Right Turn Grinches

What do I mean by right turn grinches? I'm sure you've been there before.

Picture this: you are driving along and you are approaching a red light. Well that's ok you think, I can turn right on red and there's no one coming. Ah but wait my friend, the right turn grinch in front of you who is going straight and has their own lane has decided that they are going to block you from taking the right. There's is no way on earth they are going to let you get in front of them, even though you are aren't even going in the same direction.

So now instead of turning right and going on your merry way. you have to sit. and wait. and wait. because some jerk can't stay in their lane and insists on hogging two lanes - the right turn and the straight one. WHY WHY WHY do people do this? This happens to me almost daily.

Now I can see in traffic - the lanes fill up and cars going straight end up blocking the right turn lane. That makes sense, but it's the other time when there are only 1 or 2 cars in front of you and someone insists on doing this.

Perhaps they are clueless and don't realize it? But honestly if you are this out of it and have no idea what lane you are in or if you are turning or not you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a CAR!

What a waste of time

Wicked glad I wasted 2 hours of my night in rush hour traffic (and hungry!) driving to Butcherie in Brookline - only to get there and it's closed!!!

Their website says they are open till 8pm tonight.. Guess it's the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah, so I assume that's why they are closed, but didn't see anything on the website.. maybe they should let people know that kind of thing before they waste 2 hours driving behind moronic drivers who can't even go the speed limit to get there!!!

On the Leverett Connector we get behind some guy going 25mph - who NO ONE in front of him!! So even though there wasn't any traffic on the Leverett for a change we waited anyway stop/go (me and about 5 other cars) because of an idiot in the front that can't drive!!!!!

Now I am home. Sans hummus and kugel. Hungry. Bitchy. and tired. ARGH!!!

And while I'm at it, who are the jackasses that saunter across the street at a green light like they have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD - don't worry - I've only waited 20 minutes for the green, but go ahead, you should cross right now so I miss the green AGAIN!!! NO REALLY I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO FUCKING DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're Back

Yes it's that time of the year again. Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston all over has been infested with students. Yesterday must have been move in day at Harvard and Tufts because it took me forever to get home. And there seriously has to be a lot of freshman or something because no one knew what the hell they were doing, or where they were going.

Driving home people were stopping in the middle of the freaking road. for no good reason. They weren't turning. I don't know what the fuck they were doing besides getting in my way! Who stops in the middle of the road? No blinker. No pulling aside. Just stopping! ARGH Pull to the side!

Yesterday it took me a full hour to drive from Newton to Somerville via back roads that normally take me 20 minutes! I have not seen such poor driving in a looooooong time.

Rotaries

Why is it that people just cannot navigate a rotary??

Today I got to witness a genius go through the rotary in the wrong direction to apparently make a turn into a parking lot quicker?

What jackass does this and stops up the rotary for minutes while everyone tries to figure out what this idiot is trying to do?

Who does this?

Well apparently this guy does.





I mean WTF. He's in the wrong lane entirely (middle lane instead of the left lane to turn left)... AND he's trying to go when the light is red. Not turning red - completely fucking red! I don't know which offense is worse....

What an idiot.

Ewwwww

While driving home from work today I was in front of a Ferrari. Or what looked like a Ferrari, it had that horse logo all Ferraris have, except that it was pale baby blue. I thought all Ferrari's were red? I thought all the sports cars were made in their country colors? Italy = Red, France = Blue, and England = Green. But maybe I'm wrong? Or maybe they used to, but now they aren't. I don't know. but I'm 99% sure it was a Ferarri.

Anyhow, that's not even the point of the story....

The guy is yapping on his cell phone the whole time he's behind me. He's driving fairly slow (I think from being distracted from holding the phone) and only catches up to me at every red light. But I have to ask... If you can afford a Ferrari, can't you afford a bluetooth headset so you can have both hands on the wheel of your very expensive car instead of one on the phone? Just sayin'....

He also went through a light that was yellow when I went through it and I'm pretty sure was red before he even started through the intersection. And he didn't even bother to rush through it. He took his time and let the folks that had the green light wait for him. nice.

And now for the ewwww part. At one point while at a red light I looked up in my rear view mirror to take a look at the car and there is the guy on the cell phone yapping away - going to town picking his nose! Disgusting! Oh and he's in a convertible - top down so it's not like you could miss this one. Seriously - who does this?

Apparently money can buy nice cars, but not nice manners....

Why?

Why was I driving 15-20 mph in a 40 mph last night on my way home from work??

Oh right, because the guy in front of me was READING THE FUCKING PAPER instead of DRIVING! Who does this? Pay attention to the ROAD - then maybe you could go the speed limit asshole!!

I was so bullshit I took out my iPhone at a red light (turned green - but he didn't notice yet 'cuz he was reading the paper) to take a photo of this and was so excited to post it to my blog. But then today I went to email myself the photo and I screwed it up!!! I had my hand in front of the lens or something. Annoying. It was a good shot of this guy reading the paper.

I'm just amazed people do this kind of shit. I don't want to be stuck in traffic either, but I don't: read the paper, do crossword puzzles, or put on makeup when I'm driving! And if you need to talk while driving - use a bluetooth headset so you have both hands free!!!

Few days off

I was away for a long weekend in New Jersey for a wedding... I feel like I've been gone for weeks!

While stuck in traffic driving back yesterday I was next to a woman that was doing a crossword puzzle while driving!! Who does this?? WTF!! It's bumper to bumper traffic. We're all annoyed. We're all bored. We all wish we could be some place else - doing something else. But you don't do a crossword puzzle while driving!!! That's a way to cause another accident! She barely looked up to even move forward. how can you really pay attention to not hitting the person in front of you when you are doing a crossword puzzle? When we/she passed the cop (dealing with the car on fire) she didn't even put the stupid crossword down! He didn't even notice (or care maybe). ARGH!

While driving home today from work I was behind another stupid, or just plain rude driver. I just can't understand the nerve of people. I was behind this car and the person threw a whole banana peel out of the window when they finished a banana!!!!! Who does this? The road isn't your garbage can! WTF!? It's not anyone else's fault you decided to eat a banana in your car, save the peel until you can dispose of it properly! I have never thrown trash out of the window of my car. Who has so little regard for the environment and everyone around themselves to throw trash out of a window.

Daily Commute

I don't know what people are thinking on the road sometimes. Apparently nothing!

I mean last time I checked the correct (and SAFE) thing to do when you came to the end of the road you were driving on is to stop (especially when there's a fucking stop sign) and look both ways before barreling onto the next road. Maybe it's just me and that kind of archaic nonsense isn't needed anymore. After all, since it's all about you, anyone else already coming down the street surely expects you to barrel into the roadway without STOPPING OR EVEN LOOKING and will slam on their brakes in anticipation of this to allow you on the roadway safely. I mean maybe the car behind me hits me because I've had to slam on my brakes and go 30-0 in half a second... But don't worry about anyone else on the road cuz it's ALL ABOUT YOU BUDDY!

Today while driving to work I was going 30 mph down a street in Somerville (which was the speed limit on that street). And next thing you know a car comes down a side street at maybe 20 mph or so, and just takes a right onto the road right in front of me. Didn't stop at all. Didn't even slow down. Didn't fucking look at all. When I had to slam on my brakes (while beeping! WTF) and the folks behind me had to as well to not slam into this asshole - this driver just kept on driving oblivious to the fact they are SO lucky I missed hitting them by about an inch. It REALLY was that close! Who the hell does this? I can't even imagine coming to the end of a street and not slowing down, yielding (or stopping depending), or looking and just pull out onto another street and hope for the best. Sure I'm pissed someone cut me off, but I'm more angry about the lack of caution this person showed. What if I had been 1 inch closer - I would have slammed into this guy. What if someone was crossing the street?

Then as if that didn't already get me all fired up this morning... It happened AGAIN! While driving on 3A in Burlington to work - in a 40 mph zone (I was doing the speed limit) another person does the same thing - except this time the person took a left!! WTF This woman came down a street as I was approaching and she didn't stop, or it seems look either and just took the left (and VERY slowly at that). I once again had to slam on the brakes not to hit her! What's wrong with people? I had to come to a stop to let this person take a left! If I'm trying to take a right or a left onto a road I wait until it's safe to go, or someone waves me on and take it. Otherwise I wait. I don't just pull out in front of cars that are so close they may hit me!

what happen on route 16?

This morning while driving to work I got to route 16 (where it's either Somerville, Arlington, or Medford I'm not sure which) and the road was totally packed (perhaps closed) up almost to the Powderhouse rotary where it meets 16. No one was moving it seems like for a loooong time.

I sat and waited for a while then decided to turn around and go back up 16 and take Broadway in Arlington to 3A instead. Before turning around - I watched an SUV turn around but then never bothered looked behind themselves to back up and slammed into another car that had also turned around and was beeping to the SUV to stop. Ooooops. Who backs up and assumes no one is behind them so no need to look???

When I turned around I could see that there were some cop lights up ahead so something was going on. Anyone know?

Then I ended up behind a woman driving with a banana clip in her hair. REALLY? A banana clip? FYI: those haven't been in style since '85 and really should have NEVER been in style in the first place. Having a big plastic thing in your hair that covers the front of your hair to the back is not very attractive.

The joys of idiot drivers

I knew I was back in Massachusetts when I drove to work this morning. Very quickly I was back in reality - and behind idiot drivers.

So I am driving down Broadway near Soundbites this morning and I am approaching the light at Willow. As I am approaching there is a minivan that is slowing down at the green light and comes to a complete stop. And sits there. At a green light. I am far enough back still that it makes no sense to beep. As I continue to approach they continue to sit there. Then the light turns yellow. Still sitting. And then red. Still sitting there. WTF!? Who stops and waits at a green light?

By this time I'm behind them at the red light. Then when the light turns green they went. So there appeared to be absolutely no reason why this person just stopped and sat there for no apparent reason. No one got out of the car, or in. It's just baffling.

I love it when...

I'm driving along in a 40 mph zone going maybe 45/50 mph (ok so I'm slightly speeding I realize this - I never said I was a perfect driver) and some car starts tailgating me and then blows past me like a psycho going at LEAST 60 mph.

I mean this car is flying. They are passing other cars, and then blew a red light. Their driving is going to cause an accident soon.

But what is REALLY awesome about this is when that same person who is driving like a total asshole has a car COVERED in bumper stickers that say things like (I'm not kidding about this at all):

- Go Vegan!
- Go Green!
- 1/20/09
- some anti war stickers
- hate is not a family value

While I agree with some of their bumper stickers (I have no bumper stickers because I feel no need to let everyone know my opinion on my car), who are they kidding? How cay you possibly have stickers like that on your car, and then drive the way this person did?

So go green, give peace a chance, and drive like an asshole?

So I'm a Masshole

I'm probably a Masshole driver. I'm ok with that. I pay attention, I try to drive well and I'm a step 9 driver. But when people are driving - they are trying to get somewhere! It's not a parade!

Today I'm behind a person at a green light who isn't going at all. I beep just a little as a friendly reminder. nothing. beep again. nothing. finally I lay on the horn and after about a minute the person suddenly realizes perhaps they are the one being beeped at and oh yes there's been a green light for 4 minutes and moves. Granted I realize there are times we get distracted while driving, but I try to keep that to a minimum. How can someone sit at a green light for several minutes and have no clue it's green or that cars behind them are beeping (I wasn't the only one)??? Luckily it was a really long green.

Green means Go!

It doesn't mean come to a stop and think about it! That would be red blinking...

Everyday I am amazed by the stupidity of some drivers. I'm sure I'm not the perfect driver, but I follow the traffic laws in rotaries and when approaching lights. I never drive slower than the speed limit, unless there is a vehicle in front of me preventing me from doing so. I pay attention and try to avoid doing stupid things.

All that said, yesterday I am behind a vehicle in Somerville. This person is driving about 5-10 miles under the speed limit and keeps inexplicably braking. Just in case a red light pops out of nowhere? Driving below the speed limit is already annoying me, but the braking is just making me crazy. What's with all the excessive braking??

Then we start to approach a GREEN light and she starts braking more and more and finally comes to a complete freaking stop! I lay on the horn of course because WTF - some of us have to get to work, and would like to do so while the light is still green. She then raises her fist in the air and starts shaking it - because of course *I* am the jerk for pointing out to her that she is stopped at a green light for no good reason blocking traffic. She then puts her right blinker on and starts to take a right turn. This also baffles me. Had she been planning on taking a right all along? Who comes to a full stop at a green light for a right with no cars coming the other way? And what is the point of putting your blinker on as you start to take the turn - it's too late for that. By this time the light has turned yellow, but I am not about to miss this light so I kept going. I made it through to the other side just as it turned red. I felt sorry for the cars stuck behind us.

This isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened to me. I'm frequently behind people that break a lot or stop approaching green lights. It's still green, why are are you stopping in anticipation of the red?

It's only a little snow....

We live in New England! It's just some snow, sure it's annoying and the roads are not plowed perfectly. But they are plowed and it was a little slippery but not really that bad. Nothing that we need to drive 15 in a 40! Come on people!!!! Why Why Why??

Granted with all these snowstorms the last week the pot holes are insane, but 15!? I'm not asking people to drive 60, but maybe at least 30? Geeez...

And the traffic for the malls is just making me crazy. I am so glad I am off work until Jan 2nd!! YEY! No mall traffic for a week, well I'm sure I will hit tons of mall traffic en route to New Jersey for the holidays.

And of course, as always, rotaries just make me insane. Why don't people know the rules of the rotary? They taught us the rules in drivers ed many, many years ago. How did these people get their licenses if they can't navigate a rotary? When you are in the rotary you have the right of way! You don't stop in the middle of the rotary and wave 5 cars in!!!!!! WHO DOES THAT!?

With a Morning this Good...

It can't get any worse...

While driving to work this morning I was on a street approaching a blinking yellow light. Sometimes there are people crossing there so cars have to stop, otherwise it's usually pretty quick to get through the blinking yellow.

I'm about 100 or 200 yards back (maybe more it's a pretty straight street so you can see far up it) and I notice there is a car stopped at the yellow blinking light. It appears they have been stopped there before I had seen them too because there was no movement as if they were slowing down to stop.

I then look to see if someone is crossing. Nope. Is there another car trying to cross from the red blinking light side? Nope. HMM so it appears this person is a complete fucking idiot just sitting at a yellow blinking light waiting for????? The light to turn green? Someone to invite them across the intersection?

They continue to sit there. Finally I get to the light and have to stop because they are STILL sitting there. If you are this stupid you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car! I then beep. They sit there. I beep again. The car behind me starts beeping. FINALLY this bozo starts to go. At 15 miles per hour. I really want to scream. Seriously they have PSA's on tv about road rage and say that if you are angry that it's you. No it's really NOT me, it's the idiot that sits at a yellow blinking light for 10 minutes. Where are the police when this kind of shit happens?

We all continue down the street driving slower than I ride a bike at 15 mph in a 30 mph zone. At the next light, which is green, this person starts to stop!!!!! I am about to lay on the horn when they put their right blinker on. They start stopping...... stopping... stop… I am about to flip and THEN turn right. OMFG! How long does it take to turn right on a green light with no one crossing? It’s a perfectly sunny, dry day. No rain, no snow. Nothing!

I then get to Starbucks. I order my usual (make fun if you must) a grande non-fat caramel macchiato with sugar-free vanilla. I like skim milk, and why waste 200 calories on vanilla syrup? I’d rather have something else. Anyway, I order that. It’s not really that complicated. Maybe the barista is annoyed with me for making a complicated order – but it’s the same amount of ingredients it’s just using the low fat and sugar free instead of the regular – they are right next to each other on the counter – it makes no difference.

She puts the coffee (or as my boyfriend would argue: steamed milk with a little bit of coffee) on the counter. I pick it up the coffee explodes out of the top because it’s so overfilled all over my brand new really expensive leather gloves. I’m annoyed. The coffee then flies out of the top as I walk to my car onto my jeans, more on my gloves, and on my jacket. All pretty new and expensive and I would be really pissed if they were stained. I try covering the little top hole with a napkin – that gets soaked quickly from the overfilling.

I drive the rest of the way to work. When I tried to get the coffee out of the coffee holder in my car the top pops off - spilling more coffee on my gloves and now all over my car as well. Awesome. I love when that happens.

Now my gloves are sticky. My brand new $200 leather gloves are sticky. Maybe this should teach me not to buy $200 leather gloves, but I love them. I just wish my latte wasn’t so overfilled it exploded on me. Maybe I should only wear crappy outfits to buy my coffee?

I get into work and have to go straight into a one hour meeting. In which not really anything is decided. I love meetings like that. I feel most productive in those kinds of meetings. Yeaaaaah.. that would be great...

I take my first sip of my coffee… She forgot the caramel. The fucking caramel!!!!!!! THE ingredient that MAKES my coffee a CARAMEL MACHIATO and NOT A LATTE. So I had a latte with sugar-free vanilla.

It’s got to get better right? Certainly there are far worse things that could happen in a day, but it was a pretty irritating morning.

Idiot Drivers

Today I was behind a woman who was more concerned with fixing her hair than driving. Since she was doing this she couldn't then drive the speed limit.. so she was driving really slow while she tried to 'fix' her hair.

The wicked annoying thing - I was behind her at 3 different red lights - did she fix her hair while at the red light? NO!! She waits until she starts driving again to start fucking with it and looking in the mirror at it! What an idiot! Stop screwing with your hair and drive - pay attention to the road!

Then twice today I was behind a person that was driving in the right lane (of a 2 lane road) and then put their left blinker on and took a left turn - from the right lane - crossing over the left lane cutting off the left lane traffic to take the turn. Who does this? WTF is wrong with you!? and it happened TWICE - two different people! ARGH

Driving in MA Part 2...

Well today on my way to work I was behind a truck - who totally ignored the yield sign at the rotary and barreled into the damn thing at 40 mph. While on the one hand I am happy someone is finally doing the speed limit, WTF dude - it says YIELD!!!

When I got to the rotary I yielded, but the idiot in the rotary already seemed unaware of the rules and stopped! Then since I had stopped - he waves like 'thanks so much for letting me go when I am too stupid to realize I already had the right of way'. Ya no problem buddy.

And another thing I forgot last night... what the hell is wrong with these people that start slowing down when they are approaching a green light. It's like they are anticipating the red before the freaking thing even turned yellow!! It's a green light idiot - GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was recently behind a person that came to a FULL STOP at a green, and then went! I was blasting on the horn. Not only is this infuriating, it's unsafe! It could cause accidents stopping at a green!!! And not only that - yellow just means proceed with CAUTION. Not slam on your fucking breaks the second the light changes. If you can safely proceed through the light before it turns red - you go, if you can't you stop. It's really simple. But I'm always behind the person that sees it turn yellow and slams the brakes and stop. After this happens 3 or 4 cars have to slam their brakes and almost hit this person. And then I watch how many cars get to drive through on the opposite side (usually 3 cars).

Let's see how much of a joy my commute home is during rush hour in the rain... I can't wait!

Driving in Massachusetts

Why is it that half the people on the road can't seem to drive? How did these people get their licenses?

People especially can't seem to maneuver a rotary in MA. Why are rotaries such a difficult thing to navigate? They shouldn’t be if you follow the rules of the road. In my daily commute I have to drive through 10 rotaries (5 each way). And why doesn't anyone grasp that the person in the rotary HAS THE FUCKING RIGHT OF WAY?!!!!! The people attempting to enter the rotary are supposed to yield to the cars already in the rotary!!!!! And if for some reason people aren't aware of these rules - there are YIELD signs as you approach the rotary to alert the cars approaching the rotary they need to yield. So why is it every single fucking day I am behind someone who STOPS in the rotary to let people in, or I get cut off by someone thinking the people entering the rotary have the right of way!!!!!?? WHY WHY WHY??? This makes me INSANE! Most days this happens more than once too. When I beep at the people who fly out into the rotary as if they have the right of way (maybe they missed the large YIELD sign!!?) they act like I’m the jerk – like the people in the rotary should be yielding to them. But that isn’t how rotaries work in Massachusetts – the sooner they get this the easier it is for everyone in the rotary.

And who are these people that want to drive 10-15 MPH SLOWER than the speed limit??! They wonder why people have road rage - this is why!!!! If you can get pulled over for driving 10-15 mph OVER the speed limit, why don't they pull people over for driving 10-15 mph UNDER the speed limit!!!!???? Isn’t this just as dangerous? The road I take to work is 35 or 40 mph most of my ride. Yet I am always stuck behind the person who wants to drive 25 mph or maybe 30 mph if I'm lucky.

The only times people should be driving 10-15 mph under the speed limit are:

• during a heavy rainstorm
• during a snowstorm
• on Halloween when there are tons of kids running around
• when are driving your car in some kind of a parade
• when you have run out of gas and are coasting to a stop (hopefully you’ve put your hazards on by this point)
  

If a person is driving on dry clear roads why why why would you drive 25 in a 40??? To make the people behind you crazy? Because you can't see the speedometer and are unaware you are driving so slowly? If you can't drive 40 mph in a 40 mph zone and there isn't anything prohibiting you from doing so (like the acceptable list above) - hire a driver, call a cab, or take a bus - you shouldn't be driving – ever!

Now I'm not for excessive speed, I'm just wishing people would actually drive the posted speed! And while I’m at it – using your blinker to let people behind you know what the hell you are doing is kind of helpful. Why do so many people fail to do this?

Then there are the people who refuse to drive the posted speed, AND when the lane goes to 2 lanes - refuse to move to the right either!!! Slower traffic is supposed to move to the right! Why can't these people accept they are the slower traffic and move aside, why do they try to force people to either stay behind them, or have to pass them on the right!?

Driving in Massachusetts is a competitive sport – drivers need to get their game on.