I must really attract these type of people and y'all I'm sure have "known" me long enough to "know" pretty much how I'm going to react.

Girlfriend and I were meeting to eat lunch today, went in seperate vehicles because she had to go to the funeral home today and I had to strip out some stalls. We had a nice lunch at an Italian place, good pizza although I can't indulge in that too much, but it's nice every now and again.

Well we are getting ready to leave, I walk her out to her vehicle, say goodbye and wouldn't you happen to know it, a man and woman obviously dressed as if they were coming from Sunday Meetin parked illegally in front of my truck. Giving me maybe 5 feet in front with two vehicles on either side of me. Now there wasn't any parking right in front of the joint, but there was plenty within 10 feet of walking. I asked if he could move the vehicle, his significant other heads back to the vehicle with him and says(to where I could hear it, and I'm sure did that on purpose)"Doesn't he know how to drive?". Now I'm sure most of y'all "know" me well enough to know I'm not really going to take that(even though it probably would have been better if I did let it go) and I said: "I'm not the one parking illegally or driving a vehicle that has a banged up driver side mirror, so I wouldn't question my ability to drive".

Well they move the vehicle(and illegal park elsewhere, but it wasn't blocking me so I didn't care), however they made the mistake of parking the vehicle to where it would be on the right side of people exiting. Well he and I have a few more words(my girlfriend was getting nervous and started up her car and moved it a little bit) and then he went into the joint. Girlfriend leaves and as I am heading out, I make sure that I let out as big and black plume of smoke that the truck could muster and it just settled on that guys car and then I actually just ease on out of the parking lot after that(y'all probably thought I was going to floor it didn't you? I thought it would have more affect if I just eased on out and slowly merged onto traffic after that display then just flooring it out of there).

I don't know, little stuff like this didn't used to affect me like it does now, but the older I've gotten the less tolerant I have become and it seems like I'm getting more and more people that don't really know how to handle vehicles and then get aggrevated about being called on it. And yes I am aware of the irony with what I did as well and how it wasn't the correct responce either, wasn't my finest moment, but considering I knew what I had said fell on deaf ears, it gave me some consolation(not much, but it was some).

I just can't take some people's ignorance when it comes to having to respect all types of vehicles and the space that they need to manuaver and not to park illegal when there are plenty of spaces, just not right in front of the door and it seems like it's becoming more and more prevelant. I apologize for the rant and appreciate y'all listening. One thing I like about this forum as it provides me the therapy that sometimes I desperately need during trying times.

 

I feel ya man. Seems like my area is swormed with ignorance! Must be something in the water lol People will swerve in front of me in a yugo sized car and then stop real quick, my truck is big enough to drive over them and keep going. I make an effrot anytime I go to wally world or the mall to park as far out as possible so no chance of door dings etc. The other day I came out of wal-mart and walked to my truck sitting out in the middle of the lot with NO!!!!! other cars within 30 spaces of me. Well a thunderchicken had parked about 1 foot from my pass. door and they had opened there door right up into the side of my truck and scuffed it! I took my key and went from there headlight to there tail light on there car. I know it was wrong but I just flew outraged and if I didnt do that I would have had to wait for him and beat his eyeballs shut.

 

You should try shopping in the holiday season with a baby on a stroller, and see how many people cut you off with carts/etc. Fairly aggravating. One time I had my holiday trailer and in the pull off for the sani dump/fresh water a highway tractor pulled in there and walked across the road to get a burger. I went in, found the trucker and asked him to move his rig, and he said he just sat down to eat. I said no problem, went back outside, moved his rig (he left it running) down the street and pulled my truck/trailer in. As I was dumping my tanks he came out and told me I shouldnt have drove his truck, I squared off with him and he hightailed it out of there. Another time I pulled up to a gas pump and a taxi driver pulled in from the other side at the same time. He honked as I got off my bike (There was no lineup, I got to the pump first, very innocent scenario) and as I was about to fill he told me this was his pump. I told him the pump right behind him was free and to use that. He told me no just push your bike backwards and get out of his way because "he was bigger". I laughed, took my helmet off and punched him square in the jaw. Ofcourse the g/f on the back was freaked out and the taxi guy left saying he was calling the police.

 

Don't feel alone.... I drive school bus .. and people think we can stop on a dime cut us off etc.
People also block our red truck in and it sometimes takes 5 tries to get out of parking spot. We have now taken to parking in the furthest parking spot from the entrance to save on dings and frazzled nerves (it also keeps us fit)

 

I don't think that they wanted to be to far away from the front door. I don't know for sure, but that girl(I say girl, she acted like a girl, but she wasn't a teenager that's for sure, who you would expect something like this) appeared to be one of those handful types. I wouldn't be surprised with a mouth like she had that her significant other(boyfriend, husband whatever the case may be) would be getting into some trouble if she acts like that to any strange man that asks them to park somewhere else and politely at that. I would have left it alone if they had parked legally, but they didn't.

Stuff like this I just can't stand anymore. It's going to cause me to have some bloody ulcers, but I just can't stand it anymore. Atleast those that have posted so far don't make me feel to badly about feeling this way.

 

Maybe it is ignorance. Perhaps they just don't know any better, which would be ignorance. The real thing is that they probably just don't have any respect for other folks! Your restraint is more than admorable. That makes me mad and I wasn't even there. I think I hit that age too where I don't think people should get away with that crap!

 

As my wife would say "They are just plain rude"

 

move up here Tex. Folks up here can drive. And they are much more considerate. We stop and help up here when someone is broke down on the side of the road. Folks don't park to close to the front of the restaurant or store because alot of folks have to leave thier car running and we dont want the fumes coming inside.

 

Tex up here parking lot fender benders are 50/50 you pay for your and they pay their damages.As you get older you might consider a hunting bumper save you the trouble of talking and getting stressed There is a ten pill prescription that heals ulcers and worked for me ask your doc about it.

 

I don't know if I could handle the cold(yea, I know I'm a wuss), I don't have the gut I once did and my blood has gotten thinner.

I was actually thinking about doing a Road Armour bumper. Get it all decked out with a winch and everything. That way if someone takes a spot I deemed for myself, I can just winch that little dinky vehicle out of my spot.

 

Tex, Up here in northern Utah I haven't really had much trouble, But most people up here Drive full size trucks.
Hang in there man.

 

It's the opposite here and plus there are a lot of yankees here(I'm sure that's going to get me crucified on here) and I'm willing to bet that has something to do with it.

You know I try to act the better man, but there really isn't much satisfaction with doing that. I think it's that way because I know that those people probably still think that what I did was just horrible despite what they did. Granted what I did didn't really solve anything, but it made me feel a little better(although it was probably juvenile) compared to the hollow feeling of being the better man.

 

I feel you pain Tex.It seems like people around here dont give any cosideration for people with bigger vehicles whether its on the road if your trying get in another lane or get in and out of a parking spot.Sometimes i want to lose my cool and hook a chain to some socer mom van or whatever vehicle maybe be in the way,which is not the right answer.I ran into a problem this past christmas where a dodge caravan parked so close to my drivers door i had to get in the passenger side(hince were i got the soccer mom van thing from because it had the soccer ball sticker on the rear hatch) even though ther was plenty of room on her other side.Sorry for my rant but i almost forgot about the van issue.But as Tex said sometimes this is a good place to rant.Now if i could justget my truck runiing right.Please see my ohter post about injectors and reply if you have any ideas.Ryan.

 

Hey Tex - no it ain't just you brother. At Wally World, I park as far out in the lot as I can around nothing else but it never fails, some turd parks right there next to me with probably 80 other spaces to pick from. People just don't have any respect for anybody or anything anymore. You drive down the road and get cut off by every rice burner out there. The ones that kill me are the ones that pass you going light speed only to switch lanes in front of you, cutting you off, and then they turn 50 feet up the road. Or they pass you like a bat out of he** on the interstate and cut you off to get off the ramp before you. No... It ain't just you brother - I feel your pain!

 

This whole situation makes the point very nicely that " an armed society is a polite society"

Another reason I think that Alaskans are more hospitable to each other. Because we are ALL pack'n.