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Two Hineyholes in a Hummer

In order to use disabled parking legally you need to have plates with the logo or hang your placard in the front window. As someone who needs to use disabled parking, I see perfectly able-bodied people use these spots all the time and more and more they are getting brazen about it. No embarrassment, no guilt when they are caught.

There are those people who have a disability and take advantage of it. These are the ones who park in front of entrances and no parking zones or even in the loading area of an already filled spot, hanging the placard in the window as though it is some sort of acceptable excuse for deliberate inconsiderateness.

KInda like the lady who parked a huge duel-axis pickup 3 feet away from the entrance at the hardware store a few weeks ago. She told me I was rude because I muttered under breath, 'Some people don't have to use parking spots'.  She was was talking to someone on her cell phone and interrupted her conversation to tell me I was rude. She pointed to her placard ferociously and said she was disabled and was picking something up. She toid me I didn't need to be so rude and ruin her day.

I would agree. You must be far more disabled than you look.

And there are those who have a placard and either refuse or don't display it properly and expect people to simply know they have one.

It's been happening so much that all I can do when I see it is mutter under my breath or or shake my head.

So yesterday, we stopped off at our neighborhood Walgreen's. I noticed a brand new, spit-polished and detailed Hummer, shiny clean rims and all. I looked at the plates, no logo. As we pulled into the other disabled spot, we both looked past the passenger on the cell phone to the rear view mirror. No placard.  As I got out of our truck, I looked back over at the truck and shook my head as I walked into the store.

Once I got to the pharmacy, I was treated to an unhappy man yelling at the Pharmacy Tech. He called the kid a jerk and was a complete hineyhole.  Why?  Because he couldn't read his own prescription bottle right. He insisted the expiration date was 11/31/08 and he insisted the tech look at it. "Sir, I see 10/31/08 not 11/31/08".

Uhhh... DOOD... there is no 11/31/08, even in a leap year.

So after Mr. Hineyhole finishes his tirade and tells the techit was his responsibility to let him know when his prescription  expires, I did my business and made my way out of the store, several feet behind Mr. Hineyhole.

Guess which vehicle Mr. Hineyhole got into?  Yep. The Hummer.

As I walked over the truck and was getting in, Mrs. Hineyhole had some words for ME.

"Maybe next time I'll take my autistic son in there and you can shake your head at him!".

Well, if he's as big a hineyhole as you and your husband I just might, CHICK.

"Huh?" is  what Manthing asked me as I was getting the truck. When I explained to him what it was all about, he told me they had a placard on the dash, not hanging in the window.

The times I have forgotten to hang the placard, I expect people to look at me weird or at the very least shake their heads a what a hineyhole I appear to be. They don't know I forgot. I certainly don't cop an attitude and hang out of a car window yelling like a fish wife at a total stranger because they shook their head at my vehicle

So here are a few tips to follow if you are ad disabled parker:

If you have a placard use it. 

If you don't, don't park there.

If it says 'NO PARKING', don't park there.

Don't get ugly because other people can't see the placard you refuse to hang or you think you can park anywhere because are disabled.

And don't use your kid as your weapon...for anything.

Just cause YOUR KID is autistic, doesn't give YOU special privileges.

AND

If you mutter under your breath, make sure you do it quietly.  ;)

Shut Up. I'm Busy.

I've been busy. My brain has been busy. I am doing real life important things.

Busy with adjusting to the summer pain level I learn to readjust to and tolerate every year. Busy with getting work done for the two art shows in August. Busy cleaning up the studio so I can be photographed at work.Busy with writing. Busy with the search for a new job. Busy stressing and obsessing about money stuff. Busy with Outside the Lines stuff. Busy attempting not to beat myself up for whatever I feel like I am not doing as well as I should be doing it.

I mean, I am busy with important shit here.

And PERHAPS it is because I am busy that I have found myself the last few weeks talking back to the television a lot more lately.

Do I care that Paris Hilton is in the clink? Or that Nicole Ritchie is knocked-up? Is it really necessary for me to have an opinion about David Hasselhoff's custody issues? Why do I care that Alec Baldwin and screamed at his child inappropriately? Do I need to be subjected to the toddler fights on the View AND not only pick a side but also have an opinion? I won't choose a side. My opinion is simply this: both sides are equally obnoxious and that there is some middle ground that they can meet on, if only they'd get their asses down from around their ears.

Why are any of these things NEWSWORTHY?

And what about this Andrew Speaker, Mr. TB Guy? Okay, it was enough when he got up on morning television and blubbered his apology while adamantly complaining about being unfairly cast as inconsiderate, irresponsible, thoughtless, and clearly self-absorbed. So you're a newlywed who can't kiss or bone your new bride for the next 6 months. I feel for you, buddy. I'd suggest using some the next six months determining if procreating is something you really need to do. I hope the honeymoon was fucking worth it, bonehead. Maybe you'll think twice next time when your medical team tells you they'd "prefer" that you not go anywhere until after you've been treated for a dangerous airborne disease.

Everyone now knows what dick he is and that he isn't coping well with being held accountable for his own actions and choices. I was done hearing about his stupid-ass. He wasn't contagious and no one will probably get sick because of his poor decision making skills. And if someone does, I hope he gets what with surely be coming to him. But, really couldn't we just move on?

Hell no.

I turned on my television the morning after his weepy, crocodile tear-filled interview and was subjected to his family STICKING UP for the guy. I was amazed at how outraged THEY were that everyone in the world was ticked off because TB Guy was jet-setting all over Europe. What the hell? He may not have meant to put anyone in harm's way and he may be a nice guy. But he still made really, really, fucking stupid decision and you all supported him on doing it. Intent doesn't make the what he chose to do different. Just because he "didn't mean" to hurt or upset anyone doesn't change the outcome.

It's a real brain trust there, I'll tell you. It's no wonder the guy can't make reality-based decisions. Clearly his parents and in-laws are from another reality far, far away from the one most of us live in.

Just shut the fuck up, Andrew,  and take your medicine like a big boy.

There are days...

My days pass pretty uneventfully. I get up do my job, write, make art, play domestic goddess, looking after Manthing and the critters.

Then there are there days when things happen that really make me wonder how people even draw breath on their own.

 

 (phone rings)

“Hi, this is Kris.”

 “Ms. Spencer?”

 “This is she.”

 “Ms. Spencer, this is Lisa Dingwhartz in So & So County public schools human resources office”.

 “Okay.”

 “Ms. Spencer, I am looking over an e-mail you sent to Elsie Blah Blah about fingerprinting.”

 “Okay.”

 “Well it seems your paperwork is incomplete.”

 “I filled out everything the teachers I am working with gave me to fill out and they forwarded it to you.”

 “How did they forward it?”

 “I imagine by whatever school mail system you have in place for your schools.”

 “Well, your I-9 is incomplete.”

 “Okay.”

 “Did you fill out tax papers?”

 “Yes. I filled out a W-2 and some form specific to Sos & So County Public Schools and whatever else was in the folder to be filled out and signed.”

 “When can you come in and get fingerprinted?”

 “Where is the Human Resources office?”

 “We are located on Bumfuck Egypt  Rd. in So & So County.”

 “Well as I said in the e-mail, I am somewhat disabled and not allowed to drive. So & So County is not accessible to people with disabilities who use public transportation to get around. So what do you suggest?”

 “Well how do you get to the high school to perform your duties? The school is not accessible by public transportation either, you know.”

 “Yes.  I am well aware of that.  I had to set up the transportation. A grant pays to hire a transportation company to transport me.  But the grant will probably not pay for me to go out to BFE  Rd to be fingerprinted because it is not directly related to teaching the art class.”

 “I understand you are disabled but our building is accessible and being disabled does not excuse you from following procedure. We have a policy in place that requires you to be fingerprinted and have a complete I-9.”

 “Okay. Your building is accessible. Getting to your office is NOT.  I am not using my disability to circumvent any policy and find it insulting that you assume that is what I am doing.  Do you have any suggestions? I do not live in So & So County.  I live clear across town in ANOTHER county that allows public paratransit transportation in their county. I have also already been teaching at the school for 4 weeks and have yet to be paid for it.”

“I didn't assume anything; you probably haven’t been paid because your paperwork is incomplete.”

 “So, what you are telling me Ms. Dingwhartz, is that because paperwork isn’t complete and you have no fingerprints, I am not going to be paid?”

 “No, that is not what I am saying. We have to pay you because you performed work for the school.  But we have a policy in place that you need to be fingerprinted and your I-9 needs to be completed. If you do not submit to the fingerprints, you'll have a history of not being checked out and you won't be able to work for So & So County Public Schools.”

 “Okay. So what I am hearing here is that until the fingerprints are taken and the I-9 is completed properly, I shouldn’t expect a check.”

 “Ms. Spencer,  that is not what I am saying. Did you hear those words come out of my mouth? I said your I-9 is not complete and you need to be fingerprinted.”

 “Let's ignore the obvious. What is this I-9 you keep mentioning?”

 “It’s the form you fill out that proves you are a citizen of the United States but it is incomplete.”

 “I filled that form out.  How is it incomplete?”

 “Well, let me see if I have it BEFORE me and I’ll tell you (sound of shuffling papers). I don’t seem to have it here but our office that processes the I-9 says it isn’t complete, so it isn’t".

 “I believe your office is mistaken.  That form is a no-brainer and I know I filled it out with all the necessary information because I hate that form. It’s invasive and I don’t care much for it. So I remember every time I am forced to fill that form out. Is the supporting documentation missing or what?”

 “All I have here is a note that says it is incomplete. When can you come in to complete it and file your fingerprints?”

 “As I said before, I am somewhat disabled and not allowed to drive. So & So County is not accessible to people with disabilities who must use public transportation to get around. Any unscheduled trip there must be planned. So what do you suggest? Do I need pay for a cab to take me there when there are probably other options that can be explored?”

 “I think I am going to turn this situation over to the teacher you are working with so you can quit yelling at me and she can fix this. We are getting nowhere.”

 “Ms. Dingwhartz, I am not yelling at you.  I am speaking sharply, letting you know I am unhappy with the way in which this has been handled.  I see no reason why I need to pretend I am happy with a clearly poor situation when I am not.”

 “Apparently you are unwilling to work with me to resolve this situation so I will contact the teacher…”

 “I am not at all unwilling to work to resolve this situation. I have made attempts to work to resolve this situation several times.  You keep talking to me about incompleted forms and the school systems policy.  I filled out the paperwork presented to me and did what I was asked to do.”

 “Like I said, I will contact the teacher and she can deal with this in the way she finds appropriate.”

 “Okay. You follow whatever protocol you need to follow.”

 “I can assure you I will. You will still need to be fingerprinted and the forms will need to be completed and I will let the teacher know...”

 (CLICK)

 
What a fucking nitwit.

 To be continued. I’m sure.