Special Snowflake Stories

[mmswm]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

[greencat]

I have to cross the horribly busy main road in the wee dark hours to get on the bus going the correct direction - and I have to wear all-black clothes for work.  I carry a flashlight or at least light my cellphone screen up while I'm making the crossing.  There are streetlights, but sometimes they randomly aren't on or it's foggy...

[KenveeB]

I have to cross the horribly busy main road in the wee dark hours to get on the bus going the correct direction - and I have to wear all-black clothes for work.  I carry a flashlight or at least light my cellphone screen up while I'm making the crossing.  There are streetlights, but sometimes they randomly aren't on or it's foggy...

They sell reflective vests for just a couple of bucks. You could slip it on over your clothes for the walk and then take it off.

[ET is the best alien.]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

I know he was a cop, but it was really none of his business why you were out so late. Please tell me this happened when you were a teen. If it happened here (I live fairly close to you in Tacoma, I remember you saying you lived S.E of Seattle.) I never want to live where you live.

[mmswm]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

I know he was a cop, but it was really none of his business why you were out so late. Please tell me this happened when you were a teen. If it happened here (I live fairly close to you in Tacoma, I remember you saying you lived S.E of Seattle.) I never want to live where you live.

The cop thought he had a drunk driver.  Token questions like that are the beginning of field sobriety tests.  They're assessing the clarity of your speech.  Slurred speech or incoherent thoughts would give them a reason to pull you out and do the other, more physical tests.  And I did live SE of Seattle last year.  Due to a number of factors, I moved back in with my parents (wise or not, that remains to be seen), in South Florida.  That particular incident took place in downtown Homestead.

[ET is the best alien.]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

I know he was a cop, but it was really none of his business why you were out so late. Please tell me this happened when you were a teen. If it happened here (I live fairly close to you in Tacoma, I remember you saying you lived S.E of Seattle.) I never want to live where you live.

The cop thought he had a drunk driver.  Token questions like that are the beginning of field sobriety tests.  They're assessing the clarity of your speech.  Slurred speech or incoherent thoughts would give them a reason to pull you out and do the other, more physical tests.  And I did live SE of Seattle last year.  Due to a number of factors, I moved back in with my parents (wise or not, that remains to be seen), in South Florida.  That particular incident took place in downtown Homestead.

Ah, gotcha.

[KenveeB]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

I know he was a cop, but it was really none of his business why you were out so late. Please tell me this happened when you were a teen. If it happened here (I live fairly close to you in Tacoma, I remember you saying you lived S.E of Seattle.) I never want to live where you live.

The cop thought he had a drunk driver.  Token questions like that are the beginning of field sobriety tests.  They're assessing the clarity of your speech.  Slurred speech or incoherent thoughts would give them a reason to pull you out and do the other, more physical tests.  And I did live SE of Seattle last year.  Due to a number of factors, I moved back in with my parents (wise or not, that remains to be seen), in South Florida.  That particular incident took place in downtown Homestead.

Ah, gotcha.

Also, if she was out late, the officer was probably thinking she was out at a bar. Asking why she's out could get him the name of the bar she's at and lead to information about how much she'd been drinking, when she'd stopped, etc. Very important part of the investigation. Since she had demonstrably just run out for milk instead of been at a bar and the swerve was explained (and presumably didn't smell like alcohol, slur when she spoke, etc), there was no reason to continue it.

[MyFamily]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

Just last week I almost hit a dog for the same thing.  I was heading home after my very early morning workout and it was still dark.  If I hadn't hit a bump in the road that shifted my headlights for a second, I'd never have seen the black dog being walked by 2 people dressed all in black and the dog was on a retractable leash - and he was many feet in front of the people walking him - as they were crossing a very major street in the middle of the block.  I'd have hit the dog, not the people, and I'm still livid with those people; I hope the dog was just being watched by some idiots and has some good people back home who would never do such a bone-headed thing.

[ET is the best alien.]

I almost hit someone once, for similar reasons.  It was night, he was walking on the side of the road, and he was wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie.  He even had black sneakers on.  I had just enough time to shriek and slam on the breaks, and he started banging on the passenger side window and yelling at me.  I didn't stick around to hear all he had to say.

I got pulled over once for something similar.  I was driving down the main road through town and at the very last second I saw two men standing in the middle of the road just having a pleasant conversation with each other.  I will admit that I was speeding a little bit; about 40 in a 35mph zone, but I had no choice but to swerve into the southbound lane in order to avoid hitting them.  It was dark and both men were wearing all dark clothing.  The cop a few hundred feet in front of me probably thought he had a drunk driver on his hands and pulled me over.  When he asked why I did what I did, I explained it to him and he turned his search light back towards the men who were, amazingly enough, still standing in the middle of the street.  The cop asked me what I was doing out so late and I pointed to the gallon of milk on the floorboard of the passenger side and he let me go.

I know he was a cop, but it was really none of his business why you were out so late. Please tell me this happened when you were a teen. If it happened here (I live fairly close to you in Tacoma, I remember you saying you lived S.E of Seattle.) I never want to live where you live.

The cop thought he had a drunk driver.  Token questions like that are the beginning of field sobriety tests.  They're assessing the clarity of your speech.  Slurred speech or incoherent thoughts would give them a reason to pull you out and do the other, more physical tests.  And I did live SE of Seattle last year.  Due to a number of factors, I moved back in with my parents (wise or not, that remains to be seen), in South Florida.  That particular incident took place in downtown Homestead.

Ah, gotcha.

Also, if she was out late, the officer was probably thinking she was out at a bar. Asking why she's out could get him the name of the bar she's at and lead to information about how much she'd been drinking, when she'd stopped, etc. Very important part of the investigation. Since she had demonstrably just run out for milk instead of been at a bar and the swerve was explained (and presumably didn't smell like alcohol, slur when she spoke, etc), there was no reason to continue it.

See, I thought he asked after he saw the 2 people in the middle of the street. If it was before, I understand more. If it was after the fact, Why couldn't he ask where she was before the fact. Asking an adult woman why they are out so late seems a bit parentish to me.

[KenveeB]

See, I thought he asked after he saw the 2 people in the middle of the street. If it was before, I understand more. If it was after the fact, Why couldn't he ask where she was before the fact. Asking an adult woman why they are out so late seems a bit parentish to me.

Cutting down on the out of control quote tree.   Even if she'd swerved because of the people, that doesn't mean she wasn't impaired, so he'd still ask a few questions. And asking directly "where were you?" can sometimes cue people what you're looking for and let them come up with something else. That's why cops will often ask questions sideways -- they still get the information they want, but the suspects don't always know what they're asking and so they get the real answer. (If you just say "how much have you had to drink tonight?", the answer is always "two beers." )

[JadeAngel]

See, I thought he asked after he saw the 2 people in the middle of the street. If it was before, I understand more. If it was after the fact, Why couldn't he ask where she was before the fact. Asking an adult woman why they are out so late seems a bit parentish to me.

Cutting down on the out of control quote tree.   Even if she'd swerved because of the people, that doesn't mean she wasn't impaired, so he'd still ask a few questions. And asking directly "where were you?" can sometimes cue people what you're looking for and let them come up with something else. That's why cops will often ask questions sideways -- they still get the information they want, but the suspects don't always know what they're asking and so they get the real answer. (If you just say "how much have you had to drink tonight?", the answer is always "two beers." )

Have to agree with this, it's the same thing as a doctor suspecting you might have a concussion. They'll ask 'What's your name?', 'What day is it?', 'Who is the President?' and if you can't answer correctly/coherently it raises big red flags. If the OP had been out drinking their first instinct might be to fudge the truth a little - see 'two beers' above. But if they can give a reasonable answer to the question and demonstrate that they're telling the truth then you eliminate alcohol as a factor and move onto the next possible cause for the OP to swerve suddenly.

[mmswm]

See, I thought he asked after he saw the 2 people in the middle of the street. If it was before, I understand more. If it was after the fact, Why couldn't he ask where she was before the fact. Asking an adult woman why they are out so late seems a bit parentish to me.

Cutting down on the out of control quote tree.   Even if she'd swerved because of the people, that doesn't mean she wasn't impaired, so he'd still ask a few questions. And asking directly "where were you?" can sometimes cue people what you're looking for and let them come up with something else. That's why cops will often ask questions sideways -- they still get the information they want, but the suspects don't always know what they're asking and so they get the real answer. (If you just say "how much have you had to drink tonight?", the answer is always "two beers." )

Have to agree with this, it's the same thing as a doctor suspecting you might have a concussion. They'll ask 'What's your name?', 'What day is it?', 'Who is the President?' and if you can't answer correctly/coherently it raises big red flags. If the OP had been out drinking their first instinct might be to fudge the truth a little - see 'two beers' above. But if they can give a reasonable answer to the question and demonstrate that they're telling the truth then you eliminate alcohol as a factor and move onto the next possible cause for the OP to swerve suddenly.

To answer the question of age, this was about a year or so before I moved to ND, so that would have made me about 31ish.  I'm totally fine with the way the cop asked the question, and it was asked after we'd established the cause of the swerve.  It was after midnight on a weekend night (I can't remember now if it was Friday or Saturday).  The cop was well within bounds to ask a few token questions to determine if he had cause to investigate me for drunk driving.  Once it became clear I wasn't drunk, he let me go without any trouble.  I'd call this a "by the book" traffic stop.  The cop did his job.

[JoW]

I can see why someone water jogging or doing water aerobics would not want to be splashed.  I do water aerobics and I wear glasses while I'm doing them.  Splashes on my glasses make it hard for me to see.  But I figure that's what you get when you get when you exercise in a pool.  I just try to move a little further from the splasher.  And that's what the ladies beside the pool should do - move out of the splash zone or put up with getting wet. 

I have done water aerobics at 3 different clubs in 2 cities, and I have visited even more.   There is tension between the water aerobics people and the lap swimmers anywhere they have to share a pool.  Its one of the reasons I only take exercise in scheduled water aerobics classes.  Any disagreements between the class and the lap swimmers will be handled by club management, usually in favor of the scheduled water aerobics class.

But shouldn't someone swimming for fitness not be splashing but cutting through the water. I remember my sister's swim team coach telling them that if they were splashing they were wasting energy throwing water up instead of pushing through the water.

  I'd hazard a guess that most people have not had the benefit of a swim coach teaching them how to efficiently slice through water.

When you are swimming for fitness anything that burns calories would be a good thing.

Also - When swimmers turn at the end of the lane they often splash more.  And in a shared pool a lap swimmer may be less than 2 feet from the people in the water aerobics class.  Even the best swimmers splash at that distance.

[Ereine]

I can see why someone water jogging or doing water aerobics would not want to be splashed.  I do water aerobics and I wear glasses while I'm doing them.  Splashes on my glasses make it hard for me to see.  But I figure that's what you get when you get when you exercise in a pool.  I just try to move a little further from the splasher.  And that's what the ladies beside the pool should do - move out of the splash zone or put up with getting wet. 

I have done water aerobics at 3 different clubs in 2 cities, and I have visited even more.   There is tension between the water aerobics people and the lap swimmers anywhere they have to share a pool.  Its one of the reasons I only take exercise in scheduled water aerobics classes.  Any disagreements between the class and the lap swimmers will be handled by club management, usually in favor of the scheduled water aerobics class.

But shouldn't someone swimming for fitness not be splashing but cutting through the water. I remember my sister's swim team coach telling them that if they were splashing they were wasting energy throwing water up instead of pushing through the water.

I encountered a swimmer last summer who felt snowflakey (and strange) in his splashing. I don't normally mind getting splashed, but this was an outdoor pool and I have to wear sunglasses (with waterjogging there's normally very little splashing involved as the swimmers were far enough away and the nearest lane is for fast swimmers who tend to have decent technique). This man however managed to splash everything, his style involved rising an arm as high as it went and then hitting water with it as hard as he could. It looked like it was painful and didn't seem to do much for his speed.

[TootsNYC]

I can see why someone water jogging or doing water aerobics would not want to be splashed.  I do water aerobics and I wear glasses while I'm doing them.  Splashes on my glasses make it hard for me to see.  But I figure that's what you get when you get when you exercise in a pool.  I just try to move a little further from the splasher.  And that's what the ladies beside the pool should do - move out of the splash zone or put up with getting wet. 

I have done water aerobics at 3 different clubs in 2 cities, and I have visited even more.   There is tension between the water aerobics people and the lap swimmers anywhere they have to share a pool.  Its one of the reasons I only take exercise in scheduled water aerobics classes.  Any disagreements between the class and the lap swimmers will be handled by club management, usually in favor of the scheduled water aerobics class.

But shouldn't someone swimming for fitness not be splashing but cutting through the water. I remember my sister's swim team coach telling them that if they were splashing they were wasting energy throwing water up instead of pushing through the water.

I encountered a swimmer last summer who felt snowflakey (and strange) in his splashing. I don't normally mind getting splashed, but this was an outdoor pool and I have to wear sunglasses (with waterjogging there's normally very little splashing involved as the swimmers were far enough away and the nearest lane is for fast swimmers who tend to have decent technique). This man however managed to splash everything, his style involved rising an arm as high as it went and then hitting water with it as hard as he could. It looked like it was painful and didn't seem to do much for his speed.

Yeah, but he's not *racing*, so it's not about speed. It's about calorie burn and aerobic load.

Swinging his arms probably did increase his aerobic load (you can do aerobic exercises with your arms only), and it definitely increased his calorie burn.

In fact, the less *efficient* method is probably more *effective* in terms of "wasting energy [calories=energy]." If you want to lose weight, you do want, actually, to "waste" (use up) energy (calories).