By Kevin Devlin

Some things people do annoy others, Sure they do. It certainly annoys me to the point that I merely shake my head in disbelief. So, I want to share my thoughts and my frustrations with you and see what you think. I also intend to share the thoughts-the gripes-of others.

     Even though it is a new year, the same old gripes never seem to get old or go away. The other day I was driving by the Curley Recreation Center when I saw a driver do a u-turn in the middle of Day Boulevard. Don't people know what the double yellow lines means-it means do no drive across-unbelievable. And, the person almost caused an accident.

     * Speaking of that busy intersection, recently, I was told by a local resident that he had just finished working out at the bathhouse, and was walking across the boulevard. He said that he was almost knocked down and hit by a guy driving his car at a high rate of speed. Driving fast and, you guessed it, talking a mile a minute on his cell phone. This didn't sit well with our local guy.

     * And how about that intersection down at the rotary near Saint Monica's Church. There's a stop sign right there, but drivers must think that just slowing down, instead of actually stopping, is good enough. They're in such a rush to get home they don't want to waste one millionth of a second for the safety of others.

     * Things haven't changed too much up at the Heights when it comes to local residents allowing their dogs to roam freely and cultivate the greenery. One of the bartenders from the L Street tavern, who lives on Thomas Park, is really furious with his neighbors. He brings his dog up to the historic site to conduct his daily ritual, but he keeps him on a leash and picks up after him. But, he sees others who allow their dogs to run around freely and don't bother to clean up afterwards. I had to mention this because I know our local bartender is hot under the collar about the obvious inconsideration of his neighbors. It really ticks him off.

     * I would like to close this out with a Keno gripe. The Mass Lottery just made a change wherein customers can now win more money (chuckle, chuckle) by playing the "Multiplier." You can double your bet and possibly win 3, 4, 5, or 10 times your original bet. But, if the "No Bonus" ball flashes on the screen, say farewell to half of your bet. And, with regularity, and to their dismay, the "No Bonus" ball pops up much too often. This is wrong and the lottery should change back to the original system, or replace the "No Bonus" ball with the possibility of winning twice your original bet, that being a 2 ball. In addition, time between games has been reduced to three minutes. Soon enough, Keno players will have about thirty seconds to place their bets. The lottery needs the money for the other 350 cities.

(Writer's Note: You got a gripe. Call SBOL and tell them what bothers you from time to time.)