You're voluntarily going through the bog of self-pity that is the story of Turin?
Well...sort of. I volunteered last year to lead the Silmarillion reading over at the Henneth-Annun Yahoo group. Knowing how these things go, of course, the only people still reading along as far as I know are those who have read the Sil a half-dozen times already. But I still persist, since my summaries are apparently popular in certain contingents.
But in signing up for the reading at large, of course, I got stuck with Turin too. Also not one of my favorites.
Sometimes, I amaze myself at how much I hate the right-turn-on-red law.
I would agree with you. Turning right from our street onto the relatively busy Route 40, I encounter this sort of thing as a driver too. 40 is three lanes on each side there, and people barrel through at unreasonable speeds (and traffic is always heavy), so I will not right-on-red unless there is not a car in sight for a good distance. The way people fly through there and change lanes willly-nilly without a signal and a cell phone in one hand and a latte in the other, it's not a chance worth taking for me.
There is about a five-second window between when the light on 40 turns red and the traffic on the street opposite gets a green for left turns. But again, I don't try it unless everyone's come to a full stop. Maryland may be the Redlight Camera Capital of the world, but I'm not taking chances that oncoming traffic is going to stop.
The other day, I happened to glance in my rearview mirror and saw the woman behind me throw up her hands in disgust at my failure to take that five-second opportunity to make a right on red. So I turned and smiled and waved.
But really. The opposing traffic literally gets a green light for about 30 seconds, sometimes less, as the light has a sensor. And the next light is timed that you get a red no matter if you take that five-second window or wait to go on green.
My theory for this region is that people are just too damned self-important. Howard County is the seventh richest in the country, and people get delusions of grandeur, living in their "exclusive gated communities" and working for big biotech firms. They assume that world should bow to their whims. If that means that they ride your ass in traffic because you (of course--not the 100 cars in front of you) are making them late for a meeting with the vice-president, then so be it. Or if they weave through highway traffic in their Ford Excursion with a cell phone in one hand and a Starbucks in the other and a backseat full of screaming soccer players...well, at least they won't be late for the game.
The roadwork doesn't help: We sit in traffic wherever we go, and people get frustrated and take stupid chances. Because my life is worth them being on time.
It's really frustrating.
Mazel tov to Sharon and Kirsty, and may they discover the joys of an entire marriage without once having to remind their spouse to put the toilet seat down.
Bwah! How true! Lucky for me, Bobby is good with this too. Unlucky for me, those examples about the kitchen lights and the clothes not being turned out properly came from somewhere....
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rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2006-06-13 04:31 pm (UTC)Well...sort of. I volunteered last year to lead the Silmarillion reading over at the Henneth-Annun Yahoo group. Knowing how these things go, of course, the only people still reading along as far as I know are those who have read the Sil a half-dozen times already. But I still persist, since my summaries are apparently popular in certain contingents.
But in signing up for the reading at large, of course, I got stuck with Turin too. Also not one of my favorites.
Sometimes, I amaze myself at how much I hate the right-turn-on-red law.
I would agree with you. Turning right from our street onto the relatively busy Route 40, I encounter this sort of thing as a driver too. 40 is three lanes on each side there, and people barrel through at unreasonable speeds (and traffic is always heavy), so I will not right-on-red unless there is not a car in sight for a good distance. The way people fly through there and change lanes willly-nilly without a signal and a cell phone in one hand and a latte in the other, it's not a chance worth taking for me.
There is about a five-second window between when the light on 40 turns red and the traffic on the street opposite gets a green for left turns. But again, I don't try it unless everyone's come to a full stop. Maryland may be the Redlight Camera Capital of the world, but I'm not taking chances that oncoming traffic is going to stop.
The other day, I happened to glance in my rearview mirror and saw the woman behind me throw up her hands in disgust at my failure to take that five-second opportunity to make a right on red. So I turned and smiled and waved.
But really. The opposing traffic literally gets a green light for about 30 seconds, sometimes less, as the light has a sensor. And the next light is timed that you get a red no matter if you take that five-second window or wait to go on green.
My theory for this region is that people are just too damned self-important. Howard County is the seventh richest in the country, and people get delusions of grandeur, living in their "exclusive gated communities" and working for big biotech firms. They assume that world should bow to their whims. If that means that they ride your ass in traffic because you (of course--not the 100 cars in front of you) are making them late for a meeting with the vice-president, then so be it. Or if they weave through highway traffic in their Ford Excursion with a cell phone in one hand and a Starbucks in the other and a backseat full of screaming soccer players...well, at least they won't be late for the game.
The roadwork doesn't help: We sit in traffic wherever we go, and people get frustrated and take stupid chances. Because my life is worth them being on time.
It's really frustrating.
Mazel tov to Sharon and Kirsty, and may they discover the joys of an entire marriage without once having to remind their spouse to put the toilet seat down.
Bwah! How true! Lucky for me, Bobby is good with this too. Unlucky for me, those examples about the kitchen lights and the clothes not being turned out properly came from somewhere....