Dumbest Mistake of My Life
I am a bad LiveJournalian. I just don't have the urge to update like I used to. I have no idea what's going on in people's lives because I barely even log onto the website. So... I'm sorry about that. It's not that I don't care. It's that I'm lazy when it comes to LiveJournal. You can find me on Facebook or MySpace. Or you can e-mail me (just ask), or call (ditto), or even write me a letter the old-fashioned way. And I'll do the same for you. =) And who knows? Maybe one day, I'll go back to updating 3-15 times a day.
But let me tell you about a dumb thing I did today.
So I was driving to work this morning, and the last part of the drive is making a u-turn onto a busy street and driving a short distance and turning right into the Salvation Army's parking lot.
Exhibit A
The opposing traffic had just gotten their red light, and the traffic from around the corner was beginning to take their right onto the road I needed, so I knew I needed to hoof it. Only I didn't feel I had enough time to get in the far lane, so I went with the middle lane, when this guy next to me pulls out of the McDonald's parking lot.
Exhibit B
So I had very little time to make my move by changing lanes. And I panicked. I could have done any number of things. But logic went out the window, and I did this:
Exhibit C
So this dude has to slam on brakes to keep from hitting me. And, thankfully, he didn't hit me. But dude... wow. I don't know what I was thinking. I know it was stupid. Don't tell me it was stupid. I was overwhelmed by a sense of urgency, and I cannot excuse myself for it. I could have slowed down and driven behind him. There were more cars on the road than shown here, but I don't remember them. This is the important part. Anyway, I could have slowed down and changed lanes after him. I could have held up traffic. I could have driven past this place, turned around further down, and started over. But none of these things came to mind in the tiny span of time I had. Still does not excuse the stupidity.
I sat in my car and shook like a leaf for a few minutes before going inside. George, the man at the front desk, asked me how I was this morning, so I told him. "Shaky." "Why?" So I told him. Only I didn't have diagrams. I finally calmed down maybe half an hour later.
At the end of lunch, I saw Neil (the chaplain) and Battle (one of the drivers) sitting in the cafeteria chatting, so I walked up to them, and Battle apparently saw what I did. And he was laughing, adding that it was only funny because I survived it. And he was mimicking the face I made, all wide-eyed and head down. I said I realized what I'd done in the midst of doing it and didn't stop. Just murmured, "Pleasedon'thitmepleasedon'thitmepleasedon'thitme" until I was safely in the parking lot. Neil said that I should firmly stand my ground with what I did, and I said, "If Neil is on my side, then I must have done something wrong." And even though we're all cracking jokes and laughing, the thought of what happened hours before got my heart racing as if it had just happened moments before.
So I'm sitting in the office at 5:10, the latest I've been here in a while. I decided to tell you all this story before I left. And I thought it may be kind of amusing if I used MS Paint for visual aids.
Fin.
But let me tell you about a dumb thing I did today.
So I was driving to work this morning, and the last part of the drive is making a u-turn onto a busy street and driving a short distance and turning right into the Salvation Army's parking lot.
Exhibit A
The opposing traffic had just gotten their red light, and the traffic from around the corner was beginning to take their right onto the road I needed, so I knew I needed to hoof it. Only I didn't feel I had enough time to get in the far lane, so I went with the middle lane, when this guy next to me pulls out of the McDonald's parking lot.
Exhibit B
So I had very little time to make my move by changing lanes. And I panicked. I could have done any number of things. But logic went out the window, and I did this:
Exhibit C
So this dude has to slam on brakes to keep from hitting me. And, thankfully, he didn't hit me. But dude... wow. I don't know what I was thinking. I know it was stupid. Don't tell me it was stupid. I was overwhelmed by a sense of urgency, and I cannot excuse myself for it. I could have slowed down and driven behind him. There were more cars on the road than shown here, but I don't remember them. This is the important part. Anyway, I could have slowed down and changed lanes after him. I could have held up traffic. I could have driven past this place, turned around further down, and started over. But none of these things came to mind in the tiny span of time I had. Still does not excuse the stupidity.
I sat in my car and shook like a leaf for a few minutes before going inside. George, the man at the front desk, asked me how I was this morning, so I told him. "Shaky." "Why?" So I told him. Only I didn't have diagrams. I finally calmed down maybe half an hour later.
At the end of lunch, I saw Neil (the chaplain) and Battle (one of the drivers) sitting in the cafeteria chatting, so I walked up to them, and Battle apparently saw what I did. And he was laughing, adding that it was only funny because I survived it. And he was mimicking the face I made, all wide-eyed and head down. I said I realized what I'd done in the midst of doing it and didn't stop. Just murmured, "Pleasedon'thitmepleasedon'thitmepleasedon'thitme" until I was safely in the parking lot. Neil said that I should firmly stand my ground with what I did, and I said, "If Neil is on my side, then I must have done something wrong." And even though we're all cracking jokes and laughing, the thought of what happened hours before got my heart racing as if it had just happened moments before.
So I'm sitting in the office at 5:10, the latest I've been here in a while. I decided to tell you all this story before I left. And I thought it may be kind of amusing if I used MS Paint for visual aids.
Fin.