norsegirl

Why yes, that must be what he considers his car... a large, blue extension of his penis.

Today I had to give Jason the car for a doctor's apointment after work, just in case I got stuck on a call and couldn't get the car home in time for him. So he dropped me off at work and I had to find my own way home. I could have taken the bus, and I probably should have taken the bus. Honestly, I'm AMAZED I got home alive.

The shift is nearing an end, so I turn to Raylene and ask if she's catching the bus and if she wouldn't mind me taggging along. She responds that her boyfriend is giving her a ride. Now I haven't liked this guy from day one. No real concrete reason, just that instinctive "you suck" kind of thing. Today I nailed down exactly why. He's a reckless, thoughtless, impulsive, young ass. Anyway, I asked if I could tag along and get dropped off near my house because I know she lives past me. Well, as it turns out, they're going to his place, not hers, and it is the opposite direction. However, he agrees to go a few minutes out of his way and drive me home, which is real nice, and I should be appreciative, but I'm just not.

We get to the car, and it's a tiny, new, cobalt blue Cobalt. Now I haven't looked up the specs, but it is basically the updated branding of the Cavalier, so I assume the performance/safety specs are going to be about the same. I'd put that at about a 2-star, or only moderately better than, say, being hit on a motorbike. Relatively responsive, but not something you really want to put yourself into a dangerous situation in.

Anyway, jackass-boy drives out of the parking lot at 30+km/h, even around corners. I'm feeling the pull and it's only barely sticking the road. He drives with one hand on the shifter of an automatic (makes ya look cool eh buddy?) cuts off everything he can, especially if it's a transport, because those suckers can stop on a dime right? Drives less than a foot off the bumper of a van for half of the trip, and when the van (thank the gods) pulls nicely into the left turn lane and is gone, he then completes the trip at 94km/h in a 50 or 60 zone (I cant recall because usually the traffic is so thick you're hard pressed to get above 60 anyway). Piece de resistance, in the last 3 blocks he manages to cut off 2 people (including the ever-responsive cube van) switch lanes 6 or 7 times without a turn signal, and goes from 40km/h to dead stop in 30 feet, while pulling to the side of the road to drop me off.

As I just discussed with Jason, I'm not really against driving quickly, it's driving recklessly. I don't care how finely tuned your responses are, or how well tuned your vehicle, if you've got less than a foot between you and the guy in front of you, if he slams on the brakes, you're up his ass. And if he's a van and you're a Cobalt, who do you think is going to be on the losing end of that argument? And fitting into the next lane when it's a tight spot is one thing, doing it as everyone is coming to a stop is another. Especially when you pull that kind of move in front of a cube van. Sure, you can stop with only 10 feet, but now that you're in the cushion he planned for his stop, how do you think that is going to work out for him? And a sub-compact trailing only inches after a van, do you honestly think the van even knows you're there? Ditto for unexpectedly zipping around an SUV.

You can drive too fast and take corners quickly if your car is capable and you feel a genuine need, but don't make it other people's responibility to clean up after your daredevil maneuvers. Especially not in Alberta, land of the driving dead. Really, you pull shit like that and you are counting on their reflexes being spot-on, and I can almost guarantee that they are not.

And speaking of other people... Fenrick said to me the other day: "Sure, I drive like an ass when I'm alone. As soon as someone else gets in my car I'm a model driver. If I get myself killed, that's my problem, but when their life is in my hands I have a duty to protect it." I'd like to extend this notion to the drivers and passengers of the other vehicles on the road as well, but even going on the assumption that you have only a duty to safeguard the passengers in your own vehicle, I certainly didn't sign up to spend my last minutes on this earth in the back of his shitty-ass car while he tried to impress me with his enormous blue penis waving.

It's a given, I will NEVER be asking for a ride from him again. In fact, I'll be bringing a change of clothes to work. In future, I would rather RUN the 5 miles home than risk that 7 minute death-defying journey again. Though if it's winter, I won't be running near any actual roads, on the off chance that he heads North again.

In other news, idiot neighbours were irresponsible (surprise) and neglected to spay/neuter their animals. So, wonder of wonders, they now have unexpected puppies. Said puppies are presently whining up a storm, and I can hear them through my open window. Rather than say, comforting them, or trying to see what is wrong, ignoring them until it passes, or even a calm but stern "no" she screams "shut up" at them - wonderful, absolutely wonderful - sigh.

Why are people so dumb?