What Were You Thinking!?!

I yelled that at someone today. Well, the exact quote (because it was present tense, because I was there) went more like, “What are you doing!?!”

The bonus punctuation is in there for a reason.

Let's start with the rain. Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day—in like March. I don't know about the rest of the valley, but we got drowned all day long.

Well, all day until the temperature dropped just enough to turn the falling objects into first slush and then snow.

I knew I should have run my errands this morning before Kung Fu class. But NOOooooo, I waited until after I'd had my shower and done my hair. (Note: doing hair on humid day is a waste of time.)

Late this afternoon I headed up the hill. I live at the bottom of the hill—not the “west side”, just the bottom, okay? As I ascended, the falling slush turned white, and began to stick. By the time I was within a mile of my destination, the roads were gone, replaced by newly souped-up car skating tracks.

Remember, going up the hill.

At one point there is some downhill, and since the road ahead of me stood clear of other cars, I built up some speed so I wouldn't spin my tires going up. Hey, don't judge, I've almost got stuck twice before on this very hill, so back off!

Well, there is one, lonely, usually deserted street that intersects the road I was on. Lo and behold, someone in a little, black Saturn creeps to the stop sign, doesn't stop, and pulls in front of me.

Not terribly close. But hello, it's slippery. And this bozo pulls out going like 5mph. I'm going 30. That gap closed really fast. If not for my pump action snowy road experience and anti lock breaks I probably would have either hit them or ended up on the side of the road. Stuck. In non-snow resistance shoes.

Yes, good job for going slow person in black Saturn. Yes, bad job for PULLING IN FRONT OF SOMEONE on slippery roads.

I'm sure they thought they were doing the right thing. Even though not a car could be see behind me for a mile.

I guess it's all in the perspective. Mine is right, of course.

This got me thinking about writing. (Writing my “Some idiot made me crash my car” blog rant.) And I coupled that with some advise I read a few days ago about how different people/characters see the world around them from different eyes. An artist will see the beauty in something, while the practical girl will roll her eyes and note that if someone had to run away in those heels they'd be dragged off to the molester van for sure. Unless they can be used as weapons, of course.

I get my perspective. What was theirs? Not getting stuck at the corner? Not looking? Completely petrified of driving in the snow and ignoring the fact that there was another car coming? Texting? Late for something more important than their life?

I'll never know. But it did get me thinking. And my adrenaline going too.