driving
Having now driven regularly for more than a month, I have to say, I still don't see why people are so attached to their cars and insist on driving everywhere. It's had its conveniences. For instance, going to Shop Rite would be much more time consuming without the car and we hook it into a sequence of going to the fish store and the beer/wine store, all three of which would be pretty impossible to do in one go on public transportation. But I don't credit this to the car as much as to New Haven's utterly bizarre lack of supermarkets. It's ridiculous that we should drive 20 minutes to the nearest one. That will soon change with the long-awaited opening of Elm City Market five blocks from us, but it's just ridiculous how long it's persisted in this city. At least the Polish deli, the Italian store and the Saturday market hold us over for 75% of what we need (milk, soy milk, juice, bananas, cereal, and house supplies are the main things we need to go to Shop Rite for regularly).
I admit driving can have its pleasurable moments: when there's not a lot of cars around, you're on the highway and the right song comes along so you really feel the zoom, that's great. Or if your driving on a shaded road peacefully, that's great too. But most of the time, I just find driving to be more stressful and aggravating -- a chore instead of a convenience. I don't know why people who regularly sit in bumper to bumper traffic (which I, thankfully, can avoid) don't find driving more of a displeasure.
And then there's the drivers. Things I don't understand:
*people who pass you, only to swerve in front and exit
*people who have the option of passing you either on the left or on the right and choose to pass you on the right
*people who weave through traffic at high speeds then tailgate someone they're stuck behind in the slow lane.
*people who, when you're stuck behind a string of people in the left lane, seem to think you're the one driving slowly and pass you on the right and force their way in front of you, only to be stuck behind the same slow driver you were stuck behind.
*why on my route, when the speed limit is 65, everyone drives 75-80. Then the three times when the speed limit drops down to 55 -- with big yellow signs announcing the lower speed limit ahead of time -- everyone still drives 75-80.
*truck drivers who drive like they're in a sports car -- fast and quick lane changes without much clearance.
*people who put on their high beams on the highway.
*that one pothole. I can never see it, but every time I've been in that lane on that stretch of highway, I always hit it.
And then there's the cops. What are they up to? I've seen them catch some egregious speeders on the highway, but they seem blind to almost everything else. A week ago, I was driving home at night through New Haven. A cop was following me. In the opposite direction an SUV was driving without it's lights on and the cop did nothing. Nothing! Considering my one ticket in my life was from the Oakland police for having only parking lights on at night (I hadn't flicked the knob all the way) and that was a $121 fine, this one gets me pretty irked.
I admit driving can have its pleasurable moments: when there's not a lot of cars around, you're on the highway and the right song comes along so you really feel the zoom, that's great. Or if your driving on a shaded road peacefully, that's great too. But most of the time, I just find driving to be more stressful and aggravating -- a chore instead of a convenience. I don't know why people who regularly sit in bumper to bumper traffic (which I, thankfully, can avoid) don't find driving more of a displeasure.
And then there's the drivers. Things I don't understand:
*people who pass you, only to swerve in front and exit
*people who have the option of passing you either on the left or on the right and choose to pass you on the right
*people who weave through traffic at high speeds then tailgate someone they're stuck behind in the slow lane.
*people who, when you're stuck behind a string of people in the left lane, seem to think you're the one driving slowly and pass you on the right and force their way in front of you, only to be stuck behind the same slow driver you were stuck behind.
*why on my route, when the speed limit is 65, everyone drives 75-80. Then the three times when the speed limit drops down to 55 -- with big yellow signs announcing the lower speed limit ahead of time -- everyone still drives 75-80.
*truck drivers who drive like they're in a sports car -- fast and quick lane changes without much clearance.
*people who put on their high beams on the highway.
*that one pothole. I can never see it, but every time I've been in that lane on that stretch of highway, I always hit it.
And then there's the cops. What are they up to? I've seen them catch some egregious speeders on the highway, but they seem blind to almost everything else. A week ago, I was driving home at night through New Haven. A cop was following me. In the opposite direction an SUV was driving without it's lights on and the cop did nothing. Nothing! Considering my one ticket in my life was from the Oakland police for having only parking lights on at night (I hadn't flicked the knob all the way) and that was a $121 fine, this one gets me pretty irked.