Parent of the Year Award

While I was working today, I heard a news report on the radio that made me quite upset. Let me preface this by saying I am not a perfect parent by any means. My temper comes out too often and too quickly when I deal with my kids, something I should really work on.

On to the story... There is a search for a missing 13-yr-old girl in the area, which by itself is cause for concern. But wait, it gets worse. Her mother reported her missing yesterday when she didn't hear from her daughter over the weekend. She last saw her daughter on Saturday when she told her mom (brace yourself...) she was going to hitch-hike to a nearby town approx. 50KM away, only about a 25-30 minute drive down the TransCanada highway.

Forget for a moment that the temperatures over the weekend were around -15°C to -20°C (that's 5°F to -5°F for anyone not onboard with Celsius) before the windchill factor, meaning any exposed skin would freeze in about 10-20 minutes. As a parent, what in the freakin' flames of Hades goes through your brain as you let your 13-yr-old daughter hitchhike her way between towns?!? And what was she wearing? According to the police report, she is "believed to be wearing blue or red tights, a red hooded sweatshirt and running shoes." Very appropriate clothing considering the weather.

I look back at my childhood and try to imagine what would've happened if I had just told my parents I was going to hitchhike from Raymond to Magrath (10 min) or even Stirling (5 min), let alone a 30-min drive. I can guarantee that scene would not have ended with me leaving the house.

Well, police now suspect the girl may have run off to Vancouver or Medicine Hat with a teenaged boy. I sure hope her mom had an insanely good reason to let her daughter go out, thinking she was going to hitch hike. I'm also sure it came as a complete surprize to mommy dearest that her little girl is off with a boy. What possesses a parent to let their kids do something so blatantly and asininely stupid? I could be wrong, but I really don't feel there is an excuse under heaven that would justify letting your child out under those conditions.

Do I LOOK Like a Freakin' People Person?!?

What is it about close proximity that makes people feel compelled to start up inane conversations? It would be different if I had chosen to sit next to you on the plane, but when we don't really have a choice, what social protocol dictates that you ramble on about everything that comes to mind? I don't want to hear about your political views, how much money you lost in your investments, how you feel about the weather, or comments on how attractive the local women are (or aren't). When I have my iPod in hand with one earphone in place already and am just waiting for the flight attendant to either give the announcement it is now safe to use approved electronic devices or to look the other way before I put in the other earphone, this is NOT my invitation to you to engage in pointless conversation.

On the way back from San Diego, the guy next to me went on for five minutes about how it was okay for the flight attendants to make jokes during their announcements, but pilots shouldn't do it (this really upset him apparently). On and on about how pilots have more important things to do than to be thinking of their next joke. Get a grip buddy...

Yesterday on the way to Vancouver, I had my laptop bag with me. I got it at a Subway convention, so naturally it has the Subway logo on it. I expect a certain number of the obvious "do you work for Subway?" questions, even the occassional "do you know Jared?" but this time it was "is that Subway like the restaurants, or subway like the trains?" Seriously?!?

"It's subway the trains. I love trains. I took engineering in university, but dropped out after the first semester when I realized it had nothing to do with trains."

For the love of baby seals everywhere, just stop talking to me when I'm trying so hard to ignore you. To paraphrase Dilbert, "I'm not antisocial, I'm anti idiot..."