Vent-o-Rama

[RuneDeer]

Sorry, guys, I have nowhere else to put this and am STILL fuming, and it's been over 3 hours.

Our neighborhood association had National Night Out, the 4th one since I've lived here and the 3rd that I've attended. My husband came along for the food, and because he knew I had a couple of minutes at the mike.

But in case you hadn't noticed, it was HOT. Even in the shade, the heat index was in the 90s. So after delivering my little spiel and walking around talking to a lot of people, I needed a drink. My husband had snagged the first, and possibly only, Coke from one of 3 plastic barrels of ice supplied for that purpose. They mainly had Sprite and water ... at that point I didn't care, just wanted something.

So I walked over to one of the barrels and this one woman blocked me. She's quite elderly. Probably at least 80. She's been giving me crap since the first time I attended a meeting. Every opportunity, she finds a way to zing me. "You didn't put my name on the attendance sheet," she'll tell me (when I did, and I point it out to her and she just turns her head away from me). Last year at the same event, she squawked because my husband and I had the winning ticket for a prize (we were "disqualified," according to her, because I was on the planning committee). My husband took the hat he had "won" and put it down in front of her saying "Never mind, I don't want it."

So there I am, really thirsty, and I said, with a smile, "Mrs. N., it's really hot and I am really thirsty and I've been talking awhile and I need a drink."

"NO!" she exclaims. "They told me NO MORE DRINKS FOR ANYBODY!"



At that point, my husband and took our chair (which someone had already commandeered and we had to ask them to give it back...yeah, it was a banger of an evening, I gotta tell ya...) and made a point of telling a couple of people about our rude treatment. We went to dinner and couldn't stop talking about how offended we were. But what do you do when the person is so old and has been living in the neighborhood about 10x longer than we have? When does asserting ourselves cross the line into making us just look like a couple of brats?

Speaking of "brats," we were told by someone that SHE had been told to "guard" the drinks because so many neighborhood kids were snatching several cans and bringing them home, causing a shortage by the time the food was served, something that happened last year. But dammit, WE'RE NOT CHILDREN. We're a couple of very middle-aged adults who just wanted a damn drink on a hot frickin' day.

Sorry, I'm just still incredibly, extremely pissed.

[Bob]

but did you tell her "I'm sorry you're too old to understand" or "I'm sorry but this is the way it is and nobody is forcing you to be here"


[grin]


been there done that (actually both)

[RuneDeer]

I am a victim of having been brought up properly to respect old people.

Damn!!

...but feeling a little less enraged better after a decent night's sleep.

[cadillacdude1975]

too bad you don't have an animal that would go poop on her front porch. LMAO now that would be mean. i didn't say that.

[spastikcomma]

Old people are awful. Not all of them, but lots. And if you push them down, you look bad. Even when they're obviously asking for it.

It sounds like you've given in to her on enough occasions to let her know that she can boss you around. You need to start ignoring her. Don't start conversations with her! When she tells you something, don't listen, don't respond! She probably looks forward to seeing you because she has no one else to order around.

And taking the high road won't make her feel bad. She's old, she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her. I plan to be her one day.

[gridbug]

Aug 5, 2009 6:17:57 GMT -5 cadillacdude1975 said:

too bad you don't have an animal that would go poop on her front porch. LMAO now that would be mean. i didn't say that.

All the dog owners here could take up a collection

[alphacelt]

What neighborhood is this?

AC

[ScarlettP]

I feel for you, but trust me, it could be worse.

I used to get along really well with the older ladies across the street from me. Now? They've gone totally crazy. The mother-in-law who knew my mother passed away and her daughter in law has lost it. That woman calls the law on me every chance she gets.

When we started doing the yard for halloween, she called the city to complain that our extention cords hanging out the window were a fire hazard. That cost me $270 to put in a City Inspected ground fault breaker outlet thingy. Then, since she couldn't stop it, she called in a Noise complaint and shut down the haunted yard at NINE THIRTY Halloween which was a Friday night AFTER she had told my husband that the "Noise level was fine" every other Friday & Saturday night that the show was up and running through October.

Next, she didn't like the left over Halloween props under tarps at the side of my house. We got the "Your yard is littered" note from the city. We moved the stuff. It wasn't good enough. We even had to move hubby's table saw and big tool box that were over there next to the $270 electrical outlet that we had to install to run the saw! (Go figure on that one!)

Then she called the pound because we let our Jack Russel out in the front yard, off the leash/no fence which I know is in violation of the law. But we figured that letting our hyper dog run around and exercise at 5:30 in the morning wouldn't bother anyone and it did make him easier to live with. She complained that the dog was pooping on her porch. Mind you our neighbor hood is FULL of strays! Have to admit I thought it would have been very funny if my dog was actually doing that, but I don't think that he was. Plus, if you're up before daylight watching dogs deficate, you really need to get a life.

When the big roll back tow truck came to pick up my brokend down Buick... she went out and fussed at the driver that he couldn't park that thing in the street, it was blocking traffic. WTF??? Did she really think I had COMPANY coming for a visit in a roll back truck?

YEESH! The love just flows on and on.

[MSwafford]

Age is no excuse for bad behavior. I know a lot of elderly people have the desire to feel needed and are looking for a purpose in a young person's world but you should still treat EVERYONE with the same amount of respect. Her attitude was down right rude and uncalled for.

And before anyone decides to flame me, I'm not age-bashing. I mean this for everyone: black, white, chinese, polish, young, old, and all of those inbetween.

Except for the Irish.

[Warkitty]

Yeah, those Irish just have no excuse at all.

[gridbug]

Rabble!

[LimitedRecourse]

If she's old AND Irish....don't mess wih her! Just slowly back away.....

[RuneDeer]

The neighborhood is Churchville.

Founded in 1886.

And she was there...


Scarlett, if you know any people who have attitudes similar to your neighbor, invite them over for a few days to scrutinize HER property and find something to call the law on. You're right, she does sound like someone with way too much time on her hands.

[Tsavodiner]

Rune, this is the reason I quit going to these damned things. I once had to hold two guys apart like yipping little dogs while the Mayor stood there, laughing. It was Ferger Place and I don't care who knows it. Peoples' behavior just goes straight to Hell when public officials are involved, and well over half the suggestions I got from participants of more than one of these outfits were just flat-out racist, unconstitutional, or both.

I pointed out in the City Charter where political activity is prohibited by on-duty employees, and they got pissed...what else is new?