All People Must Die

Being a very cautious and common sense driver, my blood runs thin with rage every time I get behind the wheel of a vehicle, especially in fucking Omaha. Without going on for six hours listing things off that piss me off to no end, I'll just mention the one that happened twice yesterday.

Yesterday was Benson Days. This was going to a be an all day event with booths, entertainment, and food. The event was also going to be blocking off Maple street from 60th to 64th. Mark (my boss) said the road was to be closed off from 6 AM and I told Jeanne this information as well, as she would come to help out during the day since we were running a grill on the street in front of the shop.

So just before 6:45 am as I turned onto Maple, behind three cars, we approached the road block. Three, probably 6'x10' barricades with those orange and white striped boards across it with a big sign saying, "Road Closed." A pretty standard, very obvious sign; and especially with three blocking the roads - one in the middle, turning lane, and one in the middle of each lane going in either direction. The three cars in front of me, along with two cars turning west from the side street all enter from the right side of the right sign in the space just big enough to fit a vehicle in. After the last vehicle went in, one of the old style cars in the car exhibit drove up to move the sign over to prevent any more fucking idiots from doing so (which, later, seemed that it was happening a lot). And if you go north or south, there are streets that run parallel to Maple and it would be all right.

This bugged me to no end, but the best part happened about a half hour later. I went out front to help erect the tarp and this car drove past the road closed barricade. I looked and said, "Another fucking moron!" Greg Bourne, one of the coordinators and neighbor shop owner was yelling as well. All the vendors and others setting up just stopped to look at this idiot drive all the way through, from 60th to 64 until, presumably - since he drove the whole length, he came upon the 64th street barricade that had vehicles in the holes, to prevent anyone from doing what they were doing on the east end, he realized that the road was closed.

He made a u-turn and tried to turn down 62nd street (since going north it dead ends into a building) and of course, there's a road closed sign blocking his escape. So he goes to Military and turns north, ah, no dice. There's a flat bed trailer blocking the road because they were setting up the music stage there. So he passes us and we throw our hands in the air like, "Are you kidding me?" and my boss points back to where this moron came in from.

I don't know what more we could've done besides all the road closed signs and all these people setting up tarps and tents on the sides and middles of the street to illustrate that the road is, literally, closed.

I got into an accident the other day. First one ever. Not happy about it, but no damage was done and it was because of my brakes.