Friday, November 30, 2007

This Time, HE did most of the talking...

So, I didn't really have time last night after our walk to write my entry about the walk... But I did take the walk.

Despite Thomas coming home in the world's most defeatist mood. You see, he's got this thing at work... management, I swear, has no brains.

This is the situation: Project X has to be finished at the end of the year. Most of the stuff for X is up at the other branch of the office - some 500 miles away. And it has to be moved down HERE by year's end. Company has a deal with Another Company to lease out the space where all this equipment is, starting Jan 2. So, we're not talking about a mushy deadline, either.

The problem is this: If the move isn't done by Jan 2, Thomas might lose his job. However, as soon as the move is complete, this other guy at the other office probably will lose his job. Which leaves Other Guy with absolutely no incentive to do his part of the moving job. So... strangely enough, he's not doing it.

Honestly, I know Thomas is upset right now, and stressed out. But I seriously doubt he's going to lose his job. For that matter, I doubt the guy at the Other Office is going to lose his job... but he's stressed out, and angry, and there's nothing I can do about it but nod and go "yeah, that's really stupid, I agree." On the other hand, because he was in such a bad mood, he did most of the talking and I concentrated more on the walking, and aside from our daughter, Darcy, tripping over the sidewalk once and getting mad at me and refusing to walk with me for about two whole minutes (she instead walked about 3 feet behind me with her arm over her face so I couldn't see her... of course, she couldn't see the sidewalk either, which wasn't exactly smart if she wanted to avoid tripping again... but hey, who reasons with a four-year-old?) it was a much faster walk than last time. And I wasn't nearly so out of breath.

I am trying to figure out the etiquette for moving over on the sidewalk when someone else is coming your way (it's easier if the person is jogging up behind you, since they move around you and half the time I don't even know they're back there until they start to pass us by running around on the grass). Apparently my brain is working differently from everyone else's.

I move to my right - as if I were driving a car and the other walker/jogger is oncoming traffic. However, the other runners/walkers have moved OFF the sidewalk, to the LEFT. This makes absolutely no sense to me... I left plenty of space on the sidewalk. The only thing I can think of is that - given the direction we're walking, they're moving to the non-road side of the sidewalk... not that there isn't a good three feet of grass on the other side of the sidewalk, plus the half of the sidewalk that I vacated.

This wouldn't bother me quite so much if people didn't glare at me, as if I was taking up the whole sidewalk. There's plenty of room there. I mean, I know I'm fat, but honestly, I don't take up the entire walkway. And I pay my taxes, so half the damn sidewalk belongs to me, too.

Ah well.

1 comment:

Summer said...

In my neighborhood, the joggers I see most often are the girls' cross country team from the university near us. They are, to a one, teeny and blonde and be-ponytailed. Sickeningly cute. I secretly watch them and mentally critique their form. ("She needs to tuck her butt under to engage her stomach. That other one is letting her shoulders hunch and she's leaning forward too much.") Makes me feel better about my own inability to run. Since they're running in a gang, they tend to run in the road, to not clog up the sidewalk. Cute and considerate. Hrmph.

Other joggers, who do use the sidewalk, tend to call out a warning when they're approaching, something like "on your left!" if they want you to move to the right. I am going to assume that it's the proper etiquette for this situation. Do you have eyes in the back of your head? No. Do you have the psychic ability to predict the future movements of others? Not that I'm aware of. Therefore it is the responsibility of the faster-moving person behind you to give you some warning.