Parking Lots

Because I have an unnatural attraction to movie theaters, I feel compelled to park in the section of the lot by the movie theater entrance at the Coastal Grand Mall.  Because this entrance also dumps you by the food court, this is a bad idea.  Actually, it is a terrible idea.

During my adventure tonight, I saw all of the following:

• Camping
• Not just for video game players, camping is frequently seen in busy parking lots.  There is nothing wrong with camping a spot when the individuals in said vehicle are obviously about to leave.  The problem arises when a cute little red car is already waiting for a spot, and you decide to pull your giant SUV into the spot when the initial car vacates.  Not only do you snake the spot, you also pull in and out no less than five times trying to park your massive vehicle in the too small area.  
• Stealing
• I experienced this not once, but twice tonight.
• Stalking
• You are in a parking lot.  You are not a majestic African animal, stalking the pretty gazelle.  You are a creepy and annoying person slowly creeping along behind a family heading towards their car.  If you're going to follow people to their car, keep back.  There is no need to make them nervous.
• Lemming Impression
• It's not fair to vilify motorists alone in this scenario, as pedestrians have equal opportunity to act the fool in the parking lot.  When you are ambling through the asphalt corral, do not walk directly in the center of the lane.  Do not go at such a gradual diagonal that it takes you the entire length of the row to move from one side to the other.
• Dude Bro Impression
• Not to come down on the Dude Bro tonight, but there was a gentleman in the parking lot this evening that saw me waiting for a spot.  I had decided to wait, as two people had approached the car before I got near it.  As I came upon it, the lights turned on.  I took this to mean they would be pulling out.  Our Dude Bro pulled up, facing towards me and stopped his car in a place that effectively blocked the people trying to pull out.  To make matters all the weirder, he then got out of the car and walked around to sit in the passenger seat.  He does all of this while blocking a car that was going to pull out and blocking traffic coming from the other direction.  Now, he may have had a valid reason for doing this.  I cannot think of what it could be.  I decide this spot is not meant to be mine and pull down another aisle.  When I come back up, the original car is gone, and Dude Bro is no longer sitting there.  I'm not sure if he took the spot, but there is no empty spot.
• Imaginary Parking
• The lot I was attempting to park in has little islands of grass and trees at the end of most rows.  There is one row that instead has a large oval with stripes crossing it.  It is obviously not a set of parking places, but people conveniently forget that fact when they are in need of a parking space.

I'm sure I'm guilty of these charges as well, but I try not to be extreme.  I complained about other people camping spots when I was committing the same crime.  I didn't stalk then camp, which is the more annoying form, but I have still camped a spot.  Heck, I did it twice tonight.  This is the problem when complaining about anything driving related.

Of course, for every inconsiderate cretin, you will find a just person.  After having one spot snaked from me, I happened upon another car whose brake lights were lit up.  I took this to mean they were leaving and stopped far enough back, giving them room to maneuver out of the spot.  An SUV started coming down the aisle.  The parked car either decided to wait or just wasn't ready to pull out yet.  I decided to back up and try to get more to my side of the lane since I was waiting for the parked car to move.  I was trying to make room for the SUV to pass myself and the parked car.  Instead, the SUV decides to wait.  I can understand that, as I'm not wholly on my side.  The parked car starts to back up, and I decide to give him a bit more room.  I back up a bit but begin to pull a bit forward once he is clear of me.  Now, around this time, a couple and their child are walking up behind me, heading farther into the lot.  I notice them because I saw them when I backed up a bit.  

In true entitled fashion, the driver of the SUV pulls into the spot I was obviously waiting to pull into myself.  At this point, I'm pretty frustrated.  At the same time, the family has walked past my car and is just now in front of me.  It is at this point that I notice the dad turn around to look at me, and he tells me that wasn't right.  It made me feel a whole lot better that another person realized the injustice, that I am not just a lawful good nut-job.  Of course, nothing comes of this, as I would never incite an altercation for such a matter.  The father then points to himself followed by pointing farther into the lot.  After watching the SUV pull into and out of the spot a good five times, I am finally able to pass it and pull into the spot the nice man indicated he could have since his family was leaving.

Parking lots are one of those things that we can't live without, but they are home to an incredible amount of selfish and inconsiderate people.  I suppose that's everywhere, but be considerate when you're in the parking lot, whether you're a motorist or a pedestrian.