"BY ALL MEANS, JOIN THE SHEEP"

An open letter to any and all drivers the following may apply to. To the driver who passed me on the right and cut back over in front of me, be my guest. No reason to be aggressive with your driving. During rush hour traffic if you prefer to be one of the sheep, I really have no worries about it! Remember the old story about the tortoise and the hare? I simply choose to be the tortoise. I'd rather slowly coast along, instead of joining the sheep, piled up on each other, tapping the brake every few inches of travel. It makes more sense to me that, driving at a slower speed without frustration trumps the stress of stop and go traffic. So, no need for aggressive maneuvers. I'm sending a friendly, virtual smile and wave to you. To summarize, I promise not to feel smug thinking about the money I save on brake jobs and the stress I miss out on by driving my way during rush hour. How about you tone down the frustrated bitch routine. Deal? Great! Have a Nice day now!

"SCREW UPS"

Yesterday I was driving down an unfamiliar street in Oceanside heading towards the freeway. Just as I'm approaching the on ramp, I realize I'm not far enough to the left. Do I; (A) Cut over at the last moment, cutting off everyone who's in the correct lane waiting their turn? (B) Stop, turn on my blinker, block forward moving traffic, hoping someone will let me cut in front of them? (C) Continue on until I'm able to make a u turn? Wait for it...Sound of buzzer. The correct answer is, (C)! My screw up, mine to fix. Read and learn fellow drivers. I screwed up and I fixed it without bothering any other driver on the street! Imagine that. Simple solution that took a couple of extra minutes. No big deal. Then, the other situation of the day. I'm on the freeway. Traveling/passing in the number 1 lane. Traffic is moderate but, moving fairly quickly. Suddenly this stupid bitch apparently decides she needs to jump from number 2 lane over to the number 1. Problem is, she doesn't signal nor, look. Three guesses as to who was using the spot right then? That's right! Moi! Just as our cars are even I see her coming into my lane, millimeters from hitting me! Yikes! I lay on my horn and thank The Lord she was able to pull back into her own lane! Scared the heck out of me and life flashed quickly in front of my eyes! I think I had an angel sitting as my copilot. Moral of the story? When we miss our turns, etc..., let's fix our mistake in a way that doesn't inconvenience other drivers. Before we change lanes, let's ideally look and then signal. At the very least, LOOK TO MAKE SURE THE LANE IS CLEAR! The life and property we save may very well be our own! To the dumb ass who came so very close to hitting me? I hope you learned an important lesson that you never forget! If you didn't, do the rest of us a favor, cut up your license and use public transportation. You're dangerous and have no business driving a car!

"ON THE ROAD AGAIN"

Well I wasn't driving for about 6 months. Sad to say, not much has changed! just the other day, I'm in the number 3 lane, cruise control set to 70 and it happens. Some moron decides to cut over in front of me! Do they keep up the flow? No! Since they're traveling at a slower speed, I of course, must take off the cruise control and adjust my speed. The worst part, there was no one in front of them! How I wished at that moment I was driving a junk car. Can you imagine the look of shock on their face if I just slammed them like a bumper car? Bet they'd never pull that cut off $hit again! Hah! I think driving in a Demolition Derby would be the perfect hobby for me! Also WTH is up with drivers entering the freeway at city street speed? Come on people! It's common sense, get up to freeway speed before you merge in! For goodness sake, you aren't just putting yourself in jeopardy but, every driver around you. I tell you right now, if you caused me to wreck because of your stupidity, I'd probably be tempted to knock you into next year! If you're afraid of the freeway then please do the rest of us a favor, keep your ass on the city streets! We'll be okay really. **Sigh** I guess it goes to show, it's true, "Same old $hit, different day!" One thing that's undisputable, a vehicle and the ability to drive equals freedom! Public transportation might get you from point a to point b however, there's nothing like driving yourself! So even with all the morons out there, it's GREAT to be mobile again!

"DAYS LONG GONE"

I remember the summers of my childhood. Many years, the last two weeks in August, we'd head off to New Hampshire and my Uncle's cabin. It's funny how those car rides have stayed with me. I remember learning how to play 20 questions. My Dad singing. Also we kids had our "99 bottles of beer on the wall, Old McDonald, I've been working on the railroad, etc..." With 4 kids there were lots of arguments to go around. Of course, we certainly asked the age old question, "Are we there yet?" Dozens of times. These days when you pass a family vehicle on the road, more than likely, the kids eyes are glued to a DVD screen. I understand the concept. Put on a movie, keep them quiet (hopefully) and out of your hair. IMO it's a sad substitute. Aren't kids bombarded enough with technology in their daily lives? I had some great conversations with my Dad during those car trips. Whether he was telling me jokes, trivia, or singing, I had his complete attention during those trips. Looking back, those moments mean even more to me since my Dad passed away 14 years ago. Those car trips were bonding moments and now are great memories. So I guess my whole point in getting sappy is, what will your kids look back on some day? Do you make time in your busy, daily world to simply have fun with your children? Are there no distractions? No interruptions? My Dad worked hard taking care of us. He usually came home very tired. Looking back, vacation time was so special because it really was a relaxing time to hang out with my Dad and just be. I wouldn't trade my priceless memories for any movie on DVD.

"DRIVING ETIQUETTE PART2"

1) MOVING ROADBLOCKS: Is it too much to ask, if you're driving slower than other drivers, that you stay to the right? I mean what the hell? Do you get a charge on pissing people off? Are you clueless? Do you not notice other drivers having to change lanes in order to go around you? Don't you get that this creates a hazard to all? I suggest if you honestly don't notice this, Maybe you should be restricted to bicycles and public transportation. It's a simple concept, if you're driving slower than the flow of traffic, STAY TO THE RIGHT!! Better still, try city streets. 2) TAILGATERS: On the other hand, if I'm keeping up with the majority of traffic and you decide to come speeding up and ride my ass, expect the same courtesy returned to you. No, I won't get out of your way. You may go around. I don't excuse or condone A$$hole behavior. So as a warning to all the tailgaters out there, I will not be intimidated into going faster. Chances are, I'm driving above the speed limit as it is. I'm glad to move over for the occasional courteous fellow driver. However, come flying up behind me and ride my ass, I may break for you! 3) BASS FOOLS: You know who you are. Your car resembles a concert hall. The bass from your system can be felt for blocks. Many times the noise coming from the stereo is full of obscenities, derogatory statements about women, doing crime, etc... I have news for you, we don't all appreciate your choice of music! The bass hurts my freaking head so much, I'd rather have a Migraine! And that rap crap is nothing but obnoxious noise to me. This is America and you're entitled to like/listen to any noise you like. However, you aren't entitled to force it on the people around you. How'd you like to be forced to listen to Opera or Classical against your will? You're not alone on this planet. A little courtesy goes a long way! If each one of us had just a little bit more respect, life could be that much sweeter. 4) SCREW UPS: We all screw up. Miss our turn, get in the wrong lane, etc... However, not all of us are so self centered that our screw up becomes everyone else's problem! If you make an occasional mistake, please, by all means take whatever corrective steps needed in order to put yourself back on course. Please do it in a way that doesn't cause problems for others! We've all seen this. The driver who holds up the flow of traffic because they're in the wrong lane. Or, the driver that blocks traffic in order to u turn... Basically, don't be a pain in the ass to society and it will be a nicer society for all! Have a Great Day! Be Safe!

"DRIVING ETIQUETTE PART1"

Wow it's been a long time since my last post! One of my resolutions is to start working on this blog! If you happen to drive on California freeways, I'm sure you'll agree, there's plenty to write! Lol! Unfortunately there is no class on driving etiquette so I've decided to tackle the topic here. Let's begin with a statement I think we can all agree on, "My destination is my priority. Other drivers destinations aren't" However, I do want us all to arrive safely! An added bonus would be arriving with less stress. Some basic driving manners, I believe, could help. So I've come up with a list of actions and behaviors we can all practice. Imagine if even 50% made a change, we all benefit in the positive. So in no particular order; 1)TURN SIGNALS: I have caught myself getting lazy at times re: signaling. When it's obvious that I'm turning right or left, often times, I don't bother using it. Trouble is, after a few turns like that, a bad habit starts. That's why I've resolved to signal regardless. I'd rather over signal than be a pain in the ass driver! Here's just one scenario, you're making a left onto a busy street, a car is approaching from that direction, you patiently wait for it to pass, last second the driver makes a left onto your street! Jackass! Also, I'm more inclined to allow a driver to cut in when they signal. Shows manners. Most of all, by using the turn signal, when other drivers know what you're planning, they're less likely to hit your vehicle. After all, I doubt there are any mind readers out there. So let's all plan to signal more. 2)PARKING LOT BLOCKERS: Listen up douchebags! If you're shopping during peak hours, don't add to the extra stress by blocking the parking row so you can get a few feet closer to the door! A little bit of walking won't hurt you. From what I've seen people who make this a habit could benefit from a little exercise. So remember, instead of showing yourself to be a selfish piece of crap adding stress to people around you, walk yourself to better health. We'll all benefit through reduced stress at the store, bonus exercise, less temptation of ripping someone's head off and shoving it up their backsides! 3)CIGARETTES AND TRASH: I'm a smoker I freely admit it. However, there is one thing absolutely no one would ever see me doing, that's throwing a lit finished cigarette out a window! NEVER! First of all, I remember well the wildfires of 2003 and 2007. Even before those events, it doesn't take a college degree to understand that a lit cigarette is dangerous and a potential fire starter. Improper disposal by throwing one out of a car IMO is criminal! If you smoke and make a habit of tossing your butts, think about this. You toss your butt out the window. The breeze of the freeway pulls it to the car behind you. It's blown into an open window, lands on a child or a baby and burns them. That's not okay! Or during the dry season, it lands on a dried patch of weeds and starts a fire. Do you know how quickly fires get out of control in this state? As for tossing trash out of your car. Litterbugs SUCK and they're pigs! There's a reason God made trash cans! There's no excuse for acting like pigs! There's no excuse for littering. EVER! All it does is create an ugly, dirty environment. Hold on to your trash for proper disposal. Let's teach our children to respect the world. It will be theirs one day. 4)LAST MINUTE CUT OVERS/OFFS: IMO while driving you plan ahead. The route, travel time,etc... One would think this would include entering and exiting the freeway. However, there always seems to be one. For one reason or another, this driver waits till the last possible second to jump across lanes of traffic to make the exit. Although, it's not nice, I admit I'll mess up this driver whenever I safely can. Usually this amounts to maintaining the same speed in the lane next to them until we pass the exit. I know 2 wrongs don't make a right. Sometimes I can't rise above my naughty side :) Well that's all for now. This will be continued in the near future. :)