Shit that Pisses Me Off

The judges of Virginia have decided that they don't want cell phones in their courtrooms.  I would agree that it is annoying to have cell phones many places that I go.  In the case of the judges, unlike the rest of us, they have the ability to punish stupid people who do not turn off their cell phones.  Like us, I guess they figured out that even with punishment the idiots do not learn. Fair enough.  The problem is that they banned phones in the *courthouse* not the courtroom.  I showed up at Roanoke City Court the other day to file civil papers and had to return to the car to put my phones in since they were no longer allowed in the courthouse. To  begin with, that took 5 minutes off my time available for the 30 minute parking,  As everyone knows, public servants are not known for their speedy work habits.  That's actually our fault since we elect the same clerk of court for like 50 years in a row...what's their incentive for improvement? So ...

Ok, how many of you have *ever* read the terms and conditions?  But we still all check the box.  I had a vendor, who I pay money to, that had the new terms and conditions come up in the middle of updating some information on my site.  It was early Monday morning and I was in my usual foul humor!  So I blasted off an email about how stupid it was to change the terms and conditions in the middle of a contract and so forth. I get an email back saying that if I didn't say that I agreed to the terms and conditions by Friday they were going to cancel my contract.  Guess I hit a nerve.  Anyway, I replied that I had in fact agreed to their terms and conditions in the same fashion everyone else had and if that wasn't good enough, go ahead and cancel my contract and I will sue! Guess we will find out Friday what they decided since even though they are an Internet company, they cant seem to answer an email withing a couple of days. oh, it's VRBO or Vacation Rent...

Some fast food drive thru's have signs that say you can't use your cellphone while in the line.  Then you get up to the window and they are either on the cell phone or talking on the head set.  That's a double standard I refuse to accept!  The latest one was a car wash on Rt. 460 in Roanoke County near Botetourt County.  The sign said to refrain from cell phone use for the safety of the workers in the automatic car wash.  Here's what I could see from my car. And this in another part of the car wash. So if they were depending on my observation and reactions due to my non use of the cellphone, they are going to be dead! In Maryland you must use a hands free device if you are on the phone.  As I look around me, no one appears to be acting any differently.  Actually, before the ban, I would hold my phone up by the windshield so I could also see the road as I was texting or emailing.  Now I hold my phone down by the seat so I don't get a ti...

There are these new signs outside Fincastle that warn you that there is a 45 mile per hour zone ahead.  Is it just me or isn't that what the 45 MPH signs are supposed to tell us?  Wouldn't it be cheaper just to move the existing signs 100 feet out to where the new signs are if people are not slowing down in time. Perhaps people don't notice the 45 MPH signs, maybe that's why they put up the signs pointing them out.  It would be better to redesign the signs that people don't notice or else we are going to end up with two sets of signs for every situation. Where does this end?  If people don't slow down enough now are we going to have signs stating that there are signs ahead warning us that there will be a speed limit decrease after that?  Or a sign warning us of a sign warning us of a sign warning us of a sign?  You get the idea. I know, let's just give tickets to those who exceed the speed limit!  Wait, we do that already. Just confused by our ...

So it appears that the driving infection of the metropolitan areas of Virginia has spread to Botetourt County. We had the unfortunate experience of returning from the new Harry Potter movie at around 6 pm tonight.  When we got off the interstate at exit 150, traffic was pretty heavy.  Even on 81 it was a little thick.  The usual offenders were in the left lane, but we made it in pretty good time. The ride from I81 to Rt. 779 was the usual cluster f**k of idiots in both lanes.  When we got to the stoplight, the left turn lane was green.  This effectively ruined the usual strategy of letting the turning traffic scrape off the slowpokes in the left lane.  So here we go from Daleville to Fincastle, 8 miles of slowpoke hell.  I was able to work my way up to the idiot in the old pickup that was driving next to the same car in the left lane for 8 miles with about 100 cars behind him and tried to work past him but he won the asshole of the day award!  I...

I recently flew from Denver to Lynchburg and was chosen by TSA to experience the naked person scanner.  Out of curiosity I went ahead and went into the machine. They had me take everything out of my pockets and hold it in my hands over my head.  Then they yelled at me because my feet weren't in the little feet pictures on the floor.. The machine swirled around me and they told me to step out and stand on some more stupid looking feet things on the floor.  They then stared out into space, not a word to me about what was going on, and then asked if I had something in my pocket.  I checked and did not.  He said there was a piece of paper in there...why would a piece of paper be a concern anyway...I thought they were looking for guns and explosives!  So then he felt me up in my groin and on my leg.  After he was satisfied there was nothing in my pocket, duh, he let me go.  What a waste of the taxpayers money. I heard that the guy who sells this salt...

Ok, some people think I'm over the top on this one but WTF! I am 55 years old and look it! I should not have to show my ID to get served a beverage when the minimum age for the beverage is 21. Some states have a law that everyone has to have an ID to drink, fair enough, but if I am in the airport, I obviously have an ID or I couldn't even be there! Still no relief from the checkers. Usually if I ask for an exception from the manager they let me go ahead and drink without showing it since I am obviously old enough. Hooters in Towson is an example of this as well as Taco Mac in Atlanta. I still don't return to places that do that since I'm not fond of the practice. The Hooter's was next to a hotel we were staying and they lost our business as well, when we decided we couldn't stay there since the closest restaurant was carding everyone. A couple of locations that wouldn't even make an exception are the Brickskeller in Washington DC and The Buffalo Wild...