War
I don't know what is going on in our fair city as of late, but I have to say that I'm on the verge of violence at nearly every passing minute. I've had encounter after encounter with disagreeable people, or, in more blunt terms, total assholes in the last few days. If it's not radical joggers on the bike trail refusing to give any sort of concessions regarding the gravel path, it's being harassed by drunks while waiting for the bus. The latter episode might just be a standout in a long string of encounters with the detritus of the city. This drunken mongrel first mumbled some incoherent babble at me, which I could loosely translate into a request for a cigarette, which I didn't have, of course, because smoking is inherently disgusting. The next request was, "Do you have an extra dime?" Now, this baffled me for two reasons. First, being asked for a specific amount of money, in this case ten cents, is a rarity in these types of encounters. For the most part, it's ill-defined sums as in spare change, or, if they're really bold, they'll ask for a dollar, which is about as specific as it gets. The second reason I was taken aback by this request is that it's such a small sum, one dime. What the hell could you do with one dime? Not much, as far as I know. So, after I rebuffed him here, he proceeded to ask for an extra dollar, which must be a mythical beast as rare as bigfoot. Again, I told him I didn't have anything, but this apparently didn't sink through the mushy layers of his alcoholic haze filled brain because he had to repeat the question again as if the answer might change. What really set me off, though, was that after telling him that I didn't have anything to give him, he repeatedly told me that he was "just talking," to which I replied, "I know, but now leave me alone." This is when he moved towards me, and in an effort to get away from him I stepped around him and told him that if he didn't leave me alone, I'd call the police, who were, fortunately, just right across the street. Now, I've rarely felt such rage at someone, but after having had this and other types of situations plague me in the last few weeks, I feel as if I've reached a breaking point. I'm using this forum to declare war on these individuals. I'm through being nice and complacent to the whims of the deranged and alcohol fueled derelicts and dirtbags. Preemptive measures will now be used in order to avoid any such encounters in the future. To quote a famous phrase, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."