Special Snowflake Stories

[Cami]

The "sing along" concert posts reminded me of a concert I attended at the end of last year.  The artist was Joe Bonamassa, a blues guitar slinger extraordinaire.  My husband is a Blues DJ and he's been buying everything Mr. Bonamassa put out since he was in his early 20s.  Much of the music is just a bit too *busy* for me.  Joe Bonamassa has fast hands/fingers and the music comes to me in a flurry of notes: Really rapid, but not well defined.

This concert was like a Blue Guitar Primer.  At one point, he was alone on the stage, playing individual notes clearly and exploring the silence between the notes.  I was enthralled.  Except there was one person in the audience who screamed out during those moments of silence separating the notes.  Mr. Bonamassa tried looking out at the audience member with a frown on his face, but there was no shaming them into silence.  After a couple more notes, Mr. Bonamassa gave up with the slow stuff and exploded with a flurry of fast licks.

Before ehell, I would have yelled at that audience member to be quiet and let us enjoy the music. I have learned to be quiet, but I'm seething inside, which does my blood pressure no favors.

I agree that yelling at them would have been rude, but I think a quiet, polite request not to shout out would have been fine (if you were close enough to say something)

What a shame.

I'm not sure if it would have been e-hell approved but I did once speak to some people who were disrupting a concert I went to -  it was Tori Amos, the SSs were a group of about 4 young women sitting immediately behind us (it was a big venue, with assigned seating) The opneing band came on and they carried on chatting away, mostly about thwir love lives, at full volume, even raising their voices to be heard over the music. I saw several people giving them angry looks, shushing them etc but they carried on. I turned round and said (very polite tone of voice) "I don't know whether you've noticed, but there are people singing up on the stage, we'd really like to be able to hear them. Perhaps you could tell us all about your recent date with Jamie during the interval, instead?" 
They gave me a filthy look but they did shut up.  Although they did then decide to sing alone, very out-of-tune and loud to several of Tori's unaccompanied songs later in the evening. An extremely large gentleman several rows back came down and 'asked' them to stop doing that. He was considerably less polite than I had been and they did then, thankfully, shut up for the rest of the night.

Did you ever see the video of Adam Lambert telling a concert goer to get off her phone? (Bill O'Reilly named him the patriot of the week or some such for doing it.) I knew people who were at the concert -- which was very intimate (you had to win tickets to it) and the girl in question was less than 10 feet away from him. The people around her were just agog at not only that she was talking during this very special performance, but how loudlly she was talking, especially since she was so close to the performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsfcP6OOwL4

[Twik]

The people around her were just agog at not only that she was talking during this very special performance, but how loudlly she was talking, especially since she was so close to the performer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsfcP6OOwL4

Well, of course she had to talk loudly. How else could she be heard over the music? 

[Outdoor Girl]

^ I once spoke up in a movie theatre.

It was a small theatre and a large group of young teens came in during the previews and sat in the front couple of rows.  Then they proceeded to get up and go get snacks, coming back in after the movie had started.  And continued to talk and move around.  I finally had enough and said, 'Would you children please sit down and shut up or get out?  The rest of us are here to watch this movie.'

There was dead silence for a few seconds then a very quiet, 'Sorry' from the front row.  And then a round of applause from behind me.

I think if I'd said 'Be quiet' rather than 'Shut up', I'd be in the clear, etiquette wise.

[Diane AKA Traska]

A Special Snowflake vandal had attacked the bathroom in a comic book themed bar (mostly they just have a lot of comic books to read and host related events, it's a nice relaxed place) I went to today. They've had (sort of) famous artists draw things on their walls and one bathroom stall door had a drawing by one of the most famous Finnish comic strip artists (I found a picture of the door here. The vandal had written with marker on top of the drawing, I guess that they felt that their political message was so important that it didn't matter if it ruined the drawing.

The bathroom stall M was using yesterday was defaced as well.  Someone drew a swastika on it.

EDIT: Sorry, need to amend.  The bathroom stall at M's work, which is NOT open to the public in any way.

[Lady Snowdon]

I almost ran into an SS today!  My neighborhood doesn't have any sidewalks, and so pedestrians are often found walking in the road.  Unfortunately, this turns some of the pedestrians into major SS's who are convinced that they are the ones who belong on the road, and all of us driving cars need to find somewhere else to go. 

There's a bus stop right outside my cul de sac, where junior high or high school kids get picked up.  In the mornings, they sprawl over the entire road.  I almost hit an SS guy who refused to move while I was turning.  He just stood there and gave me a look like he was daring me to try and make him move.  Then, this afternoon as I was driving down the road, a lady tried to cross to the other side of the road directly in front of me.  She did not look to see if any cars were coming, just started walking diagonally.  I slammed on the brakes and she stopped with a very surprised look on her face, like "Where did you come from?". 

[kherbert05]

I almost ran into an SS today!  My neighborhood doesn't have any sidewalks, and so pedestrians are often found walking in the road.  Unfortunately, this turns some of the pedestrians into major SS's who are convinced that they are the ones who belong on the road, and all of us driving cars need to find somewhere else to go. 

There's a bus stop right outside my cul de sac, where junior high or high school kids get picked up.  In the mornings, they sprawl over the entire road.  I almost hit an SS guy who refused to move while I was turning.  He just stood there and gave me a look like he was daring me to try and make him move.  Then, this afternoon as I was driving down the road, a lady tried to cross to the other side of the road directly in front of me.  She did not look to see if any cars were coming, just started walking diagonally.  I slammed on the brakes and she stopped with a very surprised look on her face, like "Where did you come from?". 

About the kids - can you call the local district and inform them about the dangerous behavior? In my district the bus stop is considered school property in a way and students can be held accountable for their actions at that location.

[ladyknight1]

On the way from my office building across the street to my car, I checked to make sure there weren't any cars close. One was to my left at least 250 feet back, but this is a parking lot with stop signs at every intersection, and I felt safe to cross. I cross in the marked crosswalk and notice the car is accelerating, then the driver screeches the brakes. Our office manager (the driver) rolls her window down and says to me, "it's a good thing I slowed down". 

People cross there all the time, I don't think I needed to wait for a car that far back. I will mention it to my boss in the morning, but that is very strange and SS to me.

[Craftyone]

My DH and I were at a historical photo exhibition yesterday and at the end was a short video presentation of how the glass photo plates were found, preserved, printed etc. It was on a continuous loop so you could watch from where you came in to where you came in without having to wait for it to stop and start. So people were coming and going, some left not long after we got there. We were the only two at one stage when three people came and sat down. It was at a point where it was showing a series of the photos printed from the restored plates, set to a quiet music sound track. Mr SS decided that his conversation on his smart phone was more interesting, fair enough but please turn off (of if he couldn't, then leave the area) the clicking sound of the keyboard. It was very distracting. We didn't have to watch much more until we were at where we came in so we were able to escape.

[BatCity]

I'm nominating my thirteen year old daughter.

My office has a drink fridge that is kept stocked with all kinds of tasty beverages from which we can help ourselves. What can I say...it's a perk.  As long as we don't abuse it, the office manager looks the other way if we grab one for the road.

Every single day for the last week, DD has called me at about 4 PM and asked me if I can bring her a Mountain Dew.

Also, she loves my iPad and has so much trouble keeping her hands off it I finally had to lock it to prevent her from using it without my permission.  Last week she got it in her head that she HAD to watch some video. She didn't want to use her own laptop (poor deprived child). So she texted me at work over and over asking for the code to unlock the iPad. Her last text before I stopped answering her: "Just give me the code and stop arguing with me".

Yeeeeaaaah, like that's gonna work.

ETA: DH works at home, so these exchanges happen when she gets home from school, DH is there, and I'm finishing up my day at the office.

[Mental Magpie]

I'm nominating my thirteen year old daughter.

My office has a drink fridge that is kept stocked with all kinds of tasty beverages from which we can help ourselves. What can I say...it's a perk.  As long as we don't abuse it, the office manager looks the other way if we grab one for the road.

Every single day for the last week, DD has called me at about 4 PM and asked me if I can bring her a Mountain Dew.

Also, she loves my iPad and has so much trouble keeping her hands off it I finally had to lock it to prevent her from using it without my permission.  Last week she got it in her head that she HAD to watch some video. She didn't want to use her own laptop (poor deprived child). So she texted me at work over and over asking for the code to unlock the iPad. Her last text before I stopped answering her: "Just give me the code and stop arguing with me".

Yeeeeaaaah, like that's gonna work.

ETA: DH works at home, so these exchanges happen when she gets home from school, DH is there, and I'm finishing up my day at the office.

At this point, I'd bar her from using her own computer, too...

[jedikaiti]

I'm nominating my thirteen year old daughter.

My office has a drink fridge that is kept stocked with all kinds of tasty beverages from which we can help ourselves. What can I say...it's a perk.  As long as we don't abuse it, the office manager looks the other way if we grab one for the road.

Every single day for the last week, DD has called me at about 4 PM and asked me if I can bring her a Mountain Dew.

Also, she loves my iPad and has so much trouble keeping her hands off it I finally had to lock it to prevent her from using it without my permission.  Last week she got it in her head that she HAD to watch some video. She didn't want to use her own laptop (poor deprived child). So she texted me at work over and over asking for the code to unlock the iPad. Her last text before I stopped answering her: "Just give me the code and stop arguing with me".

Yeeeeaaaah, like that's gonna work.

ETA: DH works at home, so these exchanges happen when she gets home from school, DH is there, and I'm finishing up my day at the office.

At this point, I'd bar her from using her own computer, too...

Yea, I'm thinking that's worthy of grounding for a bit.

[Piratelvr1121]

Me too.

I've had a week that seems like all the special snowflakes in my world decided to ramp up the specialness at the same time. 

1. Former college male friend married current college female friend almost 9 years ago but they've been together about 14 years.  Now let me be clear on this, he is the special snowflake, not her...by a long shot. I called her to check up on her the other day and when she called me back she told me a number of disturbing and abusive things he's done.   He wants a meal ticket (he can't be bothered to even try to find full time work and is fighting their divorce tooth and nail) and is trying to manipulate her into staying with him so that he can keep mooching off her.   Poor woman is one of the sweetest and most passive people I've ever known. 

2. Today I find out my oldest son seems to think he's above homework and the teachers will just hand out good grades and he can get away with lying to everyone without any consequences or anyone finding out.   This is not the first time he's lied about homework but I thought he'd learned his lesson.  Told his teacher "I don't have time for homework!" Guess who's going to be finding he has a lot of time now that he won't be watching tv or playing on the computer for a good while?

3.  Then after I get off the phone with my best friend tonight I saw one of my aunts (my mother's youngest sister) sent me a message via fbook telling me about how awful my parents are being to her.   I don't want to go into it since it may turn into a legal matter and don't want it to get traced back but my sympathy goes out to her, as it sounds like they're treating her much like they treated me.

[snowdragon]

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/02/teenager-arrested-for-impersonating-doctor/



Australian teen arrested for impersonating a Dr. at a hospital where he was dismissed from volunteering

[Elfmama]

2. Today I find out my oldest son seems to think he's above homework and the teachers will just hand out good grades and he can get away with lying to everyone without any consequences or anyone finding out.   This is not the first time he's lied about homework but I thought he'd learned his lesson.  Told his teacher "I don't have time for homework!" Guess who's going to be finding he has a lot of time now that he won't be watching tv or playing on the computer for a good while?

One of mine tried that too.  Told me she didn't have any homework, told the teacher that she didn't have time to do her homework because of "all the housework" that I made her do.  "All the housework" consisted of either cleaning the catbox or setting the table, alternating days with her sister.  Fifteen minutes tops, even including the time she spent arguing that it wasn't her turn to do it.  (2 minutes, without the arguing!)  Teacher called me, explaining as if to a half-wit how important it was for DD to do homework.  I enlightened her as to the extent of "all the housework."  Daughter got grounded, and if she ever came home and told me she didn't have any homework, I gave her some.

[Iris]

2. Today I find out my oldest son seems to think he's above homework and the teachers will just hand out good grades and he can get away with lying to everyone without any consequences or anyone finding out.   This is not the first time he's lied about homework but I thought he'd learned his lesson.  Told his teacher "I don't have time for homework!" Guess who's going to be finding he has a lot of time now that he won't be watching tv or playing on the computer for a good while?

One of mine tried that too.  Told me she didn't have any homework, told the teacher that she didn't have time to do her homework because of "all the housework" that I made her do.  "All the housework" consisted of either cleaning the catbox or setting the table, alternating days with her sister.  Fifteen minutes tops, even including the time she spent arguing that it wasn't her turn to do it.  (2 minutes, without the arguing!)  Teacher called me, explaining as if to a half-wit how important it was for DD to do homework.  I enlightened her as to the extent of "all the housework."  Daughter got grounded, and if she ever came home and told me she didn't have any homework, I gave her some.

I may have done that to my mother when I was young *tries to look innocent*... She was not a happy lady when the teacher called. Not happy at all.

OTOH now that I am a teacher I already know alllllllllllll the excuses. You'd be amazed quickly how a well placed "Oh, that's a shame, I'd better ring your mum to have a word about that" leads to students suddenly finding a window in their busy, busy, schedule.