Marylanders

I feel like an alien living in Northern Maryland. The horrible way people treat each other here, I’m ashamed to say I was born in this state. New Yorkers are so much nicer. When Google’s quote of the day came up as follows a couple days ago, it hit the nail on the head:

The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot. - Mark Twain

People here are downright mean. They get really ugly with you if they don’t get their way. It’s got to be the most selfish, thoughtless group of people I’ve met. Not only that, but Marylanders are the worst drivers. I’ve been flipped off twice on the road in the past week alone. What did I do to piss someone off, you ask? I’ll tell you what – I was driving just a tad over the speed limit. Yes, I admit it. I was driving safely and, for the most part, legally. Apparently that is not acceptable here. (Makes me miss the polite, slow drivers of Puget Sound.)

One flip-off occurred as I was doing 60 in the middle lane of a 55-zone. A huge semi barreled down on me, and stayed right on my bumper. I couldn’t get in the right lane because my left exit was coming up in 1/2 mile. Couldn’t get in the left lane just yet because of the cars screaming past me there. So this jerk behind the wheel of the semi decided to play chicken with our lives and drive as close as possible to my bumper, at 60mph, in an effort to intimidate me into speeding like he was. How dangerous is that? When I exited, I happened to look to the right, and there was the finger and an ugly stare.

So, Rule #1 (for surviving life in this state): In Maryland, you get punished by your fellow human beings - (dare I call them human) - for not breaking the law. You must break the law in order to live civilly and not get run over.

The next flip-off was Monday morning, as I was happily driving to work on a 30mph road . Good hair day. I turned left at a light, and next thing you know, Fat Guy Driving a Hyundai was on my ass - in a school zone. What’s the hurry? I just kept going and ignored him. I turned right into a merge lane on Waterloo Road, just minding my own business. This is one short merge lane.

Anyway, I was merging left when Fat Guy comes flying around me out of nowhere, trying to squeeze in between me and the car in front of me. I laid on the horn and that fat bastard cut me off! Then, get this - he SLAMS on his brakes just to scare me! I was right behind him. How dangerous is THAT? I had to hit my brakes unexpectedly, and everything in my car went flying. I had a huge sheet cake in the back of the car, for some co-workers’ birthdays. (Originally I had placed the cake on the back seat. But, at the last minute, I got out of my car in my driveway to move the cake to the hatch area “just in case.” Thank goodness.)

We got to the next stop light at the same time (ha ha, fat guy!). I was right behind him taking down his license plate number and dialing 911 on my cell. (Finally, a good use for a cell phone.) He sat there looking in his rear-view mirror, the finger standing tall and unwavering. Talk about road rage. Geez!

Funny thing was – I was on that left exit again this evening, coming home from work, and guess who I saw in my rear-view mirror, barreling down on me as I slowed to turn off? Mr. Fat Guy himself. I’d recognize those chins anywhere. So he lives in my neighborhood. How pleasant.

If it’s not one thing it’s another. Today I had to contact the MD Attorney General’s office Consumer Protection Division because a furniture store owner in historic Ellicott City won’t refund my money for a piece that I ordered on February 26 and was supposed to have by mid-April. Not only did the furniture not arrive until this past Monday, but it’s damaged. I told them I simply don't want it and they need to refund my money. Mr. Chester, the owner of What’s In Store, doesn’t know the law and actually demanded on the phone today that I write down the details of the “implied warranty” law that I’d researched and email it to him. I think not.

And I don’t even want to get into the extremely unprofessional attitude of the woman who is temporarily running the Montjoy HOA until construction is completed in my community. I'll save that for another blog.

I'm not sure how much more anger and ugliness I can take from people here. Dale Carnegie must be rolling over in his grave. Why is everything a fight? I posed that question to my friend Peggy today. I’ll leave you with her thoughts. I couldn’t have said it better myself:

…you are right.......why is everything a fight? People in general are just unhappy I think and therefore it is showing up everywhere. USA is over-worked and we have no leisure time anymore. It's always work.......even just to take care of daily stuff is work.......hassle at the grocery store, Target, getting gas, etc. NOTHING is simple and easy anymore and that is why people are like they are. We need to return to the 50's where when you left work.........they had no way of getting hold of you (because NOBODY published home phones.....except the military of course), no cells, no email, nothing. You worked 8-5. PERIOD. You had a life and leisure time.......ALL gone with email and cell phones.