I spent most of yesterday on the road, enjoying parts of Virginia and North Carolina. It was a beautiful day over all, particularly following the storms we've had recently. I wish good futures and speedy recoveries for all those affected by the storms and floods. Rivers are up, trees are down, and things are generally a mess. Prayers up for the storm victims, and for all those involved in the cleanup, restoration, and recovery.

I drove the heavy, fuel-pig SUV, as I knew going in that some of the roads on my path may still be debris-littered, and that some of the traffic along that route makes me feel like I want to up-armor a little. Buncha nuts out there!

About 40 miles from home I got to thinking, "I sure would like to have the Gift of Awesome Rant that some other SF members hold. I'm just not as eloquent as some of the fellas there."

Taking stock of the day, I recalled some of the annoying events, in no particular order. Ready? Let's rant!

We'll start with the trio of road cyclists. I'll generally cut bicyclists a lot of slack. Good for them, for getting more exercise than me, and for reminding me that I'm getting a little chunky. My rant on these three is only a partial -- I'll give them half credit, for sure. Thanks, fellas, for having your bright flashing red lights running, and for keeping single-file, and for keeping to the right as best you could on that narrow road. That made it easier for the rest of us drivers to see you and get by you on the narrow country roads. But jeepers, guys, how about those fancy matching jerseys! Really. How about those jerseys, all black-camo and darn near the same color as the asphalt? You boys really didn't help yourselves there.

Next up: Cybertruck. I saw at least five of those crazy things yesterday. The first didn't bug me, as it was well away from me. It just got my attention, being so danged ugly. . The second was parked, so slightly less offensive than one on the move... except for having been parked such that its @$$ end hung well over the sidewalk. Heaven forbid someone want to use that slab of concrete, especially someone using a cane, crutch, or wheelchair. Third one? Yeah, coming right at me, and straddling the center line. Hey, man, I know you're allowed half, but you don't get to take your half in the middle! Especially when you're obviously farsighted and holding your phone as far away from your face as possible to read it. The next two were just plain ugly (uglier?), painted dark green. Ugh.

Next is another group of bicyclists... like, ten of them. Now, these people don't get the credit that the trio mentioned earlier do, for they acted as if they were taking a leisurely stroll around the beach or the campground. But they weren't. They were right in the middle of downtown, taking up the entire lane and then some. And then some? Yeah, the one bozo decided he'd ride alongside the rest of the group, weaving around in the opposing lane. Now, I did feel bad for a couple of them as our parade of 10-15 cars stacked up behind them. These guys (and gals) never did stop at the stop signs (maybe good, for it allowed them all a bit of momentum), but when we finally reached an intersection with a stoplight the crew did come to a complete stop. One of the gals evidently was new to cycling, for she needed about four tries to get her foot on the upper pedal and get moving again. Hey, I have a question! You know that section of pavement on the right-hand edge of the street, maybe four feet wide with a solid white line on its left side? What's that area called? Hmm... umm... let me think. Oh! It's the bike lane! Who knew?

(Super Double Extra Bonus Points to my lovely copilot yesterday, who grabbed my hand during that event and said lovingly, "Relax. We have time. I love you."). [Breathe, vthoky, breathe.]

Who's next?! Let's go with Porsche Guy. Last guy in line, in the opposing lane, at a full stop. Cars in front of him get moving again, and he tears into it full-tilt. Lots of "sound and fury!" For about 20 yards. Then the poor fella had to stop again. Yeah, buddy, we all heard your modified exhaust. And so did the people two counties away. I hope you don't open that thing up next to the cyclists, for they'll surely deuce their drawers. "Ain't no need for all that noise, mister." Same goes for the two open-exhaust Mustang drivers attempting to high-speed it through traffic.

Mister Yellow Dodge Truck Guy! Come on down! I recognize and respect the handicap/disabled vet plates on your ride, sir. But I've got zero respect for your weaving like Grandma's crocheting, sliding back and forth across five lanes and without any signals. Same to you, Mister Blue Chevy. I don't know how you rolled up on the crowd the way you did, but it was obvious you weren't going to fit your truck in the space between the econobox ahead of me and the semi ahead of it. Kudos for your positive attitude, but... damn, son, you're just straight up dangerous. Glad you finally sneaked through somewhere and got on down the road. I hope you got where you're going without hurting yourself or anyone else.

And then there's Blue Suburban Driver. Hey, man, if you can't get past the semi (going uphill), then consider backing off a little and letting the rest of us move on. Oh, and if you do finally get ahead of it a bit, move back to the right lane so (does this sound familiar?) the rest of us can move on. But no! You had to hang out in the left, just off the semi's front corner, so none of the rest of us could either a) get by or b) see that there was not a darned thing ahead of you preventing you from going any faster. Bonus points for trying to keep up once we did finally get by you, but it sounds like your engine's going to blow just any time. Better get that checked, man.

Final chapter: Stereotypes Exist For a Reason. Hey, there, Mister White Mercedes, howyadoin' today? Thanks for trying to cram your 18' long vehicle into the 17' space ahead of me at the roundabout. Glad you had your kids with you to witness it. I hope they get Driver's Ed in school, rather than learning to drive from you. Bonus? I learned again how much I like four-wheel discs on my SUV, as opposed to the disc/drum arrangement on my older one. Hold on, now, we can't complete this chapter without an appearance from Mister Beemer. Did you and Mister Yellow Dodge Truck Guy attend the same weaving school? Heck of a job there, sir, leaving the hammer lane to sail across four more to grab that exit at the last second! Bravo.

I'm not as good as Airsoft Guy or Prefontaine, but there's my rant.

- - -

Sometimes the topic of the "talk" (not a sermon) at church is exactly what I need, at exactly the right time.
Today's talk was about patience and controlling our tongues. I forget the verse, but somewhere in the book of James it's mentioned that if we can control our tongues, we can control the rest of our bodies, thus helping achieve spiritual maturity. Today's talk was based around that teaching.

And that leads to the realizations.

One: I'm too impatient sometimes. Probably a lot. I remember one of the "Lessons From Mom's Kitchen" from several years ago. Mom warned: "never pray for patience. For what He will give you is opportunity to learn patience."

Two: I air things out when driving alone. I think what I need to do is to -- as someone here said a long time ago -- not miss an opportunity to shut the heck up. Now, I don't go shouting directly at other drivers -- I'm smarter than that. But I'll admit I speak the things I think (reference the rant above) -- not at an elevated loudness, mind you, and purely within the confines of my vehicle. But I need to shut the heck up... truth is, I need to push that even further and not even think this stuff. If I can keep a handle on the the thoughts, then the verbal will follow, and the negativity will be decreased. As will the blood pressure. I believe it was Plato who said something like, "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a terrible battle."

I'll admit I'm not a great Bible scholar, but I know Romans is the book that routinely kicks my tail. (I think today's lessons from James provide some reinforcement to the teachings in Romans.) To that end, I have a sticker on the inside of each windshield: "R6:21"
Romans 6:21, verrrry loosely translated asks, "now, what good did that do you?" Perhaps I need to remake those, using a larger font. And shut the heck up.

Road trips are an exercise in futility these days. Common sense, situational awareness, all vacated. Entitlement and narcissism on full display. Packs of bicyclists, or packs of motorcyclists, they act like ass holes. And I’m a motorcyclist and a cyclist, both, so I knoweth what I speaketh.

Good on you for being more level headed than me. I wouldn’t have done anything physically but the “look at this fuckin’ winner right here” or “you jackwagon fuck stick”, those would have been dropping out every few minutes. I could rival Samuel L Jackson in the mutha phucka department while driving or riding anywhere.

You’ve now made me nervous as I have a road trip, the first in 2 years, planned for a month away now. I tried to dime it out, or time it out, for the bare minimum of drivers on the road for the entire year and just hope I gamed it correctly as I’ll be towing. These bad drivers and phone addicts drive me insane.

And the most important thing. If you, your kin, and your vehicle, all arrived in the same condition you left, you did damn good. It’s a 3 ring circus out there.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
I could rival Samuel L Jackson in the mutha phucka department while driving or riding anywhere.

I may or may not have let an f-bomb slip, but here you go, sir! https://youtu.be/c0LBi1MHoaU

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
hope I gamed it correctly as I’ll be towing.

I figure towing might be an advantage -- I'd be self-limited to the right lane, knowing I wouldn't even be trying to pass people.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
And the most important thing. If you, your kin, and your vehicle, all arrived in the same condition you left, you did damn good.

Yessir, that's big-picture correct. No damage given nor taken; all is well.

Gotta make the same trip next week. I'll plan to leave earlier in the day on the way out, and probably a bit later for the return, to avoid the masses.

Just got back flying from Montana to Ohio....

Hey TSA, thanks for making me wait 15 minutes while you swab the side of my deodorant, glad you approve that it will work. It's a thing now- I asked.

Hey Veitnamese family...throw your shit in the bin & walk to your seat, and sit down. We don't go anywhere, until we're all in our seats...not just when you're done playing musical chairs.

Excuse me maam, your fat is spilling over the armrest into my seat.

Hey mister patriot in the camo & tee shirt. We're taxiing, she just said return to your seat & prepare for take off. But no, we'll all wait on you as you make your way to the toilet. For fuke's sake, now you're done, close the door, are you really that stupid.

Hhhhm road trip vs. flying....that's a toughy.

Ohhh, I'd rather take the road trip than fly, just about any time.

Having changed jobs relatively recently, I'm fairly certain I'm not going to need to fly again. I'm fine with that.

The hurricane destroyed so much, and affected my American Airlines travel to my Mom's funeral on 28 Sep 24. We ended up driving 900+ miles in The Big White Truck each way. As usual, torrential rains affected the trip. And, various antisocial drivers, construction efforts, and fuel stops added to the fun. We did not enjoy the 16 hours on the road each way. But, air travel is NOT Japan quality and will NEVER be, in America. So, road trips are likely necessary from now on. We're contemplating a Class A motorhome as a result.

I’ve been informed that “Love thy neighbor” applies to our brothers and sisters on the road as well.

I’m now working REALLY HARD on that.

Roadtrips are great if you don’t need to be someplace quickly. Then you need to put up with the vagaries of the Greyhound busses in the skies.

Can you still take a cruise across the Atlantic?