Thursday, January 20, 2011

Picture this, if you will

1.  The kids and I are at the mall, for a play date.
We are walking through JCPenny's, checking to see if they have any good shoes for Brennan. (They did not have any that I loved, thanks for asking).
As we are leaving, I spot a man on a Hoveround type vehicle.  He has a cell phone in his hand and is texting furiously.
The sales lady at JCP calls out to the man (because they are too helpful at JCP when they are bored), "Can I help you find anything today sir?"
The texting Hoveround maniac just kept on going.
And I started laughing...a lot.
I told the lady, "Shhh...he needs to concentrate, he's texting while driving."
She started laughing a lot, too.
I mean, seriously.  Old people on those things are dangerous enough (did you know some retirement communities require you take a DRIVING TEST to drive them in their halls?) so an old guy TEXTING while driving one in the mall....PRICELESS.

2.  Bart is driving us home from a run to Sheridan's.  (I know, frozen custard in the winter).  Well, we are going home, and Bart makes it up the hill from hell.  Well, as he is approaching the top, I say, "You should start to slow down" but Bart says, "I have a technique."  (Please keep in mind that I do 90% of all driving in our family and that I've driven on this hill FOUR TIMES that day and that our turn for our street is RIGHT as the hill starts going down and that there is a fire hydrant RIGHT at the base of the turn for our street and I always worry I will slide into it).
Yeah, um, so, I got out to push the car out of the snow bank and the dude in the mini van who wanted to turn to go UP that hell hill got out to help me...he didn't have anything better to do since Bart had succeeded in blocking the entire street.  A few seconds, a little man power, and Bart was able to go on his way.
Now, please don't think I am making fun of Bart only because...

3.  When Mia was dropped off, her dad said, "There is a car stuck on X Street and a LONG line of traffic behind it, also stuck."
Well, I assumed the car was stuck in snow.  I did not think about the fact there was not a ton of snow and I managed my street fine.  I assumed the car would be UNstuck by the time we got to that intersection.
So, I ignore the gut feeling to take an alternate route, though longer, to take Bart to work.
And watch as two cars back down the hill, causing me to slow down and have to back down.  Then, I have to do a U turn and go the opposite way to get my momentum back up.  And turn back around to bet that hill.
And well, I got stuck.  On ice I guess.  The 4 wheel drive SUV behind me did not get stuck.  But stopped smoothly behind me, meaning I could not back up and go the alternate way.  Meaning the cars behind me who thought that they could conquer the hill (not the hell hill, but a different hill that has never given us problems in the past) could not.  Bart and the man in the SUV pushed and pushed.  Finally we got up.  I think I left half my tires on the road behind us.
If only I'd listened to my guts.

So, moral of the story?  Listen to Jessica and I will listen to my guts and we will all be good.

Oh, and old dudes on Hoverounds are way dangerous...don't give them cell phones with texting capabilities please.


And PE 101 is off of 120 between Maple and Blondo, Erin.


2 Words to brighten my day:

Anonymous said...

My sons grandfather was WWII Ace Fighter Pilot who had a Hoveround. One of the most harrowing experiences of my life was leaving an O'Charley's, looking for my son and his grandfather, only to see them careening around the corner of the parking lot going a gazillion miles an hour - my son sitting in his lap having the time of his life. I thanked God that there were no cars driving in the parking lot at the time!

Best of luck with the new round of snow coming - It's supposed to hit us tomorrow night!

Erin W said...

Thanks, Jessica! We will be sure to check it out sometime!