It rained today in the Valley of the Sun. There was even some hail mixed in, and if I had still lived back east I would have been heading for the storm shelter. Since everything in this subdivision is built on slabs, there was only one thing to do: enjoy the beautiful fury of a desert thunderstorm.

Then, I had to drive places.

Note to anyone wishing to drive here in the rain: The roads are SLICK due to a build up of oil and dust, since it doesn’t rain often enough to keep them clean. You will need to allow MORE distance between vehicles (that’s especially for you, Mr. “I have a four wheel drive jacked up to the sky and I can tailgate you with my foglights on”). You will also need to reduce your speed a bit. Yes, I know these two items are the EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY TAUGHT but, like any behavior, the new rules can be learned.

Speaking of foglights – why do you have them on? There hasn’t been fog in the Phoenix Metro area since – well, since never, I suppose, because there is not enough moisture in the air (even when it’s raining!) and enough of a temperature differential between the air and the ground to suspend droplets. There really needs to be a law.

I drove across the valley twice, and up and down once, and saw more than twenty certifiable instance of obliviots behind the wheel. My personal favorite was the teenybopper girl behind the wheel of an Altima on my way home this evening from church. She was on the phone, her head barely cleared the steering wheel, the rain was coming down pretty hard, and she decided that she needed to turn into the gas station. Not bad, except she was in the middle lane, I was in the left lane, and the gas station was to the left. No turn signal, no mirror check, no shoulder glance – nothing. Thank God for protecting me, and giving me the reflexes and awareness of my surroundings. I hit the brakes, was able to swerve right, and she missed my right front fender by about two inches. She didn’t miss my horn, though. I’m pretty sure she heard that – she looked at me, all disgusted, like I was in her way. Well, obviously!

Two guesses on the nationality of the driver, and one guess as to the nation the car was registered in. (Hint: not the US of A. Think further south.)

No wonder Phoenix has some of the highest insurance rates in the nation.

Good news – I’ve been assigned a route, and I start with Monday’s deliveries. I’m really looking forward to being a productive member of society. Again. I don’t see how these leeches can stand not doing anything all day. I was busy with my job search, and I still felt like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. (Full disclosure: I did not collect any benefits while out of work. We were able to provide, with God’s Grace, and not siphon off funds needed for other purposes.)

At any rate, it looks like I’ll be shifting my time frame this weekend. This should be fun.

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008!

Tag: Write in Cary Cartter for President in 2008