moonriver posted on Aug 06, 2007
| views: 1111
Some SC regulars have again discussed the issue of blocking (and being blocked) for the nth time in as many months. I'm not sure whether they see the issue the way I do, or if they ever faced the same annoying situations such as I have.
But yes, I admit... I find being blocked very . very . irksome. Especially in the rainy season.
You see, I'm a real brisk walker, whether on mountain trails, on open flat country, or on busy pedestrian walks and arcades. It's a habit I picked up on my 20th birthday. (Interested why on that date? I'll blog about it...later.) My walking pace is so fast, I find my feet carrying me home before my mind has even made a decision to go...lol.
Anyway. On forested mountain trails, I often get blocked by rockslides, roadcuts, great fallen logs, instant rapids. Easy as pie. I simply walk around them, under them, through them, whatever. If I'm blocked, hey, ain't no way I'm gonna blame God or Mother Nature.
Maybe in some cases I'd blame this or that good-for-nothing company that laid waste to the mountain so it could profit on gold or world-class timber. On flat country, I sometimes get blocked by fences where there was none before. But the damage they inflict goes way beyond the scope of my personal annoyance. It passes to the realm of public interest.
But in the urban jungle, it's different. Here, it's people that block other people, moving in different directions, different speeds. Never mind vehicular traffic, that's way past my level of expertise. I'd like to focus on pedestrian traffic.
Like, I'm 10 minutes late for my appointment, I'm rushing through slowpoke pedestrians, it's raining, and umbrellas bloom in varied colors. So far, so good. I'm like The Flash high on a banned drug, swiftly but lithely weaving through the obstacle course of people and bags and umbrellas and gesticulating arms.
Then, suddenly, I grind to a halt! The whole sidewalk is blocked by these 4, 5, maybe 6 sweet buddies who decide to walk abreast with hands on each other's shoulders, leaving me no gap to overtake. And they walk so slowly, like a Greek dance line just starting thru its paces.
Time to exercise my diplomatic skills.
"Excuse me, may I pass," I ask politely. They seem not to hear me. A music shop is blaring, or maybe they are all iPod-earphone-deaf. I repeat my request only once. If they don't step aside, tough luck for all of them. Football tackle has never been this fun... :-)
And then there's this wimp who can't seem to decide where he wants to go? Maybe he's lost? Naah, I know the look of one who's genuinely lost. There are these pedestrians who are lost only in their minds. They turn this way and that, walk with the general flow, then suddenly pause, turn right (maybe to ogle a magazine stand or a lingerie display), then reverse direction into my trajectory path.
Well, if I happen to be right behind them, then they've just stupidly blocked my way. Unless they are carrying a baby or a baby M16, I won't apply my foot brakes. Wham, bang, sorry ma'am, better luck next time. They won't even see what hit them, just stars flying around their eyes. I'd be 15 meters away gliding on my winged feet to my destination.
But mind you, it's not all combat block-fire-and-maneuver tactics out there on the concrete jungle. There are also fun moments, like when I'm walking along the sidewalk, in one direction, and another person walks almost right smack into me face to face.
If we were two cars approaching each other on a single-lane country road, then basic traffic rules apply -- both of us edge to our respective right side, and pass each other safely.
But we're not two cars, and the pedestrian flow is chaotic. So I quickly turn a bit to my right to pass him. But the other guy also shifts in that direction, and so we still block each other, both looking stupid. I shift leftward, he does the same. I turn to the right, he apes me like a mirror image. What do you call that accidental dance-like pedestrian encounter? I call it the New York street shuffle.
That's the only case where I simply make an absolute stop. When I sense a "New York street shuffle" situation coming up, I simply freeze and let the guy pass me the way he wants. Street shuffle successfully averted. Then I move on, resuming 1 G acceleration until I reach normal cruising speeds.
The nice thing about the rainy season is that we pedestrians are all armed and dangerous, depending on the caliber of our umbrellas. During monsoon rains, the sidewalks and alleys are all bristling with deadly weapons like Spartan spears mounted on colorful polyester shields with barbs all around.
This makes my obstacle course more exciting and colorful, yes, although there's a bit of danger of being disfigured by a nasty poke on the face. But not to worry. I'm protected with eyeglasses, backpack, and thick jacket. Also, my umbrella is cal. .50, water-cooled, belt-fed, effective range 500 m, and a low fire rate of 550 rpm, which makes it more deadly and accurate. Not surprisingly, pedestrians tend to shy away when they see my approach. Me and my King Leonidas umbrella.
So you see, boys and girls, being blocked might be very irksome, indeed, but not unavoidable. You only have to learn a few good tactics in urban warfare. And be quick on the feet. Like me.
Oh. You meant "blocking a user" here at Soulcast? Hmm, I never thought there was a feature like that. You mean you could really block a person from your blog? Really? What quaint little devices will they think of next? Hahaha.
Comments
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silverwhisper said on Aug 06, 2007....
having worked in manhattan, i can completely relate to everything you said about pedestrians on the sidewalk in the city: lost and/or clueless tourists choking the sidewalks, idiots stopping at the top or bottom of an escalator, all the while you're trying to get where you're going and you just wanna yell "it's called walking a straight line--look into it!"
[ahem]
don't mind me, i'm OK. :D
ed -
moonriver said on Aug 06, 2007....
bwahaha, ed, i'm always on the verge of yelling that way too, when i'm in sidewalk "defensive-driving, road-rage, flip-the-bird" mode. only what comes out is a muttered curse in my colorful native language that only i will hear... :-)
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silverwhisper said on Aug 06, 2007....
i knew you were the type, moon! sometimes, i wanna scream "just get out of my damned way you plodding tourist!" :D
ed -
moonriver said on Aug 06, 2007....
ed, part of me is the time-driven fellow who will raise hell should any mindless creature blocks his way. (yes, tourist hordes are my favorite peeve.)
but another part of me is actually the laid-back citizen, who still observes the deeply-ingrained rules of courtesy that this city was raised on. (i mentioned it in passing in ginger's recent blog on italian traffic.)
i still recall a time, until about 15 years ago, when the sidewalks of the main streets had pedestrian traffic so sparse that when i bump into friends on the busiest avenue on a busy hour, we can simply stand there and talk. and all too often, still other friends will see us there, and stop and join the chat right in the middle of the sidewalk. nowadays you have to step aside and find a bar or eating place to talk, or be run over by the 9-to-5 solid wall of commuters.
only crazy hobos, beggars, mobile peddlers, and old highland folk have retained the gumption to use the sidewalk as they see fit, and at their own relaxed pace. since i have a particular liking for these "scum of the earth," they're exempted from the spearhead advance of my spartan phalanx, hahaha.
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silverwhisper said on Aug 06, 2007....
i'm usually more laid-back myself, but if i'm in the city, i find myself on "city time".
ed -
moonriver said on Aug 06, 2007....
how about taking two steps at a time on stairs and escalators? i often do that too, not because i'm in a rush, but because i find "one step at a time" more tiresome. i need to always remind myself, though, that different people have different capacities -- so as not to give in to a deep urge to simply hand-carry the old lady who balks at the top of the escalator... :-)
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silverwhisper said on Aug 06, 2007....
i run up/down escalators, all the time! :D
ed -
kruuyai said on Aug 06, 2007....
LOL... muun, I thought this was going to be a post on your digestive tract! :) -
moonriver said on Aug 06, 2007....
kruu -- i'm reserving that topic for a full-muun howl... you know me :-)
silver -- i know this is getting to be a cliche, but somehow, the image of you running on escalators doesn't surprise me at all... ;-)
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silverwhisper said on Aug 06, 2007....
well, naturally not. :>
ed -
kruuyai said on Aug 06, 2007....
heh, heh... I'm sure it'll be a doozie. Be sure to link it to your post about Sophie and the pig toilet. :) -
what.could.be.better.than. said on Aug 06, 2007....
haha that made me laugh.I grew up in a small town, much the same, with tourists strolling so slowly down the single highstreet, and I'm walking along behind them, wanting to scream "if I'm late for work again this week, my boss will kill me!" -
destinydiva said on Aug 06, 2007....
very cryptic mr river!!!! I think I like it....... maybe I would love it but I feel the guilt creeping up like the water around your feet :-) not seen ya for awhile..... hope you are well :-) I love your mind mr river :-) xx -
Suddenrain said on Aug 06, 2007....
Wow Moon, that whole story applies perfectly to SC now doesn't it? :-) -
uniquely-ironic said on Aug 06, 2007....
I'm usually pretty tolerant of pedestrians, but every now and then I just don't have the patience to walk around the utterly confused who seem to multiply. Every now and then I just have to body check someone.You know, the idiot who walks arm and arm with a friend, free arms thrown wide, not looking where they're going, moving at the speed of snot and doesn't care who they inconvenience.I'm bad that way. -
gingersoul said on Aug 06, 2007....
Moon....as you know, walking in any street of Rome is like being in the middle of a guerrilla training boot camp....You need weapons...
Mine are quite a few: first of all, chin up and walk just traight to your target. Fast. Don't look arouund too much or you will get easily distracted, avoid any moving objects: pedestrians, strollers, bikes or mopeds BUT walk slowly and with an imposing way when you are in the middle of the street crossing the road.
The drivers will never want to stop, you know it, they know that you know it.....they will stop. You are a pedestrian. They would go in jail. :-)
On the sidewalk, walk very close to the buildings to avoid being pushed in the middle of the street splashed against a bus like a rotten tomatoe.....
Walk fast and avoid like plague old ladies, moms with kids, teen agers with cells, lovebirds holding hands ...they never walk at my speedness.
And i am a fast walker. I think you and i would do great walking together...:{hug}
Oh...you were talking SC too? Really? There is somebody who cares being blocked? There is somebody who cares blocking somebody else?
It never happened to me. And if somebody actually would block me i wouldn't even noticed it since they would be people i couldn't care less..... so why bother?....
Hasta SC siempre!!!....:-)
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skald said on Aug 06, 2007....
Guess if you block someone on SoulCast he can't make a way round it or maybe he could by writing a blog dedicated to you or by commenting somewhere else, but still he would be blocked until you decide to open your blog for him again. -
Suddenrain said on Aug 07, 2007....
Not if he changed his name Skald. A different name gets them right back in and that's a way around. -
moonriver said on Aug 07, 2007....
i messed up your minds again. am i bad or what...?
some clarification is in order:
1. my original intent was to write this blog plain and simple as an ode to my fast walking style, and the misencounters that often go with it. this intent remains, and it's in this sense that i find blocking irksome.
2. while i was doing the finishing touches to this blog, however, my thoughts were also on the gnawing issue of blocking as a blogger's defensive tool. like suddenrain noted, i saw some parallels with my pedestrian woes. but i have no strong opinions on sc blocking. i have never blocked anyone from my blog, and no one has blocked me as far as i know. i merely wanted to say, in a pseudo-cryptic way (sorry about that, destiny), that hey, i don't see what the fuss is all about.
so that's it, folks. i used a dirty trick, trying to bait readers into my blog with a controversial lure about sc blocking. which doesn't mean, of course, that you read me only because of that. sorry...:-)
kruu -- yes i promise to link it to that blog about sophie and her duel with indigenous pigs at ok corral, which, in turn, has a link to your famous blog that inspired mine. you're the original culprit, my friend... ;-)
whatcouldbe -- don't you just feel the urge sometimes to be riding a forklift exoskeleton (like ripley did in the movie alien) while walking on Main Street?
destiny -- you are so cryptic yourself, with that comment... but thanks, i 'preciate your remarks ;-)
suddenrain -- yup, in a sense, there are parallels with the sc community, although i hadn't meant to say that i (as blogger) am irked by other bloggers who get in my way... or who, for some reason, decide to block me... that would be so boorish of me hahaha.
unique -- you got my point, exactly. "the idiot who moves at the speed of snot..." LOL. oh, he can move at the speed of a dry booger for all i care, but please, not on my side of the street, hahaha.
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moonriver said on Aug 07, 2007....
ginger -- ah my favorite blogger and prospective hitchhiking partner. i know you're a fast walker, lady. i like that. but make sure to continue your workout with ellipticals, because my hikes and climbs always involve lugging a 20-kilo backpack, still at a fast pace...;-)
i love your urban maneuver tactics. i'm sure you developed them to a fine degree in rome's anachronistic environment. they will readily apply to my situation now, and it's good as practice for when i visit rome. *wink*
i particularly like your description of how to cross the street. i can just see you doing your distinctive "princess walk," and all the drivers slam their brakes to let you pass, their eyes ogling your every step...lol.
you are so right about blocking here at sc. i've always followed gingersoul's rule #1: ignore. i think you have a rule #2, which you applied to chancery_stone. how would you state the rule: "drown 'em in a barrel of sweet sarcasm..."?
buen comentario, como siempre. gracias, mi amiga.
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moonriver said on Aug 07, 2007....
skald, suddenrain -- both of you are correct. blocking can at least plug leaks as they appear. to that degree, it is effective. but it won't prevent a user who is determined to bug me crazy or make me look bad from using other tricks in the blogging book.
and also, blocking doesn't address the deeper reasons of why a person would go to such extents to inflict his horrible presence on another person's blog.
in my case, as i said, i haven't developed any strong opinion about this issue, since no other blogger has given me enough reason for me to block him/her. and vice versa (i think). i can only hope that it stays that way... ;-)
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destinydiva said on Aug 07, 2007....
I just wanted to say that I read you anyways...... wether its a controversial lure....or a crazy werewolf post.... a deeply cryptic insight in to you.... or a post about rain! I like them all !
Destiny xx
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vivian2007 said on Aug 07, 2007....
Nice to read your post! You can read mine if you are free. -
what.could.be.better.than. said on Aug 08, 2007....
moon -- now that you mention it, i'd like that! where to get a forklift exoskeleton though..hmm... -
moonriver said on Aug 08, 2007....
destiny -- thank you again for the kind words. i think you'd like my next blog... coming soon :-)
vivian -- thanks for dropping by. i'd like to read you, too, ma'am. just wondering why your blog is empty...?
whatcouldbe -- i know the us armed forces are using them now...
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the_infernal_optimist said on Aug 08, 2007....
My Type A tendencies really crop up if I get stuck walking (or worse, pushing a cart behind) someone poking along at a pace that makes snails look like speed demons. I'll admit to having the nearly irresistible urge to nudge the large bottom (because it's almost always someone with a big butt, at least at the store!) with my grocery cart and then look innocent when they turn around. :-D
I walk fast when the kids aren't with me and so much of what you said resonates...patience is just not my thing, not when I'm just trying to get from A to B and you're blocking me for no good reason. Especially if the "you" in question is a group of 14yo girls giggling about something brainless.
The "NY shuffle" situation is all too familiar. I've even had it happen where both of us froze, then both started to move (the same way :-p) at the same time, so it started all over again!
Walk quickly and carry a big umbrella, eh? ;-)
~Infernal
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moonriver said on Aug 08, 2007....
infernal -- i'm laughing continuously as i read your comment from first to last line. re NY shuffle, i've had what you described happen to me too... freeze, move, freeze again, move again... uncannily like my mirror image.
"nudge the large bottom"... i can picture it now. imagine mr. big butt moseying lazily in front of you to the tune of henry mancini's baby elephant walk. the tip of my big umbrella is just the right weapon for that. but first i try the conventional roosevelt tactic: speak softly and carry a big umbrella. if that doesn't work, then i shift to the big-umbrella-on-butt gambit, hahaha. thanks for the comment, infernal.
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skald said on Aug 08, 2007....
Sudden. You are right why did I not think of that? -
moonriver said on Aug 08, 2007....
skald -- actually, an sc user cannot directly change his/her name. s/he can only create another account using another name. (maybe quite a number of accounts? one for each kind of abuse? i don't know...)
you shifted from "kona" to "skald" for a valid personal reason, and left "kona" to hibernate, so that's a totally different matter...:-)
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Suddenrain said on Aug 08, 2007....
That's what I meant Moon. Sorry, it came out wrong Skald. My bad. -
purple said on Aug 09, 2007....
I walked at a pretty normal speed until I had toddlers. Then I had to accomodate to their speed, and after they grew up, I never recovered, much to the chagrin of my boyfriend, who is also a fast walker.
A few nights ago I saw a NOVA show on Emergence. Emergence is the science of figuring out how fish school, how birds flock, and yes indeedy, how pedestrians walk.
Whether walking or driving, I prefer to step aside and let speed demons race on to their own doom. Or as that story goes, a man sees Death in the neighborhood and races to the next town to escape Death. Death, upon seeing the man said, "That's odd. I have an appointment with him tonight in the next town."
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moonriver said on Aug 09, 2007....
suddenrain -- no, it didn't come out wrong. i think skald saw it in that sense too. i was just exercising my smart-ass hair-splitting techie ego... :-)
lucky13 -- hey stefano, how ya doin' my friend? thanks for dropping by... :-)
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purple said on Aug 09, 2007....
I'm going to nominate this as one of the best entries on Soulcast. -
what.could.be.better.than. said on Aug 09, 2007....
moon - ah yes. but how to get one from them? -
moonriver said on Aug 09, 2007....
purple -- good reminder you have there for us brisk walkers, not to turn ourselves into a kind of arrogant speed freaks club. walking slow definitely has its own benefits. and especially driving slowly -- i agree 100%. i'm smiling at your story of the man who thought he could escape his appointment with Death.
you and i must have posted our comments at almost the same time... sorry i missed yours as i went right to bed after that... ;-) ((bows deeply to thank purple for nomination))
whatcouldbe -- oh you are really serious about this aren't you? give me 24 hrs then. i'll post here the necessary weblinks, price range, tech specs, reviews. my inner ripley's muscles are already rippling at the possibilities... ;-)
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what.could.be.better.than. said on Aug 12, 2007....
moon - dont do anything to reckless...i'd hate for you to get into trouble because of me.LOL! -
moonriver said on Aug 12, 2007....
whatcouldbe -- naah, don't worry, i've been in tight situations before. watch me... ((assumes a devil-may-care michael biehn pose))
exoskeletons... you want something like this...or this...or this. see? no problem. i couldn't get prices, but just make sure you have oh maybe 100 thousand bucks ready... :-)
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JLLnLLH said on Aug 27, 2007....
I am one of those slow walkers you talk about. And my speed has slowed dramatically due to the addition of a three year old. Which brings me to a little story about him. We had parked our car around the corner from the library. Jay of course will not tolorate being carried so he has to do his slow, shift from side to side of the sidewalk, stop, pick up stuff, toss it, look at the street, ect...walk to the front door of the library. Then once reaching the front of the library he has to test out both sets of stairs which mind your are EXACTLY the same. Once finaly deciding on the ones to the far right he goes up. Heading straight for the door, but wait, whats that? A pretty pot of flowers. So of course, reminding me of the old saying. he stops, lets out a big ahhhh not a scream but a relaxed ahhhh and bends over and smells the flowers. A look of pure joy washes over his face, then and only then can we continue our walk into the library, where the slow crazy shuffle of a three year old resumes... -
moonriver said on Aug 27, 2007....
JLLnLLH -- i know exactly what you mean, and a person walking with a child -- especially if i see that they walk slow because the child wants to enjoy discovering the world around him, and the person enjoys walking with the child -- are automatically exempted from my rant... ;-)
i know, because it's also the kind of slow walk that i myself enjoy. ooh, i need to write a blog about the many morning walks along the river quays that migz and i enjoyed when he was a toddler. i liked your description of jay stopping to smell the flowers. brings back memories of walking with the twins...((sniff-smile-sniff))...
nice talking with you, JLL... gotta run now!
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what.could.be.better.than. said on Aug 27, 2007....
moon... of course..i have a hundred thousand bucks set aside for than exact purpose. LOL.
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