These are the thoughts of a Texas transplant in West Michigan who makes his living as a newspaper reporter by evening, and a struggling novelist by day.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

excuse me, i'm talking here

one of the biggest pet peeves i have involves people butting in while i'm having a conversation with someone else. (don't get any bright ideas friends. i take it pretty seriously.).

over thepast few weeks, i've noticed it's happened three times. at least three times. it's rather noticeable.

i'm talking. it'a an a, b conversation, words are being exchanged between me and the other person. we're having fun, talking, exchanging ideas.

then someone comes along and says, rather rudely, "i hate to interrupt, but..." or simply the person just comes right in and interrupts. wow! what gall. people need to take lessons on etiquette.

when i happened tonight, i wanted to scream. maybe run over to this person and... well, i don't know what i wouldn't done. nothing probably. still, people have very little manners. i don't walk up to someone and intrude into the conversation or take over. seldom do i interrupt. when i do, it's important. i say, excuse me, i need to ask you a question."

in the recent past, it's happened with other people butting in. not good.

i lamented about this to a friend, who agreed that it is rude to interrupt. she said that there could be a reason for some of the intrusion. i'm a low talker. people don't know i'm talking.

yet, if they see her turned around and looking at me, her mouth is moving or mine is, it probalby means we're talking to each other. we're having a conversation. respect that.

respect when i or anyone else is talking, people. please.

i know there is a sense of importance when people talk. sme think or feel the need to butt in because what they have to say is more important than what i'm saying. how could i have anything of importanc to say? well, i do.

ok, the rant is done.

will it do any good? probably not. but it felt good to get it off my chest. whew!

Sunday, January 06, 2008

the guy in the ape movie?

no way! screw that.

last night after coming out of a restaurant, dawn pointed to a truck -- specifically to the bumper sticker -- and read aloud what it said.

"my president is charleton heston"

i scoffed, cursed under my breath and outloud, then laughed. then i thought, 'hmmm, not such a bad choice.' kidding, that thought never ran through my mind.

waht frightens me is that there are people out there who believe such utter nonsense. what is it about heston that makes him fit that? probably his stance on guns and as prez of the nation's gun club.

if so, that's a fucking joke. i'm sure this schmoe who affixed the sticker to the bumper of his kick-ass truck also believes that bombing the fuck out of other countries is the way to go. bomb first, ask questions later.

i've seen this type of sticker before. i've seen this exact one, too. i shook my head and i shake it now. obviously a misguided butthole who wouldn't mind seeing a narrow-minded fool run the country. oh, i forgot, we've got one now. but we'd just be going from one to another.

i will agree with butthole and say there are no bad guns. true enough. guns aren't animate and, therefore, can't be good or bad, or whatever. and yes there are bad people. i'll agree with you there. but , well, you know the freaking argument. i'm not stating it again.

gusns are bad.
heston as president? bad.

i know it wouldn't happen. but to think taht such a sticker exists and that someone feels good about putting it on his or her bad-ass truck reals does make me feel awful.

put a "be happy" sticker instead. it feels better. it evokes no sense of malice or negativity.

whatever.