Whatever Happened to Strangers?

A month??  It's been over a month since I was here!  Where has the time gone?  Well, there was no competing with Holly's birth story post, so I just decided to let it "sit" for a while.  Yeah, that's it.

Anyway...here I am again.  And I am here today to talk about a few things that irritate me.  Yes, it's random, but I feel I need to get these things out in the open for fear I will combust at some point if I don't. 

OK, so the family and I were at the park tonight, enjoying this weird and random nice February weather.  We decided to take our little dog, Mattie, with us.  Poor thing rarely gets walked, so she was long overdue.  The kids wanted to swing, so I leave Chuck with the job of pushing them decided to walk Mattie around the track so she can do her business.  We walk around once and head back to the play set/slide thing when I am suddenly "attacked" by two random kids.  Now, I am used to kids wanting to pet Mattie because, well, she is irresistible, but these particular kids - a girl and a boy - had their eyes on the leash in my hand.  Now, the girl (who is on my right side) proceeds to TELL me that she wants to walk Mattie and literally tries to remove the leash from my hand.  I fend her off and the boy (who is on my left side and basically drooling and staring at the leash in my hand) says, "Can I take her for a walk?"  I fend him off and get the heck out of there.  So, the point of the story is...whatever happened to strangers??  More importantly, whatever happened to NOT TALKING TO STRANGERS?  Where were these kids parents while this random lady (me) was being attacked?  All I had to do was tell one or both of them that yeah, sure you can walk my little dog, but she's hungry and I need you to help me get her some food out of my van and BAM! I've kidnapped a couple of kids.  Seriously?  What happened to the good old days where you were told to not talk to people you don't know?  I was - and still am - leery of vans because of the things I was told when I was a kid.  Now, I say all of this in the hopes that my kids don't ever make a fool out of me and do something crazy like this, but I can only hope that I can scare them enough that they won't.  That's my plan anyway.

Now, on to a few other random things that just plain get on my nerves:

-People that text and drive.  Yes, we all know we are not supposed to do it, but we do.  Now, I am guilty of having done it, but I do my best to only do it if I am stopped at a red light or in traffic - both of which, as you know, are rarities here in Chattanooga.  (Sense the sarcasm?)  I am talking about the people that full-on do it while they are driving.  On the freeway.  In the rain.  Phone up in front of their face so they can "hold the steering wheel" people - or down in their laps "I don't give a crap about causing a wreck" people.  I have had at least one near side swipe by some guy who was texting and I doubt if he heard my horn for the full solid minute that I held it down.  Idiot.

-People that post responses to statuses on Facebook and ask stupid questions. For example, I saw a status update tonight from a shoe company who posted that their spring shoes would go on sale online tonight at 12:00 midnight (Eastern time).  The status actually said Eastern time IN IT.  Of course, as if on cue, the first response was something like "Can't wait!  What time?"  Really?  Are we too busy to read the entire thing and get all the information before we post something?  Man, that stuff drives me nuts!

-Speaking of Facebook, I try not to post things unless I think they might be of some kind of value to the people reading it.  I find it really annoying when people post so much that you can tell they have nothing else to do.  "Just got up and took a shower.  Ready to start the day!" (12 hours ago)....Posts picture of breakfast with the caption that reads "My breakfast today. Yum!" (11 hours ago)...."Lunch at Chili's - with Sally Jones and 2 others." (8 hours ago)...."Think I may be getting sick.  Uh-oh.  Not feeling good and feel kind of clammy and feverish." (7 hours ago)...."Could this day be any slower?" (6 hours ago)....Random not-really-inspirational post/quote (4 hours ago)...____  just posted a pin to Pinterest! (3 hours ago)...."I just made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow at 9 am." (3 hours ago)...____ added 3 photos to the album Mobile Uploads (pictures of clammy hands, inside of "sore" throat & thermometer showing 100.4 degrees on it) (2 hours ago)...."Time for bed.  I hope I feel better after going to the doctor tomorrow.  Ugh.  Night night!" (2 hours ago)....  You get the idea.

And, last but certainly not least, on the list of my annoyances: whiny kids.  My kids LOVE to whine.  I think it is their passion, like playing piano or acting.  Alex is especially good at it.  I truly think that becoming a skilled whiner can only come with age and experience.  I am actually hoping that it will decrease with age as well, but from what I have been told by parents before me, it only gets worse.  Great.  Now what do I have to look forward to?  (Kidding, of course.  There's still the teenage years.)