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!

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?

F-U state of CT

After a weekend of debauchery in the NJ Shore - we were making such great time coming home - when on 84 at 7pm on a Sunday night in the summer - The state of CT shuts the whole thing down to one freaking lane to do road work.

Are you kidding me???

It's 7pm! On a Sunday in the summer - you have to KNOW tons of people will be driving back from their vacation destinations! Like maybe shutting the road down at 10pm would be a smarter decision?????

So instead of getting home while it was still light out - we sat in an hour and a half traffic while the highway went down to one lane. An hour and half to drive one freaking mile!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess the one good thing is that we were there right after they shut down the road so didn't have to wait as long as the miles of folks behind us waiting.

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.

The Light

Driving home today. You guessed it - that bullshit traffic light was red again today. And no one was coming either way. so we sat at a red while no one drove through the green.

when traffic laws don't apply

Yesterday I had an appointment with my eye doctor. She's awesome (really!) read my yelp review on that. But anyway, she's in Central Square (Central Square Eye Care). So I drove down to Central and had to find a parking spot. This is no small task.

While I am looking for a parking spot (and sitting at a long red light) I notice an area that says 'No Parking anytime' 'Tow Zone' 'No Stopping'. So seriously you can't park here ever. ok fine. I won't park there. BUT it's next to an Au Bon Pain so sometimes you need your coffee or pastry fix...

Now if I parked there and ran into Au Bon Pain and grabbed a coffee I would have a ticket and be towed away by the time I came back out. But if you are a Cambridge cop it's no big deal apparently the rules don't apply at all to them (only to the rest of us). This guys parks there. Shuts the car off. Locks it. Goes into Au Bon Pain. Gets a coffee. Comes back out. Unlocks the car. Pulls out in front of me when the light finally turns green. WTF?

I mean if no one can park there - it shouldn't be no one can park here, unless you are the law and then it doesn't matter - feel free to park here and get your coffee while those lowly masses search for a spot.

Worst. Light. Ever.

Or at least in the top 5 worst lights ever. This traffic light is total bullshit. Every single day driving home I get stuck at this light. So let's just say in a given year I drive through this light ~230 times? I'm roughly guessing that based on 5 days a week coming home from work (I drive to work a different way). And out of those 230 times I have seen a car go through this light ~30 times out of 230!!! I mean WTF!!! Don't have this light on a fucking timer what a waste of EVERYONE'S time, put the damn thing on a sensor - so it KNOWS when a car is ACTUALLY waiting at the light!!!!!!!!!! So this means 87% of the time no one is ever at the light for the other side when it turns red for the main road!

So today. Once again. I was stuck at the light for a good 2-3 minutes (it turns green for the side street, then another green for a parking lot each time) and that 30 times I have seen a car takes into account BOTH sides of this light. So basically there is almost NEVER anyone at the light - 87% of the time!! Yet we wait for no one to go through it. Every single fucking day. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Today I was so annoyed just sitting there waiting for the light I finally took a photo of all the cars waiting at this light in both directions - while nobody came from the other 2 directions the entire time I was sitting at the light. I guess the photo isn't great you can only see the empty road to the left, not the parking lot no one was coming out of on the right. I will have to take another pic on Monday's commute when I'm stuck at the light - because I can bet you I am stuck at the light on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday......



WHY WHY WHY WHY do people put lights on timers? They are stupid! It's useless. Isn't a better use case that when 1 or more cars is sensed at a light, give them the green light. Otherwise keep it green for the side that ACTUALLY has vehicles driving through it?

Instead it's the use case of let's see how crazy we can make people driving home from work on a Friday by setting this light to turn red every 1 minute 30 seconds even though NO ONE is coming the other way.

Too Many Margaritas?

Maybe someone had too many margaritas at the Border Cafe in Burlington today? I hope not...

I don't really know what happened, but when I was driving home from work today around 6pm the light on the Middlesex Turnpike was all backed up because a firetruck, several police cars, and two tow trucks were blocking the right lane and the road to the right going in/out of the Border. There were no ambulances by the time I got there, but I didn't see any people other than police/fire - so my guess was the occupants of the vehicles were already taken away. Both cars were getting hooked up to tow trucks and being taken away as I finally got to pass the whole mess..

Anyone know what happened?

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!

Random Thought of the Day

Yeaaaah. If you are going to put a slogan across the front of your vehicle - you should probably make sure it's readable to the cars in front of you.

Like when I am in front of your vehicle and I look in my rear view mirror. I shouldn't have to translate it because it's backwards. It should appear like normal - like the Ambulance text appears in my rear view mirror. I'm guessing you put that on there so folks could read it when you're sitting behind them in traffic, right?

Today the truck behind me had a slogan on it that read:



Not that it's all that hard to figure out what it says, but still - wouldn't you want the sign to appear to the person in front of you as: Turn it On! ?? (FYI: it was for an appliance company).

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.

F*^@king Arlington Roads

On my way home from work, driving through a sea of potholes on the wonderfully maintained Massachusetts roads in Arlington, I was trying to avoid one pothole and an oncoming vehicle I hit yet another pothole. I immediately knew it wasn't good. I heard a strange sound, and then I drove for about 10 more feet before my car was completely hunched over to my front right side. GREAT. Just fucking great.

Where are all our tax dollars going to? WHY can't our roads get repaired then? I drive on this road every single day and these potholes have been on this roads for at least 2 months. There are so many you can't avoid all of them, and unfortunately for me - I didn't avoid the right one today. But WTF how long does it take to repair these roads? Why should the road be like a mine field? How long is a reasonable time to wait for the roads to get fixed? 3 Months, 4? Never??? ARGH

I was planning on going to the gym and run about 3 miles and was planning on beating my time from my last right, and then I was going to make some chicken to put on top of a salad and watch some tv. Well all of that, or most of it, was out the window after the pothole.

Luckily I have AAA because I have no idea how to change a flat tire. I have had AAA for years, but never have had to use it until today. I called up - I was slightly annoyed that I had to press a few buttons to connect to a person, but it was probably because I was freaking out about the flat. Anyway, I got connected pretty quickly to a representative - who was really great. She took all the information and said a truck would be out within an hour to change the tire. After what seemed like an eternity - but realistically was probably 15 minutes the guy showed up. He had been nearby on another call so I lucked out in a way. He changed it quickly and I was back on the road.

MA roads SUCK - big surprise, but AAA rocks!

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?

Things that are Bullshit

People that can't see themselves for who they really are. Or are so delusional that they are unable to.

People that blame everyone else but themselves for their problems and shortcomings.

People that are fake.

Lights that are on timers, rather than sensors - so people spend more time waiting at red lights. There is a light on my way home that is almost always red when I get there, but there is NEVER anyone coming the other way. Every day I make note of this and count how many times there has actually been a car at the light. 3 times out of about 50 there was actually a car at the green light. Three times!!! Put a sensor on the light to keep traffic flowing!