Some people never fail to amuse me with their lack of understanding.

I was in a Stearman once climbing to loop the old biplane when my cell phone went off. I checked to see who it was and decided I had time to simply answer it and give a fast message. I actally wanted to play with the caller a bit.

"Hello. I am in an open cockpit airplane climbing. I am at 5500 feet now and in another minute I am going to push the stick forward and loop it. This is not a very good time to call," I said. "Let's try this later."

"Well...this'll just take a minute..." he said.

"Think about what I said about where I am and what I am doing. If I talk now I will likely be in a plane crash. A plane crash is a very painful and expensive thing to have to deal with. I have to concentrate. Think about where I am and what I am doing."

"But I," he protested.

"Adios," I said, and hung up.

A minute later the phone rang and I ignored it. I could return the call when I landed. Whoever it was could wait about an hour or so.

After I landed I called the person back and they were a bit indignant over being hung up on.

"Stop right now," I said. "Put your right hand on your left ear and your left hand on your right ear and with a twisting, tugging jerk pull your head out of your ass. Now think. I told you I was in an open cockpit airplane doing aerobatics. I was. Suppose it was YOU in the cockpit?"

"Well, I..." he replied.

"You what?" I asked. "You don't think? Or maybe you do and it's all about yourself. Someone is in the middle of flying aerobatics and you just want to talk. Did it register that I told you I was flying a real airplane in a real sky and you wanted to distract me while you were sitting on your ass? How about 'no'."

Some people don't get it. 

Back when I was in the service I got a field phone call from the BnCo. This guy was one of the good guys. I was on an OP calling in artillery corrections. There had been a mishap. Someone was screaming he had just been snakebit.  Sometime later I'll tell this tale of woe.

The BnCO started to talk when I interrupted. "Sir, we got an injured guy here. Can this wait?"

"Call me when you can, Sergeant. Let me know about the injury."

This guy got it. Too bad the clown that called me when I was in the Stearman didn't.





To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY