various ramblins

It's been awhile. Just not in the mood to get lathered up lately, not even about the guy who discovered a leg in the grill he'd purchased and refused to return it to the guy who put it in there. But just spend a few hours on our interstate system, and that'll do the trick.

Of course, I write about those who think the left lane is their private lane for driving. Did they ever notice or care about the signs that indicate that "slower traffic keep right"? Guess not, or then again maybe they don't think they are slow, dumb and stupid.

In years past, I drove to work at a time in the early morning when there was no traffic (and I mean no traffic). People would actually get onto the interstate at that time, automatically get in the left lane and drive the speed limit with no one else around. I guess it was to get into the proper lane for the exit 5-7 miles ahead (which in their defense was to the left).

I as always taught to get around the car I was passing as quickly as possible. Around being the key word here. That means, pass and get back into your original lane. If passing a number of cars (or just 1), don't drive to the point of significantly slowing those behind you in that lane. Get up to a decent speed (OK maybe not 100, but you know what I mean), get AROUND em and GET OVER. What's difficult about that?

There was a minivan in the left lane last week, doing about 70, maybe 75 downhill, maybe 60 uphill). Had a bunch of cars behind who were slowly advancing by passing on the right. Took a bunch of miles, and I got my chance. Went around, noticed that the driver was on a cell phone (more about that later), got really puckered, rolled down the window and showed a gesture of my dissatisfaction. I hope those following me gave the same gesture as no effort was made to get to the right lane, in spite of no one in that lane.

The best comment I ever heard is from Fierce Chipmunk Hunter who has stated that anybody who gets passed in the right lane should have their license revoked. Doesn't matter if you're doing 100 or not. Away it goes!

Now to this cell phone business. I have nothing against using the phone while you're driving but you damn well better be paying attention to what you're doing. And if you ain't, I hope you don't hurt anybody else when you roll the car, rear-end, side-swipe, or wipe-out somebody else. And that you get an ass-buster of a ticket. (And I'm not, at this time, going to discuss the inappropriateness of using a cell phone in a restroom. Maybe never as this is just wrong, wrong, wrong.)

And to the people who leave shopping carts in the parking lots. Are you just too damn lazy and inconsiderate to walk, at most, a few more yards to put the thing in an appropriate spot. I've even questioned some with that very statement. Sadly only to receive a blank stare or "I found it here" from the woman putting her infant in the car seat while leaving one of those car-like carts smack in the middle of the parking spot next to her. I actually got a "yes" from one.

Come on people, let's all get a bit more considerate and think of others while driving, yaking on a cell phone or abandoning a shopping cart.

This just in. A newspaper columnist expressing surprise, SURPRISE that his senator voted for some pork project. Seems that she was voting for boats that neither the Navy nor Coast Guard wanted. Did, however, go to a company whose executives had made campaign contributions. I think this columnist needs to come to grip with the real world.

Enough ramblins for the time being. Until later