i've learned to adjust to the odd roads (grooves along the road and across it, seams that cross lanes with small divots where the bumps used to be before they moved the lane over a foot and a half, narrower lanes...) but sometimes the driving here still gets me.
case 1: plenty of room. changing lanes. accelerated even, to make sure i wasn't cutting off the car coming up. oh, heavens. they had to race up on my bumper and flash their lights at me. ooOOOooOOOoo. that'll teach me.
case 2: coming home from work last night about midnight. (yes. a different story.) i get onto the off ramp for the freeway intersection and this car changes lanes across 5 lanes of traffic, barely missing the concrete 'v' that convinces you that you really need to make a decision. i noted with glee that a police car happened to be on the freeway too. serve him right! this off ramp had another 'v' (east/west) and this person decided at the last minute to go the other way. of course, he jerked his wheel too hard, spun out, ended up facing oncoming traffic, stopped only by the concrete barrier on the side of the road. (to me, it sounded like a soft 'thud' as he hit it.) ...at which point the cop pulled over right in front of his car and proceeded to get out. (i thought i was watching america's dumbest criminals for a moment...) but really. my first thought when i saw this? holy crap. i hope he's not about to drive the wrong way down the freeway....toward my car. i was kind of relieved that he hit the barrier.
and those are just two cases of many. i swear, i don't know where these people learn to drive...or why they're in such a big hurry. riding on people's bumpers doesn't really get them there any faster. if people would just be courteous and let others over when they need to be in your lane, there would be dozens of roadways in california where people weren't stressed out and half-mad with road rage. wouldn't that be a better world?
be careful what you wish for
i will never again say the following words at work or anywhere else: 'gee. i'm starting to feel like i'm finally getting caught up.' every time i say those words, all hell breaks loose and i end up working until midnight.
i think, though, that i'm starting to see the end of the database transfer. i hope. if only i could find all the mistakes from the past three controllers. what i've found so far scares me enough...
but i asked for a challenge. that's what i got.
Posted by kendra at April 9, 2004 07:58 PM