Drive-Thru Whine
Misleading title. I'm not actually whining about drive thru windows, or about getting wine at a drive-thru. Which would be an awesome idea for those quick pick-ups when you just need a bottle of wine but don't want to get out of the car– but so wrong for obvious reasons. No, I'm just talking about random driving issues today.
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My, what a big truck you have!
First, men and women are different even in their approach to cars. My stepdad got a new truck. It's a smaller size truck, just perfect for his needs and pretty good on gas. He's very proud of his new truck. My mom loves it, too. She thinks it's adorable, and she kept calling it the "Baby Truck." Until Stepdad finally snapped and told her it is NOT a baby truck! It's a regular truck. Don't call it a baby truck. Tee hee… I know what you're all thinking right now about men and trucks and size issues. It was my thought, too. Women see a truck that's a more compact size than other trucks, and we think "oh how cute!" The man driving that truck wants us to see how manly it is, not how cute. Never tell a man his truck is cute or use diminutive terms in description… just saying. Lesson learned.
Next, I nearly got killed driving home from my lunch date yesterday. Which would have been ironic considering my lunch date was with my 93 year old grandfather on his birthday and as I was driving home, I was thinking about what it takes to make it to 93. Cue oncoming car. Brake screech!
Don't you hate that you can't control other drivers on the road? I was in the passing lane behind a fairly slow moving car (not that slow, he was over the speed limit, just apparently not enough over the speed limit) when two cars sped by us in the other lane. Right after that point, the road becomes two lanes and one lane (the one that was passing lane, which explains why the slow moving car was there and not moving over) goes over the bridge and the other lane goes into a town called Agawam. Apparently, the second car, a black jeep, did not want to go to Agawam. If he wanted to be in the bridge lane, he picked a stupid time to speed by me in the Agawam lane.
And of course, the inevitable happened. Black Jeep realized that he would miss his exit. Unless he slowed down and pulled in behind me, heaven forbid, he was not going to make the bridge exit in time. So what would a reasonable driver do? Duh. Slow down, pull in. But Black Jeep decided to make a spot for himself between me and the slow mover– without using a directional signal. Just plow on in there. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting him as he pulled in, and with enough force to burn rubber. WHY? I ask. Why don't people just use some common sense on the road? Was it worth nearly killing me just to get into that lane in time? When he could have just slowed down and glided right in? Or had an iota of patience and stayed in that lane in the first place? There was no one behind me, thank goodness, or we might have had a major pile-up situation. And the kicker? If he had stayed to Agawam, he would have been able to swing around the traffic circle (we call them rotaries in MA) and take the bridge anyway. UGH. Maniac drivers! Hate them.
As karma would have it, today I became the maniac driver. I was driving along on my way home from dropping my daughter off at school when a squirrel decided to haul his acorn across the street in front of me. He hesitated. I could see the panic in his eyes. I had that split second where I had to decide if I could brake or if braking would cause an accident with the car behind me. I drove on. And predictably, I could hear the poor little squirrel run right into my tire and the crunch as I rolled over him. I looked back in the rearview to see the other driver going around his lifeless little body, the acorn at his side. OH MY! I am a squirrel killer. Sob!
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Please don't hit me! Please!
But I confess that I was feeling pretty mellow. I took my husband's car and he had the classical music station on. I usually change the station, but I kept the classical music and it really does ease the road annoyances. I think it should be a law that maniac drivers and teen drivers (same thing, haha– just kidding teen drivers, kind of) should be required to listen to classical music as they drive. There would be fewer accidents. I really think there would.
Have you encountered any maniac drivers lately? Do you have any ideas to make people less maniacal on the road? Have you ever killed a poor innocent animal and had to live with the guilt? Driving pet peeves? Let's hear your driving stories!
