Officially Annoying

Its official ….I’m annoying.

At least to one official I am.  And Z of course…that goes without saying.

And most of my friends….

Last week, I wrote a story,  a gentle criticism as it were, of some of the decisions that are made at our local beach and the thinking that goes into them.

Primarily the need for patrons to wear uncomfortable, gaudy, wrist bands...supposedly to keep all the good, God fearing patrons safe from all the bad, non-God fearing ne'er-do-wells who would defile our precious beach by not paying. 

Apparently ne'er-do-wells have an aversion to uncomfortable, gaudy, wrist bands.

 Which then, by definition, would make me a ne'er-do-well…as well…because I really hate the things. 

Except I pay; I don’t sneak.

So maybe that makes me a ne'er-do-not so well. 

But I’ve been called worse.

Aside from posting the story here, last Monday, the 22nd, it was previously published in the August 18^th edition of our local newspaper, The Westmore News, for whom I sometimes write a column, providing the Hardware store isn’t running an ad that week and there’s enough room for my silliness. It was also posted on The Rye Patch late that Tuesday.  

Anyway, I guess I got the attention of the powers that be, because last Wednesday evening, after returning from an outing with Z, I was perusing some of the Patches to see if there were any comments on whatever I had posted at the time—hey…It could happen. So there I am perusing away, when suddenly I look up and see what appeared, at least to me, to be a 6 foot tall headline in the featured story box of the Rye Patch that shouted something along the lines of:  “Director of Rye Town Park responds to Blogger Brian…” 

It was so frickin big, they had run out of headline room, so there I was for all of, well I guess Rye, or at least some of it, to see.

 Blogger Brian…

It kind of makes me sound like a character on Pee Wee’s Playhouse.

Blogger Brian…

Not only that, while all of the other surrounding Patches were sporting REAL headline stories like “Hurricanes Bearing Down”  or ”Woman Knocks Man’s Eye Out With Potato”  they all regularly post the main headlines of the other area Patches in little interactive boxes located at the bottom of their home pages; so there I was again…all over the Sound Shore….

Blogger Brian…

Fortunately, when you actually opened the story, the full headline, with my full name appeared, which, while still disconcerting, was a little better than…

Blogger Brian…

But still….

I immediately called down to Z, to come look, and her first reaction was, “Great, now we have to move!”

Z, as I've said before, is nothing, if not supportive.

Then she read the Director’s letter (sounds a little Orwellian doesn’t it?  .—“The Director”) and decided that he didn’t really skewer me, which to be honest, I did to them…a little…but with much good humor—sort of— and points that I still feel are valid. 

His letter, which you can read if you click on this link, was also published in this weeks newspaper and is basically an explanation of policy, but not, at least in my opinion, the questionable logic behind it, which is what I was…well, questioning.

In fact he took all my kind words, of which there were many, and thanked me, several times, which was very nice.  But I guess that’s the art of Irish Diplomacy, which is, “The ability to tell a man to go to hell so that he looks forward to making the trip…”

And I am!

In fact I’m already packed!

Anyway, while I don’t think there were any issues resolved or answered, at least to my satisfaction, I had my say and he had his. 

And I really do appreciate the fact that the powers that be felt I deserved a response; at least I was heard…and that’s all you can ask.

So that’s that.  The two points of view are out there, so let the readers decide.

One thing I’m not is a crusader.

Plus I don’t want anybody asking me to serve on any committees. 

Those people work hard….

I’m a Freelance Writer…enough said.

But those wristbands…really…wristbands...on a beach????

Blogger Brian….?