NEVER go to the grocery 3 hours before the Superbowl.


(Click on image for full size)

Man, why me?

There were a MILLION idiots at the Jewel buying chips and salsa and beer for the Superbowl, and they were all in line in front of me. Why?  Well apparently I was one of those idiots too.

I enjoy the diverse population around my hood. My neighbors are from all over the world and white collar and blue collar and politicians and cops and cleaning ladies and cab drivers and construction guys, among other things.

But one thing I HATE is when someone decides that the fastest way for them to get up to the cash register at the grocery store is to pretend they don't understand that there's a line a mile long behind me, the next guy in line.

And so it was with this Old Hag who cut in front of me.

I explained the fact that I'd been waiting for EVER to buy my chips and salsa and beer, but she just turned around like I said nothing.

Maybe she had a problem hearing or something - she was pretty old.

You know that area in front of the cash registers where usually the lines go back maybe a cart or two? And then there's a space between the end of the line and where the aisle starts - that space just big enough for someone with a cart to go by? Lets call that the Common Decency Area.

Well, the lines here were WAAY past that Common Decency Area - each line went halfway up each aisle. But out of Common Decency, you leave the Common Decency Area open for the person still shopping. It was about a 4 foot gap between me in the aisle and the person at the checkout (see schematic below).



(Click on image for full size)

In hindsight, given the extra grocery store pressure from the Bowl, I should have been an asshole and taken over the Common Decency Area. Because had I blocked that area off, maybe the Old Hag wouldn't have thought she could just cut in.

But I didn't.

And when the Old Hag cut in front of me, I totally caved.

I stated my case to her and got no response. I looked for help from my spineless fellow line-waiters and got nothin'. They instead pretended it wasn't happening.

So I caved.

But in my head? Man did I ever give it to her.

Old hag.

And one thing for sure, I AM NEVER going to the grocery a couple hours before the Bowl.

Only an idiot would do that.

The Bowl, by the way, was pretty entertaining.

New Orleans' head coach Sean Payton - he sure waited to get on that big stage before pulling out his bag of tricks.

And my chips and salsa were delicious, by the way.

Tags: 
Cubby Blue
Submitted by CubbyBlue on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:06pm
Return to Homepage

Comments

Submitted by jacos
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:31pm

Same for people who don't understand difference between A group, B group and C group for boarding on SouthWest flights.

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:40pm

Southwest is like the Greyhound of flying. You get what you pay for, my friend.

BTW, I'm going Southwest for my annual Spring Trainingathon. Fourth in a row.

I sure hope they stay in AZ cuz I can hit 3 ballparks in 4 days.

Long Live Mesa.

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:43pm

CBlue:

you really took the time to draw that up? Do you need a job? Let me see what I can do. Are you good with Illustrator?

EDIT: I wouldn't be trying to help you with getting a job if I didn't enjoy the brilliant graphics. Just saying.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 12:50pm

CubbyBlue is most definitely employed.

Submitted by Charlie
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 2:00pm

Which means he's drawing these up on company time most likely!

Get back to work, Blue!

Submitted by Ryno
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 2:48pm

Too bad you didn't have the presence of mind to snap a photo of her credit card and post it on the Internet. I could have had my 2010 fantasy baseball dues paid.

Don't get me wrong, I don't condone criminal activity, but I do enjoy payback.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 3:01pm

those are the same kind of people (opportunistic line cutters) who park in the fire/loading lane in front of the grocery to go inside and shop because they don't want to walk the extra 20-200 feet.

around here you can tell if someone's gonna pull that because they tend to have a bunch of bumper stickers on their vehicles complaining about government and pushing their moral agenda. i guess this is their way of getting some extra privilege to make the universe even out...somehow "getting something easy" makes things a little better in between all the self-victimization caused by mysterious overlord government/moral forces trying to drive them into extinction.

i reserve my own person "hey asshole!" call-outs for those JERKS who park in handicap spaces. i've personally been responsible for 3 people getting $200 tickets and i wish i could have made 10x+ that amount over the years.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 3:37pm

My peeve is the people who wait til the very last moment possible to try to merge, even though there were RIGHT LANE CLOSED AHEAD signs posted for two miles. #2 on my list is the people who let them in.

Submitted by Rob Richardson
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 4:06pm

Ah the great merging debate.

http://www.drdriving.org/#merging

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 4:13pm

i always felt it was better to use up all the lanes until the end, but it only works if the people already in the lane alternate letting cars in.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 4:19pm

i'm not a fan of those who seem to think you need to leave 1+ car length in front of you at a stop. i have NO idea where this is coming from, but the past 4-5 years it's been in full force.

i love being blocked from getting into a turning lane because 5-6 cars take up the space of 8-10 cars the traffic flow was designed for...not to mention almost rear-ending people who seem to think you need to keep 6-10'+ between their car and the one in front of them.

that said...road rage isn't my thing. i hate cars...HATE. no love for those over-priced HORRIBLE investments. i just want to get where i'm going and get back without putting emotion into the experience.

Submitted by Mister Whipple
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 11:22pm

Holy shit, that's my #1 pet peeve while driving. I don't know why it makes me so nuts when there's not even a turn lane issue. The more room car in front of me leaves, the more antsy I get.

Submitted by Jumbo
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 4:25am

I have had the same experience of almost rear ending someone in front of me who stopped short. However, I have developed the habit of leaving room in front of me on a particular stretch of road because of the inability of the drivers in front of me to use their turn signal. I love cars but I hate that there are so many careless drivers out there.

Submitted by Newport
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:27pm

On a couple of occasions I have done a front load parallel parking job in front of people at stop lights that had left 3-4 car lengths between them and the next car. I just do it to be a smart ass. Usually they don't notice because they are busy texting.

Submitted by Dogstar23
on Sun, 02/14/2010 - 8:15pm

crunch - while its annoying, it has to do with the way the law and insurance works. The guy in front of you slams on his breaks because he thought he saw something in front of him, or because he slammed into the car in front of him - your fault if you then hit him.

People are often even cited at partial blame (meaning paying partial deductible, or your insurance company paying part of the claim), if they are pushed into the car in front of them after being rear-ended.

"Following too close".

Submitted by Wes
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:38pm

I also love the guy who gives me the finger after I refuse to let him in. That amuses me greatly.

Submitted by thedirtbag
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:35pm

Handicap people do not use handicap spots, that is why they are always empty. and if they were handicap, how would they drive? They do not wanted to be treated any differently.

Submitted by navigator
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 1:40pm

Have you recently been dropped on your head?

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:03pm

him and artskoe go to the same liberal arts college.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:33pm

Nice

Submitted by artskoe
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:37pm

True.

Submitted by Mister Whipple
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 7:13pm

Win.

Submitted by thedirtbag
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:39pm

Perhaps I should have used quotes.

Submitted by artskoe
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 11:02am

Depends on the meaning of the word handicap. Remember when Arnie in the truck talked about handicaps at Maywood park? Do you long for the days when they had a psuedo-scientific contest to rename handicap to a more contemporary er...name?

"Harness challenged"
"artful assistance" (??)

In the end, people just found the word handicap to be the expression of choice. Sorta like choosing miles over metrics. We are all empty, my friend. So the guy never had to change his name from Aaron Miles to Aaron Kilos. It's the circle of life. Blue helmets can stay home - they are not needed. We are all safe because of the Monroe doctrine.

Safe, that is, until we get in the Jewel line and near the "Common decency area."

(maybe that's what they should call the Cubs' Arizona ticket surcharge...THAT would stop these lawsuits in their tracks!!!)

Submitted by jacos
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 3:10pm

No joke
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4...

Cubs should put a statue of an empty suit to salute Trib ownership.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 3:21pm

little early for that, eh?

yeah, he's very important to MIL baseball and building/keeping a team there...but c'mon...wait a little while longer.

Submitted by Stevens
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 4:38pm

7 feet of Bud. eww

Submitted by Doug Dascenzo
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:45am

It's kind of ironic that a giant Bud statue is going up outside Miller Park, no?

Submitted by Cubster
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 5:43pm

there are many happy pidgeons on this news

Submitted by Dr. aaron b
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:34pm

Yet crows will be terrified

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 7:14pm

on tickets at Wrigley on February 19th

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/02/...

Submitted by Ryno
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 7:20pm

Guess I better get the day off so I can spend all day in the queue and wait while Wrigleyfieldpremiumtickets.com gobbles up all the good games.

Yay me.

Submitted by artskoe
on Mon, 02/08/2010 - 10:45pm

Old hag must've been Betty White - she was in a hurry so she didn't miss her ad.

~~~

Cubs need a statute of Ernie Banks and Harry Carey. That would be nice.

~~~~~~~~~~

Didja notice winter is back? Damn goobermint. I'm gonna get me one of those bumper stickers...

Submitted by thedirtbag
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:37pm

Is it statue or statute of limitations? Yeah, its a scupture of limitations.

Submitted by WISCGRAD
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 3:25pm

Two Kramer quotes in two minutes? Really?

Submitted by thedirtbag
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:41pm

Two opportunities in two minutes. Thanks for noticing.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:25am

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opin...

former Cactus League president believes tax is wrong...doesn't really give much of a reason, other than it's wrong.

Submitted by Sweet Lou
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 9:16am

So, his reasoning is that the Cubs only play the other Cactus League teams a couple of times each spring, so it is wrong to tax all of the tickets for all of the Spring Training games. Of course, the only other alternative is to tax something else in Arizona (hotel rooms, restaurant meals, etc.) that have next to nothing to do with baseball or the Cactus League.

In addition to taxing tickets, the proposed legislation includes a tax on rental cars that will be used to build the Cubs' new facility. Of course, no one associated with the Cactus League seems to be upset about that part of the proposal. I guess the tax is only a bad idea when it directly involves the other MLB teams.

These knuckleheads (including Reinsdorf) are going to screw around until time runs out and the Cubs shift their focus to Florida. Then we can hear the owners cry poor when the Cubs fans stop buying tickets to their games. The Cubs may not be the whole Cactus League (as Mr. Pies point out), but they are by far the biggest draw. It sounds to me like the other owners (and Mr. Pies) are irritated that such a big deal has been made about the huge financial impact the Cubs have on the Cactus League and the Arizona economy. If the other owners don't wise up, their pride is going to end up driving the Cubs out of the state. The folks in Naples must be loving this.

Submitted by jacos
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:19pm

Yes, they are all coming in to see the A's and the Royals.

The Cubs are ST in AZ.

Submitted by Cubster
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 7:49am

Trunks being packed at Wrigley...

Sun-times article with a few pictures:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/20367...

Submitted by JoePepitone
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 4:34pm

"What the Cubs will be trucking to Arizona for spring training:

...1 waffle maker...."

"We can stay up late at night swapping manly stories, and in the morning -- I'm making waffles!"

--Eddie Murphy, from Shrek

Submitted by artskoe
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 11:02am

First (official) workouts a week from today?

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 12:48pm

an ex-Cub...surprising.

Will Ohman.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 1:11pm

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/02/...

same old, same old...no date announced yet, sometime over next 2 weeks.

Submitted by QuietMan
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:45pm

From Bruce Levine's blog:

"Sources tell ESPN Chicago that the two sides will have their arbitration hearing sometime the weekend of Feb. 20 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Major League Baseball doesn't announce arbitration hearings in advance."

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 1:57pm

http://baseballanalysts.com/archives/2010/02/...

Carlos Marmol was a bit wild last year.

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:05pm

they used a lot of words in that article to say very little. i guess it's nice if you've never heard of the guy.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:00pm

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/ran...

Cubs at 28th...

Submitted by Ryno
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 3:18pm

Agreed.

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 3:31pm

re-editing that 1st paragraph...

"Wanna read something stupid and pointless? Lucky you, because this is hardballtimes.com"

fixed.

btw, keep your panties on those who might be upset...it's a joke...most of the content is good stuff. they got some straight up loopy as shit "does this place have an editor?" content, too.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 3:58pm

I can only hope that article was written by a 12 year old.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 4:48pm

Chris Jaffe, believe he just wrote "Evaluating Baseball Managers" and has been around for awhile, no relation to Jay Jaffe oddly enough...

not sure he could have prefaced it anymore that it was just a silly list for the fun of it.

why so serious?

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 5:52pm

i dunno who that is for, but if it's for me...

"it's a joke...most of the content is good stuff. they got some straight up loopy as shit "does this place have an editor?" content, too."

i'm referring to some of their "serious" work...that's where the joke lies. yurp.

Submitted by Charlie
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 5:32pm

I DISAGREE!!!

I don't enjoy "Cubbies" though...

I dock the Rays points for not sticking with Devil Rays, too.

A little more franchise and general baseball history would've helped make the article more interesting.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:07pm

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2009/9/16/10...

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2010/2/8/129...

Submitted by Stevens
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 2:48pm

Very cool.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 3:58pm

Yeah I like it. Takes a bit of getting used to, particuarly for the pitchers for me.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 4:51pm

back to Twins on minor league deal....

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 5:54pm

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=357961

maybe a reliever, otherwise more Theriot stuff and Lilly rehab...

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 6:09pm

"Z had a double digit weight loss gain." - phil rogers on MLB Network

it's a bitch to pick on a guy doing a telephone interview on the fly, but you did up some english real good like there, phil.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 7:29pm

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/pro...

seems to have gotten the other clubs to side with him about the ticket surcharge...

Don't go too far Naples...

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 8:10pm

Another fun idea - just have the Cubs play all inter-team games in Santa Fe. In 10 years, New Mexico would have 8 teams.

Submitted by Sweet Lou
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 9:28pm

My understanding is that the proposed Spring Training complex in Naples was supposed to be financed with private funds, with the exception of a bed tax that is already in place (the Collier County hoteliers already approved spending the money on the Cubs complex) and about $1 million in state funds that are already earmarked to attract a team to Florida. Reinsdorf et al are sure making it easy for the Cubs to justify a move.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 9:44pm

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/LaurieR...

more of Reinsdorf's B.S. exposed.

Submitted by Sweet Lou
on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 10:14pm

Good stuff. She's exactly right.

Submitted by JoePepitone
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:00am

(Referring to Reinsdorf) "...those who feed so willingly from the public trough ought to chew with their mouths closed."

Great line from the Laurie Roberts article.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:10am

One thing Reinsdorf has going for him though is the other owners, I believe he's pretty well-liked among his peers. He can probably whip them up in to a frenzy and put pressure on the new guy.

On the other hand, I'm not exactly sure what say they have on it. other than leaving Arizona when their leases up, I don't know what they could do about a state-mandated tax...guess it depends on their deals.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:27am

woohoo

Submitted by John Beasley
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 7:29am

TCR 2: Revenge of the TCR is now open. All of last year's managers were re-invited. But if someone knows they don't want to play again, let us know asap so we can fill the slot.

Yahoo is way improved this year. FREE Stattracker! Also, they added auction drafts. I've never done that format, and I'm buy-curious about it.

Submitted by Ryno
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 11:57am

and I'm buy-curious about it.

Booooo! Hissss!

In all seriousness: I'm getting excited. Spring is just around the corner.

And I'd also like to formally request a few more seconds to decide in the live draft. An extra 15-20 seconds would be great.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 6:16pm

I love auction drafts - you can always get the players you want, without having to worry about the luck of the draw.

Submitted by Rob Richardson
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 9:28am

"I talked to Mark O'Neil [trainer] last week, and he said he is coming along fine," Hendry said. "If he starts April 15 that will be fine. I don't see it being anything unless there is some kind of setback that happens in camp. It was a real minor procedure. In fairness to Ted, we're not going to rush him either. If he's 95 percent on Opening Day then we will wait until he is 100 percent."

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/st...

Submitted by jacos
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 9:45am

I predict first start in June.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:10pm

When we get him back, it will be like making a Deadline Trade!!!!!

Submitted by QuietMan
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:00pm

Bruce Levine's chat (includes White Sox info) from yesterday:

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/30786

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:38pm

Reilly (Chuckey, TN)

Do you think Starlin Castro should start the season as the starting shortstop?
Bruce Levine
(3:04 PM)

Jim Hendry answered that question an hour and a half ago in a media session I attended at Wrigley Field. He said ideally Castro should be an opportunity, but he'll probably need more time. Personally, I feel if the kid shows well in spring training, why not? Defensively, he'll cover an awful lot more ground than Theriot, and Theriot will be a superior 2b to what they have now.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:56pm

Personally, I feel if the kid shows well in spring training, why not?

let me answer that Bruce...

cause he'll hit like Ronny Cedeno in 2006 if he's exposed to major league pitching on a regular basis.

Submitted by Charlie
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 3:00pm

Seconded.

Let the kid get in at least half a season of AAA before we start tossing about the phrase sink or swim (you know it's coming within half a season of his first significant exposure to MLB).

Submitted by Rob G.
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 3:19pm

not so sure about Theriot at 2B option either...what makes him so significantly better than the other options?

not a lot of no-power 2b in the league, you can get away with it at SS if you're adequate with the glove which is about the best you can say about Theriot.

Submitted by Dr. aaron b
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 3:31pm

Agreed,

I'd rather have Fontenot and Baker platoon.

Or at the least have a Castro/Fontenot/Theriot 3 headed monster fill those 2 spots.

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:01pm

another cool tidbit:

Bruce Levine
(3:14 PM)

The Cubs never had any interest in Benson. That report was a favor to an agent by a media writer. Something that's done quite often to help an agent get interest in his players.

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:26pm

Does anyone remember that game when Wellemeyer came in and ushered in some really mean ass changeups? I think it was in an extra inning game against a nemesis but I just can't remember who.

Anyway, he is a perfect example of how one game can influence a non stats head like me. I have always liked him for that one appearance.

The Giants just signed him to a minor league contract and I'm gonna continue to root for him, dammit.

Submitted by Tito
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:32pm

Didn't he strike out the side vs. the Brewers in an extra-inning game for his first save?

Submitted by thedirtbag
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:43pm

That was when he had some giddyup on his fastball prior to being stretched out for the rotation. He has always had command issues. I refer to him as Smellemeyer.

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:02pm

yes to both of you, and thanks for that. God I love this blog.

Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:43pm

Submitted by Old and Blue on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 12:26pm.
Does anyone remember that game when Wellemeyer came in and ushered in some really mean ass changeups? I think it was in an extra inning game against a nemesis but I just can't remember who.

==================================

OLD & BLUE:

this one?

Submitted by Old and Blue
on Wed, 02/10/2010 - 1:04pm

yes, see above, AZ and thanks. I'd say I love this blog again but some asswipe here will claim I'm looking for a hershey highway. So I'll just say, I love the knowledge here.

X
You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address.
The password field is case sensitive.
Loading