Driver Training

Warning: the following contains material that could be classified as an out and out rant

Long time readers will recall that I often refer to the demons that have long occupied the street lights at “my corner” of Millstone Landing Road and route 235. They keep very good track of my position and always arrange to turn the light red just as I approach the intersection. Then of course they go into a coma and don’t awake until ten or so cars pile up waiting to turn, a period sometimes approaching three minutes. Do you know how long three minutes in a car can be? Unless of course you decide to (illegally) check your text/emails in which case it immediately turns green.

So lately, it became apparent to me that I have fallen into a pattern of arriving just as the cars start streaming out of San Souci, signaling the start of the interminable wait. With my keen analytical mind honed by many years of engineering experience, I tried to apply acute powers of observation for this phenomenon and figure out why. It’s just probability, right? Okay, here’s a synopsis of the data. EVERY (well, seemingly) time I round the bend to observe the light, I see cars coming out of San Souci. It gets so that I can tell MFO, okay get ready, and she pooh pooh’s me only to see that it is true an astonishingly high percentage of the time. There have been several times when after starting from the digs, I will forget something and return. Or, along the way, I see a neighbor and will stop to chat a minute. Sometimes, I slow down to make sure that dog doesn’t dart out in front of me, and INVARIABLY I will arrive to see the cars streaming out. What if I hadn’t done any of these things? The only explanation is that there are demons there with supernatural powers that have it in for me.

And, if that isn’t enough a new aggravation has turned up. Those familiar with the area know they have recently installed another light just south of the fateful intersection, allegedly to facilitate cars being able to turn left into WaWa so they can put a house payment’s worth of fuel into their cars. Anyway, the traffic gods have programmed the system such that after you are finally allowed to turn left out of Millstone, you get about half way to that light, and “blink!” it goes yellow. So, you wait again. Besides allowing left turns into WaWa, the light will let north bound traffic cross 235 into Buck Hewitt Road. The light will let anybody that is within visual range of the light to do that. So, another chance to do that email…

And, okay since I’m wound up, here’s another. I have sort of developed a habit of getting a Starbucks in the morning, so I am there a fair amount. In order to go south on 235 from the lot (a story within itself) you must enter 235 via the lane that eventually leads you into First Colony. If you are at all a capable driver and pick your spots, you can enter that lane, and again watching, fairly easily get into the right traffic lane. I of course have to navigate two more lanes by the time I get to Millstone (you still with me?). Well, yesterday I observed the following. The car ahead of me was waiting to turn south, and it was fairly light traffic. In fact that first lane was completely clear as far as one could see. Did he turn into that? Nope. He waited until all southbound lanes were clear (from the light at Rte. 4), then slowly slid into the first lane, put left blinker on, and cruised into the first real traffic lane. About three car lengths later, right signal comes on and back into the turn lane for First Colony. You can’t make this stuff up..

Whew, okay I feel better now (not that the demons care)..

FOOD CONTENT:

Today, I had an opportunity to finally take a meal at the transplanted Saphron, now located in the space that formally housed the Old Field Inn. Since I’m all worked up about traffic we won’t try to do that until tomorrow.

except to confirm that I was

DFL(unch)