Curmudgeoun = ME

CURMUDGEON

  An irritable or complaining person or, in the words of my father-in-law, an irascible old man.

I guess I'm beginning to settle into one or those definitions.   The direction I've been heading has been self-evident.  I have a lot of my father-in-law in me, I guess.

Today, I had something occur that seems to underscore this.

I stopped at the local gas station to get a little (and I mean a little) gas for the Observatory truck.  While it was being pumped, I was admiring the brand new Dodge Dually truck next to me.  It was connected to a 36 foot aluminum trailer that didn't look like it had too many miles on it, either.

Just before the pump stopped for my little truck, the driver of the Dodge had finished topping off his fuel tank with diesel. Some had started to spill out of the filler tube and down the side of his truck.  I watched the driver go over to the (ONLY) bucket of windshield washing  mixture, grab the squeegee, and proceed to wash down the side of his truck under the fuel door, removing all the spilled diesel from his truck.  THEN, he put the squeegee back into the bucket and started into the store to pay his bill.   

As he walked by me I said, "I can't believe I saw you do that."  

He said, "What?"

"You used the window washer to wash the diesel off the side of your truck.  What if I wanted to wash my windows (which I did)?  Do you expect me to use that squeegee and that water now?

He looked me straight in the eye and said, "You know, I didn't think of that."  

I thought to myself, "no, you just didn't expect to be called on it."

I continued, " If I use that water now, I'll streak my windows with diesel and it will be hell to get off once it dries!"  

He apologized and walked by the attendant into the store to pay his bill.   I pointed out to the attendant what he did and all she heard was that he spilled diesel, "No big deal, we have stuff to clean it up."  

"No, he used the window wash to clean the diesel off of his truck!"  

I just wouldn't let it go...went inside to pay for my fuel and told the other girl working what happened.  She blew it off. I asked her if they were going to clean the squeegee and change the water for the next person. She said, "when we can."  Sigh

Here I am, four hours later and I'm still hanging onto this.  I don't know why it bothers me so much except for the lack of consideration.  This guy had a truck and trailer combination that must have cost 75 or 80 thousand dollars.  He really didn't give a rip about the next guy (who might have been driving a 25 year old Jeep or a $100,000 Ferrari).

I'm not sure if I'm just getting thin-skinned.  In the past I would have looked at the guy, shook my head and went on with my life.  Now I'm thinking  of making signs on this computer to post on the gas pumps warning people not to wash their vehicles with the squeegee.  

Damn...I've become something of an irascible and irritable (is that considered repeating myself?) old man and you know what?  I'm proud of it, I've earned it, I'm a curmudgeon!