Thursday, November 30, 2006

Ha!!!!

It's not that I'm uncool or anything. I am super-cool...icy chill, baby! My lobes sport a total of ten piercings. I have a tattoo ( a small lizard designed by my friend Lel for my thirtieth birthday). I'm planning on getting another. (celtic tree of life...it'll be awesome!) I can still pull off a pair of low-rider jeans on the days that I remember to avoid salt and excessive sitting down. I'm all over the cutting edge stuff...provided I've had my nap an all.

But, not with the driving. In this, I am nothing short of everybody's favorite maiden auntie. I suspect that part of this has to do with the fact that I'm really not all that great a driver. I have to be a little more cautious than the other folks. The chances of my mistaking a tree for a stop sign are a bit higher than yours. I firmly believe that the speed limits were created specifically for people such as myself. We should all follow them, but I understand that some folks have the skills to pull off speedier commutes. I drive according to what the numbers say I am allowed.

Send your Thank You notes to The Sheep c/o general delivery. I'm doing you all a favor, really.

I'm all for supporting those who choose to ignore the signs and zip along at a clip that is comfortable for them provided that they can A) be safe, B) live with the consequences and C) not be jerks about it. Riding my bumper, flapping your arms, edging out periodically then passing me at the speed of sound on back roads is not any of the aforementioned. But there is always one. Every few weeks, I get to experience the fun of heart stoppage as I watch some flustered driver jerk out of the lane to pass a line of cars without regard for oncoming traffic. I wait with bated breath to see if I will get to be the one to call for emergency assistance after the head-on collision. There has yet to be one. Basically, we all make adjustments for the people who can't bear to be seen with us and will risk their lives to share their overall contempt for our law-abiding existence.

Someone did this just today. It was on a foggy back road and involved passing two of the cars ahead of me. And yes, there was on-coming traffic. Just one car, really. But it was a near thing. Just another day on the road...

Except the oncoming car was a police car. Heh-heh...

The lights came on and this Sheep pulled over just to make sure that Officer At-The-Ready could make the u-turn to go take a piece of Mr. Rushy-Rushington's dignity. To his credit, he didn't fight it. He was pulling over even before the lights came on. I give him full marks for, at the very least, owning it.

A good start to the workday...a very good start, indeed!

It inspired me to put a little spring in my Sheepie step, go the extra mile with the whole teaching thing and take charge of a few items on the to-do list. I made it through the morning meeting with great aplomb and even sounded like I knew what I was talking about once or twice. I managed to finish the paperwork for the meeting within an hour of its completion and ran off about fifty pages of curriculum stuff for the project that is due for job #2 on the tenth of December.

The yarn for Amy The World's Greatest Stylist's handwarmers is dry and happily blocked. It will take a little ride on the swift tonight and be ready for marathon knitting up over the weekend. I kinda need to have them done for next Saturday...forgot to add that little task to yesterday's list of "Stressful Things That I Am Ignoring Right Now Because I Lack The Fortitude To Deal With Them."

I even braved the stores this afternoon and did a little of the holiday shopping! I managed to pull into the parking lot by 4:00 and was home by 5:30, thus avoiding much of the traffic that comes with the after work crowd. Which is good...

Those people have the road rage. Not good for the Maiden Auntie Sheep's nerves at all...

SA

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great day you had! I bet you feel pretty good getting so much accomplished.

We have our fair share of bad drivers down here, too. They drive me crazy!

Anonymous said...

Go Sheep Ambition! Glad you are getting so many things done.

Thanks for sharing that story...it makes me feel better for all the times it has happened to me and I have mused loudly, "Where are the police when these things happen?" Now I know they are in Maine, keeping the Sheep safe. :)

sheep#100 said...

The Sheep has been watching too many commercials lately...

Bells said...

I have a celtic tree of life tattoo! On my ankle. I've never met anyone else who had one or wanted one. Wanna see mine?

April said...

Busy hooves are happy hooves!

Anonymous said...

Don't you love a day like that!
As for the insane drivers, it is so rare to see them pay the price for there careless and selfcentered behavior. We witnessed an event on Thanksgiving. A young man in a smallish car was speeding (80-85 mph) in the rain. He passed us and most of the other cars traveling at the same speed as us and rounded a bend in the road out of sight. As we approached we could see a large street light falling into the road. Yes. He has changed lanes too quickly on a wet road in a small light car and hydroplaned right into the pole. He was climbing out of the window as we stopped to see if he was hurt. He waved us on saying he was OK. I was relieved to see that he hadn't taken anyone else driving along the road out with him.
Karen
http://nothingbutknit.blog-city.com/

Anonymous said...

I hate it when drivers take crazy risks that put others in danger. It's good to hear of one of them getting caught. I know I'm cruel and hardhearted, but with the world being so stressed because of overpopulation I can't really work up any tears for people who kill themselves out of their own stupidity. I look at it as nature weeding out the unfit for society. But it seems so unfair when the driver acting like a maniac survives and the driver he runs in to dies.

Sheila said...

Don't get me started on impatient drivers...
Just as bad are the clueless drivers, you know the ones, they somehow manage to miss the fact that you've had your turn signal on for 2 minutes as you patiently and with the best planning possible are trying to move over into their lane. Of course, they never use their turn signals (I often wonder if they even know what turn signals are for).
What a graet day you had!

Hannah said...

You are so much cooler than I am. Low rise jeans? Are you kidding? I couldn't have worn those even when I was 16. Not only do I not have tattoos--I don't even have ANY piercings anywhere....

Will you try to get a picture of your wonder-stylest with her handwarmers?

Anonymous said...

Hey! Its friday!!! Did you get the freaking tree up??? Well, me nether.

Mel said...

Your ears have two more holes than mine. You are cool.

It appears we are both drivers of a certain type, though I admit I do it more to optimize my fuel efficiency. I love it when the state police have their speed trap set up at the Wells exit, though. Makes my day to see the Masshole who just zipped by getting pulled over.

Teri S. said...

Don't you just love it when that happens? It was a great start to a great day! Good luck with the marathon knitting...I'll be joining you in spirit (since I can't join you in the Sheepy living room).

Lorraine said...

TEE HEE HEE! I'm always muttering to myself, "Where are the cops when you need them?" You scored!

Talk about energizing your day. Way to take that energy and get'er done.