Apparently it’s not just public figures who have their online boundaries violated. The other night, guy comes into a chat…sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it? It was anything but. Let me set the scene by saying I’ve had a few very minor run-ins with this person before. Months ago. Just me being snarky, like I do.

He came into the chat and there was, again, minor snarkage. He blew his fucking top and started cursing and insulting me in front of about 40 people. He singled me out of the group of snarkers, for some reason. The chat mod appropriately commanded us to take it to IM. I was reluctant to give out my IM info, but I really respect the mod, so I did.

I’m still shaken by what followed. He demanded that we “work things out” and wanted to know why I have a “vendetta” against him. Buh? Dude, I’ve talked to you all of 4-5 times, the last time being more than two months ago. I said as much and added that I felt no obligation to work things out as I *don’t know him*. He pushed for a reason why I “don’t like him.”

You do not ask me questions like that unless you’re willing to hear an honest answer. Which I gave, in detail, including the fact that he’s an annoying little assclown with no sense of appropriate boundaries. Sorry, but he pushed me.

What followed was a string of profanity, sexual insults and threats the likes of which I have never experienced. Insults that were so graphic and personal that I thought I was going to vomit. I banned his ass from my IM and told him if I heard even one more word, I was reporting him to the authorities.

Not *five minutes later* in the public chat, he slimed in trying to make it seem like we’d just had a misunderstanding and I was blowing it out of proportion. No, dude. We did not have a misunderstanding. You singled me out, violated my boundaries, violated *me* and as far as I can tell you did it for no other reason than being in a bad mood.

What’s the problem here? This is someone that I may have to share actual, physical space with at some point. To say I feel uncomfortable about that is a vast understatement.  What I don’t understand is apparently this isn’t the first time this guy has pulled a stunt like this. Apparently he shows up every couple of months, pitches a psycho fit, attempts to ameliorate his behavior by sliming on people and then leaves again. Yet, his presence is still tolerated in the virtual and physical community. W…T…F…?

And yeah…didn’t save the chat log. *sigh*

I took off on Friday for some badly needed me-time and headed up to Dayton, OH to see Enter the Haggis. Why yes, I did make two 20-hour round trips in six days to see these guys. They are that good. People often don’t understand the lengths I will go to to hear good music. At some point, I’ll post about the total lack of a music scene where I live.

Anyway, took off around 6:00am and headed up I-44.

So, I’m driving up I-44 south of St. Louis. I’m doing just over the limit, listening to Arcturus by ETH and feeling happy. I see a cop in the left median, so I pull into the right lane, cause that’s what you’re supposed to do. He pulls out, gets behind me, then pulls around and ahead of me, then alongside. Then he drops back and puts on the flashers.

I’m utterly confused at this point and running through the mental checklist. No lights out. Registration up to date. Not speeding. I got bupkis. He comes over to the passenger side and motions me to open the door. So I do and he says, “Did you know that your front license plate is missing?” WTF??

I said, yes, it’s in the trunk. I don’t have a front mount and it’s not the law in MO that you have to have a front tag, just a recommendation. He taps my cooler, which I have sitting in the passenger seat so I can get at it, and says, “Whatcha got in here?”

You have no idea how tempted I was to say, “Illegally harvested internal organs. There’s a Russian crime boss who’s gonna be pissed if this heart goes bad before his transplant.” But I didn’t. I said, “soda, mostly.” He kept questioning me about where I was going what I was doing, etc. Finally I just clammed up and handed him my license. He was flat-out hassling me and I was sick of it.

Of course I didn’t have my insurance card. He gave me a warning for that and told me to have my husband take care of that for me when I got home. Sexist bastard.

To make matters worse, he interrupted Arcturus. Even my *husband* doesn’t interrupt me when I’m listening to Arcturus.

So that was my cop adventure on this trip. It felt like old times. On the road to hear music, getting hassled by the cops! I still haven’t the foggiest idea why he pulled me over…