I’ve had enough of the “me first” and the “you don’t count because you are ________” crowd. Last night was the final straw.

I am normally a pretty patient person while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle (with a couple of exceptions), and I usually give the other guy the benefit of the doubt. Not any more. I drive an SUV, and I used to do it with a small-car attitude – as in, you are in a hurry, go right ahead and speed past me and cut me off, I’ll back off and make allowances for you.

Last night, on the way home from Pastor’s house after watching a movie and enjoying pizza and fellowship, we stopped at the QT at Bethany Home and Grand. For those of you unfamiliar with Grand Avenue in Phoenix, it runs along side the ATSF Burlington tracks, at an angle, from 7th Ave and Van Buren out to northwest of town where it becomes US 60. After filling up TMBWitW‘s car, I pulled onto Grand to make the left onto Bethany and continue home. I got the green arrow, started the turn, and got honked at.

By the obliviot running the red light on Grand.

I had seen them starting across the intersection, after I made the turn, so I had made allowances to avoid a collision. I flashed my high beams at them (it was around 2100 hours and full dark) and received a few single digit salutes in return from the juvenile interior of the other car.

This really makes me wonder, just how entitled are people getting to feel? Do they really think they can disregard traffic control devices with impunity? Are they so brazen to think that they would get off scot-free if they were involved in (read: caused) a collision? What if it hadn’t been me, but some short tempered guy with a concealed weapon (legal in Arizona without a permit, BTW!) and a very low tolerance for jerks? True, this contradicts what I wrote about an armed society being a polite society – but then, it is a learning process. Maybe the kids in the car hadn’t learned about that yet. Maybe they haven’t been taught that running a red light is against the law. Maybe they haven’t learned that driving at night takes a different kind of concentration and awareness.

Maybe they are just dumb.

I can make allowances for a lot of things, but unless they have their “DUMB DRIVER ON BOARD” sticker displayed prominently, it’s tough to make an allowance for that.

My friend Greybeard just bought a motorcycle for commuting. Sure hope he doesn’t have the same kinds of drivers around him.

Ya’ll have a good day, I’m off to court to show support for my Pastor. The city of Phoenix is trying to tell him that he can’t have bible studies on his own property, and that the size of family gatherings is somehow limited. Prayers, please.

Chat ya later…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, don’t buy or breed cats or dogs while homeless pets die (spay, neuter & adopt a pet, one by one, until there are none), Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

Yes, I said cab rider – because some people missed the classes, and they all seem to end up riding with me at one point in time or another:

Rule Number One: NEVER – no, ALWAYS speak in a clear voice. This includes the initial call to the cab company requesting a cab (see rule number three down the page a bit), and when you get in the cab to tell the driver where you are going.

Rule Number Two: ALWAYS acknowledge the existence of the human being who is driving the cab. That is the minimum requirement. The cabbie should be greeting you in a cheerful voice, genuinely happy to see you in the back of the cab – hey, you are the money! Please be gracious enough to return the greeting, even if you have to fake it. We can take a hint, and will not bother you again until it’s time for you to exit the cab.

Rule Number Three: COMMUNICATION is vital. The more information the cab company and the cab driver have, the better your experience with the cab company and the driver will be. Pouring yourself into the back seat and slurring the directions home is a sure way to get a couple extra laps around the town square while you sleep off some of your buzz. We know the area – we have map books for the parts we aren’t sure about – give us an exact address and we will make sure you get home safe, happy, and as inexpensively as possible. When you call the cab company, don’t be irritated at all the question you are being asked. We’re trying to make sure you have an optimally safe ride, and that you will want us to drive you again, in the future.

Rule Number Four: TIP YOUR DRIVER. The minimum tip is 15% or one dollar, whichever is greater. Do not, under any circumstance, hand us just enough to cover the fare (for example, if the meter is $4.70, and you hand us a five) and tell us to “keep the change!” Odds are, you will be given your exact change and told that you need it more than we do. If you cannot tip a minimum of 15% on top of the meter, pay us the meter and whatever else, and say “I’m sorry, I don’t seem to have enough for a proper tip.” We will pretend you mean well, and we won’t sling too much gravel at you as we leave. (by the way, a dollar a bag on top of the 15% is customary. really. ask the skycap next time you are at the airport, or the bell hop next time you are at the hotel.)

Rule Number Two (A): Now that you know how others tip us, do not be too shocked if you should happen to detect a bit of faking on our part – hey, we just got a 30 cent tip on a $4.70 meter! I gotta run to the bank and get that deposited, to take advantage of an extra day’s interest! (in case you are wondering, the minimum tip on a $4.70 meter is about 70 cents. a buck-thirty would go a long way toward cementing your place in my hall of fame. that minimum is if i honk as i pull up and wait until you are fully in the vehicle before dropping the flag and gassing it. if i get out, help you load your luggage or groceries, hold the door for you, make sure you are seated before closing said door, and wait until we are on the street before dropping the flag, i think a thicker tip would be in line – but that’s just me.) (true story – i had one customer who had a $4.45 meter, gave me four singles and two quarters, and waited for the nickel back. i told her while it might say driver only carries $10.00 in change, it doesn’t mean that it’s in change. she was very upset with me. i decided she could unload her own groceries.)

OK – I feel much better now.

Hey – you know what you get when you give a stripper a ride home?

A bunch of singles…

Thank you for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

214

I was going to title this as another in the “Driving Me Crazy” series, but that was only a small part of the day.

Started out with the alarm bright and early this morning, the plan was to get up and do a three-mile bike sprint while TMBWitW got ready for work, then wake the little darling (MEG) and get going on the day.

Friday, after The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, we went to the chiropractor, went back home, I dropped off TMBWitW, MEG, and Logan, and headed for Mesa. I stopped at the church first to pick up my cargo trailer and arrived out at the rental place to pick up the twelve round tables, twelve round table clothes, three oblong table clothes, and the two eight foot tall roman pillars for the wedding on Saturday. I got the stuff to the church (not my church, a different church. long story) and when I pulled up there were tons and tons of no one there to help me unload. Or get into the church.

After leaving a message on the groom’s phone (he’s the one that arranged to meet me there at that time to unload the tables and stuff), I sat in the parking lot. I couldn’t leave for the next scheduled activity, since the trailer has a lock on it and only two people have the key – neither one of them is the groom. It was about 1130 and I needed to drop the trailer, hightail it to the house (twenty minutes) transfer to the other car (twenty minutes – we’re talking getting girls ready to travel here) and then head back over to the Mesa area (forty five minutes if traffic is it’s usual turtle pace at several choke points) for a 1300 appointment. I sat in the SUV, with the motor running (for the AC – it was over 110° at the time) until – the bride! The bride came ambling out of the church. I quickly backed into position (not knowing which door was going to be opened, i had no idea where to back in) and started running stuff into the church. After the two columns and the tablecloths were inside, the groom pulled up. With his mom, the bride’s mom, and the bride’s two sisters.

(where the heck were all the guys? i was under the impression that the guys would be there to help unload…)

Well – the two sisters and I got the tables rolled inside as quick as possible, and I parked the trailer in a remote corner of the lot. Then, I had to tear off to get home. It si very difficult to get home any faster than twenty minutes from that church, since I try to obey the speed limit at all times. It was about 1205, and time was getting shorter. TMBWitW was ready to go, but MEG had decided to nap out. Had to gently ease her into the car seat and then haul butt for the East Valley. Traffic was flowing pretty well, and I was right at the speed limit all the way there. We made it to the appointment in time, and then it was time to get back home, I had to switch vehicles again, TMBWitW and MEG had to head over for the rehearsal, and I needed to get to downtown Phoenix for a handyman job that I finally managed to get scheduled.

Whew!

I got the job finished, and headed for the church in time for rehearsal dinner. Swapped the tools into TMBWitW’s car, left the SUV parked at the church, and headed home.

Saturday was the wedding, but first a couple of females in my life needed to get their hair done. They had an appointment, but the hairstylist was running late. Good thing we took our good clothes with us. We changed at the church, and were ready in time for pictures.

I told you all of that so I could tell you this: I returned the tables this morning. People in the East Valley don’t know how to drive. They also don’t know what a turn signal is, either to use one or when someone else uses one. Can’t tell you the number of times I was cut off by those who don’t know how to use them, or forced to maneuver at the last minute because no one recognized the turn signal on the trailer as a legitimate expression of my intent. I am especially impressed by those bozos who consiously decide to speed up when they see a turn signal on a vehicle trying to get out of the “exit only” lanes on the 202 west bound.

So – how was your morning?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, Time, Inc. is a bunch of weasels, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

This Friday on The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, I will be running down a Blog Roll “Call”, talking about the blogs that I follow on a fairly regular basis. Do you have favorites? Call in, let me know: (347) 838-9573, Friday morning at 0700 Mountain Standard Time (I live in Arizona, we don’t “do” Daylight Savings Time).

I have got to get this off my chest. There are certain people who are either totally oblivious or really, really cocky – and they cross the streets of Phoenix as pedestrians. There was a lady this morning who crossed in front of me as I approached a green light. No, she wasn’t in the cross walk – my goodness, that was another ten feet down the street! She was crossing AGAINST THE LIGHT outside of the crosswalk. I should have hit her, just to challenge the stupid law that says ALL pedestrians have the right of way. I think it should be RESPONSIBLY ACTING pedestrians have the right of way – the ones who use the crosswalk, cross with the light, wait for traffic to clear, etc. This stepping off in the middle of the street in front of traffic might fly where you come from, but around here you might not make it to the center line next time. There are certain laws that you cannot get away with breaking – and the Law of Common Sense is one of them.

TMBWitW sent me this news article – and, since she works at the paper, I have no reason to have to “research” it for it’s veracity – after all, it came from someone who works at the paper!

Dog Pack Attacks Gator In Florida
At times nature can be cruel, but there is also
a raw beauty, and even a certain justice
manifested within that cruelty.

The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate
predators, normally considered the ‘apex
predator’, can still fall victim to implemented
‘team work’ strategy, made possible due to
the tight knit social structure and ‘survival
of the pack mentality’ bred into the canines.
(See the remarkable photograph below
courtesy of Nature Magazine.)

Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold
on the gator preventing it from breathing,
while another dog has a hold on the tail to
keep it from thrashing. The third dog
attacks the soft underbelly of the gator.

This is not for the squeamish, so please
take care when viewing the image.

So – how is your week going?

Thank you for stopping by, God bless you all, listen to The O Word on BlogTalkRadio, Wear Red on Fridays, and support Warriors for Innocence!

I think I have it figured out.

When the white sign says “Speed Limit 40” you are allowed to travel at a speed between 50 and 55 miles per hour, unless you have a jacked up four wheel drive, in which case you can do 60.

Where the signs indicate you are in a commercial/industrial area, and the speed limit is 25, then you can travel at about 45 mph, unless you drive a catering truck, when you are allowed to drive between 45 and 50.

If you have an import that has been modified, even by only changing the exhaust to one of those radically cool tubes that make it sound like your car had too many baked beans for lunch, then not only do the speed limits not apply to you; you don’t even need to obey other traffic control devices, such as traffic lights, stop signs, and the ever-interfering “Right Lane Must Turn Right” signs. In fact, please use the center turn lane as your personal passing lane, since you have such a cool-sounding car.

Last night, on the way home from church, we passed the scene of a fatal accident. The driver of an eastbound car didn’t see the person pushing the shopping cart across the busiest street in town, at night, with no overhead lighting, when the person was wearing dark clothes and was crossing mid-block. TMBWitW and I immediately started praying – that the driver would not be too severely traumatized by the event. The driver wasn’t doing anything wrong; they were just driving down the road. The person who got hit, however, besides jay-walking, was ignoring every single common sense rule about crossing a street in the United States of America.

Probably because they learned how to cross the street in a country where it is expected that pedestrians will become traffic cones at any second.

I drove a truck for a while, cross country. Every where I went, it was the same story – it is only very rarely that you will be driving with people who understand the basic tenet of faith involved in driving: I follow the rules, you follow the rules, and no one gets hurt because we both know how the other should negotiate a section of road.

It’s this tenet of faith that allows you to continue driving through the intersection when another driver is approaching at a right angle; we know they have a stop sign, they know they have a stop sign, and no one gets hurt because we both know that they will come to a complete stop before proceeding.

When that basic tenet of faith is broken, either by another driver or a pedestrian, then someone gets hurt. Last night, a pedestrian was killed because they did not use common sense or observe the traffic laws of this state. Last night, a driver was traumatized because a pedestrian stepped out in front of them. Last night, the basic tenet of faith was broken, and someone got hurt.

Every day, the basic tenet is broken by someone who feels the speed limit sign doesn’t apply to them, that the rules of safe lane changes don’t apply to them, that the traffic control devices don’t apply to them.

If you ever drive behind me, know that I will be obeying the speed limit, my turn signals work, and I am keeping a safe distance behind the car ahead. If you need to get somewhere faster than I am traveling, you will need to go around me, because I am not speeding up. If I am keeping you from getting somewhere by a certain time, then you need to rethink your travel plans and leave a little earlier. If I suddenly signal and dive for the right curb, you would do well to do the same – there is probably an emergency vehicle approaching.

God bless you all, Wear Red on Fridays, and get in on the Baby Pool!