Just make them an offer that they CAN refuse…
August 17, 2006, 8:11 PM
First of all, hello from Pentagon City.
I went over to Brookstone while here, and they have this new device that you sit on that’s supposed to work your body as if you’re riding a horse. Okay, fine. So I got on, I sat down, and I gave it a whirl. I made some interesting faces while riding that thing, trying to maintain my balance on there.
So then this group of teenaged girls comes in. They see me on the thing, unbeknownst to me. I got off. They want to see me ride it again. I said, “No thank you, I’ve already ridden it. Why don’t you give it a try?” They declined. They want to see ME do it again. I declined again. Then they start offering me money. One girl offers a quarter. Another a penny. Then someone ponies up a dollar. I still refuse.
I got this feeling that they were making fun of me. And I was through riding that contraption and that was all there was to it. So when they asked how much it would take to get me to ride it again, I went for the big guns. “Fifty bucks,” I said. They were quite shocked at the price I named, and left, which is what I wanted them to do. Because when you’re being made fun of, it’s best to one-up them. And one-upping a group of unsupervised teenaged girls that all share one brain amongst the lot of them is not hard to do.
Seeing these groups of teenagers at Pentagon City makes me think that putting these various groups from out of town in chain gangs is not a particularly bad idea. Since the adult leaders of these groups use Pentagon City as a way to cut these children loose while they go take a smoke or something. So they subject the rest of us, the well-behaved members of society, to these obnoxious children.
Categories: Arlington, DC trips, Shopping, Some people
“I don’t look at porn!”
June 18, 2006, 2:35 AM
Funny what comes up in the breakroom sometimes…
A few of us were discussing churchgoers and possible hypocrisy regarding them, and the idea came up that a particular coworker, about whom customers had said “looked like Jesus” when he had a certain hairdo coupled with a beard, should start his own church. Someone suggested that he would make one related to porn, which elicited the response, “I don’t look at porn!”
What made us all turn our heads was when another coworker, who was just passing through the breakroom to get to the smoking room and caught wind of our discussion, said, “I do!”
The thought that crossed most of our minds was, I did not need to know that. Seriously, we did not need to know that. I don’t think I’ll be able to look at this coworker with a straight face for a while. Of course, people didn’t look at me with a straight face for a while after the pants incident from a couple of months ago.
Continue reading…Categories: Blue Ridge Parkway, Some people, Walmart
Some people have no consideration…
May 22, 2006, 10:13 PM
I can’t believe what happened today after work at the gas station in front of Martin’s. I was waiting in line for the pump, and this old man in a white Honda Accord went forward out of the pumps and rammed me.
Why was forward a bad move? It’s because I was already occupying that position and his clear space was behind him. My gas tank is on the right, and so I sometimes have to make some odd maneuvers.
So this man didn’t even think to look behind him for the clear area to leave. Instead, he tried to go forward past me in a very tight maneuver that he didn’t have the room to make. So in going out, he hit my Sable. In the end, he left some paint from his car on my front bumper, and a small scratch on my car.
Here’s what happened:
Categories: Martin's, Mercury Sable, Some people
“What is this?”
March 30, 2006, 12:37 AM
Sometimes people just astound me. First of all, I was very disappointed to find that Mike Brooks, one of my DC buddies, has been “disinvited” from the Infoshop. Translated, “disinvited” basically means “banned”. I was quite disappointed by that, and I considered that a major loss-of-cool-points for the Infoshop.
The other oddball thing at the Infoshop, which is in on the whole anti-Starbucks thing, was what I found on a shelf tucked away in the corner: Two packets of Starbucks Decaf. Seeing that, I held it up to show the attendant at the desk, and said mock-disapprovingly, “What is this?” The attendant didn’t have an answer for that one.
Meanwhile, I’m sure that Sis, who, on A16, left a demonstration to go to Starbucks, is going to really get a huge kick out of my Infoshop find.
Otherwise, I found quick food near Old Town in Alexandria. There’s a Whole Foods Market behind the Old Town Transit Shop, and it’s got a hot bar and a salad bar like Martin’s in Waynesboro. Notice I didn’t say “cheap food”, though. I said “quick food”. The reason is that Whole Foods is pretty darn pricey. Martin’s, which I consider expensive, looks dirt cheap when compared to Whole Foods.
Categories: DC trips, Radio, Some people
I got called “babe” today, by a man, in front of his wife!
March 26, 2006, 8:53 PM
Of all the stupid things people can say, the thing that a man in my line said today definitely took the cake.
First of all, for those of you who have seen pictures of me (and if you’re here at my site, it’s pretty hard not to), you can tell I’m obviously male.
Yet this man, after I handed him his change and his receipt, said, “Thanks, babe.”
I paused, so as to take a moment to digest this comment, which I was not expecting. Then I said, “Did you just call me ‘babe’?” He explained it away by saying that he was thinking about the cashier before me on that register (we’d just switched out just before I started ringing him up). Still, I wonder if he wanted a little salt with that foot, considering he said that right in front of his wife, of all people.
That just took the cake, let me tell you.
Categories: Some people, Walmart, Wikipedia
This makes the second time someone’s stashed something next to my car…
December 31, 2005, 6:22 PM
I don’t know what it is about my car, but it seems to be attractive to people for stashing stuff near at work. For those of you who don’t know, I park my car at the far left edge of the parking lot. And today at work, I found two gift bags stuffed under the front of my car that weren’t there when I pulled in that morning. Very strange.
Then another time last year, I found that someone had abandoned a full Burger King uniform, still in its box, on the pavement next to my car. I was inclined to leave it where it was and forget about it (the “not my problem” factor). A coworker that I was walking out with at that time took it over to Burger King the next day.
All in all, strange. Of course, people are strange in general, which is something I’ve found out working in retail…
Categories: Some people, Walmart
People do some strange things sometimes…
December 29, 2005, 11:11 PM
When I got back from work today, I found an interesting message on my AIM. Check it out:
graphicfly2: hello mr. schumin
graphicfly2: i was led to your website based on a deletion you made on a wikipedia entry that i made regarding sheetz
graphicfly2: in it i stated that karen will make delicous pretzelwich sandmiches after 10:30pm
graphicfly2: these are facts my good sir
graphicfly2: Hi. Are you there?
graphicfly2: :-[
Pretty strange. In case you’re wondering what this is in reference to, it involves this edit made by 20.137.18.50 on the article about Sheetz. I considered the edit vandalism, and reverted it.
I just find it strange that someone actually followed my paper trail on Wikipedia to Schumin Web, and contacted me through the Web site. It’s proper etiquette on Wikipedia to conduct Wikipedia-related discussions on Wikipedia talk pages, and so this really did surprise me.
Categories: Some people, Wikipedia
Somebody called me at work for this…
July 19, 2005, 11:41 PM
It’s right around 3 PM on Tuesday afternoon, and I’m working the self-checkouts. Then one of our CSMs comes up to me and tells me that I have a call on Line 1. So I get the cashier next to me to keep an eye on the Fastlanes for a couple of minutes while I take that call, figuring it’s probably Mom or Dad with some highly pertinent information or something.
It turned out to be a fairly random individual who had heard of me and the Web site and wanted the URL, and knew where I worked. I’m thinking, why are they calling me at work?
All I have to say is, that’s odd. (And please don’t call me at work unless it has to do with me in a job-related capacity, which Schumin Web is not.)
Categories: Some people, Walmart
You’ve heard of Deep Dish? This is what we call “Cheap Dish”.
June 25, 2005, 5:45 PM
Yes, tonight, dinner consists of what I call “cheap dish pizza”. In other words, Great Value is the name of the game. Store brand pizza. Whoopty-doo. Of course, on a Wal-Mart income, that’s what it’s about. Still, that ought to be pretty good.
Meanwhile, Mom’s been organizing and rearranging things in my bathroom lately. I have two words for it: BAD IDEA. She completely rearranged all the stuff in my bathroom that I use on a regular basis. In fact, it’s been in the same place for so long in there that I can reach for it all while still half-asleep (and sometimes do end up doing just that). So Mom rearranged. A big handful of my Q-tips ended up in a container on top of the toilet. My blue toiletry tote that sits on the counter and contains all my toiletries was missing, and the contents scattered all around the bathroom. My toothbrush was in a holder elsewhere in the bathroom. My flosser was in there, too. My deodorant was in the closet. So was my dental floss on a string. And then while the flosser was in the aforementioned holder (that had always been known for being downright nasty), the floss clips that fit it were in the closet. All on different shelves all over the bathroom. And my toiletry tote was in the bottom of the closet, empty.
Needless to say, this rearrangement of my stuff without even so much as telling me was not wanted nor appreciated. My Q-tips went back in the box. Q-tips are for cleaning ears, not for display. That little container went back in the closet empty. My tote came back out. And all the stuff that went in it went back into it in the proper places. Everything I needed to use regularly went back where it was before. When I am ready to rearrange, then I will rearrange. And for someone who doesn’t even use that bathroom to come in and totally rearrange it really irritates me.
Categories: Food and drink, House, Some people, Walmart
“I told you I was on a budget!”
April 10, 2005, 1:41 AM
Kids say the darndest things sometimes. This was one of those cases. On Friday at Wal-Mart, a really young girl, probably around first grade or so, said to her mother, proudly, “I told you I was on a budget!” after buying a few things on her own ticket in my line.
Of course, the thing that amused me more than that was what she said while I was ringing up her mother’s stuff. This girl, on her budget, presumably being a real cheapskate with her own money, then turned to her mother, and asked her if she could buy her something. Now we know what “I’m on a budget” really means. We’re not spending much if we’re on our own budget, but on mother’s budget, on the other hand…
I was quite amused, to say the least.
Categories: Fire drills, Middle school, Some people, Walmart
Some people…
March 16, 2005, 2:17 PM
Good afternoon! I am writing this entry from the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop in Northwest DC, which I’ve visited on a number of occasions before.
And I don’t understand what is the deal with some people. On my way to the Infoshop, just outside the Shaw-Howard University Metro station, as I walk by this group of kids, they started throwing rocks at me. These kids had to be no older than ten. I figured that talking to them would be a waste, so I just kept on going.
Then out in front of the Infoshop, this lady came up to me, said she loved me, gave me a hug and a kiss, and then hit me up for money. This would be the same technique that children such as the ones described above would do to get something out of an adult. “Hey, you’re pretty, can I have a dollar?” That just irked me.
Otherwise, though, my day is going quite well here in Washington. Did some serious railfanning, and also took care of a few other things. So life is good.
Still, some people… I just don’t understand it.
Categories: DC trips, Some people
Dumb, dumb, dumb animals…
May 12, 2004, 9:58 PM
People really need to get a handle on their animals. On the way home from work, I nearly ran over two rabbits, three cats, and a dog. I didn’t actually hit any of them, thank goodness, though one of the cats was a very close call. We can’t fault people for the rabbits, since they’re wild, but for the cats and the dog, geeeeeeeeeez… People need to keep better tabs on where their animals are because it would really be a shame for them to get run over. I really don’t want to do it. Hit a skunk one time on the way home from Harrisonburg, and that was just ugly. And stinky. But people’s pets out on the road, that’s just unacceptable. People should show a little more love towards their pets and keep them out of harm’s way. That’s what we do with Greta. She has the whole house to roam around in, and her fenced-in yard, keeping her inside and safe, and keeping other things out.
Otherwise, though, tomorrow morning comes early, as I once again work the 7-4 shift, after three blissful days working the 11 AM to 8 PM shift at the Service Desk. I love that 11-8 shift. Not too early, and not too late. So tomorrow morning, I got up early.
Categories: Some people, Television, Walmart
What a rube…
April 18, 2004, 9:13 AM
I love using words that have generally fallen out of use sometimes, and rube is a favorite of mine.
And I certainly did run into quite a rube today after work. I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway after work to kind of gather my thoughts and such on one of the overlooks. It’s nice up there. It’s dark, it’s peaceful, and it’s quiet.
Then this fellow showed up at the overlook. God knows how many tattoos this guy had, plus he’s driving an old beat-up Ford Bronco (big thing). And he’s got the radio cranked up loud. He parks his car at my overlook. That radio is still turned up loud.
What a rube. How unsophisticated could he be? We came up to the parkway in part for the quiet! You could just tell by how flamboyant tattoo-man was with his music that he wouldn’t understand the idea of turning it down, so that unfortunately was the end of my night on the parkway, since his music was that much of a disturbance. A shame, indeed.
Categories: Blue Ridge Parkway, Family, Some people
Some people are just little you-know-whats…
October 12, 2003, 7:56 PM
This was in Lee Hall while I was at Tech picking up my sister and her roommate on Friday. My sister and I and Megan (roommate) are waiting for the elevator, and we see this male resident named Patrick that Sis knew from an anime club.
Well, I take the opportunity to plug Schumin Web, since I happen to have my Schumin Web sweatshirt on. My sister, meanwhile, is doing her usual thing – discouraging people from taking a look at it because she thinks it’s shameless self-promotion. Usually people filter that out. Well, Patrick, being the orifice that he turned out to be, said to me, “Well, she’s sexier than you, so I’m going to listen to her.” Don’t you just want to deck him for being so rude as to say that right in front of me?
It also doesn’t help his case when my sister said he had a handshake like a dead fish. I’d much rather have a crusher handshake than a limp one (but break my hand and I’ll hurt you with my remaining hand).
I was just a little taken back, though, about how rude this person could be and have no second thoughts about it. What was he, raised by wolves or something?
Categories: Some people