Monday, February 18, 2008

Instant Gratification just ain't fast enough.

The other day as I'm pulling into my driveway, the lady (and yes, she was female) that came screaming up on my back end blares her horn at me. I was driving the hardtop and she was in a little Toybaru-Nissazda-Volkonda thingy, so I really wasn't worried about her hitting me. But I'm thinking "What am I supposed to do, NOT go home?" After I showed her how I thought she was #1 and got into my driveway, I started to think that maybe my brake and/or signal lights weren't working. Not unheard of in a 40 year old car. So when I got into the garage I put the door down and checked. Nope, all was working well, she just figured that I had no right to go home if it slowed her down. Sorry. ma'am. Next time I'll drive around the block until there are no other cars on the road.

8 comments:

Jannx said...

Sorry, I didn't understand this entry. Why did the woman not want you to go home.

Max Sartin said...

Yeah, it's one of my more obscure ramblings - it's not that she didn't want me to go home, it's just that she seemed to be upset that I slowed her down as I was pulling into my driveway.

A Paperback Writer said...

Yeah, but you fail to explain to Janxx that you live on a busy street that narrows to one lane only a block or so before your house, so drivers are already mad as heck at each other. You also have a less-than-obvious driveway which requires a sharp turn onto a steep bit of hill -- a turn which cannot be taken at the speed which drivers are normally going on that street in rush hour traffic.
Look, I know you're a good driver, but it's not like you were turning off a dirt road in Wyoming here. And you know how uptight people get on that street... On the section just before the park, heading north, it's a fight every day as people try to beat each other into the right turn lane. I seem to be the only person who actually gets into that lane two lights before I have to turn, and every single day people crowd in front of me at the last possible second with 3 inches of extra space.
And you wonder why someone honked at you when you had to come to a nearly complete stop to make that turn into your driveway? Geez, I'm surprised you haven't had road rage at you before now. It's a vicious stretch of road right through there at a take-no-prisoners time of evening....

Max Sartin said...

Yeah, but that's why I start slowing down a half a block before my driveway and why I always signal. And living here 15 years I've been almost hit, swerved around and one roommate was once hit, but I've never been honked at like I had no right to turn into my own driveway. It just ain't right.

A Paperback Writer said...

FYI:
The third round topic for the academic team this week is "distracted driving." (as opposed to "driving your teacher distracted.")
Yup. Lots of cell-phones-in-cars-are-evil kinds of stuff. We also get to discuss the use of internet in cars, which is a new problem. (yes, now you can read your e-mail and check out myspace while you drive.)
I think you'd approve.
We'll be at the funeral home until noon Saturday, so I don't suppose you'll be out to visit, but you'd be welcome if you felt like it.

Max Sartin said...

Oh, man. My favorite pet peeve. Morons on the phone while driving. Hmmm, might not make it to the practice, but I just might have to make it to the actual competition. Let me know when and where and I'll try to be there.

A Paperback Writer said...

I don't know if we'll win the game, as the opponent's 4th round is better than ours, but our 3rd round kids (presentation team) should kick some royal butt.
It starts at 3:00 in the LGI at the school you know all so well on Tuesday. We're league champions and are playing the runner up of the other league (WJH). Our season record was 6-1, so it was good. But Mrs. P. and I aren't too sure we'll win this one. if we do, however, we'll play again on Thursday for the district championship at the district office at 3:00 PM -- with the same topic because there's no time for another one in only 2 days.
It'd be great to see you, but i'll understand if you can't make it.
Don't you have PT conferences this week too? Is it Weds and Thurs? We're Tues and Weds, so Tuesday will be a loooooooooong day with no breaks.

Max Sartin said...

LGI? What you mean by LGI? Um, just kidding, I do remember the LGI well. Many an afternoon spent there in faculty meeting. My mostest especial memory of the LGI was the SIOP training. Ahhh, those were the days. But I'll try to make it, I don't have class that evening and we also don't have P/T conferences.