VD and Road Rage

Hope that you all had a happy Valentine's Day. Or, if you're like me, that you survived it. Got my yearly call at 12:01 AM, making sure I had made it thru yet another birthday-13th-Valentine's Day on my own.

Couldn't blog yesterday. Valentine's Day kept creeping into everything I thought to write. And honestly, I grow to dislike the day more and more every year. Still, I think, if you aspire to be a writer, or at least a decent blogger, shouldn't you be able to write something relative to the day? And I couldn't. I mean, I could, but it just sounded like what a thousand other people would have blogged yesterday. And I didn't want that. So, I'm posting it today instead :)

Actually, on Valentine's Day, I always think about girls who are lonely or alone on that day. That becomes my concern. And I wish that I could help every single one of them. Usually, I send out cards, e-cards, emails to every girl I can think of. I didn't even do that this year. Got on a couple of websites yesterday to send out ecards, but they were overloaded and slow or stopped. I consider writing and helping others my two passions. And I did neither yesterday.

I did get a Coffee Break Club card at the coffee shop yesterday. Just ten punches and I get a free latte. Happy Valentine's Day to me! Except they don't really punch, they just mark thru it and initial it. Gunther knows what I get now. He just asks what size. He seems cool enough. I just wish he was a cute girl.

Random things have been running thru my mind lately. Like how long can you wish someone a belated birthday? I mean, when does it just become too belated? Two weeks? A month? Their next birthday? "Happy Birthday! And oh by the way, happy belated birthday from last year, too."

Was involved in an incident of road rage Saturday night as we were leaving Nashville. There was an SUV going like 15 or 20 miles per hour. Granted it was thru subdivisions. But honestly, they looked like they were lost. It was 10:30 at night and had been snowing, so there was almost no traffic. So when we got to a point I could see downhill, I passed them. For some reason unbeknownst to sane man, they get right behind me and turn on their bright lights.

Now, I believe the only way to stop road rage is to confront the ragers. If we let these people go on honking, tailgating, cursing, and displaying rude hand signals, with no repercussions, they'll never stop. So I calmly stopped my car and rolled down my window. I waited for him to pull up beside me and asked if he had a problem. He seemed surprised that I had stopped rolled down my window. See? They never expect that. Sure, there's a slight risk of being shot. But I mean, you could die anytime. You could spontaneously combust, for crying out loud. (At least according to That's Incredible.)

Why is it that some people cannot stand to be passed? What is it about being in a vehicle that gives people this anger and boldness? You never hear of sidewalk rage. Or pedestrian rage. I mean, if I pass someone running in the park, they don't get mad and speed up and try to pass me. If I pass someone on the sidewalk, they don't get right behind me and start stepping on my heels.

Or what about airway rage? Can you imagine if pilots behaved this way? No. But somehow, cars provide people with this shield. And it's a false sense of security, really. Because basically, they're just betting we're in too much of a hurry that we won't take the time to stop and open up a can on them.

So, back to Saturday night. We had a nice conversation. And as he started to pull away (he was turning right, I was going straight), I pulled forward as if I was going to hit him, laid on my horn, and took off.

See? No reason to get upset.

"Restless tonight, cos I wasted the light. Between both these times, I drew a really thin line..."