Bopped
There are days when I miss Boston with all my heart. We couldn't keep living there, we knew that, but we also knew there were aspects of living there we would miss all our lives. The trains, walking all over, the beauty of the place, people who knew how to move through and with a crowd, India Quality, the bay and ferries to go upon it, the weather (I'm not kidding, I like rain and winter.) But such is life, we have to go and live where we can live.
Today, while managing a few errands and a simple nourishing lunch, I was twice, Twice, bumped by older women taking up way too much space and their large purses. One came through a door I was already going through, and she made no effort to sidle or pull in her huge bag. I may have, quite accidentally, jabbed her bulging arm as I fended off her bag and squeezed past. Then, waiting at the cashier at Ace Hardware, another woman, talking to her family, came up, turned and her leather sack purse hit me in the back. Not a tight space, plenty of room, and she continued to talk to her group, not a murmured "s'cuse." I moved away from her, and struck out my foot to keep her from backing into me, and got my elbow ready. We came home right after, tired of the local manners, and to prevent me ramming my elbow into the next woman with a bag who couldn't keep to herself.
Once, years ago, in the heavily crowded local airport (before all the security changes) two elegantly dressed women stood at the bottom of the escalator, chatting to each other, oblivious to all around, forcing everyone getting off to awkwardly inch around them to get off. As I stepped off, carrying my tightly packed, gym bag carryon, I may, possibly, have - entirely by accident - whacked one or both of them with it. I did clearly say, "oh, excuse me." Honestly.
People in this state are prone to private conversations across halls, forcing people to walk between them, or in the most inconvenient narrowing of a pathway, doorways. They are awkward walking along sidewalks, taking their half out of the middle, and give false cues as to their movements in our cavernous grocery stores, negating the apparent open space.
D once saw our governor at the time, in conversation, and blocking the exit of the grocery store. He wanted to say something rude and sharp, but decided he didn't want the potential legal attention. And he grew up here.
sigh
Today, while managing a few errands and a simple nourishing lunch, I was twice, Twice, bumped by older women taking up way too much space and their large purses. One came through a door I was already going through, and she made no effort to sidle or pull in her huge bag. I may have, quite accidentally, jabbed her bulging arm as I fended off her bag and squeezed past. Then, waiting at the cashier at Ace Hardware, another woman, talking to her family, came up, turned and her leather sack purse hit me in the back. Not a tight space, plenty of room, and she continued to talk to her group, not a murmured "s'cuse." I moved away from her, and struck out my foot to keep her from backing into me, and got my elbow ready. We came home right after, tired of the local manners, and to prevent me ramming my elbow into the next woman with a bag who couldn't keep to herself.
Once, years ago, in the heavily crowded local airport (before all the security changes) two elegantly dressed women stood at the bottom of the escalator, chatting to each other, oblivious to all around, forcing everyone getting off to awkwardly inch around them to get off. As I stepped off, carrying my tightly packed, gym bag carryon, I may, possibly, have - entirely by accident - whacked one or both of them with it. I did clearly say, "oh, excuse me." Honestly.
People in this state are prone to private conversations across halls, forcing people to walk between them, or in the most inconvenient narrowing of a pathway, doorways. They are awkward walking along sidewalks, taking their half out of the middle, and give false cues as to their movements in our cavernous grocery stores, negating the apparent open space.
D once saw our governor at the time, in conversation, and blocking the exit of the grocery store. He wanted to say something rude and sharp, but decided he didn't want the potential legal attention. And he grew up here.
sigh
Labels: rant
Posted by Zhoen on Saturday, April 24, 2010
10 comments:
It is indeed a "Them and Us" world. Museum trip today marred by loutish elevator etiquette. We waited whilst passengers descended, not one made an effort to prevent doors from closing before we had access. I had foreseen their mass rudeness and held the elevator with the exterior call button. I commented loudly for their benefit but don't hold out much hope they listened, even if they heard. We take the elevator due to Hubby's disability, not by choice.
It's not just your state. There are people all over the world who are lacking the part in their brain that advises them when they are inconveniencing other people. They just don't think about the people around them. Grrrrr..
Ah,yes - they are everywhere, clogging up the aisles in the supermarkets, standing at the top or bottom of the escalators, having a chat about where to go next.
But I am a large old lady too, and when I (accidentally) tread on them they they know about it!
It's worse here than in the various places I've lived and visited. I'm careful to only bump back, in self defense. And even then, always apologize.
Sounds like you are describing my daily maneuvers around oblivious people around stores in my county as well. I sometimes make a conscious effort to go shop later at night, so as to avoid these kinds of "bumps."
It is yet another example of the Me first and @#! to the rest attitude
On the one hand, having seen the looks people give my mother when she doesn't hear them say "Excuse me" (she's deaf), I'm wary to judge.
On the other hand, when someone clearly knows you're there and doesn't move a millimetre out of your way, I can't fathom what must be going through their mind. Very little, presumably.
Pacian,
I promise, this is a rare occurrence, when I am unacknowledged and intruded upon first.
You get much better at maneuvering around people on the east coast. There's so much space out here that some people forget they need to move out of other people's way.
I remember being astonished and guiltily delighted, returning to grocery stores with aisles so broad two carts *and* a third person could all pass each other at once, with ease. Ridiculous waste of space -- but ah! home!
Dale,
And yet, one gets more crowded here where there is more space. Or so it seems to me.
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