Kyle Bement

Here I am at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, flanked by friends, focused on fire.

This is Lola, and a prime example of what
happens when you go out of town and leave your dog with friends that have a four year old.

The other day, I was in a line of 8 or 9 cars stopped at a stop light. Traffic coming the opposite way was also stopped and had begun to back up a bit. I saw the culprit, finally. Someone was walking through the crosswalk and realized that the "PUSH TO CROSS" button is one of the most selfish things that's ever existed. It is literally saying, "Everyone else has to stop so that I can go about my business."

Sure, this person was walking somewhere, which is objectively the worst way to travel long distance. How, though, does that give him the right to inconvenience at least 8 or 9 other people so that he can cross the road? The fact of the matter is, he would've been given an opportunity. Lights change, turn from red to green, it's just a matter of waiting your turn.

Not for Mr. "I'm Walkin' Here," oh, no. Waiting for a turn is what other people do, but not him, or any other pedestrians, because they can push a button so that they can go about their lives, while inconveniencing others.

I will also say that this was not during the unbelievable cold. Even with a green light, I would've let him cross. This was also at a "T" style intersection, and he was crossing in such a way that the top bar was completely stopped. So it was just him and people making rights at the perpendicular road that benefited.

I'm not a monster; I get it, sometimes you have places to be. I do, too. Why use the push to cross button when you can just wait for lights to change like everybody else does? Four wheels, two wheels, two feet, we're all still people trying to do things. There's no reason to jump queue. If you cut in line anywhere else and force people to stop what they're doing, you'll be reviled. Somehow, a silver button in a yellow frame makes it okay.