Saturday night's NOT all right for fighting, Elton John :-P

So Elton John was wrong. There really isn't a night that's all right for fighting, especially not in Big Red's neighborhood. Let me give you the run-down on this whole neighborhood thing and the whole Saturday thing. I'll start with the neighborhood. Yes this is long but these issues are important to me, and if you live in this neighborhood at all, you'll appreciate it.

I live on what has GOT to be THE MOST DANGEROUS intersection west of Spirit Valley. I actually filled out a complaint form and mailed it to the police department. Every night I hear people either speeding from Fond du Lac, from Superior, or back TO Superior (the Oliver Bridge is down the road from here). People from Superior are known to be pretty horrible drivers, especially way out here in GNDLand, a neighborhood "in the middle of nowhere where you can do whatever you want." NOT the case! In the almost 9 years I have lived at this address, I have observed pedestrians almost getting hit, a dog who DID get hit (by a lady from SUPERIOR who DROVE OFF), people yelling at each other from their vehicles, people LEAVING their vehicles to confront each other, people throwing things from their vehicles, people driving VERY recklessly (including speeding, screeching and honking), people going through the stop sign, and people actually BACKING UP because they tried to go too soon. This kind of crap goes on pretty much EVERY NIGHT. I live upstairs so I can't read license plates, but I see everything because I'm often right at the window.

This brings me to this past Saturday night when I had been posting several angry updates to Facebook. I arrived home from work at about 7:30. I sat down on my bed and fired up my laptop (I usually sit at our main computer, which is by that window). I heard some screeching a fe minutes later, rolled my eyes and said something like "for God's sake..." or whatever. Not too long later, I heard more screeching and thought "oh cool, I guess it's Reckless Driving Night in GNDLand..."

So as I look at my BlackBerry right now, it looks like this next thing occurred at 8:38, slightly over an hour since I had gotten home.

I heard screeching AGAIN, and was still sitting on my bed not feeling like getting up and running over to the window, but I WAS getting pretty damn mad at this point. I then heard some YELLING! I thought "FOR GOD'S SAKE!!" I DID get up and run over to the window at that point and saw a guy who had GOTTEN OUT OF his car and was yelling at a lady who had GOTTEN OUT OF her car! I tore open the window (causing me to break a nail), and with my BlackBerry in hand, called the cops. I could tell this guy was a real A hole the way he was yelling & screaming at this lady (for what appeared to be no good reason). I yelled & screamed out the window at HIM to get him to hopefully get in his car and get the f**k outta my neighborhood and stop bothering random people. He looked up at me and yelled some stuff back of course. I couldn't see his license plate but could see he had gotten out of a dark colored Jeep-y looking SUV (out of the PASSENGER side, mind you). I was narrating the whole situation to the cops on the phone trying to describe the car and the situation as best as I could. The lady got back in her car and turned the corner and pulled into the parking lot of the building on the other corner (turned out to be my neighbor). The guy got back in his Jeep and just ripped outta there in the opposite direction.

The cops did call me back to get more information, and I told them to tell the dispatcher that I wanted to apologize for being angry and for him having to endure me yelling & screaming at this rude jerky A hole who was hassling my neighbor!! He informed me that there are TWO, yes TWO cops working the area between 40th Avenue West & Fond du Lac. TWO F**KING COPS for that whole area is frigging stupid as hell. I told the cop that if they ever need to meet their speeding ticket/reckless driving quota at the end of the month to come on over here, it's like Christmas for that!

My downstairs neighbor informed me that he had also spoken to this cop, and apparently the Jeep jerk had pulled a knife on my neighbor. Pleasant. Good ol' GNDLand is now full of random meanies with knives, apparently. I feel so SAFE now! (NOT)

I thanked the cop that called me and went about my business. Looking again at my BlackBerry, this next incident happened at 9:16, only 45 minutes or so after all this.

I heard screeching and a LOUD engine FLYING down the street. I don't mind loud engines, I DO mind crazy drivers. I angrily walked out to the back porch of my building and saw an old ugly blue car with a VERY loud engine turning around at the laundromat. This car screeched around the corner down the street toward the Oliver Bridge. I called the cops again to report the car and its reckless driving. They thanked me for being so aware and would be coming back out. Again, I went about my business. I was mad and ordered a pizza because I was in no mood to cook (I was also ready to smoke a cigar at that point). Looking at my BlackBerry, the following occurred at 9:51.

AGAIN I heard screeching, and at this point I was PISSED. I called up the cops just to report another incident of reckless driving. They thanked me again and I ate my pizza and smoked my cigar. I didn't hear any more screeching the rest of the night. I had a pleasant day and a very maddening night. Story of my life I guess.

*Enjoy your day*

I can't believe I just had to send this to the DTA...

I have called the DTA several times over the years and have also sent them several Facebook messages. I do get responses, though nothing ever improves. My friend Don down the road has spoken with supervisors over the phone several times, and nothing ever gets done. I actually had to stoop to using profanity today in a Facebook message to them. here it is (I have censored it for this blog of course):

"Hello, I wanted to report hazardous driving by a bus driver. I just got off bus #145 on Sunday August 2nd. Rode from mall at about 6:22 to New Duluth at about 7:45. The driver was constantly stopping short and stopping suddenly. Near the zoo, around 7:25, he stopped so quick I had to grab the seat in front of me where a guy's arm was, ended up missing the handle and almost breaking my fingers and also falling into the guy's arm (very rude). I need my fingers for my job, I'm a music teacher. He actually stopped hard enough to cause an earbud to actually come out of my ear. My finger still hurts. I have ridden with this driver in the past several times and he always drives like this. A few years back, bus driver Dave had to stop suddenly down by the M&H and immediately asked everyone if we were okay. This other guy doesn't seem to give a damn. People FELL, and he didn't ask them if they were okay! One guy almost frickin fell in a wheelchair lady's lap!! What the f**k?! Sometimes I have him in the morning when I have hot coffee, and I'd rather not slosh hot coffee on people! That is way more rude than falling on them! I'm really getting tired of having to write complaints to you guys. Back in the day I used to write/call about things I thought you guys did well. I (and my hundreds of fellow passengers) would like to see those days return."

WHY? WHY must people be treated this way in America in 2015?! This is ridiculous and rather primitive if you ask me (like caveman behavior). I have TOLD the DTA that if there were another transit company in town, I would have SWITCHED YEARS AGO! I just want to enjoy my day every once in a while, and on a Sunday afternoon after work, I guess I'm not allowed to. Nice. Thanks.

*Enjoy your day*