gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Bosch)
[personal profile] gridlore
Today was good enough at work. Another trip to Modesto, then I got to take a new (to me) route to get up to eastern Contra Costa County. In fact, I hit five counties today: Santa Clara, Alameda, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Contra Costa. A lot of driving, but I only had five stops (four deliveries and one pick-up) so I pretty much got paid for driving through some beautiful country listening to good music.

Because we had a big Costco run to do today, I didn't ride in. The thinking was it would be a lot easier to deal with getting me into the store if I hadn't just ridden 2.6 miles after eight hours of work. This proved to be good thinking. Kiri picked me up, and we headed off to the Great Big Box. She dropped me at Barnes & Noble to see if I could find the 4th omnibus Miles Vorkosigan book (I did, but only in trade paperback.. does anyone know if Miles Errant was published in a normal paperback format?) After that, I joined her at Costco.

For once we weren't joking that we are the only people on Earth who need a "10 items or less" line. Many good things were found and carted, including V for Vendetta and Sneakers. After paying (paycheck? what paycheck?) we started out to the car.

Where we came upon the reason for the post's title. A tan SUV was backing out of its parking space, and completely ignoring the cart with a child in it that it was running into. The father was franticly trying to get the cart out of the way, people were shouting, and I being me, went after the car. I got to the door and freaking screamed for the lady to stop. She finally realized that something was wrong, and I lit into her. I told her to use her fucking mirrors and look over her shoulders. She said she had. I called bullshit, pointing out that she was hitting a Costco cart being pushed by a large man.. both of which were right in line of sight had she bloody well turned her head.

I hope I scared the shit out of her.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 02:08 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyrwench.livejournal.com
I hope I scared the shit out of her.

I hope you did, too.

Date: 17 Aug 2006 19:12 (UTC)

Date: 16 Aug 2006 02:28 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] filkerdave.livejournal.com
Jeez. You probably didn't, but good job!

Date: 16 Aug 2006 02:45 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] taschoene.livejournal.com
I'm pretty sure Miles Errant hasn't come out in mass market yet. I think it's worth getting in trade, especially if you can get it at Amazon prices. Of course, I grabbed them all in individual editions, so I'm hardly unbiased.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 02:56 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] drewkitty.livejournal.com
>> A tan SUV was backing out of its parking space, and completely ignoring the cart with a child in it that it was running into.

My to-do list would have looked something like:


  1. get attention of driver and disable vehicle
  2. make sure child is not / is no longer being injured -- and then is not moved!
  3. rapid trauma assessment on child (major mechanism of injury)
  4. call 911 for police and paramedics
  5. take keys from and hold vehicle driver for police, on grounds of assault with a deadly weapon on a child
  6. continue providing care for child, depending on injuries


Wow. Fun day. I certainly hope you scared the shit out of her, and if you did, it was dirt cheap compared to the lesson I've seen an angry crowd inflict.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 05:18 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lysana.livejournal.com
As the owner of a minivan, it can be hard to see out the back of a larger vehicle sometimes, especially moving objects that might come into view after you've checked the very same spot (and nobody gets away with telling me they always keep looking straight back at all times when there are multiple directions to look in at once). However, she's still responsible, and if the initial impact didn't lead her to stop, she was a true bundle of clueless. And for the record, what was the father doing pushing his cart behind a vehicle with its backup lights on?

Date: 16 Aug 2006 05:58 (UTC)
kengr: (Default)
From: [personal profile] kengr
My bet is that he got partly behind the van (and likely at only a foot or two away and *then* she started backing up.

Unless he was a mindreader, nothing the father could do.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 06:12 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lysana.livejournal.com
If he was over a foot away when he started moving through the space behind the SUV, he'd have cleared it before she backed into the cart unless she was moving faster than average people do when they back out of a space or he was moving far slower than the average long-legged man of an age I'd assume to be between 25-40.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 06:20 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lysana.livejournal.com
Revisiting... it's technically possible he hadn't noticed she was in her car and had just started passing the back end of hers when she started her engine. At the same time, I say as a father, he's supposed to be keeping an eye out for backup lights and an ear out for engines. But without specifics of where everyone was when, we're both engaging in conjecture to no good end.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 06:00 (UTC)
kengr: (Default)
From: [personal profile] kengr
Given the way Baen publishes such things, if the Trade paper is on the shelf now, the regular paperback isn't due until next year.

Date: 16 Aug 2006 09:39 (UTC)
claidheamhmor: (Default)
From: [personal profile] claidheamhmor
One has to wonder how people can be so distracted on the roads...

Date: 16 Aug 2006 13:31 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kat-box.livejournal.com
Apparently you've never had the misfortune to drive in Richmond, BC. There's no END to how much the stupid burns there! And a couple weeks ago I was in a car accident where someone ON MY RIGHT decided to suddenly TURN LEFT directly in front of me, causing us to collide and thereby totalling my car. Luckily, I did not sustain any serious damage, although my massage therapist said Monday night that my back was twisted as bad as a pretzel. What? My ribs aren't *supposed* to be rotated backwards? Go figure. ;)

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gridlore: Doug looking off camera with a grin (Default)
Douglas Berry

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