I’ve been with the Evil Twin forfreakingever (which is a GOOD thing!), but I’ve managed to pick up some of his bad and/or strange habits along the way.
I have to pick up Buddy, my friend across the street’s son and another friend’s daughter from school. This requires me to enter what might possibly be the busiest road in my little burg. And I have to make a left onto it. (It’s a 2 lane). So, I sit at the end of the street, looking left and looking right, then looking left again, and yaaaawwwnnn, right. See where I’m going with this?
I don’t mind waiting. I realize it will be busy any time of the day and because of my anal-obsessive nature, I make sure to leave my house in plenty of time to get the 2 miles to the school not just on time, but about 15 or so minutes early - I like to get a “good” parking spot right in front of the school and not across the street.
So I’m patiently waiting this afternoon and I see that there is quite a bit of traffic coming on my right, so I turned to the left, knowing I’d be there a while.
Then, I hear a car horn. I turn right and there is a lady, also in a minivan, with her signal on to turn left up onto the street I’m on. I don’t appreciate being honked at and then turning to see a sour faced old biddy looking at me impatiently, like “Hurry and turn, I’m letting you out.” No, I don’t think so.
She laid on the horn. I put my van in park and pointed at her with my finger while I shouted “Oh, hell no, you don’t lay on your horn at me.” Of course, I had my windows up so my frustration went nowhere.
She finally got the hint that I was not going to turn and finally the dumbass pulled up the hill.
The way I see it: the people driving on the busy road - going straight - have the right of way. They don’t HAVE to let anyone out, They can just turn where ever they need to turn and let traffic keep moving.
If she had wanted to be nice and let me out, she should have waited until I turned my attention to her and realized she was stopped to let me go. Don’t blare the horn and wave your crazy arms around like some sort of loon. That’s what really ticks me. If you want to be kind, thank you, but BE KIND. No need to act impatient like that. What is 10 or 20 seconds in the scope of things?
She was an ugly old bitch too. I couldn’t see well enough, but I bet she had a mustache. I won’t forget her face, that’s for sure.
The Evil Twin hates being motioned to at stop signs. He just doesn’t understand some folks need to screw with the whole right of way system. I don’t either. I called him as soon as I was at the school to tell him about my old lady showdown.
I'm a big believer in "letting people out" at difficult intersections, but not the frantic hand-waving kind of 'let people out.' You're right - if you're goign to be nice, be NICE, for Pete's sake!
ReplyDeleteOMG!! I love you guys! It annoys the crap out of me when somebody screws up the right of way system. I mean by the time I realize you are waiving your right of way for some reason you could have been past me and let me do my thing without any confusion. I also think if for some odd reason there is an accident the cops are going to come and look at things and tell me I didn't have right of way and I get the ticket. God that is a total pet peeve.
ReplyDeleteMean people & aggressive drivers suck.
ReplyDeleteI would have shot her the bird.
Tiff - I'm the same. If I want to be helpful, I'm patient with the other driver.
ReplyDeleteRon - ah, kindred spirits!
Diva - shit! I wished I'd thought of the bird, but I'm slow on the uptake these days!
You know what I hate. I hate when I'm in an actual turn lane at a signal and I can see the last car before a break where I'll be able to make it across. Lots of times, that car starts going slower and slower, and I'm getting impatient waiting. Then the last car will stop and start motioning for me to cross in front of them. WTF? If he'd have just kept driving we BOTH would've gotten through the intersection quicker than we did will him slowing things to a halt and deputizing himself as the official car signaller.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had to take your car on a ferry? Those people remind me of the guys who hand signal cars onto ferries. You can't talk to them. You can't ask them questions. And, they're just going to stand there continuing to act like an ass waiting for me to do what they motioned me to do (in teeny tiny motions that were not explained to me beforehand).
I hate both. I once threw it in park and walked back to the car behind me to ask if they had a problem, perhaps needed me to call 911 for them because they were sitting there honking their horns off because the light had turned green a whole nanosecond ago and my car hadn't sped into the intersection as quickly as they felt I should. They did not appreciate my kind, smiling offer for help. Obliviously, I smiled and said I was just trying to be a good neighbor and walked away.
BB - ROFL at the "emergency". I know you feel my pain as where you live requires lots of lefts too.
ReplyDeleteETW, Most of the time I just take the back streets to the intersection I need to cross to get to the other side of the main drag. I'd rather go slow than deal with the idiots on MacCorkle. Especially the ones who get in the fast lane to get around a bus, then drive the exact same speed as the bus to its next stop.
ReplyDeleteYou should live here in our small town. Every few months there's a new batch of assholes (i.e.-nearly teenager Yankee soldiers) who drive like freakin maniacs and don't know where they're going. If you hear an annoying horn here, you can bet it's one of them!
ReplyDeletehoneywine - what is wrong with people? Ugh.
ReplyDelete