RW> When I was about 19, I worked in a town about 30miles away. I lost my
RW> driver's license because of too many moving violations, so I had to get a
RW> ride in a motor pool. One of the guys who drove every 3rd week, had a bad
RW> habit of speeding up and slowing down, but never maintaining a steady
RW> pace. I grew to hate that ride (besides it was in a 57 Ford wagon) and
RW> couldn't wait for my license to be given back to me. I attribute that
RW> kind of driving to a driver that has a nervous tick of some kind...
 
I believe I already told you about the time I had mine suspended for 30
days for getting 3 moving violations in a week.  I was in my early Twenties
then and was, therefore, indestructible.  One of the violations I received
was for cutting through a service station to avoid a stop light.  Was
caught by an eagle-eyed cop and I didn't even know back then I could be
cited for such an act.  I have seen some of those people you mentioned on
the highway.  I have no idea what causes this unless they are holding a
conversation with a passenger and taking their eyes off the road.  When I'm
on the highway, I set the cruise control to whatever the speed limit is and
enjoy the scenery.
 
RW> I try to stay closer to the speed limit and sometimes even go over it.
 
It's a rare occasion when I do that and most of the time I'm speeding when
I'm passing someone.
 
RW> There's always the inevitable driver who does 55mph in the center lane of
RW> a Texas 3 lane freeway. That causes people to go around them on both
RW> sides. They won't move over to the right, like they're supposed to,
RW> because they might have to slow down for someone who's exiting the
RW> freeway and slows down to be within the exit speed limit. And then
RW> there's the speed limit driver who refuses to move over for those who
RW> want to go faster.
 
Hey!  That's me you're describing!  When I travelled back and forth between
Mandeville and Houma, I did exactly that on I-10 because there were smokeys
all over the place and that particular section had oodles of off ramps and
on ramps.  The traffic for the on ramps to I-10 was horrific at certain
times of the day, so once I passed the on and off ramps I had no interest
in and came within two miles of the one that read Causeway Blvd North, I
got in the right lane as fast as I could.  This was a deft trick to pull
off because everyone else had their own style of driving and their own
timetable to meet and their own version of what speeding and improper lane
usage is.
 
RW> I should take you on a freeway jaunt in California, where the youngsters
RW> driving Nippon sports cars buzz you like that. It wouldn't be so bad, but
RW> they have this big bus pipe sticking out the back that irritates the hell
RW> out of you as they go by.
 
[John Wayne mode on]
 
That'll be the day.
 
[John Wayne mode off]
What's a "bus pipe"?  Had you made this offer when Walt Disney
was alive, I would have taken you up on it, but we didn't know each other
then.
 
RW> I'm amazed at the number of people who don't know the rules at those stop
RW> signs. A cop and I came to a 4 way stop yesterday, he on my right. I
RW> thought he got there just a bit ahead of me and expected him to take the
RW> right of way and go. He didn't. So, I figured if he was going to sit
RW> there and stare at the road, I'd go. Surprisingly, he didn't stop me for
RW> not yielding the right of way.
 
I've been in situations where I felt charitable and waved the other person
on, even though I had the right-of-way.  Wanna know what happens almost
every time?  They either just sit there, seemingly oblivious to my wave OR
they wave me on!  It's comical sometimes, depending on the mood I'm in, and
I'm rarely in anything but a good mood.
 
RW> He works two jobs. His day job begins at 7am and he gets off work at 3pm.
RW> He goes home, rests for a few hours after taking the dogs for a walk,
RW> then dons his orange shirt and goes to work again at 6pm as a
RW> Pop-a-Lock roadside service guy. That's a 12 hour shift and then he
RW> begins all over again in the morning.
 
Ugh!  I'm too old for that.  When I worked as a slave at a fried chicken
place as a manager/trainee for 50 hours per week, it was a job I really
didn't like, so I got away from there.  When I worked at the Chevy dealer
in N.O. for 17 years, I loved what I was doing, except for those times when
I had to go upstairs into the freight receiving loft and bumped my head on
one of the many 12x12s.  Ouch!  I don't see any places with beams like that
anymore.
 
RW> So, he took Tuesday off to take me to SA (7am), then slept in the Rodeo
RW> in the parking lot until the sun began to bake him(10am). Then he came
RW> in and said he'd be heading home and would be back later. He then went
RW> home and supervised a contractor who was working on his house. You know
RW> the rest up to the point where I took him for dinner in appreciation for
RW> his time.
 
That was nice for both of you.  I would have done at least that.  He is a
good friend to have.
 
RW> After we got back from dinner, he had to start his PAL job again (7pm
RW> this time). He gets his bikini shots in during the early evening hours,
RW> as the gals get out of the river and find that they locked themselves
RW> out of their cars (he cruises the obvious areas). I used to love those
RW> bikini shots myself, so I'm glad he's at least getting some female
RW> exposure.
 
I never cared for women in bikinis, as unbelievable as that may seem. 
Maybe I'm old-fashioned and need something left to the imagination.
 
 
Regards,
 
Roger

... Cthulhu loves you...with an apple in your mouth.
--- D'Bridge 3.31