Everybody Duck!

While everyone now knows about my ridiculous "pet Peeves" like paper napkins, I'd like to explain one of my other most passionate dislikes. I actually cannot believe it hasn't come up yet. But let's set up the scene for you, it's raining, you live in a city where far too many people live with you, you all walk around at the same time in different directions at different speeds and all you really care about is getting from a to b with as little annoyance as possible. Then BAM, UMBRELLA point in your eye. You turn to flinch away from the evil weapon and BAM, another umbrella point jams into your neck! Has this never happened to you? Well, that's probably because you are more patient than me, YOU are the person with the umbrella, you don't walk very fast and you don't hate umbrellas.

Well, I have news for you. I do. And I think they should be outlawed in cities. Just like I feel that shooting rubberbands at other people should at least warrant a $100 fine, I feel that having an umbrella bigger than the size of your head (think, the toy umbrella hat you used to see in SkyMall or Kay-bee-Toys) should be banned in cities.

It is dangerous. More dangerous than anyone gives credit to. Tonight, I was walking .66 miles back from the train/trader joes with a) no coat (shocker) b) a backpack and grocery bags c) no umbrella d) with my hair dried for the first time in two months. Did I need an umbrella? No. Did I survive? Yes. Why the need for umbrellas? Especially when 98% of people other than myself are almost ALWAYS wearing a rain coat when there is a 20 percent chance of rain. And another 98% of those people have HOODS on their jackets. So, again I question, why endanger the eye sight of everyone around you when we all know that you'll be OK if you get a little wet. Once you get out of the big crowd, umbrella yourself as much as you want. But please, spare those of us that have irrational fears of your weapon and settle for the hood for now. Thanks. And don't even get me started on the irresponsible parents that allow their small children to use these weapons of mass destruction.

Something to think about.

On another note, Ben Affleck is in Boston filming a movie. It is so cool. He's also producing and directing and they were filming on Jordan's street this week!! The coolest thing ever, they turned a laundromat on the street into a bank where they were shooting an action scene. I thought they just changed the signs until I walked by it last night and looked in and saw that they actually made it a bank inside. Movie production is so cool. I can't wait to see the movie...just so I can tell everyone that sees it that I know where that "bank" is and I saw it.

Jordan saw Ben a bunch of times...I did not. Meanwhile, I finished a 15 page research paper (I'm sorry, I thought I signed up for JOURNALISM school?) and have a small 5 pager due next week. This week I also did a story on the Swine Flu vaccine at Emerson. If any of my stuff gets published I'll post the link here. Have a good Fall weekend.