Tag Archives: driving

Mar2

wrist-twist.

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not sure i would have wanted this in my car

the wrist-twist isn’t my thing

i would have preferred

one of those big old round steering wheels

you could turn with one hand

but the hair is amazing

like judy jetson

in the cockpit

piloting a speeding jet

can’t say that i’m totally surprised

this concept never got off the ground. 

—

Ford introduced the “Wrist-Twist” steering system for cars in 1965. Despite better visibility, a roomier cabin and allowing you to drive with your arms on armrests it never went beyond the testing stage. You can see a two-minute promotional film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWWYkxQCFfQ

 

 

 

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source credits: ford motor company, midcentury fashion

 

 

Feb18

how i see it.

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like me when driving at night, or writing, if you added in a pair of glasses and fingers crossed,

knowing i’ll get there somehow, not sure exactly when, and just trusting the process

 

—

 ‘writing is like driving a car at night.

you can see only as far as your headlights,

but you can make the whole trip that way.”

-e.l. doctrow

 

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art credit: homeward bound by Natalia Shaloshvili
Nov20

oh, deer!

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notice posted by the sebastian county sheriff’s office as a reminder to drivers (and deer):

We have received a few reports that some deer, for whatever reason, are not using the designated deer crossing areas along our county roads and state highways.  If any deer follow our page, please know that we put these signs up at some expense to the taxpayers.  We’d appreciate you crossing at the designated areas.  To our motoring community, please watch for these deer that are blatantly disobeying the law.

—

“a small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. is there a way i can get reimbursed? please call.”

-dave barry

Sep28

frogger, in real time.

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once again, i love the advice/warning/humor posted on my local nextdoor page:

‘As anyone may be traveling east on Ann St. and crossing N. Division… be suuuuper careful! In the morning the sun is blazing right into one’s eyes, and equally, throughout the day, there’s tons of traffic, slower paced pedestrians, fast paced bicyclists in a dedicated bike lane and a jog in the road. I even saw a person on a unicycle in a traffic lane yesterday! It is one hellacious level of “Frogger”! 🐸🚗”

—

“if you can’t be a good example, be a terrible warning.”

-jennifer cruise

 

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art credit: archive arcade

Aug7

drive.

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not my actual grandson or car, but similar, especially if you didn’t have your glasses on

—

my eldest grandchild

got his

*Level 1 Learner’s Driver’s License

this week

how is this even possible?

 

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* teens with a Level 1 License may only drive with

a licensed parent, guardian or designated licensed adult age 21 or older.

(soon to be a fully licensed independent driver within a year or so)

 

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“it’s kind of major, learning to drive. i feel like it kicked up other stuff in my life.”

-noah baumbach

 

Jun3

i’ve got the music in me…

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(not me, and i don’t have a dog, but how i imagine many passengers react (inside) to my car singing)

 

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during my weekday commutes

i spend my time

listening to books, radio, podcasts

and

singing along to a wide range of music

with mixed reviews.

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“music doesn’t get in. music is already in. music simply uncovers what is there, makes you feel emotions that you didn’t necessarily know you had inside you, and runs around waking them all up. a rebirth of sorts.”

-matt haig, how to stop time

 

 

 

 

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photo credit: google images

 

May26

getting ahead.

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when approaching a yellow light

i generally slow down and stop

but during those situations when it’s unsafe to stop

it’s safer to speed up and drive through

i recently noticed

that when accelerating under the light

i lean into it, with my head forward

i’m not exactly sure how or why i started doing this

it’s as if i was crossing a finish line in an very important race

and i just needed that extra few inches.

is it just me?

am i drafting the wind?

is it making my car accelerate faster?

 is it my defense when i get pulled over?

“officer, my head was over the line when the light changed, you can check your dashcam to confirm.”

“people love to see you get ahead –
so long as you don’t get further ahead than they are.”
-carol plum-ucci

 

 

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image credits: department of motor vehicles, sports illustrated – tokyo olympics

Feb27

road rally.

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*mongolian rally car (not us, but similar situation)
—
okay, so it was not an intercontinental road rally
that speeds through tough terrain
in a variety of countries over a number of days
but
i went on a nighttime road rally scavenger hunt
that went through a few cities for a few hours
 (or more if you got lost or had an inside track on where to find something)
a wonderful adventure with a great team and lots of laughs
including:
a marriage proposal, a virgin mary statue, a condescending best buy nerd,
a welcoming fast food worker, a parking lot dance-off
swinging on a swing set with a group
ending with a dinner with people i had never met before.
no bumps in the road, just pure fun.
—
“there is always strength in numbers.
the more individuals or organizations that you can rally to your cause, the better.”
-mark shields

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*The Mongol Rally is an intercontinental car rally that begins in Europe and ends in Ulan-Ude, Russia. The rally originally ended in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. However, to avoid punitive costs and taxes associated with vehicle imports and disposal, the rally now passes through Mongolia and ends in Ulan-Ude. The principal launch is from Goodwood Circuit in the United Kingdom, with subsidiary starting points in the Czech Republic.

Dec29

just stop.

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for those who may be unsure

i’m going to just go ahead and say it:

a stop sign in not meant to be a suggestion. 

(good thing there’s a backup here for a second chance to get it right)

—

‘if you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.”

-orson welles

Jul24

lost in translation.

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reminiscing about my visit

to beautiful ireland

 six years back, in july

how we found our way around the country

oh, we did a few turn-arounds here and there

as you can see above

but somehow we always ended up where we were going

eventually.

even with directions asked and kind answers given

regional accents, local advice, and lore

 thrown in for good measure

it could be a challenge at best

‘”oh, just go over the hill for a bit, turn at the old barn, you’ll see a huge green field with hills, and some sheep, and then a pub, they don’t have the best sandwiches but stop in for a pint, say hi to seamus for me if you see him, he’s a good lad, he just had that one thing that wasn’t really his fault, and all is forgiven, and oh, don’t turn by the church, go past it, there’s no sign, but you’ll see a big rock where john’s shed used to be before it burnt down in that fire in ’79 when everything was so dry, and take a sharp turn there….”  – and so on.

whether bumping along on a sheep path, sharing a two-way road with one lane, or driving half in a hedgerow

we found all the places we wanted to be

and discovered so many surprising and magical places along the way.

“going in the wrong direction, but making really good time.”

-cheri huber