Builders at work (skip this one if rants bore you)
I stress the "at work" bit as I know a number of construction workers socially and they are all nice people, so I assume this is fairly representative of people in the trade. So why is there such a radical change when they are at work? What turns them from good-hearted, unpretentious people who are good company into the most inconsiderate, selfish wankers ever to walk this earth?

For example, what other group of people will make the most Godawful noise at 7am, including weekends, and then sit around quietly drinking tea for hours on end once they've pissed eveyone off by waking them up? Who else takes an apparently perverse delight in parking a van in the exact place that will prevent people getting their cars out? Who else has the knack of getting the same noise from a cheap transistor radio as you would normally only get from a 1000 watt top-end sound system?

A couple of years ago I was plagued by construction noise from the basement of my apartment block that bred in me homicidal thoughts that made the Hostel films look like Bambi. During that time I once heard one of the other tenants pleading with the builders to turn off their drills for a few hours as she'd just come off night shift and needed some sleep before embarking on a long drive. They just laughed at her and carried on as normal.

I am certainly prejudiced, as exemplified by a recent event that is not to my credit. The builders have been back for a month, and though the noise isn't as bad as last time, it's still pretty intolerable at times. One of their vans was almost completely blocking the entrance to the apartment block. As I started to squeeze past one of the builders said something to me - and it was only after I'd got past and set off huffily down the road that what he'd said registered - he'd offered to move his van! He was that rare beast - a polite builder at work - and it was so unexpected that I ignored the kind offer he made and looked like a rude twat.

That'll do - steam let off and rant over. Apologies for length and to any B3tans who are builders for any offence caused. I'm sure you're lovely people but please don't do any work near me.
(eesnahk, Fri 2 Apr 2010, 21:57, 2 replies)

Understandable rant (pisses me off too) and so a *click*
( Vambo, Fri 2 Apr 2010, 22:28, closed)

I think this is too rational to count as 'prejudice'.

(Falstaff's Spiritual Successor, Fri 2 Apr 2010, 23:41, closed)