A Litter Problem

[NomisR]

About cigarette, I remember reading an article about a car catching on fire, I believe it's in SF on the bay bridge, because the guy had his rear windows open.  He tossed his own butt out the window, got blown into his rear seat and his car caught fire.

I'm trying to find the article..

[dazzleman]

About cigarette, I remember reading an article about a car catching on fire, I believe it's in SF on the bay bridge, because the guy had his rear windows open.  He tossed his own butt out the window, got blown into his rear seat and his car caught fire.

I'm trying to find the article..

That reminds me of my mother's other trick, which was to flick ashes out the window as the car was driving on the highway.  They usually came right back into the back seat, and hit me in the eye. 

One time, she lit the cigarette on the wrong end in the car, and burned the filter.  A regular cigarette smell is horrible enough, but that was beyond unbearable.

[Tave]

One time, she lit the cigarette on the wrong end in the car, and burned the filter.  A regular cigarette smell is horrible enough, but that was beyond unbearable.

HA! I did that the other day. You think the smell is bad...

[dazzleman]

HA! I did that the other day. You think the smell is bad...

[Raza]

I don't smoke when I drive.  When I smoke, I take the time to enjoy it.

[Tave]

I don't smoke when I drive.  When I smoke, I take the time to enjoy it.

On my 3 hour drives to Winter Park this season all I had was time, the open roads, a mug of coffee and some cigs.

[Raza]

On my 3 hour drives to Winter Park this season all I had was time, the open roads, a mug of coffee and some cigs.

When I take drives like that, I usually stop and smoke at a rest stop when I have to pee or something. 

[Middle_Path]

When I take drives like that, I usually stop and smoke at a rest stop when I have to pee or something. 

That is the correct answer. I don't mind taking stops and I don't really like smoking in my car anymore. Now if I'm riding with Tave I'll smoke in his car, but we'll probably have to stop to pee anyways because of my alcohol intake while riding shotgun.   

[Tave]

When I take drives like that, I usually stop and smoke at a rest stop when I have to pee or something. 

Chair-lifts don't wait for rest stops.




No, in all seriousness, I understand not wanting to smoke in the car, and if I'm in really bad conditions I wait, but in general I don't think it's a threat to my ability to safetly operate the vehicle, nor does operating the vehicle take any enjoyment away from smoking. If anything they enhance each other: you get a stimulant and nice little activity to keep yourself fresh and alert, and it's a quiet, relaxing, peaceful place to smoke a square.

[saxonyron]

Beer bottles only get littered if you drank a bottle on the way home or to a party. Why the hell would you keep the empty bottle in your car? 

Cigarette butts get littered if there is absolutely no place to trash it or you're dick about me smoking. Then the lit butt gets dropped at your feet where I promptly put it out with my foot and do this

James Young has already won first prize in this thread though for his Alice's Restaurant reference. Hats off to you sir, congrats! 

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!
Doubt you yanks get that one, nevermind.

I remember the "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign.  I was traveling to Rockwell in Plano every few weeks for a while from Boston in the late 80s.  I thought it was funny that people up north put "Don't Mess with Texas" bumper stickers on their cars like it was a real badass warning - but it was just an anti-littering campaign.  Hey, it does sound badass, though.

And pretty much everyone seemed to drink beer right out in the open while driving in Texas. I'll never forget rolling up to a stop light, looking to the pickup to my right as the driver casually hoisted a Bud pounder can with apparently no worries about getting caught.  At least I didn't see them tossing the cans out the windows! 

[Middle_Path]

And pretty much everyone seemed to drink beer right out in the open while driving in Texas. I'll never forget rolling up to a stop light, looking to the pickup to my right as the driver casually hoisted a Bud pounder can with apparently no worries about getting caught.  At least I didn't see them tossing the cans out the windows! 

Yeah it was like that forever until a few years ago when the state passed the "no open (beer) container" law. You can still see it, but nothing like it used to be. Many drivers would just drink and if they got pulled over passed the beer to the passenger who claimed he was the one drinking. Otherwise, if alone, they'd set it somewhere in the car and claim it's an old can. Cops didn't really care anyways unless you were obviously buzzed.

Now, it's a good excuse for cops to write up tickets. I think many cops are still lenient on the law, but nothing like it used to be. In many ways I miss the Texas of the 1980's. BTW, you should see Plano now if you haven't in a long time. From Plano, Frisco, Rockwall, Wylie, etc. is just massive suburban sprawl. It would blow your mind now compared to say the 80's or even early-mid 90's.

[Catman]

The town I work in definitely has issues with litter.  Once the snow melts you see all the Dunkin Donuts cups and bags, McDonald's containers, beer cans, etc.  It's really annoying and makes the town look terrible.  The town I live in has clean up days and we all pick up our streets and I sometimes go for a walk with a trash bag and do my part.

I'm pretty lenient on a lot of traffic violations but I would have no issue whatsoever slamming someone with a large littering fine, there is simply no reason to throw trash out of a car.  I think the beer can issue is one of those things.  People want to drink a beer in the car but they don't want to be stopped with an open container ($500 fine in MA) so they toss it out the window.     Why does someone need to drink beer in their vehicle?

[hotrodalex]

Why does someone need to drink beer in their vehicle?

Why does someone need to drink beer in the first place? 

[saxonyron]

Yeah it was like that forever until a few years ago when the state passed the "no open (beer) container" law. You can still see it, but nothing like it used to be. Many drivers would just drink and if they got pulled over passed the beer to the passenger who claimed he was the one drinking. Otherwise, if alone, they'd set it somewhere in the car and claim it's an old can. Cops didn't really care anyways unless you were obviously buzzed.

Now, it's a good excuse for cops to write up tickets. I think many cops are still lenient on the law, but nothing like it used to be. In many ways I miss the Texas of the 1980's. BTW, you should see Plano now if you haven't in a long time. From Plano, Frisco, Rockwall, Wylie, etc. is just massive suburban sprawl. It would blow your mind now compared to say the 80's or even early-mid 90's.

Damn!  I guess I'm not surprised, since the area was growing pretty fast when I was there 20 yrs ago.  I love the ranch country up north of Plano near South Fork Ranch.  Beautiful area with rolling hills, trees, and farms/ranches that kicked serious ass.  Please don't tell me that area has been suburbanized!  I'd better Google Earth it!  I used to stay at the Harvey Hotel in Richardson, and work at the Rockwell plant in Plano.  Damn, I had a blast down there!

[saxonyron]

Why does someone need to drink beer in the first place? 

Words escape me....   

[CJ]

Damn!  I guess I'm not surprised, since the area was growing pretty fast when I was there 20 yrs ago.  I love the ranch country up north of Plano near South Fork Ranch.  Beautiful area with rolling hills, trees, and farms/ranches that kicked serious ass.  Please don't tell me that area has been suburbanized!  I'd better Google Earth it!  I used to stay at the Harvey Hotel in Richardson, and work at the Rockwell plant in Plano.  Damn, I had a blast down there!

Harvey Hotel is now the South Fork Hotel and it's in Plano.  I live in Plano.  Trust me, the South Fork area has NOT been urbanized.  There are a few homes out there, but nothing much.  The Rockwell building is Richardson.  Do you, by any chance, remember a person names Luanne Beckley?   

[saxonyron]

Harvey Hotel is now the South Fork Hotel and it's in Plano.  I live in Plano.  Trust me, the South Fork area has NOT been urbanized.  There are a few homes out there, but nothing much.  The Rockwell building is Richardson.  Do you, by any chance, remember a person names Luanne Beckley?   

I must have had the towns reversed.  I don't remember any names from back then, but I do remember playing volleyball at some community recreation event at a school in Plano with one of the guys from Rockwell.  His whole family showed up including his 20 yr old daughter.  She was of Mexican descent and looked like Catherine Zeta Jones.  Mmmmmmmmmm.  So I may have been in a school that you went to.  We used to love the Harvey because they had doormen in cool red jackets.  Glad to hear they didn't pave over the ranches up north.

[Lebowski]

I'm pretty lenient on a lot of traffic violations but I would have no issue whatsoever slamming someone with a large littering fine, there is simply no reason to throw trash out of a car.  I think the beer can issue is one of those things.  People want to drink a beer in the car but they don't want to be stopped with an open container ($500 fine in MA) so they toss it out the window.     Why does someone need to drink beer in their vehicle?

The better question is, why don't these morons pour it into a plastic cup before getting in the car?

[NomisR]

I don't get how people can go an litter in their own neighborhood.  You know, they live there, yet they go litter in it.  Don't they think about their property value?  I'd never consider living in an area filled with litter, it's not only unsightly, it's unsanitary...

[Catman]

The better question is, why don't these morons pour it into a plastic cup before getting in the car?

LOL, I think you answered your own question.

[CJ]

I must have had the towns reversed.  I don't remember any names from back then, but I do remember playing volleyball at some community recreation event at a school in Plano with one of the guys from Rockwell.  His whole family showed up including his 20 yr old daughter.  She was of Mexican descent and looked like Catherine Zeta Jones.  Mmmmmmmmmm.  So I may have been in a school that you went to.  We used to love the Harvey because they had doormen in cool red jackets.  Glad to hear they didn't pave over the ranches up north.

Do you remember the schools you were in?

[saxonyron]

Do you remember the schools you were in?

No - it was a long time ago.  But I have good memories of your town down there - and I'm glad to hear it's still doing well.  I gotta get back down for a visit.  I still have a "membership" card to one of the bars in either Plano or Richardson.  Are they still dry towns? I thought that was a riot when I walked into a bar and they said I needed to joing the club for $5, but the membership came with a free drink.

[CJ]

Is it Bavarian Grill?  Plano is a wet town, as is Richardson.

[Middle_Path]

No - it was a long time ago.  But I have good memories of your town down there - and I'm glad to hear it's still doing well.  I gotta get back down for a visit.  I still have a "membership" card to one of the bars in either Plano or Richardson.  Are they still dry towns? I thought that was a riot when I walked into a bar and they said I needed to joing the club for $5, but the membership came with a free drink.

Nah, you are thinking of the Unicard system. That's been pretty much abandoned. You just show your ID now or if you look old enough they'll just bring your drink without asking. Other bars ask for a license to enter first, it depends. You can get beer all over the area from gas stations/grocery stores, but you can't buy hard liquor. Plano kind of sucks now because it's full of yuppies, shoppers, soccer moms, police, and now redlight cameras. It's a nice place for family type people who want their kids to go to good public schools, but it's honestly ALL strip malls and cops. In my opinion, it sucks ass now.

Richardson I think is pretty much how it was. A few things expanded, a few things improved, some new commercial buildings, and old places just as they were.

[Byteme]

I remember the "Don't Mess with Texas" campaign.  I was traveling to Rockwell in Plano every few weeks for a while from Boston in the late 80s.  I thought it was funny that people up north put "Don't Mess with Texas" bumper stickers on their cars like it was a real badass warning - but it was just an anti-littering campaign.  Hey, it does sound badass, though.

And pretty much everyone seemed to drink beer right out in the open while driving in Texas. I'll never forget rolling up to a stop light, looking to the pickup to my right as the driver casually hoisted a Bud pounder can with apparently no worries about getting caught.  At least I didn't see them tossing the cans out the windows! 

I read somewhere that the Don't Mess with Texas anti-litter compaign was, and is, a huge success.

Texas has rather tough open container laws now.

[Byteme]

I don't get how people can go an litter in their own neighborhood.  You know, they live there, yet they go litter in it.  Don't they think about their property value?  I'd never consider living in an area filled with litter, it's not only unsightly, it's unsanitary...

About twice a week some asshat throws the litter from a complete McDonalds meal in the main street through our subdivision.  And just outside the back entrance some clown, perhaps the same guy, dumps about 10 beer bottles at the curb. 

[Submariner]

Snipers.

What about helicopter gunships? AC-130s?

[sparkplug]

The town I work in definitely has issues with litter.  Once the snow melts you see all the Dunkin Donuts cups and bags, McDonald's containers, beer cans, etc.

Yeah and that's just around the police station.

[Raza]

Yeah and that's just around the police station.

[CJ]

Nah, you are thinking of the Unicard system. That's been pretty much abandoned. You just show your ID now or if you look old enough they'll just bring your drink without asking. Other bars ask for a license to enter first, it depends. You can get beer all over the area from gas stations/grocery stores, but you can't buy hard liquor. Plano kind of sucks now because it's full of yuppies, shoppers, soccer moms, police, and now redlight cameras. It's a nice place for family type people who want their kids to go to good public schools, but it's honestly ALL strip malls and cops. In my opinion, it sucks ass now.

Richardson I think is pretty much how it was. A few things expanded, a few things improved, some new commercial buildings, and old places just as they were.

Man, Jupiter & Plano Parkway is getting bad.  The red light camera snapped my ex-girlfriend and her moms bad car accident.  The guy who hit them was speeding and went right through the intersection.  The camera snapped the hit and holy crap...that was crazy.  Funny thing is, she's actually good friends with the person who hit them!!