To err is human, to forgive needless

Today we celebrate the colossal public error and the people whose job or hobby puts them in line of public scrutiny. I live your pain.

Today we celebrate the 1-minute parking sign in Brentwood, California. Yes, it’s a one-hour parking area, but thanks to an error in the official city signage making it a one-minute parking zone you’d barely have time for a round of musical chairs in a clown car. And those clowns are fast.

Possibly the best part about this sign error, reported on June 21 at NBCBayArea.com, is that their search on Google Maps showed that the sign has been up since at least 2011. Nothing like a dash of salt for a wound.

We also celebrate the outgoing mayor of San Marino, California, a tiny town that Forbes ranked as the 63rd most expensive place to live in the U.S.

Mayor Dennis Kneier is resigning his position because of the surveillance camera footage of his big scandal — no, I can guarantee it’s not what you’re thinking.

Kneier was caught on camera flinging a baggy of dog poop into his neighbor’s yard while walking down the sidewalk. No indication in the June 17 article on NBCNews.com of whether this poop was home grown, if you will, or if he bought a dime-baggy of primo poo off a dealer in the dog park.

And, lest you think only Californians are caught embarrassing themselves on camera, I present the guy who almost landed an airplane on top of a sunbather taking a moment to have a vitamin D-enriched nap on the beach.

BBC News posted on YouTube.com a clip from a what I'm assuming is a German news station — I can detect a hint of Sgt. Shultz in the accent. I’m no Deutsche-lander, and honestly, I know six German words: ich, bin, ein, Volkswagen, bratwurst and taco, the universally popular food that crosses all boundaries geological, political and cultural. Language barrier aside, the video speaks volumes.

The sunbathing guy is lying face down in the sand, maybe napping, when he’s beset by the low-flying Piper PA-28-181 Archer II. The airplane misses the guy but isn't out of trouble, yet.

Turns out that, right there on the beach, there’s an actual developed runway the pilot didn’t have enough altitude to use properly. Not only did he skim the back-hairs off the sunbather, he also clipped a post marking the end of the runway before bouncing off the sand and onto the pavement. It’s a popular video-taking spot. Lucky pilot.

Most people of the world conduct their business and everyday lives in relative anonymity — breaking tools, losing paperwork, taking a wrong turn, spilling food or toxins, saying oops during surgery. As someone with a job open to daily public scrutiny, I salute these and other people currently experiencing a public finger-pointing.

May you get up each morning, hold your heads high and proudly salute all your detractors one finger at a time.

(When I see someone else’s error, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I am not alone in this universe at [email protected].)