I feel like I’m surrounded by stupid people lately. Not the people that I know and love, just the random strangers. First there were all the idiots yesterday who were so appalled that a two year old would *gasp* cry and shriek (and they were subjected to it for under two minutes) in a freakin’ family doctor’s office, god forbid.

Then today I crossed paths with two winners. One was a guy collecting money for some organization. I didn’t quite catch which one because I was hurrying to get into the store. He held out the can and asked for a donation. I had $15 on me, a ten dollar bill and a five. I sort of needed them. I had no change. I apologized and said I had no change. He sneered at me and barked, “oh of COURSE you don’t, how lucky for you!”

You know, I might have gone back and dropped a buck in his can on my way out. But not after that crap! Way to charm people, buddy!

The other guy pissed me off so much that I may or may not have gotten rude. I had to go out in the early afternoon. The sidewalks aren’t knee deep in snow, but there’s enough of it and the slush that my little umbrella stroller won’t cut it. We do have a larger one but we don’t have it here (George keeps it in his parents’ garage) because I can’t carry it and Breanna down all our stairs.

So, I took her out in the little sled we have. I bought it for five bucks when Hayley was about this age and strangely, this is the first time I used it. Breanna freaked out at first whenever cars would go by but then she enjoyed herself and had a great time grabbing at the snow as we zipped along.

I was purposely walking on the inside of the sidewalk for two reasons – one, if she happened to topple out, she wouldn’t roll into the street, and two, it would help protect her from getting sprayed by any slush that might get thrown off the street by cars. As we’re heading along the sidewalk, a man was walking towards us. He wasn’t an elderly man, he was maybe ten years older than me, if that. And he was walking on the inside.

He was also looking straight at us. I’d cut him some slack if he was just unaware of our presence, but no. He saw me, he saw that I was pulling a sled, and he saw that I was turning around to talk to Breanna. I, being a decent person who would do this very thing if roles were reversed, expected him to step towards the outside of the sidewalk and go around us.

No.

He kept walking towards us and then he stopped dead in front of me and looked at me with the full expectation that I would move because GOD FUCKING FORBID he should have to go out of his way by a couple of inches to accomodate someone with a small child on a sled.

I looked at him and said, “oh no, PLEASE don’t trouble yourself to MOVE, I’ll just go around you as soon as I drag this SLED WITH MY KID IN IT out of your goddamn way.”

And he turned as I passed him, smirked, and shrugged his shoulders before continuing on his way.

I may have called him a fucking asshole as his important self walked off, but I won’t admit to such a thing. Ahem.

Seriously, it’s the holiday season. Where’s the holly jolly? Is everyone drinking expired eggnog?