MB PD Needs PR

Needless to say, the last month or so have been trying times for officers within the Myrtle Beach Police department. They've made few friends in biker/tourists, and in that process, ticked off a few residents, as well.

Before I go any furhter, let's get this out of the way...I mean, I shouldn't HAVE to preface my blog today with this statement, but I'll put it out there, anyhow... I have immense respect for the "thin blue line."

That being said, there's "doing your job" and then there's "going too far."

A few months ago, I bought a truck, transferred my plates over, and since, it's been smooth sailing, for me. Until Sunday....and again today. Why, you ask?

Well, it turns out my little sticker on the plate expired in April. Oops. But "oops" for whom? I never got a reminder from the DMV that my time was near; nor did I get a letter from the Horry County Tax office, informing me my tag was due for renewal.

I'm told that it's quite possible that the DMV-to-Tax Office timeframe can be about six months, when it comes to processing paperwork, so it appears my information has fallen through the cracks. I

n 2009, that's right...it takes up to SIX MONTHS for the DMV on ONE side of Oak Street, to process paperwork to the county tax assessor on the OTHER side of Oak Street.

No big deal; the nice officer on Sunday wrote me a ticket, then said "take care of the tag, and the city will waive the ticket." I thought, "cool, I'll deal with it this week." Officer #1 also said to show the ticket, should I be stopped for the same reason again before I'd either dealt with it or appeared in court in late June.

So two busy weekdays later, I'm driving into work this morning, and wouldn't you know, on the same street, I'm spotted with that yet-to-be-replaced sticker, and once again, I'm pulled over. Different cop, different tone. I coughed up my license, registration, insurance and when he mentioned the tag, I showed him that only TWO DAYS AGO I'd already been ticketed for just that offense.

That didn't seem to matter to Mr. Cop #2. No, only TWO DAYS later, he wrote me the same freaking ticket. Really? I have, according to Cop #1 until June 29th to handle this, but Cop #2 didn't care what Cop #1 said, and wrote me another $133 ticket, with a closer court date than before.

Was this necessary? Really, officer, I'm not vigilante or rebel, and I DO intend to deal with this tedious process that shouldn't have been an oversight by either the DMV or the tax office to begin with - when my busy schedule permits. I don't get to spend my on-the-clock hours driving around town in a company vehicle, able to run my errands on the job, so blocking off a couple of daylight hours to stand in line at the tax office and MAYBE even the DMV on the same day, officer, isn't something that can "just happen" instantly.

What's more, Mr. Officer, knowing that I'd just been informed of this oversight by another officer of the same police department only two days ago, doesn't it now seem REALLY obvious that you need to dole out a certain number of little blue notes? Hey, good luck with that, okay?

Cop #2 says it's my responsibility to know if my tag's expired, and as I told him, had I been contacted by the DMV or the tax office that my time was near, I'd have done so. But really, Mr. Officer, do you REALLY think people get in their cars, give their license plates and registration cards a "once over" every time they get in the vehicle? Better question...do you?

This social networking stuff is getting ridiculous

Answer this question...what's the most DISGUSTING thing a "friend" has posted via Twitter or Facebook or Myspace for a status message? Give it some thought and get back to me.

Now, ask yourself, did you REALLY need to know that your "friend" ( use quotes because are ALL these people REALLY our "friends?) was on the couch, clipping their toenails, watching 'Dog: The Bounty Hunter?"

I SERIOUSLY had a "friend" MyFaceTwieat me earlier this week, just to let me (and all his "friends") know he was having an uhm, "gassy" evening after dining out with his wife. Dude, really? Did I need to know that? Did we ALLLLL need to know that? Couldn't we just limit the damage to those within......"sniffing" range?

Now, about a month ago, I DID laugh out loud (or "LOL'ed") when an old co-worker of mine (a legit friend!!!) bragged that he'd just "crop-dusted" the sales department cubicles. If you know what "crop-dusting" is, then you, too, are LOL'ing your A-O, right?

But seriously, aren't some things meant to be kept to ones' self? Do you REALLY think we care about your every waking action? 'Cause I'm JUST about to make my status message read "I don't care about your trivial happenings...get a life, realize there's a whole world away from your monitor you loser-moron-slash 'friend'." Tweet that. :)

Late-night drive-thru mayhem

Interesting headline, eh? We've ALL been there, haven't we? In our cars, late at night, and jonesing for a fast-food fix on the way home from a late night out or late night at work. And no matter WHICH Of the late-night fast food efferings you go to, the lines are almost ALWAYS going to be long, the service is almost ALWAYS going to be super-slow (and in OUR minds, we think it's because the employees hate their jobs and the hours they work, so they're sluggish on PURPOSE, which just makes us that much more angry about our predicament), and more often than not, there's at least one car-load of drunken bozos muddying up the process.

So how about it was MY car-load that was the 'drunken bozos?' Yeah, after seeing a couple of my friends continue to make complete morons of themselves Saturday night, I haulfed 'em off to take 'em home. Call it my 'civic duty' for the weekend. Problem is, they were hungry (and most drunks at the end of their night are), so fine, we hit one particular fast-food establishment, me thinking the food could soak up some of this devious alcohol that has 'em acting a fool.

Being near where I live and where they live as well, I broke my personal "boycott" of this particular establishment to accomplish my mission, too. And once again, what made me avoid this place came to bite me again. See, before, it had ticked me off that, at a 2am stop, after a 20-minute wait just to GET to the speaker to place my order, I was told "sorry, cash only; what'll it be?"

Where was the courtesy of informing us in line that our debit cards would be of no use BEFORE we'd invested all that time? Nowhere to be found. No apology given, just some surly (air quotes) "manager" explaining that they have to re-boot (more air quotes) "they system" each night and THIS particular location does so at 2am... not 4am, when nobody's out and about; nah, 2am - right when the bars and clubs let out, seemed more appropriate.

So lo and behold, there I am, again, and wouldn't you know, THIS time it was more like 2:30am, and gosh-darn if that "system" wasn't down for re-boot, again? So I have two drunks hoodlums in my car, who have, at this point, no CONCEPT of what's going on, but ready to make surly and unruly comments to the employees, anyhow. And I can't get this food because their "system" is down and I don't carry cash with me.

I find this scenario to be ridiculous, frankly; if you can be open 24/7, and advertise such, you should be ready to do business just as you do during normal operating hours. Smaller menu, I get; in 2009, though, you can't work a charge card system? You can't at least somehow post a sign at your drive-thru entrance letting folks know BEFORE they spend 20-30 minutes waiting?

See, I'm all TOO quick to point out to slugglish, work-ethically-challenged malcontents are where they are BECAUSE of their pitiful work ethic; but what do you say to third shift "management" when they're just as awful as the goofballs that work under 'em?

Lesson learned is - leave the drunks behind and you won't need the fast-food fix at all.