...Beggars Belief

[ameerat42]

"It" does, in case you're wondering.

This was "It" this afternoon...

Young Father: tallish, slightly built.

The Offspring: strapped to the chest of the aforesaid in some sort of carrying pouch.

Am: stopped in car at set of lights.

The action: YF is ambulating along footpath, arms held partly outwards, gazing into smartphone carried in right hand with left
hand similarly disposed while holding a cardboard cup of [presumably coffee]. (Said beverage presumed as YF looked the "latte type".)
There is a sudden jerk in the perambulating gait of YF as he trips on a piece of proudly positioned pavement and nearly tumbles.
YF manages to maintain balance and regain his pace after a step or two.

Am: Starting to move again with the traffic and with a slew of imprecatious thoughts directed at YF mixing with thoughts of the sheer
hopelessness that's beginning to seep into and sap society.

Epilog: Well, you get what I mean. You WOULDN'T get a better performance at a circus!! It's just a pity this one's free and available.

[arthurking83]

LOL! I'm amazed he didn't step out into busy traffic and get hit hard by a motorcycle courier on a heavy-ish CB900.

that's what I got a few years back.

Ms probably recently yuppied with a newly acquired mobile phone, talking the talk and walking the walk.. as morons do! .... out from between parked cars(vans) and never the foresight to look in the direction of the traffic flow! .. too busy talking the talk I suppose, and looking(in the other direction) at something more superficial than boring life threatening traffic!
Anyhow, not even a second or so after her misstep, and I'm into, and over, her and on my face sliding into the path of the tram that would surely have flattened her to death had I not hit her instead(she couldn't even hear the rattly old rattler coming up the street immediately behind me and to my right).

Anyhow, much damage to my bike, she apparently admitted fault to the cops. But do you reckon she'd pay for the $500 or so damage to the bike ... busted side cover on the clutch and damaged bars and levers .. never mind the superficial scratching on the tank and sides and stuff.

ps. back in the day we didn't have latte sipping hipsters with perambulating pouches for their offspring, whilst ignoring their surroundings .. we simply had superficial yuppies that too no notice of their surrounding unless those surroundings were fashionable, and sipped lattes whilst holding carcinogenic bricks to the sides of their heads playing the oblivious of their surroundings game!

The more things change, the more they stay the same

[ameerat42]

[Roll-eyes!] Yep, that's life... That's how all the people play... [/Roll-eyes!]

[Hamster]

That's disgraceful! The council really should take more care in the maintenance of their footpath. That YF should sue for mental anguish caused by the potentially fatal consequences for his coffee or phone.

[ameerat42]

--Oh, didn't I mention?... The YF looked as if he was harbouring litigious thoughts
No, really the council is only providing a physical reminder of the proverb: "proud pieces of pavement
come before a fall"

[martycon]

Am, it is a long time since I have encountered the expression "standing proud" as in your tripping point.
I agree with everybody that it is all disgraceful in the extreme.