Saturday, December 03, 2005
Listen Up!
Exercise: Intense metal concentration and a little mall walking.
To all the nutballs I shared the road with to and from Ames today - get off the fuckin road please! Around 9 this morning it started to snow and it didn't let up until about 4 this afternoon and we were expected to get anywhere from 2 - 4 inches. The road reports I had been reading before I left were saying that everything was normal where I was going but I didn't trust that information so I made sure I left plenty early. They weren't exactly horrible but they weren't good either. I had decided to stop for gas and rather than taking the interstate and backtracking a little bit, I took the side roads. It only took about 3 miles before I saw the result of an accident. A car and a truck smashed at an intersection. The front of the car was all crunched up and the truck had popped the curb so it was perpendicular to the road.
The rest of the way up to Ames, I saw a couple of cars off the road here and there which surprised me considering all the ignorant drivers that I came across. Not only were they traveling in "wolf packs" and only leaving a couple of car length's spacing between them and the drivers in front of them, they also seemed to think 70mph (the speed limit) was acceptable for roads which were at least 50% covered. I was doing about 50 and thought that was fast (was kinda ironic when Sammy Hagar's I Can't Drive 55 came on the radio). What pissed me off even more was the semi truck drivers who were also driving what appeared to be the limit. The visibility wasn't the best to begin with and the snow they would kick up only made it worse - close to white out conditions.
The way home was much of the same with a ton more cars that had gone off the road. There were people like me who were trucking along at about 50 and leaving good sized distances between the cars ahead of them but there were also the wack jobs too. It looked like at one point along the interstate 6 of them and a semi all met up - literally. They were all in the ditch and there were cops and ambulances along the road. Not long after I passed that wreck, there was this woman who blew passed me in a little white car. I said, "Happy accidents to you lady." Wouldn't you know about 5 miles down the road at the interchange, she was in the ditch. I know it isn't funny but I couldn't help chuckle at the sight especially since she was trying to push her car. LOL Um hello lady your car is in 6 or more inches of snow and a ditch to boot. Do you really think you're going to get it out of there all by yourself? DUH!
As usual, when I got back to my neighborhood, the roads hadn't been plowed yet - FIGURES! A little while ago they finally came around to plow but like previous years, did a very shitty job at it. Once again we have a big mound of snow right by our driveway and if it gets any bigger, getting out will be a chore. This year is going to be a little different though because I have decided to document it and bitch up a storm about it if it gets as ridiculous as it has in the past.
The upside to today's drive is that my car performed very well. It actually surprised me. Based on the things I had heard, I didn't think it would do as good as my Sunfire but I'd have to say it may have surpassed it. Of course my Eclipse is much heavier and has traction control which may have contributed a little bit - not that I'm a big believer in those sort of "gadgets". Unlike my Sunfire, it wasn't an option so I was stuck with it. I did slide a little bit in areas where there were piles of that silty snow you get when sand has been thrown on the streets but it wasn't anything worse than what I'm used to. Today's performance of the E Machine was just another sign to me that I was meant to own it and once again I just have to say I LOVE MY CAR! :)
And now for something completely different.....
A grocery store in Ames has now made it possible for people to pay by finger. All you need to sign up is a blank check, ID, and your finger. Once it's done, you can pay by touching your finger to a screen where it is scanned, turned into a mathematical equation, linked to your bank account, and then automatically withdrawn. Now if only they would set things up like that everywhere for credit cards (I find paying one bill a month from my account easier to manage than multiple debits.). With the things they have you sign on these days, I don't know how on earth anyone can actually tell it is you by signature. I have rarely signed one and had it actually look like I wrote it. At least with a fingerprint, it would be damn hard to get around.
Otay kiddies. I's be off now.
Til next time....
Knocked Off By The Fashion Diva
|
