Model Citizenship

I am sure we will all agree that airports are busy places… cars flowing in and out - people moving in all directions. No matter how hard designers try to make these public facilities convenient and efficient, the human factor always seems to get in the way. I am sure you have all witnessed several examples of this:

• Passengers with excessive questions at the check-in counter (as if they are the only one flying)
• Passengers in the security line who wait until they are in front of the agent before they ready bording passes and IDs (which happen to be buried in their carry-on baggage…
• Travelers at the X-Ray machines insisting “they let me bring this last time.”
• People at the baggage claim who place their six oversized bags right in front of the conveyor as they wait for their small duffel (blocking access to the rest of the luggage for 5 yards in either direction).

So, this morning I witnessed a new one to add to the ever-growing list of airport insanities. The curb-side box-in!

I dropped my girlfriend at the John Wayne Airport this morning (SNA) - a relatively small airport that serves as an Orange County alternative to making the trek to the much larger LAX. Traffic at the terminal was steady but not too congested - it looked like curb-side check-in was going to be a relatively easy task… I pulled into the unloading zone (see the green car in the linked illustration) Curb-side Approach

I helped her with her luggage, kissed her goodbye and jumped in the car pleased with the ease of it all - an easy exit was just moments away. Suddenly, a car pulled into the space behind me (only temporarily mind you), around my driver’s side and stopped slightly ahead of me in a double-parked position (see the black car in the linked illustration) Airport Box-in

So, this aero-idiot takes it upon himself to box me in - forcing me to back-up and merge into the steady flow of traffic at a 90-degree angle. Not sure why the space behind me was not suitable, or why he didn’t pull up farther to allow me some space to get out. At least this time it wasn’t a Mercedes (Mercedes owners are probably getting a little sensitive with all the uber-bashing)… No, this was an Escalade - you know a Chevy nicely appointed with 22″ wheels and the skin of four to five cattle that had no idea they would serve such a lofty purpose as to provide comfort for some idiot’s ass.

So - plainly stated - double parking at airport curb-side check-in zones is in no way Model Citizenship!!! Thanks for reading!

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I could have been street pizza today - a permanent part of the grill of an Audi. Enter four guys on the way back from lunch, standing at a corner waiting to cross the street. The light turns green and I suggest we cross (despite the fact that we didn’t get to the crossing button in time). One of my colleagues responds with concern,” Are you crazy? We are in Orange County.” We all agree and stay on the sidewalk…

Merely seconds after agreeing to wait and still facing the crosswalk spanning Michelson, a black Audi A3 zipped right in front of us after running the red light by using the cross-walk to our left. Stepping into the crosswalk a moment sooner would have meant certain demise!

While we were waiting on Teller to cross Michelson from east-to-west, the Audi approached the red-light on Michelson from the south. There were two cars in each of the straight lanes and one in the left turn lane. Seeing that he would likely have to wait at least 30 seconds for the light to turn green in his favor, he threw caution to the wind and made an abrupt move for the right hand turn lane…slowing only slightly as he approach the corner, he made an angled right turn. What he did next bordered on insanity…

After making his loose tight turn, our model moron continued - crossing the intersection by straddling the crosswalk spanning Teller and turning back onto Michelson. I have included a visual which illustrates this madness in full color… give it a little click-click-click-a-roo!

So, basically we have another entitled idiot who clearly believes his phantom stature in life justifies breaking laws and putting other people at risk. This was truly an amazing display - apparently, his senselessness knows no bounds… Definitely not a Model Citizen, but a Model Idiot indeed!

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This entry is a milestone of sorts - it is the 30th entry on Model Citizenship and the first story related to parenting…

While I am myself a parent, I would never claim to be an expert at parenting. In fact, anyone who claims such capability likely has serious issues of their own… I do however have a sense for what is appropriate when it comes to kids in public places. Some examples of potentially volatile situations involving children and the public realm include: Babies on airplanes, Babies at the movies, Toddlers at the grocery store and so on…

In this particular story, the forum happens to be a restaurant. Surprised? I didn’t think so… We all know there are endless potential pitfalls with the child / restaurant relationship: The fussy child; the food thrower; the runner; the silverware drummer; and the ever-popular screamer. You have to be on top of your game to pull off a sit-down dinning-out experience that does not incite a riot at your favorite eatery… Enter what apparently was ladies night out - to Claim Jumper.

In this story, we open with three mothers sitting at a 4-top (restaurant speak for a table and 4 chairs). The conversation is light and typical. The restaurant is filling up so their voices are just slightly elevated, but judging from the casual tone at the table this is likely a somewhat regular meeting. As our meal progressed the full scope of their night out became apparent. Apparently, these not-so-model mommies established a kiddie table for five in a booth near their 4-top.

The “absentee supervision” was not a good idea.

  Read the rest of this entry »

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Walking is very much like the driving experience - similar courtesies, obvious right-of-way scenarios, merging etiquette, etc. While there are pedestrian laws that focus on jay-walking, trespassing and drunk-in-public there is virtually nothing we can do about the majority of walking decisions that fall into the category of bad form. I am convinced that many of these “goofy-footers” are the same shady drivers that we encounter on the road.

This story focuses on the abrupt re-direct walker. This is the kind of walker that, while walking slight ahead of you, decides to change directions without even a hint of their intentions. As I walked behind our man-of-the-moment (about 8 feet behind at the 5 o-clock position), I tried to anticipate his next move….

He knew I was behind him, for just 25-30 steps earlier, we both stepped onto the sidewalk from opposing directions. I even paused briefly curbside to allow the walker the right-of way (we were close enough to have collided had I not yielded). The trouble started with the “drift.” A slow encroachment on my path over a period of 15-20 steps – essentially forcing me to alter my path…I chose a little more distance instead.

There was no way I could have guessed what was coming – it defied perambulator logic, bordered on absurdity, was just plain silly. Without warning, Willy Walker slows (ever so slightly) looks off to the left (for reasons still unknown) and with the skill of an NFL running back, makes a 90-degree cut to the right – right in front of me. Forcing me to put on the breaks and cut to the left to avoid an embarrassing mid-sidewalk collision. Of course there was no acknowledgment of the near miss, no motioned apology for the misdirection, not even a word to indicate that he was aware that there were actually other people in the world (especially the one about 1 foot off his flank, struggling to maintain personal space). I wonder if this guy also drives a Mercedes… Inconsiderate pedestrians – hardly Model Citizenship…

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