People Suck.

This is going to sound very much like the "Today Sucks" post from August 9th, and for that I am sorry. But the truth is, people DO suck! I know it sounds horribly negative and misanthropic, but it's how I'm feeling right now.

Last night, Gus and I went to see a pre-season Chargers game (versus the 49ers! Yay!). The game itself was fine. I had never been to a professional football game before, and parts of it were very exciting. Getting to and from the game, however, was a bit of an adventure. Parking at the stadium is expensive, and we weren't going to be able to arrive early enough to get a decent spot. I didn't love the idea of having to hike through the giant parking lot while being almost 8 months pregnant. Instead, we parked at the mall and took the trolley to the stadium. It's much cheaper, and the trolley drops passengers off right at the front door. Perfect, right?

Wrong. Of course, we weren't the only ones with this brilliant idea, and the trolleys were absolutely jam-packed with people. We were squished in there like sardines. By the time we got on board, it was standing room only, and I started to freak out a little bit about my belly getting squashed. I could only reach one handhold, which also worried me because I haven't been too coordinated lately. I was hoping and praying that someone would offer me their seat (with my gigantic belly and all!), but NOBODY DID!!! I actually heard the man next to me ask his wife/girlfriend if it was okay for him to give me his seat... but apparently it wasn't, because the offer never came. I was fighting back tears as we started moving and I fought to maintain my balance.

The ride back was no better. Actually, it was probably worse, since everybody was drunk. We attempted to avoid a repeat performance by taking a cab, but we waited for nearly 45 minutes with no luck. Every cab that passed by was full. In the meantime, a fight broke out in the parking lot, right in front of us, and it scared me to death. People were drunk and throwing punches, and I couldn't get my belly away from there fast enough. What did the cops do about it? Nothing. They just STOOD and WATCHED (no kidding).

Anyway, when we finally got on a trolley to head back to the mall, it was the same story all over again. Forced to stand without anything to really hold onto. My feet were the most swollen I have ever seen them, my back was aching, and I was having some serious round ligament pain in my belly. I made eye contact with a number of people who were staring at me, and they just turned away and looked out the window. I finally got to sit down when a family got off the train, but I had to fight for it. Nice, huh?

So yeah... People suck. It's not like I have a real sense of entitlement about it. I don't walk around thinking that I should get special treatment just because I'm pregnant. I was just saddened and surprised that not a single person on either or two crowded trains would offer to give up their seat to a pregnant woman. It's depressing!!! We went to the game with some friends who are originally from Idaho, and they swear up and down that this selfishness is a California phenomenon. I have no idea whether or not it's true, but last night's experience combined with my mall experience have left a really bad taste in my mouth about the decency of humankind.

But after all that negativity, I will end on a positive note... While the strangers I have encountered recently have not impressed me, my coworkers rock. I firmly believe that every single one of them would offer up their trolley seat to a pregnant woman, under any circumstances. Every single day, they ask how I'm doing, make sure I'm resting and not running around too much, and offer to help me out in any way possible. Even the ones I don't know as well have been incredibly supportive and wonderful. Maybe it's just the nature of my job, but I feel incredibly lucky. So I can officially say that not ALL people suck!