Sometimes I wonder if those things purported to be common sense need to be specifically taught to certain people. I mean, sometimes we take for granted what we like to think is common courtesy and/or decency--or, for lack of a more perfect term, common sense.

But lo and behold, I'm forever surprised by people. I have two superb examples to illustrate this point. And by superb, I don't mean good.

• The woman at the grocery store today who felt that she should take up the entire entryway on her way out of the store. Clearly, who wouldn't want to be stuck behind her, unable to pass because others were entering the store and were themselves nearly bulldozed by this woman in the process. And lets not forget that, were one to (hypothetically) try passing from the other side, one would run the risk of being flattened against the wall by the huge swinging arms. I suppose this whole scenario wouldn't be so terrifying if, say, said woman were to have been walking at something even slightly speedier than the snail's crawl at which she strolled. Honestly.
• The woman at that red light today who, for some crazy reason, decided that when the light turned green, she was supposed to inch forward just to be in the middle of the intersection and then not to drive any further. When we honked at her (clearly, this course of action on our part was inevitable), she threw up her hands and started doing the chatty chicken dance (the usual chicken dance, but with hands flapping like a mouth). Um, yeah.

These are but two examples of a myriad to which I've been a witness. Seriously, though, it's getting out of hand. Perhaps these fine folks need more education (Ms. Manners style!), or else I'm tempted to open my own school for them. My program would make it a point to inform each student that, while he or she was once a blithering idiot, by the time they graduate, that will no longer be the case. I'd be willing to bet that there would be no prouder graduates on the face of the earth.

And I would have made one heck of a contribution to society.