Tag Archives: driving

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)
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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.
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“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)

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‘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

Dec11

to park or not to park? that is the question.

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i am endlessly amused by conversations that happen on my local nextdoor site.

here is one of my recent favs.

 someone is reaching out for parking advice about the sign above

and gets a whole lot of answers (100+),  yet no one knows for sure.

below is a sampling of responses for your reading pleasure:

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The original question: What does this sign mean? Can you park for 15 min without being ticketed?

No Parking alone means no parking (like bottom sign to left of the signpost) No parking with frame below it describes the “no parking conditions” within the red frame the added tow threat makes it more confusing.

I just wouldn’t park there🤣

15 minute parking allowed from the sign back. The parking enforcement, when they come around, will take photos of your cars location and of a tire and it’s valve stem location. They come back 15 minutes later and issue ticket if not moved. If it’s one of the really crabby patrol people they will come back 15 minutes later and issue a second ticket.

 BEWARE THE KING CRAB!

every 14 minutes jack up ur car+ spin wheel to put valve in diff spot (see above)

Just like NYC – hand over your keys to a car jockey to move your car to the alternate side of the street on Tuesdays!

There was a sign just like this outside the old Kiwanis building, and for a long time that space was left empty because people didn’t realize they could park… 

The wording of the sign pointing to the right is inconsistent. I did not find an interpretation of the sign in the Uniform Vehicle Code. Like, “Are you going to walk to school or…

Why is it inconsistent? As I see it, the sign says, “to the right of this sign you can park for 15 minutes between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm; you will be towed…

It means exactly what it says “no parking”

Could be a fund raising effort for a parking garage.

It means don’t park there regardless

“Can you park for 15 mins without being ticketed?”  The answer is yes, if the question means whether it’s possible.

I’d trust the bottom line. See the tow truck picking up the vehicle 😂

My interpretation is that it really does mean no parking 6AM-6PM. The 15 minute limit is for standing (driver remains in vehicle). In practice, it is effectively a 15 minute limit…

I think the key is that the arrows on the signs point in different directions.  So  no parking at all from the sign  and then to the left.   The 15 minute no parking sign points to the right  so the limited parking is  from the sign  and to the right.

Well, just visit – https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ , a mere 862 pages! I think the first rule is read from top to bottom. Then execute like a computer interpreting code; don’t try…

Seems perfectly logical! Good to know. Thank you!

You can not park there unless you have a loading zone (commercial) plate, and then only for 15 minutes. Most loading zones have unlimited parking for those with loading zone… 

I disagree. The sign in this post does not say anything about commercial permits or plates.

My interpretation of the originally posted sign is it’s basically a no parking zone, but they will let you park for 15 minutes during business hours. I’ve gotten away with parking…

But you can park for longer on Sunday?

Don’t think you can park there on Sunday

The sign is basically offering you an opportunity to bet; the city is betting you a parking space against a $25 ticket that you can’t figure out and execute what they meant…

This looks like East U adjacent to the business school. Isn’t it a bit cryptic? Appears to mark two zones, one to the left of the sign (see the arrow) in which there is no parking… 

I love how everyone says it means something different and is 100% confident about it.

The last comment, from the original question poser:  Being part of “everyone” I am not 100% confident.

 

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‘nine out of ten americans believe that out of ten people, one person will always disagree with the other nine.’

-colin mochrie 

Dec1

running on empty?

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missing the point: man in germany drives to driving test

A man in Germany has discovered the hard way that it’s best to get a driving license first before trying to use it. Police in Bergheim, near Cologne, said Tuesday that the 37-year-old drove himself to his driving test, parking an Opel Zafira outside the test center in front of an astonished examiner.

They said he told police officers who were called to the scene on Monday that he had only driven because he wanted to make sure to get to the driving test on time.

His test was immediately called off. The man now faces an investigation for driving without a license. Police also opened an investigation of the car’s owner.

 

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“perspective is worth 80 iq points”

-alan kay

 

 

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source credit: ap- berlin

Apr17

flamin’ hot!

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not ‘my’ cheetos truck, but at least you can get a feel for it

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driving home from school 

behind a giant truck load o’ cheetos

and i thought ‘oh, man..’

 couldn’t help but daydream

about what would happen 

if the back doors blew open

and my favorite flamin’ hot cheetos

spilled everywhere

and i had to take home a car load of bags

just to help clean up the mess

and it might make me very happy at the same time. 

who wouldn’t consider this, i ask you?

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“i was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering.”

-steven wright

Jan22

do you remember?

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who remembers this?

sitting backwards

making faces

rolling around on turns

cigarette smoke-filled air

fighting over who could sit there

the door that swung open

back window down

best seat ever.

 

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“like all great travelers, i have seen more than i remember, and remember more than i have seen.”

-benjamin disraeli

 

 

 

 

 

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image credit: doyouremember.com