Why are people am I so angry? Something happened not half an hour ago that should probably scare me. I heard a noise outside the window of the room where I was trying in vain to do a bit of my dissertation (now due in 4 weeks; shite!) and went out to see what it was. I could see a dark figure walking away from my door with my wheelie bin, which had been parked beside it.
I should explain at this point that we had 2 bins (see below). When I asked the figure what they were doing faint voice muttered something in an English accent about him having left it out some weeks back and my having “moved it” to beside my door (as you do). I explained that we’d had it for months and that the council had delivered us an extra one. He didn’t exactly seem to dispute this but was somehow maintaining it was his and that we’d taken his; something to do with him ordering one from the council and that I could check with his (and my, as it turns out) landlord. Being 2am I told him I closed the door with an “Ah, whatever man” and got back to work. Only I didn’t, as you can now tell by virtue of the fact that I’m writing about it here!
I sat fuming, fruitlessly trying to get some more work done, but what exactly am I that annoyed about? We still have a bin, it was a spare. He all but accused me of stealing, but he doesn’t even know me so it was hardly personal. Maybe it’s because I backed down too easily when I got confused by his apparent stupidity. Maybe it’s been pent up from all the times other folk have been dumping their shite in my bin (again, no big deal since we never filled it). It was nice having a second bin in case we forgot to leave ours out one week, but it wasn’t really necessary by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe it was the sheer spinelessness of waiting until 2 in the morning. None of those things seem to justify just how pissed off I was (am?) though.
I think it’s just part of the nerd psychee. Nobody wants to feel like a pushover, least of all a nerd who knows he’s often too lazy and/or apathetic to make a fuss. Got a better analysis? I’m all ears…
Let me explain about the second bin. When ours was stolen last year after being left out I phoned the council and asked for a new one, which they delivered the following Saturday morning. However, by this stage I had spotted my own bin outside a house 6 or 7 doors down the road and recovered it. I explained this to the men delivering the new one basically just said we may as well take it since they were here now. So we did.
