Hey! Let's go play in traffic!!
Before I begin my rant, an update on the iPod Restoration Project:
42 of 145 CDs reloaded
approx. 29% progress
Time elapsed: 7 days.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
I guess you could say that I live in an interesting neighborhood. It's a small collection of new(er) houses tucked back on the end of a section of houses that are at least 20 years old. It's a fairly quiet little cul-de-sac, filled with lots of young families. The only exceptions to this rule are three houses: my house, the older couple across the street with their cute fluffy white dog, and the other older couple across the street who have kids with kids. And the little ones are around a lot.
So the average age of the kids in my neighborhood is around 7.
Do you remember when you were a kid and your game of catch slowly snuck itself to the end of your driveway? One of your parents or neighbors would tell you to get away from the street, right? Always look both ways before crossing the street. Never ride your bike in the street. Don't chase a ball or your skateboard out into the street. The street is dangerous. There are these big heavy metallic things called cars that move really really fast and will hurt you really bad. Or even kill you.
Well, the kids in my neighborhood aren't being raised that way. I'm guessing it's a cultural thing (my mom likes to call our neighborhood "Little Bombay" and I always tell her that's not nice), or maybe the parents in the neighborhood just think that everyone will stop on a dime if someone's precious children are out in the street.
That's why there's a group of little kids wth at least one adult in charge playing a mix of cricket and tennis in the street right now.
Ok, now this just pisses me off. The street is for cars. These kids' parents bought these nice houses surrounded by this lovely green stuff called grass. It's called a yard. You have one in the front and an even bigger one in the back. That is where the rugrats should be playing!
I should not have to drive down my street at 15 mph just to make sure that I don't kill anyone. I don't think I even drive 15mph in a parking lot. No one does. But I always slow down to a crawl for two reasons:
1) I'm part of the only brown-skinned family in the neighborhood who doesn't hail from somewhere in Asia.
2) If and when one of those little buggers gets mowed down, everyone will know not to come knocking on my door and asking if I did it. They have always stared at me while I do my 15mph, so they know I would never run over their kids.
I think the people in this neighborhood have a false sense of security. Because our neighborhood is on a dead end, the only people who technically would be coming in and out of here are people who have some business here (mail, deliveries, visitors who know there are kids around, residents, etc). However, such is not the case.
The street that one would take to get into my neighborhood is just off of a fairly congested and busy intersection. Every once in a while, someone comes through here "exploring," aka trying to get around the traffic. That person comes barreling down the street at 35-40 mph. That person doesn't know that this neighborhood is infested with children. There is a looming disaster in the future, and no one's going to realize it until it's too late.
But instead of ending on a morbid note, I'll tell you what I told my dad the other day. I told him that I sincerely hope they get the hell out of this neighborhood within the next ten years. 'Cause ten year from now....
the majority of those kids will have drivers licenses!
42 of 145 CDs reloaded
approx. 29% progress
Time elapsed: 7 days.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
I guess you could say that I live in an interesting neighborhood. It's a small collection of new(er) houses tucked back on the end of a section of houses that are at least 20 years old. It's a fairly quiet little cul-de-sac, filled with lots of young families. The only exceptions to this rule are three houses: my house, the older couple across the street with their cute fluffy white dog, and the other older couple across the street who have kids with kids. And the little ones are around a lot.
So the average age of the kids in my neighborhood is around 7.
Do you remember when you were a kid and your game of catch slowly snuck itself to the end of your driveway? One of your parents or neighbors would tell you to get away from the street, right? Always look both ways before crossing the street. Never ride your bike in the street. Don't chase a ball or your skateboard out into the street. The street is dangerous. There are these big heavy metallic things called cars that move really really fast and will hurt you really bad. Or even kill you.
Well, the kids in my neighborhood aren't being raised that way. I'm guessing it's a cultural thing (my mom likes to call our neighborhood "Little Bombay" and I always tell her that's not nice), or maybe the parents in the neighborhood just think that everyone will stop on a dime if someone's precious children are out in the street.
That's why there's a group of little kids wth at least one adult in charge playing a mix of cricket and tennis in the street right now.
Ok, now this just pisses me off. The street is for cars. These kids' parents bought these nice houses surrounded by this lovely green stuff called grass. It's called a yard. You have one in the front and an even bigger one in the back. That is where the rugrats should be playing!
I should not have to drive down my street at 15 mph just to make sure that I don't kill anyone. I don't think I even drive 15mph in a parking lot. No one does. But I always slow down to a crawl for two reasons:
1) I'm part of the only brown-skinned family in the neighborhood who doesn't hail from somewhere in Asia.
2) If and when one of those little buggers gets mowed down, everyone will know not to come knocking on my door and asking if I did it. They have always stared at me while I do my 15mph, so they know I would never run over their kids.
I think the people in this neighborhood have a false sense of security. Because our neighborhood is on a dead end, the only people who technically would be coming in and out of here are people who have some business here (mail, deliveries, visitors who know there are kids around, residents, etc). However, such is not the case.
The street that one would take to get into my neighborhood is just off of a fairly congested and busy intersection. Every once in a while, someone comes through here "exploring," aka trying to get around the traffic. That person comes barreling down the street at 35-40 mph. That person doesn't know that this neighborhood is infested with children. There is a looming disaster in the future, and no one's going to realize it until it's too late.
But instead of ending on a morbid note, I'll tell you what I told my dad the other day. I told him that I sincerely hope they get the hell out of this neighborhood within the next ten years. 'Cause ten year from now....
the majority of those kids will have drivers licenses!
Comments