People are stinky!
I took Mia to school on Monday morning, as I always do. As I got her wheelchair out of the van, I noticed that a BMW convertible was blocking the handicapped ramp leading onto the sidewalk in front of her school. People often do this; many parents drop their kids off and the long curb in front of the school is usually crowded, so they park in front of the ramp. I've had to wait before for people to notice that somebody actually wants to use the ramp, but they usually see me, give an embarrassed smile, and move on.
So I put Mia in her chair and walked across the parking lot. I was looking at the woman in the BMW, because she seemed to be talking to her kid in the car. She was looking at the passenger side (which was the school side) and I could see her hands moving. Then I realized her kid was already out of the car, up by the school, and almost out of her line of vision. And she was still saying goodbye to him (or her; I couldn't tell). As I drew closer, I figured she had to move, because her child was long gone. As I got to within five feet of the driver's door, she pulled out a Blackberry and started using it. Yes, while sitting in the parking lot blocking the handicapped ramp.
I stood and tried to make myself obvious. I didn't want to knock on her window just yet, preferring instead to let her notice me. An SUV pulled out of its space a few cars behind her and drove toward me, but I was now blocking its egress. Someone beeped their horn. This woman simply kept using her device, oblivious. Finally, I knocked gently on her window.
She looked over at me (and, I should point out, my daughter in a wheelchair) and didn't exactly give me a dirty look, but more like a "Oh, fine, I'll move" look, as if I was really putting her out for making her stop using her Blackberry. She pulled away and I was finally able to take my disabled child to her class. How nice!
When I came out, she had moved down to the end of the curb and was still using her Blackberry. Man, I hope that was important.
I'm sure most people realize this, but you never notice stuff until it affects you directly. Many people probably wouldn't think anything of a car blocking the handicapped ramp, because you don't have to use it. Before Mia's accident, I wouldn't think anything of it either. I didn't have a problem with her parking there, because, as I mentioned, it's often hard to get to the curb. I do have a problem with someone being so wrapped up in their little world that they fail to notice what they're doing. It pisses me off when the people give me their sheepish smile, even if they're being nice. The reason it pisses me off even then is because they never even thought there's a possibility of a person needing that ramp. Why do you think it's there? Not for decoration!
I just thought this woman was humorous. I wonder if she wrote in her e-mail or told the person she was texting about the jerk who made her move. I hope so.
So I put Mia in her chair and walked across the parking lot. I was looking at the woman in the BMW, because she seemed to be talking to her kid in the car. She was looking at the passenger side (which was the school side) and I could see her hands moving. Then I realized her kid was already out of the car, up by the school, and almost out of her line of vision. And she was still saying goodbye to him (or her; I couldn't tell). As I drew closer, I figured she had to move, because her child was long gone. As I got to within five feet of the driver's door, she pulled out a Blackberry and started using it. Yes, while sitting in the parking lot blocking the handicapped ramp.
I stood and tried to make myself obvious. I didn't want to knock on her window just yet, preferring instead to let her notice me. An SUV pulled out of its space a few cars behind her and drove toward me, but I was now blocking its egress. Someone beeped their horn. This woman simply kept using her device, oblivious. Finally, I knocked gently on her window.
She looked over at me (and, I should point out, my daughter in a wheelchair) and didn't exactly give me a dirty look, but more like a "Oh, fine, I'll move" look, as if I was really putting her out for making her stop using her Blackberry. She pulled away and I was finally able to take my disabled child to her class. How nice!
When I came out, she had moved down to the end of the curb and was still using her Blackberry. Man, I hope that was important.
I'm sure most people realize this, but you never notice stuff until it affects you directly. Many people probably wouldn't think anything of a car blocking the handicapped ramp, because you don't have to use it. Before Mia's accident, I wouldn't think anything of it either. I didn't have a problem with her parking there, because, as I mentioned, it's often hard to get to the curb. I do have a problem with someone being so wrapped up in their little world that they fail to notice what they're doing. It pisses me off when the people give me their sheepish smile, even if they're being nice. The reason it pisses me off even then is because they never even thought there's a possibility of a person needing that ramp. Why do you think it's there? Not for decoration!
I just thought this woman was humorous. I wonder if she wrote in her e-mail or told the person she was texting about the jerk who made her move. I hope so.
posted by Greg at
9:17 PM
2 Comments:
You're more tolerant than I - which surprises me. One of my big time pet peeves is people blocking sidewalks, intersection rundowns and crosswalks with their damn cars. I saw a blind man cross at a crosswalk - too far away from me to help - walk smack into an SUV that was parked in the crosswalk in front of the bagel shop "just for a minute".
By
Roger Owen Green, at 3/12/08 12:29 AM
I'm not sure if I'm more tolerant, it's just that I hate confrontations. I wanted to give the woman plenty of opportunity to move out of the way because of the possibility of it becoming a shouting match if she was belligerent. I can mix it up if I have to, but I really abhor it. And I always like to see people be embarrassed when they realized on their own that they're being a nuisance. Given the way she responded, I doubt if she would have felt that way.
And yeah, a person leaving their car in the crosswalk and getting out is really jerky.
By
Greg, at 3/12/08 7:04 AM
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