Ok, where do I start.
Once again I’ve vanished into the Ether and the spammers have apparently gone wild over here. Meanwhile, Hillary is pimping health care reform and OJ’s been arrested, so I don’t even know what year it is anymore. The list of things that truly annoy me seem to grow each day. My latest obsession: people who buy scratch-off lottery tickets, making you stand and wait at the 7-Eleven to buy your newspaper and Hershey bar while they fog up the counter glass going, “Umm, let me try a Pink Horsy and two Gold Bananas.” Memo to 7-Eleven: you’re a convenience store. CONVENIENCE. I should be able to get in and get out. That’s the only reason anyone pays $5 for a gallon of milk at places like that. 7-Eleven needs to install a No Idiots lane, so all the heavy breathers can take their time staring at the rolls of colorful scratch-off tickets, wondering which one to waste their money on.
I have to wonder if these folks are compulsive gamblers. I mean, how much fun can that be, really? And I’ve run into some doozies, mainly redneck white men buying a couple dozen of these things at a time, sweating over the selection process. And always, ALWAYS, when I’m in a hurry. So we’ll add People Who Sweat Over The Selection Of Scratch-Off Lottery Tickets While Keeping Other People Waiting In Line to my ever-burgeoning list of People Who Should Go To Hell.
Which is a long way of saying, sorry to be gone so long. Hope everybody’s okay.
12 Comments
Welcome Back!
Truth is, its been forever since I've been in a convenience store. All our Grocery stores have installed "self-checkouts" now which almost completely defeats the purpose of the convenience store.
I suppose it still takes a little longer to walk down the aisles (which are longer) and find things in the store (which is bigger) but you have to weigh that against the over-priced goods at the Convenience store and the "lotto-ticket-buyers" in line at the Convenience store.
In the end I've found a Grocery store with self checkout beats the Convenience stores hands down.
scrawled by Tom | September 18, 2007 12:24 PM
Y'know, I *really* don’t mind the Lotto buyers-- usually they're quick picks or have their tickets already filled out. It's the scratch-off browsers, the undecideds, that drive me nuts.
scrawled by priest | September 18, 2007 12:53 PM
Life goes on. Here's hoping you don't become too insular...
scrawled by circ | September 18, 2007 1:07 PM
Circ: I assume that's sarcasm...? :-)
scrawled by priest | September 18, 2007 2:41 PM
Two things, Priest:
1. I went to a event last weekend at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas, where a panel of Asian-American comics creators where discussing life in the comcs biz. Larry Hama was on the panel and I thought of you because, as he was holding forth, I remarked, "He's just as cool as Priest said he is!" He was laid-back, insightful, gracious, sharp and full of anecdotes. Just a laconic, super-cool guy.
2. On page 94 of his new book, Reading Comics, critic Douglas Wolk shouts out Spider-Man vs. Wolverine as a great Spider-Man story. He clearly gets what you were trying to do: "... an international intrigue that everyone tells [Spider-Man] he should stay out of because he's out of his league. He can't–because of the power-and-responsibility thing–and his doing everything his ethical code obligates him to do at every turn ends up making matters far worse...it's an unforgettable superhero story whose force comes from the core idea of its protagonist's history."
scrawled by Evan | September 19, 2007 11:28 PM
BTW
The TV Show Psych reminds me of Quantum and Woody...
scrawled by circ | September 20, 2007 9:48 AM
I think OJ got setup. But he LET himself get setup trying to play Cowboy. Stupid.
Anyway, speaking of "redneck white men", heard about the "Jena 6"? I thought this topic would've brought you back to blogging before anything else. It's a shame this type of stuff is still going on. But being Black, I'm sure it wasn't that much of a surprise, right?
scrawled by Ty | September 21, 2007 3:38 AM
Two months in line at a convenience store, wow. :)
scrawled by David Van Domelen | September 21, 2007 5:43 PM
This story of the scratch'n'win lines is exactly why I stick to lotteries where I can keep replaying existing sets of numbers, when I play such things at all.
scrawled by Dwight Williams | September 23, 2007 9:58 AM
DVD: --?!?
Dwight: Y'know, it never even *occurred* to me to do that-- replay the numbers until luck finds you. Well, I don’t gamble, anyway. Not a religious conviction, I just stink at it.
scrawled by priest | September 24, 2007 1:05 PM
Priest welcome back. The OJ Pic is funny. The concept of a separate line for the window foggers is cool too.
scrawled by Thelmon | September 24, 2007 2:38 PM
I feel you on the not gambling part Preist. I don't gamble "I Lose" its almost a sure thing that if I bet on something I lose. I could bet on the Colts and ruin the rest of their season. I won't for fear of my death I live in Indy
scrawled by mdwaire | September 25, 2007 1:53 AM