Special Snowflake Stories

[Sirius]

Like the Justice Zone on the Red Dwarf series - anything you did bad would happen to you.

I love Red Dwarf! dingdangity you woman! I will be up half the night watching it on youtube now and it will all be your fault.

Red dwarf is on youtube?? Well, there goes my day.

New series starts this week.

Seriously?  Mr. Sirius' birthday is in November.

Edited to add:  Sorry, didn't mean to create a monster.  Back to our original thread.

[Snooks]

Edited to add:  Sorry, didn't mean to create a monster.  Back to our original thread.

Created a new thread here if anyone wants to continue to chat.

[MissRose]

Vacation snowflakes I encountered:

*the idiots in the passport control and security lines who were yapping on cell phones where it says on signs all over, DON'T USE THEM!

*the guy who tried to stuff his carry on in the small bin instead of checking it at the gate on one of my flights

*the people who tried to argue over prices on things like the schedule and locations of public transport at the airport that cannot be changed

[Bluenomi]

The DVD is released in the UK in November, not sure if it'll air in the states as it's not being made by the BBC.

Coolness! I just googled it and it is all the original cast.

I don't know about everywhere else in the world but here in NZ to be a TV programmer you have to be lobotomised or have suffered a severe brain injury before they give you a job as it was on at something stupid like 1am on a Monday morning. That seems to be the slot they use for any decent shows while they fill the rest with dross.

Don't even get me started on the Australian ones (especially Channel 7). Brand new Castle, brand new Amazing Race, and as far as I can tell NO air date in remote sight.  Yet they get very cranky indeed if you download stuff off the internet. Apparently we're all supposed to wait very patiently until they deign to share things with us, on some timetable of their own. 

Two words - Downton Abbey

I have to agree, Australian TV is remarkably slow at introducing new shows from overseas.   And it's not because of local content, it's because they play so many reruns!   I do wonder if demand will eventually catchup and force them to pay the money for the big shows, but there seem to be plenty of people content to wait.    Doesn't work for me - the new season of SOA just started in the US and I've already caught a major spoiler by accident in amongst an unrelated news article!    On the bright side, because Australian tv is so many years behind on most shows it means I no longer spend much of my time watching it - they've saved me from a lot of ad time.   I'm watching DVDs or tv online instead!

Actually they aren't, you've just to get Foxtel! That's where all the decent stuff is anyway.

BTW I used to be a tv programmer, just like everyone else we do what we are told and no amount of telling the big wigs that moving Buffy to 1am and changing the time every second week wasn't a good idea helped. I most certainly had not been lobotomised before I got the job.

[jaybee21nz]

The DVD is released in the UK in November, not sure if it'll air in the states as it's not being made by the BBC.

Coolness! I just googled it and it is all the original cast.

I don't know about everywhere else in the world but here in NZ to be a TV programmer you have to be lobotomised or have suffered a severe brain injury before they give you a job as it was on at something stupid like 1am on a Monday morning. That seems to be the slot they use for any decent shows while they fill the rest with dross.

It actually strikes me as a little SS to suggest that just because shows *you* like aren't mainstream that the TV programmers have got it wrong.   I know a couple of people who work for TVNZ and they're typically hard working, quite underpaid (only the talent and execs get the big $) and are just trying to do their job and meet the requirements of their bosses, advertisers and public demand.   I do happen to loathe some of the shows that are popular these days, but other people like them.  And I know there are shows I love that others detest.  It's not all about me.

Also, I'm sure that several of my wonderful clients who have suffered TBI / ABI would be delighted to know that you consider them suitable for a career in the TV industry. Considering the struggles they have in their daily lives to hold down jobs due to issues with memory, anxiety, and other psychosocial  impact, and the stress their injury causes to themselves and their loved ones.     I'm afraid using TBI as an insult - as you have done here - is no more appropriate than using the "*******" word as an insult, or mocking any other kind of disability.

That may well be the case but I am by no means the only person who is infuriated that the only decent shows on telly are shown at hours only an insomniac would appreciate. It is only through insomnia I would even have heard of Red Dwarf or Arrested Development. Don't even start me on Eek the Cat being shown on Saturday morning kids TV.

There is a hideous woman here in NZ that has almost single handedly destroy TV content to the lowest common denominator. It is not even worth turning it on to see which fresh horror she is unleashing on the public. I am just waiting for it to be finally distilled down to overweight out of control teenagers being marooned on a desert  island and forced to design their own range of cushions on their path redemption and some gift vouchers for the charity of their choice.

Late night shows is why I love love love My-Sky.
Also big ups to TVNZ for captioning most shows.  They're the only free to air channels I watch now.  Thanks to them I discovered shows like Miranda.

Sorry, just saw the request.

[Ceallach]

The DVD is released in the UK in November, not sure if it'll air in the states as it's not being made by the BBC.

Coolness! I just googled it and it is all the original cast.

I don't know about everywhere else in the world but here in NZ to be a TV programmer you have to be lobotomised or have suffered a severe brain injury before they give you a job as it was on at something stupid like 1am on a Monday morning. That seems to be the slot they use for any decent shows while they fill the rest with dross.

Don't even get me started on the Australian ones (especially Channel 7). Brand new Castle, brand new Amazing Race, and as far as I can tell NO air date in remote sight.  Yet they get very cranky indeed if you download stuff off the internet. Apparently we're all supposed to wait very patiently until they deign to share things with us, on some timetable of their own. 

Two words - Downton Abbey

I have to agree, Australian TV is remarkably slow at introducing new shows from overseas.   And it's not because of local content, it's because they play so many reruns!   I do wonder if demand will eventually catchup and force them to pay the money for the big shows, but there seem to be plenty of people content to wait.    Doesn't work for me - the new season of SOA just started in the US and I've already caught a major spoiler by accident in amongst an unrelated news article!    On the bright side, because Australian tv is so many years behind on most shows it means I no longer spend much of my time watching it - they've saved me from a lot of ad time.   I'm watching DVDs or tv online instead!

Actually they aren't, you've just to get Foxtel! That's where all the decent stuff is anyway.

BTW I used to be a tv programmer, just like everyone else we do what we are told and no amount of telling the big wigs that moving Buffy to 1am and changing the time every second week wasn't a good idea helped. I most certainly had not been lobotomised before I got the job.

Lol you're right, I meant free TV.   It did surprise me when I came here that the TV here is mostly reruns, and you have to buy pay TV to get newer shows.   It makes sense from a business perspective though - why offer the new shows on the free TV when people are willing to wait or pay extra for it?   So I understand why it's like that.  Was surprising though.    You probably didn't notice but I'm actually the poster who objected strongly to the lobotomy comment as being completely rude and inappropriate, because TV programmers are just doing their job and what their bosses demand.      I just wanted to clarify that (I know you were probably just responding in general but seeing you quoted my post I wanted to make it clear that I do not agree with slagging off a particular profession just because the tv shows we want aren't on at the time we want them!!) 

---------------

I saw a SS at the supermarket yesterday.    He was standing at the express lane *arguing* with the checkout person and another staff member about WHY he couldn't go through the express lane... with his giant trolley full of groceries.        The irony was that the supermarket really wasn't that crowded.   Yes, there were no normal checkouts completely free (everybody was serving) but there were also no queues! e.g. he would have been next in line.   In the time he spent arguing over at the express lane I imagine one of the others would have come free anyway.   He was making that usual SS argument about "But you're free now!  Why should I wait?!"  at length and refusing to listen to their explanations.

I walked past again not 2 minutes later and there was a queue at the express lane by then (of express lane customers!) which is exactly why they don't make exceptions.  They never know when a rush of people with quick transactions will come through.    I didn't see SS guy again so I'm guessing he'd finally moved on to the proper checkout lanes - I'm fairly certain they didn't give in and serve him as there's no way they would have gotten him through that quickly. 

[violinp]

Argh, I hate when people do that! Express lanes are for a certain amount of items, not for snowflakes to get in and out as quickly as they want.

[iridaceae]

We land at Dulles like normal.  The captain comes over the intercom as we're taxiing and announces that medical crews will be meeting us at the gate, so exiting will be delayed a little, please wait until he gives the all clear to stand up.  And.....the entire SS business section minus us and the family next to my dad STAND UP and line up at the door.  The door where the paramedics are coming in.  For goodness sake, people.  You can wait 10 minutes.  Bus to the terminal will wait.  We promise.

My dad and I went to Italy this summer and there was some sort of medical emergency not so very far from us, which was seious enough for a docor bu not serious enough that the doctor seemed very worried. They told us a landing to please wait to let the medical team come on boad and deal with the issue and let them get the patient out.

To my astonishment while people stood and gathered their things, everyone waited for the medical staff and the patient to leave, even though it looked as if no one could make up their minds (including the patient and the people travelling with them) if the patient should go with the medical people or not. 

On the other hand, on a flight from Tucson to Chicago a few years ago, due to bad weather the flight was running a good hour and a half behind, and the flight asked everyone who had a connection to raise their hands- I was in the bulkhead and could see into first class- no one in First Class raised their hands. The flight staff then asked everyone who didn't raise their hands to please let those of us who did deplane first.


The entire first class cabin ignored the request.   

[Iris]

I just remembered one. It's a bit tricky because the woman in question wasn't actually asking for special accommodations, just refusing them to someone else and well within her rights, but her manner was just so dreadful and the sacrifice she was asked to make so small that I felt she turned herself into a SS. I'll be interested to hear how people interpret this.

Many years ago DH and I were on a train headed home for Christmas*. This train was a fairly long distance train, and there was a shorter distance train 10 minutes behind us. The guard came along and asked DH and I (he was asking everyone) if we minded if the train stopped for 10 minutes at Station X. It seemed that there were some people on Short Train who had boarded it by accident and they needed to go to Far Town, where Long Train was going. Since this was the last train on Christmas Eve the guard was hoping to hold our train for 10 minutes to allow the other train to catch up and these people to make it home for Christmas.

We were getting off before Station X anyway so it didn't affect us, but as the guard moved down the carriage I could see that everyone was agreeing. Until this lady. "Absolutely not! That's unacceptable" - note that we were a moderate distance away so she was speaking quite loudly. Her reason? "My friends are expecting me and they shouldn't have to wait 10 minutes!!" The guard didn't argue with her and just said okay and walked off. The woman then looked around the carriage, clearly very proud of herself and expecting that we would all be admiring her.

I know she was within her rights but I always just thought she was flat out mean. Perhaps it was the self-congratulatory look on her face - as I said we were a reasonable distance away but she took the time to look at *everyone*. And really, when you arrive somewhere on Christmas Eve, which story do you want to tell? "Ha! I successfully stopped some people making me 10 minutes late!" or "Oh you should have seen how happy they were when they made the train! I'm so glad we could help them." It's probably wrong of me but I've always secretly hoped that the train had 'mechanical issues' at Station X and the people made it after all.

*I should point out that at the time this area was a very homogeneous culture, so the chances that Christmas didn't mean anything to her are remote at best.

[Snooks]

Let's just hope the guard went for majority rules.

[zyrs]

Let's just hope the guard went for majority rules.

Agreed.

[Barney girl]

I find it interesting the guard was asking for approval. In my experience the train operator would just stop the train and, one would hope, tell you why at some stage. (usually they repeat the reason for a delay at every station until you could recite it by heart or they never mention it once)

[Ereine]

In my experience 10 minutes is also nothing for trains, they usually manage to make it up if there's a decent distance to go, depending on other traffic of course. Here people are only asked if they have a connection they will miss if the train is late. 

[faithlessone]

I'm going to assume that the man in this case didn't have a valid reason for his primary actions. If he did, I apologise, but whatever the case, the last thing he did was totally unacceptable!

I was driving down a narrow country lane this morning. Every now and again, there are gates, with small pull-in spaces, which make it perfectly possible for two cars to pass each other at those points.

As I was driving, I met another car coming the other way. It was driven by a man, who I'd estimate to be in his 30s. I had just come round a reasonably sharp bend, and I could see a gateway about 100 yards or so behind the other car, so I waited a few seconds, expecting him to back up a little so I could get past.

But no, he actually started inching towards me, so I had to reverse. And keep reversing, backwards round a corner, and (in all) almost 1/2 a mile. (I checked the trip meter) Now, I'm not very good at reversing, and I was terrified of meeting another car behind me, so this took a while. It took several minutes for me to reverse all the way, and to get into the pull in.

Fine. But the really unacceptable thing? When he drove past, he rolled down his window and screamed "F***** woman driver!" at me! What an SS!

[ladyknight1]

I'm a bit late to the SS parent parking at the school idea, I see that it's been discussed in this thread for years. But my son just started preschool, so this is my first real experience with it. DS's school is in a neighborhood. I get on the through street about a mile and a half from his school and actually pass another school to get to his. I typically set my cruise control because it is sooo easy to speed down that street. Several times I've had people riding my bumper and one guy in a big truck was actually revving his engine at me when I had the nerve to slow down at the school crossing (15mph speed limit). On another occasion a driver went into the bike lane (on this street it's as wide as a car lane) to pass me on the right.

Then we get to the school itself. To get our preschoolers, we have to park on the street, walk to the classroom and sign them in/out. On the corner there is a fire hydrant, so clearly you can't park there right? Am I the only one who thinks parking in front of a fire hydrant is not allowed? Even if its only 5 min. Today we got a flyer reminding parents not to park under the no parking signs

For the bolded - try putting on your hazard lights. I've done before when people were trying to force me to speed in a school zone. They backed off.

Check your local laws first. It is illegal in Florida to use hazard lights while moving in the travel lanes. We have many accidents each year caused by drivers using them and the traffic around them thinks they are stopped.