Pulling Out

On my route to work – in particular, although I’ve noticed this phenomenon in many road/junction situations – there are a couple of junctions from which people can pull out onto the main roads, which are (of course) much faster.

I’ve noticed of late that there seem to be a significant number of drivers who either don’t look before pulling out, or look but who are incapable of actually judging the speed of oncoming vehicles. To whit, my oncoming vehicle.

I’ve actually lost count of the number of times this year where I’ve been hacking down the main road at 60, and these ball-bags just pull out in front of me, necessitating my needing to significantly slow down.

Even worse, they pull out and then just pootle along at 20 or 30 mph. I know it takes time to get up to speed – but seriously, so should they. And if you’re going to do a manoeuvre like that, you damn well make sure that you’re going to be speeding up in pretty fucking short order. (Well, I do!)

I don’t understand the logic (or lack thereof) in doing this, of pulling out in front of someone who’s already on the main road. All I can assume is that it’s either a) some innate need to be ‘first’, even if that means running the risk of being killed, b) they’re wanting an accident which would be “not their fault” in order to claim and replace their vehicle, c) an arrogance that their driving will force the other driver to slow down, d) they’re just fuckwit bastards, or e) all of the above.

Regardless, it just pisses me off.


Summer Noise

Every time it gets warm, I find there’s one behaviour of people around me that grates more than most. I know it’s primarily me being a grumpy and antisocial swine with no real desire for family/children, but still. it grates.

The thing is – basically – other people being ridiculously noisy.  I don’t mean they should be silent or anything similar, but why does any summer time have to involve super-loud conversations, screaming spawn, and so on and so on.

Yesterday, I was out at the local Forestry Centre – I’d had to go somewhere, as the local school fete ensured there was nowhere I could park near to my house, so I thought screw it, and went and sat in the sun. (There’s a side rant needed about that at some point, but that’ll be another day) While I was out there, there were no less than five family groups all yelling and shouting, letting their kids run riot, and generally just being asshats for no good reason.

In the evening I was sat back at home- having finally been able to park- and again there’s people yelling and screaming, and there seems to be no real consideration for the people around them. It’s like a “Fuck you, matey, we’re having a good time in the sun”, and that’s all there is to it.


Heatwave

I know it’s been said by many, many people over the last few days, but fucking hell, it’s warm.

I don’t mind heat when there’s some breeze to cool it down – which is probably why I like the coast, lakes and the like.  But at the moment it just seems to be so still, so stale, so humid.

Still, at least it’s warm and sunny, and that’s a good thing after what has felt like a very long winter.


Reaping What’s Been Sown

Tonight, I’m enjoying a dose of schadenfreude (“enjoying the misfortune of others”, if you didn’t know)

Yesterday morning, an idiot parked up in a big-ass Mercedes in the pub car park opposite where I live. And left their parking light on. I don’t know where they’re staying – the pub doesn’t have rooms, so really they’re just taking the piss anyway. So the parking light has stayed on while they’ve been staying wherever.

Now they’ve come back to the car – parked up for 36 hours in a commercial(ish) car park, parking light on – to discover that a) they have a parking ticket, and b) their battery is flat, the car won’t start, and they’ve had to call the AA. (I don’t know for sure, but I assume that the AA will charge as well, as it’s down to driver idiocy.) Of course, because their car is safe, off the road, and not in any feasible danger, it’s right at the bottom of the priority list.

All told, I’m finding it very hard to be sympathetic to their plight, and may in fact be chuckling quite a lot.

And yes – I know I’m going to reap something on this myself, so by the end of the week expect me to be saying something about a broken car.


Not What They Meant

Today in the EDP (well, on their website at least) there’s this headline

Murdered Wisbech pensioner’s niece makes emotional appeal six months after she was brutally stabbed to death and set on fire

Now, you know they meanNiece makes emotional appeal six months after her pensioner aunt was brutally stabbed and set on fire“, but that’s not what it actually says.

So instead I’m going to be impressed at the moral strength of someone so distraught that she can make an appeal about a pensioner six months after being brutally stabbed and set on fire.

Yes, yes, I’m a bad person.


Power Play

Sat in the cinema, waiting for the film to start, another couple come in. They start to discuss where to sit. She wants to be near the front. He – it’s safe to say – doesn’t.

Her : “I want to sit here, it’ll be fine”
Him : “let’s go to the back. There’ll be less people” (wrong, but hey ho)
Her : “I want to sit here”
Him : “fine babe, you pick where you want to sit”
She does.
Him : “well I’m not sitting there” and walks off, expecting her to follow.
She doesn’t.

Five minutes later, he comes back, and sits next to her.

Funny as hell, to the observer. 🙂


M25 Circumnavigation

This weekend, I’ve driven round most of the M25. The only section I missed out was from M40 to M1 (which I do on a regular basis anyway, so no major loss)  and by then I was sick of the road anyway.

It wasn’t just for fun, though. Yesterday was a drive from home (M1) to Chislehurst, in order to attend the wedding reception of Merialc. That particular run was OK, thankfully – even with the prevalence of roadworks etc. – until reaching the Dartford Crossing, which was as shafted as always, and took half an hour on its own.

Today I went round the other half, having decided to visit my parents who live off the M40. The roadworks on that section were far worse, although at least we were moving, if slowly.

It’s been a fun weekend (which I know means I need to either get a life, or get out more) but Lord above, the M25 does annoy me.

Weirdly, it’s not because of the generally shit quality of the road, the ongoing road works, or the tossbag drivers. What annoys me is that the M25 had the chance to be a great road, a great future-facing way to deal with all the possibilities relating to the increase of traffic round London for the next thirty to fifty years. And instead, it’s a lofting great white elephant. Why? Because no politicians or planners had the guts to stand up and say “Look, this is what we need, but let’s future-proof it, let’s make it all five carriageways each side, plan for a huge increase in traffic, and make it work properly”.

It could’ve been so good, and instead it’s just a bag of shit.