Re: Scaring my cat

[Emily]

Nomen Nescio wrote:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>
> The Blue Angels seem to have picked my house as
> a turning point for this weekend's airshow. They've been
> flying over at a few hundred feet in a tight bank all day.
> I've been enjoying the show.
> TK, however, has been dashing under the dining room
> table every time they pass overhead and then giving me
> that wide eyed,"WTF", look.
> F-18s. low ceilings, and wimpy cats just don't mix.

Maybe my cats are stupid, but they LOVE living right next to one of the
busiest airports in the country. Doesn't compare to an F-18, of course,
but when FedEx flies over the house at midnight, they sit in the windows
and howl at the plane. It's really weird.

[Peter R.]

Emily > wrote:

> Doesn't compare to an F-18, of course,
> but when FedEx flies over the house at midnight, they sit in the windows
> and howl at the plane. It's really weird.

UPS drivers in another life.

--
Peter

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Peter R." > wrote in message
...
> Emily > wrote:
>
>> Doesn't compare to an F-18, of course,
>> but when FedEx flies over the house at midnight, they sit in the windows
>> and howl at the plane. It's really weird.
>
> UPS drivers in another life.
>
> --
> Peter

UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much lower
form of life.

[B A R R Y]

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
>
>
> UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much lower
> form of life.

My local UPS folks are excellent.

[Peter R.]

Gig 601XL Builder <wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net> wrote:

> UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much lower
> form of life.

Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been excellent. Very
friendly and likable. What's been your experience?

--
Peter

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Peter R." > wrote in message
...
> Gig 601XL Builder <wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net> wrote:
>
>> UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much
>> lower
>> form of life.
>
> Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been excellent. Very
> friendly and likable. What's been your experience?
>
> --
> Peter

Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that some of
which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of the truck to
the ground.

[Emily]

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
> "Peter R." > wrote in message
> ...
>> Gig 601XL Builder <wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net> wrote:
>>
>>> UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much
>>> lower
>>> form of life.
>> Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been excellent. Very
>> friendly and likable. What's been your experience?
>>
>> --
>> Peter
>
> Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that some of
> which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of the truck to
> the ground.
>
>
That's not the pilot's fault!

[Peter Duniho]

"Peter R." > wrote in message
...
> Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been excellent. Very
> friendly and likable. What's been your experience?

Delivery drivers I've dealt with -- UPS, FedEx, Airborne, whatever -- have
generally been quite friendly and polite. Until they get back into their
truck. Then they race through the neighborhood, making more noise than is
necessary (loud acceleration, heavy braking), tailgating other vehicles, and
endangering all of us with their speed and recklessness.

I have yet to see any delivery driver actually driving safely. Granted,
they aren't generally a LOT worse than many of the other drivers coming
through, but a) they are supposed to be professionals, and b) they are
piloting quite a bit more mass than most of the other drivers too.

I'm not convinced that this qualifies them for reincarnation lower than a
cat, but it surely doesn't help their case any either.

Pete

[Peter Duniho]

"Emily" > wrote in message
. ..
>> Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that some
>> of which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of the truck
>> to the ground.
>
> That's not the pilot's fault!

If by "pilot" you mean "driver", in what way is it not the "pilot"'s fault?

The driver is the person handling the packages in the field. Beyond the
trauma that poor driving causes, the only person around to drop a monitor
from the back of the truck at the point of delivery would be the driver.
That sounds like *all* the driver's fault.

Pete

[Peter R.]

Peter Duniho > wrote:

> Then they race through the neighborhood, making more noise than is
> necessary (loud acceleration, heavy braking), tailgating other vehicles, and
> endangering all of us with their speed and recklessness.

Good observation. I hadn't given that much thought, but upon reading your
post I would have to agree.

--
Peter

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Emily" > wrote in message
. ..
> Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
>> "Peter R." > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Gig 601XL Builder <wrDOTgiaconaATcox.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> UPS drivers don't come back as cats. I'm sure they come back as a much
>>>> lower
>>>> form of life.
>>> Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been excellent.
>>> Very
>>> friendly and likable. What's been your experience?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Peter
>>
>> Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that some
>> of which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of the truck
>> to the ground.
> That's not the pilot's fault!

I never mentioned pilots.

[Emily]

Peter Duniho wrote:
> "Emily" > wrote in message
> . ..
>>> Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that some
>>> of which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of the truck
>>> to the ground.
>> That's not the pilot's fault!
>
> If by "pilot" you mean "driver", in what way is it not the "pilot"'s fault?

By "pilot" I meant "pilot of something larger than a truck". :-)

I don't know, I never see the truck drivers.

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Emily" > wrote in message
...
> Peter Duniho wrote:
>> "Emily" > wrote in message
>> . ..
>>>> Two broken computer monitors last week from the rough handling that
>>>> some of which I watched take place. One was dropped from the back of
>>>> the truck to the ground.
>>> That's not the pilot's fault!
>>
>> If by "pilot" you mean "driver", in what way is it not the "pilot"'s
>> fault?
>
> By "pilot" I meant "pilot of something larger than a truck". :-)
>
> I don't know, I never see the truck drivers.

In my post I ONLY spoke of the drivers and the drivers are the ONLY people
with UPS I ever see. I would assume that would hold true for the vast
majority of UPS customers.

What contact do you have with UPS that you never see the drivers?

[Emily]

Gig 601XL Builder wrote:
<snip>
>
> In my post I ONLY spoke of the drivers and the drivers are the ONLY people
> with UPS I ever see.

Yes, well, beer + usenet is not a good combination. Beer makes you read
things that aren't there.

> What contact do you have with UPS that you never see the drivers?

Dated a pilot for a few months (few months too long). And they are a
customer of my company. I never actually *ship* anything UPS.

[Montblack]

("Emily" wrote)
> Dated a pilot for a few months (few months too long).


Women seldom have ANYTHING good to say about past relationships. I think it
helps them get over the relationship ...and move forward.

Men may gripe about their current relationships, but will often wax
nostalgic for their old flame(s).

Just a 30 year observation. <g>


Montblack

[John]

Montblack wrote:
> ("Emily" wrote)
> > Dated a pilot for a few months (few months too long).
>
>
> Women seldom have ANYTHING good to say about past relationships. I think it
> helps them get over the relationship ...and move forward.
>
> Men may gripe about their current relationships, but will often wax
> nostalgic for their old flame(s).
>
> Just a 30 year observation. <g>
>
>
> Montblack

LOL Soon as I read it, it struck a chord. Excellent observation.

Blue skies

John

[Bob Fry]

>>>>> "PR" == Peter R > writes:
PR> Hmmm, the drivers who serve my neighborhood have all been
PR> excellent. Very friendly and likable. What's been your
PR> experience?

Mine too. But one evening I watched 3 different UPS drivers go down
the street delivering packages! Don't they organize deliveries by area?

[Bob Fry]

>>>>> "PD" == Peter Duniho > writes:
PD> I have yet to see any delivery driver actually driving safely.

Well, I haven't seen, for instance, any cops on highways driving
safely either. Multiple lane changes without signaling, weaving
in-and-out of traffic, and this seems to be normal (not in pursuit or
going to a call).

[Peter Duniho]

"Bob Fry" > wrote in message
...
> Well, I haven't seen, for instance, any cops on highways driving
> safely either. Multiple lane changes without signaling, weaving
> in-and-out of traffic, and this seems to be normal (not in pursuit or
> going to a call).

Yup. No argument there. Well, maybe a little argument...I think over the
years I must have seen at least a few police officers who weren't violating
any motor vehicle laws. But you're right, on the whole they drive as badly,
if not worse than, the average driver. The police are some of the worst
tailgaters I see, especially when out on the highway.

As I said, it's not really so much that the delivery truck drivers are
*worse* than the average driver. It's that they are *just as bad*, in spite
of supposedly being professionals.

Pete

[Peter Duniho]

"Bob Fry" > wrote in message
...
> Mine too. But one evening I watched 3 different UPS drivers go down
> the street delivering packages! Don't they organize deliveries by area?

They don't. Sure seems like they ought to, but I have had multiple packages
arrive on the same day, all delivered by a different driver.

Doesn't seem very efficient to me. But of course, I'm not privy to the
entire package delivery process. It may be that at some step of the way,
the cost of consolidating the packages is higher than the cost of multiple
visits to the same address.

Actually, now that I think about it, I have a friend who as an IEOR student
worked multiple internships at UPS dealing with these very kinds of
questions. I'll try to remember to ask him about the multiple delivery
thing.

Pete

[David Dyer-Bennet]

"Peter Duniho" > writes:

> But you're right, on the whole they drive as badly, if not worse
> than, the average driver. The police are some of the worst
> tailgaters I see, especially when out on the highway.

I advocate sympathy. What would *your* attitude be like if you spent
your entire working shift, each and every day, stuck driving behind
*ssholes going exactly the speed limit?
--
David Dyer-Bennet, >, <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/>
RKBA: <http://www.dd-b.net/carry/>
Pics: <http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/> <http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/>
Dragaera/Steven Brust: <http://dragaera.info/>

[Peter Duniho]

"David Dyer-Bennet" > wrote in message
...
> I advocate sympathy. What would *your* attitude be like if you spent
> your entire working shift, each and every day, stuck driving behind
> *ssholes going exactly the speed limit?

Frankly, I find the attitude that someone going the speed limit is an
asshole to be, well...****ing ignorant.

Especially in a short-trip, frequent-stop situation such as a delivery
driver has every day, exceeding the speed limit does VERY LITTLE to save
time, and significantly increases the hazard. In a residential area where
the speed limit is 25 mph, exceeding that limit by even 5 mph increases
one's stopping distance by over 40%. It has a variety of other negative
consequences as well, but the increase in stopping distance should alone
make it clear why speeding is a bad idea, especially in a residential
neighborhood.

If a delivery driver is frustrated that they are forced to obey the speed
limit, well that's their problem. They have no good reason to go any
faster, nor any reason to object to others who are obeying the speed limit.

Beyond that, to use derogatory names to refer to people who are doing
nothing more than obeying the law...that's just plain stupid.

Pete

[Bob Noel]

In article >,
"Peter Duniho" > wrote:

> > I advocate sympathy. What would *your* attitude be like if you spent
> > your entire working shift, each and every day, stuck driving behind
> > *ssholes going exactly the speed limit?
>
> Frankly, I find the attitude that someone going the speed limit is an
> asshole to be, well...f***ing ignorant.

I thought his comment was kind of funny - ya know - everyone always
slows down around a cruiser. It wasn't hugely funny, but still I chuckled
at the image of the police car surrounded by people going exactly the
speed limit while everywhere else cars are going much faster.

However, I realize he didn't include a smiley.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate