A nation oblivious...

What is it with people wandering around utterly oblivious to their surroundings with ipods in their ears?

I asked one, and what was their reply? Well, nothing, since they didn't hear me.

I was on the train the other morning, and one of these oblivious idiots made it to the door before me. Stood there like a fucking idiot while the guard asked them to move (twice) before he sort of poked them out of the way.

Yes you, you fucking moron. You're stopping everyone getting off the train because you're listening to your cool choons too fucking loud, and not paying enough attention. Just as well there wasn't some emergency. Fuck it, I'd have trampled them.

A number of those earphone wearing oblivisheeple are females of the species. I can only but wonder if somehow shutting themselves off into their own little world makes them feel safer or happier? Not that Edinburgh is a particularly dangerous place, but I like to have my wits about me when I am wandering around - if nothing else, when I am crossing the road in case of traffic, emergency vehicles, whatever... Do these people? Do they fuck.

Speaking of trampling, what is it with people who gitter about in the middle of the pavement? There are those who stop to talk, and take up the entire pavement - which is one thing I can't stand, the other, is those folk who walk slowly enough to get under your feet, and not either directly in front of you, but just a bit off to the side - so they're not on either side of the pavement, and not really in the middle either. This means you're then slaloming behind them avoiding the oncoming people who are also having to adjust their route. Just walk on the left, and at a relatively constant pace. How hard is that? Ah, fuck it, stay at home out of my way. That would be much better. (A quarter of a million people are in a Facebook group about hitting slow walking people, so at least it's not just me that's pissed off by this...)

I particularly find Haymarket Station troublesome in the mornings - not only is it an arm pit of a station, but going in to it to get a train at 08:40, usually means there are hundreds of people trying to get out. Of course, they use the stairs to platform 2 in their entirety - 4 rows of people coming up the stairs. They get quite confused (and bruised) to find me coming down the stairs, at speed, to get my soon to depart (if it's on time (Hah! that'll be fucking right)) train. It's not difficult - other people are trying to use the station too... expect people to come down the stairs when you're otherwise blocking them...