing should be illegal by now. Mr. Nice Guy is kind of similar to my hatred of pedestrians. I never give them the right of way, unless I’m a pedestrian, in which case I deserve to cross the street whenever I like.
Haha! I like how we get annoyed only when we’re inconvenienced! The Mr. Nice Guy thing really irks me cause they think they’re being such good citizens meanwhile everyone else is so angry with them.
Yes, why DO school busses run up to the tracks and STOP? Such a good question. You should write a letter.
I know, right? It looks more dangerous than if hey just went through like a normal car.
It’s weird.
One of my best friend here in Milwaukee had her 18-month-old twins get run over by a bus. Oooppps, bus driver forgot to engage the emergency brake when it was parked on a hill. Twins barely survived. They are 12-years-old now and by the grace of God are functioning pre-teens. But, seriously?
When we lived in Gainesville, Florida the main artery in and out of our town was I-75. There was this huge billboard sandwiched in the grove of trees that advertised the nearby strip-club. The three girls on the billboard were all dressed “preppy.” White shirts, silk ties around the Peter Pan collars and blazers. An oxymoron in full tilt.
This blog was hysterical on so many levels. Many thanks!
School buses seem like an accident waiting to happen. How scary for the twins. I’m sure they have a little post traumatic stress syndrome when they see that yellowy orange bus coming. Haha!
Billboards should be banned. Do we really need advertisement up in the sky while we’re driving? It’s so ugly, isn’t it? Imagine how much more pristine our roadways would feel without them?
The strip club ones are especially offensive and distracting. I’m sure there have been some accidents along I-75, am I right? Yuck! Haha!
The thing with the school buses is mind boggling in it’s stupidity.
– If the train is coming the driver presumably drives off the tracks.
– If the train isn’t coming then… what?
The crazy thing is that they do it as a safety measure? The only thing less safe would be asking the kids to disembark and play a game of tag on the tracks!
When I’m sitting in my car behind this lunacy I don’t know whether to laugh or scream.
Hawaii is calling your name. Aloha=Lisa in secret Hawaii language.
If only it did! Hawaii keeps popping up on my radar lately – I think I need to plan a little trip….
I never knew school buses did the door opening thing. I knew they’d stop on the train tracks. I always assumed it was the driver thinking “Today’s the day. Today’s the day I get on the news.” Then someone honks and he gives up.
The only good billboard I ever saw had former major leaguer John Kruk on it. He’s a really big fat guy with one testicle. I don’t know what he was advertising but it was great to see someone who retired in 1995 trying to sell products.
haha! The drivers are always especially scary. And parents have no choice but to send their kids off with these people. They all look like axe murderers. And yes, they open the doors to see if a train is coming. Idiotic.
Billboards are so ugly. I know New Jersey and New York have their fair share. The only time I liked billboards was going down I-95 to Florida as a kid. Eventually you start to see those “South of the Border” advertisements. I remember one that said “Chili today, Hot Tamale!” Why did I just remember that?
I found your song:
I wanna go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii
Where the humuhumunukunukuapuaa go swimming by!
Perfect! The only problem, that I could foresee in moving to Hawaii, is getting use to all those vowels! (Not great for my dyslexia) “Vanna, I’d like to buy a consonant!” ha!