Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with cell-phone customer service. I saw charges for text-messaging on my cell bill. Do I EVER text-message? NO. Do I have teenagers in the house? YES.

I try to go online and find a way to communicate but that seems impossible. So I call customer service. They put you through the phase - press 1 for English, etc. Then you listen to a mechanical alien who tells you to speak the question. Ms. Alien comes back with -"I don't understand that question?"

After many more button pushes I hear a ring tone - and then music. "You have called at peak time. Your hold time will be less than 20 minutes."
When is off peak time? Finally !!!! a human comes on the line.
"We're sorry but the system is down please call back in 15 minutes." Maybe it wasn't human.

Call number 2 - Same scenario - button pushing. Then music - bad elevator music. Then dead silence. I've been disconnected.

Call number 3 - Same scenario - button pushing. Then a person comes on with an accent from hell. Do I understand anything she says? NO. I hang up and call again.

Call number 4 - Same scenario - button pushing with my lack of patience transparent. A person comes on and I believe she has just visited the dentist and the Novocaine has not worn off. Her words are questionable. I constantly ask her to repeat what she is asking.

I tell her I want the text-messaging on my phone blocked. Seems odd I never asked for it to begin with but apparently I have it and someone is using it. To remove certain services you have to call and asked for those services to be blocked even though you didn't know they were there.

I wonder what charges will be on my bill next month.

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with people who smoke and toss their cigarette butts on the ground. Not only is this disgusting it's also littering. The other day I was at a local park attending a children's birthday party. The area was right next to a great play space. The kids could play but were within a few feet of watchful eyes.

There was this young lady at the park (not attending the party) and she had two small children. She was smoking away like a chimney. Right there in a children's play area with two of her own children. That in itself was bad enough. At one point I saw her toss the cigarette but right on the lawn near the picnic tables where the festivities were taking place. Was she annoyed because she was not invited to the party?

First and formost, one of the children could have stepped on the still burning butt. Second it was rude and it's littering. Why do smokers feel they have the right to toss their trash on the earth? If you choose to smoke that's fine but clean up after yourself and be responsible.

My mission for you - walk down any street or in front of your house (I constantly find butts tossed on my driveway) and count how many discarded cigarette butts you can find. Our watch the number of drivers who toss their cigarette butts out the window. It's amazing and disturbing. How will we ever save the earth with attitudes like this?

Concerned,

Mr. Pid

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with those who feel that the rules DO NOT apply to them. The dog leash rule - states you must have your pet on a leash and be in control of that pet. A leash could be a rope, a real leash or a shoelace. It helps you keep your animal or dog away from harm and keeps your animal away from other animals that may harm your pet. It also keeps your dog from running at me while I am on my bike causing me to fall and and break a bone. That's another gripe.

A few days ago in the paper a women is shown weeping over the loss of her dog. She is devastated and I understand the pain involved with the loss of a pet. This woman from Tampa lets her little dog run wild and unleashed. Is this a responsible pet owner? NO! Once again the dog could be harmed and so could other animals or people. How many times have I slammed on my brakes when a dog runs in front of my vehicle? How many dead animals have you seen along a highway? Were any of them under complete control of their owner? No. Animals and dogs will be animals and dogs and do stuff they shouldn't.

While this woman is letting her little dog run free and wild in a park near a pond (were in Florida here) you can imagine what happened. Ponds in Florida are filled with gators. Normally they do not bother anyone. Let me tell you if I'm a gator and this tasty little bite comes dashing into my territory - I'm going for it. And that is just what the gator did. Unfortunately for the unsupervised little dog he lost his life. Was it the gator's fault? NO!! Let's put the blame in the correct place. The pet owner did not take responsibility for her dog.

Now, the gator has been captured and most likely will be destroyed. His meat will be sent to some eatery for gator bites and his skin will be made into cowboy boots. All of this because that woman does not follow the rules. I am sorry you lost your dog but take responsibility for the action. Alligators are wild animals - they hunt to eat and are territorial.

We have leash laws for a reason. Obey the rules and stop blaming others.

with deep regrets,

Mr. Pid

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with those that can't read good and drive. Here's a huge hint even if you can't read good. That big red sign with the letters STOP on it - that means slam you foot on the brake pedal. First you must remove your foot from the gas pedal. Then, after the car comes to a semi stop look around for other cars. If you see a big red sign with the word STOP-4 ways - it is important to really slam your foot on the brake pedal and let a few cars go before you speed through.

So in a nutshell that is what that big red sign with the letters STOP painted on it means. It's not graffito, a post to dance on or a meeting place for potentail customers. It's specifically placed in that location for vehicles to come to a complete lack of movement. I know it looks like a place for target practice but that's just a myth or an optical illusion.

So a few pointers for yaall. Big, red, metal sometimes containing bullet holes with the words STOP painted on it - means STOP the vehicle. If you've ever read 'Hop on Pop' this word rhymes with them. STOP.

Truly amazed,

Mr. Pid

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with Florida justice or lack thereof. I am sickened every time I watch the video of the disabled man being DUMPED from his wheelchair -FACE FIRST onto the hard floor. This act was from one of our trusted law enforcement officers. How incredible we allow people like this to serve us or in this case abuse us.

This man is a quadraplegic and she demanded that he stand so she could search him? When he said he could not stand she DUMPED him out. This is one of the most disgusting vile acts I have seen lately. We had the young boy at boot camp that was beaten to death, once again caught on video. We tasered the student who spoke out at a rally. We lose foster children and let many of them succumb to horrific deaths.

Does Florida care so little about humanity that they let the keepers abuse and kill us? Where are we safe? How do these people get hired in the first place? And WHY do their supervisor stand by them and laugh at the situation? Do you get bonus points for your cruelty? Do you get comp time for your uncaring attitude? My suggestion is - let's trade places with you for a day. How would you like the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness?

The Hillborough County Police department should be ashamed of themselves.

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with Valentine's Day. What a RIPOFF!!! Chocolate - Roses - Cards - Expensive jewelery - in our face. Buy me. Show the love of your life how much you really love them by placating them with gifts. Who is benefitting from this spending frenzy? Certainly not me. Certainly not my lover - whatever gift I may purchase does not satisfy them - totally. More is better - bigger is best.

Would a plain old candy bar do the trick? I think NOT. It's gotta be BIG. It's gotta be expensive. BLING - BLING.

We are being pressured by the retailers to buy-buy-buy. It seems like a herd of cattle being sent to the slaughter farm. I will not be forced to enter the ring of materialism. I will not help big business profit on this foolish day. If I engage in this activity it will be from the heart and not the local Walmart store or Jerrods Jewelers.

I can pick a bouquet of dandelions, tie them with an old shoelace and hand them over to my sweetie-kins. I can cook up a great frozen dinner and set the table with tea lite candles and open a 16 ounce bottle of Dasani water and pour it into my finest jelly jar glasses. For sweet music I can open the windows and be serenaded by my neighborly drummer and the sound of sirens blasting the air. For a little RAP music perhaps the other neighbors will get into one of their nightly word fights. Oh and the words they use are certainly RAP orientated.

So I absolutely refuse to be sucked into this mass media blitz of buy - buy - buy. I love you snookums and I will show that love with a personalized gift. Tonight we will sit on the old lumpy couch, snuggle and watch the movie channel, - with popcorn (slightly burnt) and bottle of our favorite water (probably tap water) and all this after our wonderful cozy meal served on paper plates.

Lovingly,

Mr. Pid

Daily Gripe

Hello, my name is Stu. Today my gripe is with LITTERBUGS. Bugs is too timid a word to use for people like this but I want this to be a family friendly post - so NO cursing. I walk the streets and see piles of trash defiling my beautiful world - your beautiful word also. Can't we all just get along and not throw our trash to the wind.

This past weekend I walked to my favorite pond and I witnessed a great sight. A young man was removing litter and debri from the pond - all by himself. My heart was fluttering with happy thoughts.

I walked around the pond picking up others waste and deposited it in my bag. Such a beautiful place so defiled. Such a nice young man spending part of his day cleaning our world. Kudos for you - young man and I told him that. What an inspiration this young man is for me and others.

Aspire to inspire before you expire.

Sincerely,

Mr. Pid