What made your day a crap one??

Whilst filling up at the petrol station on my way to work, some jumped-up so-and-so decided it was a great idea to use his phone while filling up their work's van. I whistled across and told him he shouldn't be using it, to which he replied 'I know', paused for a second, then quickly followed it up with 'what's it to do with you?'. I told him that there's a sign there telling him specifically to not use it and that if the petrol station goes up in flames it has everything to do with me, and everyone else there. He asked, less than calmly;

"What are you, the f*'ing police or something?"

I replied that no, I wasn't, but that I'd happily inform them should he please. He told me to... 'go elsewhere'. At this point I was at my wick's end and told him to grow up, the 'something something' (mild expletives). He then asked what I'd called him, so I repeated it, at which point he was nose-to-nose with me. Now, considering I'm a sleight, young-looking, 20-something year old, and he was (guessing) mid 40's, I thought he'd have something better to do than to shout at me that he'd 'fill me in' and suchlike. I stood my ground and told him he was welcome to try, one hand on my petrol nozzle (no euphemism intended), one in my jacket pocket, at which point he backed off.

Very generously, a young (late 20's/early 30's) man, built like a brick sh*t house, decided to step in and told him that he'd fill the phone-user himself. I pulled away the generous helper and told him that it wasn't worth the effort. They shared some expletives and went their separate ways.

I know full-well that the evidence supporting mobile phone use around petrol fumes is relatively limited and, often, inconclusive. I also know, first-hand, the effects of being involved in a explosion and wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone innocent bystanders in a 20-odd point petrol station. I think that's why I was so quick to jump down his throat, as it were.

Well done you. It is such a rare thing for a person to tell someone to stop doing something they shouldn't be doing. In my younger days, I am sad to admit that i would have given the phone-user a kicking had he been close enough to go nose-to-nose. I will always say something, much to the wife's chagrin, but the punch first ask questions later days are long behind me - thankfully

As for using a phone at a petrol station. The likelihood is very very low, as a static charge is needed to ignite the petrol vapour but it is still possible. When I lived in the US, the operators at the gas station i used had a policy of no phone use and if you were caught the petrol was cut off from the pump and you lost your money.
 
Well done you. It is such a rare thing for a person to tell someone to stop doing something they shouldn't be doing. In my younger days, I am sad to admit that i would have given the phone-user a kicking had he been close enough to go nose-to-nose. I will always say something, much to the wife's chagrin, but the punch first ask questions later days are long behind me - thankfully

As for using a phone at a petrol station. The likelihood is very very low, as a static charge is needed to ignite the petrol vapour but it is still possible. When I lived in the US, the operators at the gas station i used had a policy of no phone use and if you were caught the petrol was cut off from the pump and you lost your money.
Thank you. I couldn't let it pass. Despite the negligible likelihood of actually igniting a petrol station there was still a risk and I felt obliged to step up to the plate. Fortunately I'm not a "hit first, think later" kind of guy! He did deserve a clout, however.

I wish we had a similar system to America. People might take note if they could lose money!
 
Thank you. I couldn't let it pass. Despite the negligible likelihood of actually igniting a petrol station there was still a risk and I felt obliged to step up to the plate. Fortunately I'm not a "hit first, think later" kind of guy! He did deserve a clout, however.

I wish we had a similar system to America. People might take note if they could lose money!

You were spot on by stepping up to the plate. Sadly it was only a handful of garages that had the shut off system.
 
Rubbish day at work, patching servers for Wannacry, one engineer on holiday and two off sick. Just a nightmare of stress.

Bail ten minutes early, race up to and through Leeds, grab the kids for after school club, race over to Rainbows drop the littlest one off and sit in the car park for 45 minutes.

Race for home, sit in traffic for ten minutes, get home, feed kids first course, get eldest changed for Guides (by repeating the Dad litany "Are you ready yet? Are you in your uniform? If you aren't ready what are you doing? Don't just stand there go and get changed!" in no particular order) hang laundry out to take the edge off/freshen it, race back into Leeds for guides, race back home with the youngest, feed her dessert and a biscuit, get her in pyjamas, do her teeth, plait her hair (in case she falls asleep in the car) play tiddlywinks.

Race back into Leeds to get eldest from guides, try not to spit feathers as the large lady in comfortable shoes tells us about the three day trip to London to see a "Guides Gig" at Wembley in the Autumn, only £150 a head!

Race home, put youngest to bed, feed eldest dessert and cake, clear table whilst eldest gets ready for bed, remind myself washing is out, plait eldest's hair and put her to bed.

Breathe sigh of relief! Now for ten minutes off before housework.

Make cup of tea with a tot of rum in it.
Sit on sofa to drink said tea.

Wake up at 00:35 on sofa with cold tea and cricked neck and the sound of heavy rain in my ears.

Sigh, say "FUCK IT!" go to bed.
 
Rubbish day at work, patching servers for Wannacry, one engineer on holiday and two off sick. Just a nightmare of stress.

Bail ten minutes early, race up to and through Leeds, grab the kids for after school club, race over to Rainbows drop the littlest one off and sit in the car park for 45 minutes.

Race for home, sit in traffic for ten minutes, get home, feed kids first course, get eldest changed for Guides (by repeating the Dad litany "Are you ready yet? Are you in your uniform? If you aren't ready what are you doing? Don't just stand there go and get changed!" in no particular order) hang laundry out to take the edge off/freshen it, race back into Leeds for guides, race back home with the youngest, feed her dessert and a biscuit, get her in pyjamas, do her teeth, plait her hair (in case she falls asleep in the car) play tiddlywinks.

Race back into Leeds to get eldest from guides, try not to spit feathers as the large lady in comfortable shoes tells us about the three day trip to London to see a "Guides Gig" at Wembley in the Autumn, only £150 a head!

Race home, put youngest to bed, feed eldest dessert and cake, clear table whilst eldest gets ready for bed, remind myself washing is out, plait eldest's hair and put her to bed.

Breathe sigh of relief! Now for ten minutes off before housework.

Make cup of tea with a tot of rum in it.
Sit on sofa to drink said tea.

Wake up at 00:35 on sofa with cold tea and cricked neck and the sound of heavy rain in my ears.

Sigh, say "FUCK IT!" go to bed.
Manic day with a crappy ending - surely it's made better by the fact you know you're a great father? Or at least, it seems that way from the monumental effort you put in!
 
Manic day with a crappy ending - surely it's made better by the fact you know you're a great father? Or at least, it seems that way from the monumental effort you put in!
Thanks but I'll settle for not a crap one. Though the washing is still on the line, the washing up isn't done, nor the hoovering and so on. I hate Thursdays.
Still at least I whupped her ass at tiddlywinks, Champion! Champion!
 
Drove down to Cambridge to pick up the kids from their Mother at the maternal grandparents house. I offer to pick them up when we split school holidays as it means she can stay with her folks an extra day or two and the kids have to do one less train journey with a stroppy disabled(?) lady on a mobility scooter. Traffic is a nightmare so it's closer to a 4 hour drive than the usual three. As her mother does her best to not even leave the house if I'm there, swap over is done in the driveway, no offer of a cuppa or a toilet break. The kids were in the garden so the ex just put the girls bags outside and only reappeared to say goodbye to them. Another 4 hour plus run home with the kids they profess to adore so much for a nine hour round trip on the A1 (mostly) in total.
Not even a sodding cup of tea.
We don't do grudges in my family, my folks still buy her birthday presents, send cards to her parents etc. I treat them as pleasantly as possible, go out of my to make it easy if I can. Pay more maintenance than I need to (even though we share the childcare evenly I'm the worker so I have to pay).
Not even a sodding cup of tea! Just off you go, tired, with our precious children up the A1 for a few hours. Can't even suck their bile down enough to extend common courtesy.
RUDE WORD! BOVINE DESCRIPTIVE TERM!
 
If you ever make it up here I'll stand you a fry up and a cup of tea so strong you can stand your spoon up in it Count if that helps any. You sure they aren't from Edinburgh ( you'll have had your tea ), which is a Scots jest for any who don't already know,

JohnnyO. o/

PS it was a gobshitery way to behave and I hope letting off steam maybe helped a wee bit m8.
 
If you ever make it up here I'll stand you a fry up and a cup of tea so strong you can stand your spoon up in it Count if that helps any. You sure they aren't from Edinburgh ( you'll have had your tea ), which is a Scots jest for any who don't already know,

JohnnyO. o/

PS it was a gobshitery way to behave and I hope letting off steam maybe helped a wee bit m8.
"A gobshitery way to behave"....I couldn't have said it any better.
 
Not sure if this is a crap day because I'm just back from the vet after forking out around £440 for anti histamines, shampoo and blood tests for the 18 month old French Bulldog who errupted in a rash on Saturday, or a good day because we have access to a clinic we trust, PetPlan insurance who should cover much of that cost and sufficient in savings to pay the bill.

JohnnyO. o/
 
Roll with the insurance cover as a plus @JohnnyO all the cats I've had were strays when I got them and too old to be insured apparently. The sodding cat with flea allergies cost me a fortune for the once a year it all got too much and he ragged all his fur out. Fingers crossed it's a one off.
 
Early days yet Count, however we'll see what the bloodtests show. PetPlan have been really good to us in the past, settling one bill for around £4,000 for bowel ops for one bull terier and around £2,000 for stem cell treatment. Been there with chronic skin probs with a white English Bull, so I can understand what you went through with your wee friend.

JohnnyO. o/
 
No friend of mine JohnnyO, sodding thing. He was abandoned in the middle of Leeds by someone having a fruitloop time of it and the ex said we'd have when he was tweeted about. Got to help when it's needed, it's the Law, so I got it BUT I didn't want a cat! all ours had finally died, we had two kids and she was disabled. And the sodding thing kept biting people. Told him next time he drew blood on the kids with his teeth that was it off for the Big Sleep which calmed him down.
Paying his vet bills didn't enamour him to me either. Fortunately the ex got custody :)
 
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