Short rants.

[Cokeman]

In Germany, Belgium, and France, you get tickets for being in the fast lane on uncongested highways unless you are actively passing someone. (Maybe other places too, I don't know.)

In Germany, if somebody runs into the back of you, it's their fault, just like here... unless somebody runs into the back of you while you're in the fast lane on an autobahn, in which case it's your fault for being in the way. That's a law I like.

A few years ago, I was driving on a really deserted highway...and it was night and raining heavily. The left lane had less standing water on it, so I drove there. I saw this car coming up behind me...pretty far back, but gaining on me. As he got closer, he started flashing his high beams for me to get out of his way. Well, being stubborn, I thought, its only me and you on this highway buddy...you can get over to pass me just as easily as I can get over to let you pass. Well, he persisted in staying behind me and flipping his high beams...until I finally flipped him the "bird"...he must have seen it because he darted out around me and darted just as quickly in front of me, cutting me off enough that I had to slam on my brakes to avoid getting run off the road. He then drove slowly for a while in front of me, then sped off, disappearing into the night. It happened to be a SC State Trooper.

Yeah, I probably should have moved over...but what right did he have to apparently try to run me off the road? Maybe he was on a call and had to get somewhere in a hurry? Well, then why stay behind me for so long, playing games?

I apologize for this realtively long post in the short rants thread.

[twoBshorty]

A few years ago, I was driving on a really deserted highway...and it was night and raining heavily. The left lane had less standing water on it, so I drove there. I saw this car coming up behind me...pretty far back, but gaining on me. As he got closer, he started flashing his high beams for me to get out of his way. Well, being stubborn, I thought, its only me and you on this highway buddy...you can get over to pass me just as easily as I can get over to let you pass. Well, he persisted in staying behind me and flipping his high beams...until I finally flipped him the "bird"...he must have seen it because he darted out around me and darted just as quickly in front of me, cutting me off enough that I had to slam on my brakes to avoid getting run off the road. He then drove slowly for a while in front of me, then sped off, disappearing into the night. It happened to be a SC State Trooper.

Yeah, I probably should have moved over...but what right did he have to apparently try to run me off the road? Maybe he was on a call and had to get somewhere in a hurry? Well, then why stay behind me for so long, playing games?

I apologize for this realtively long post in the short rants thread.

This is one of those things that always gets me confused because I'm never sure what the state laws are. I know it's legal to pass on the right in Maryland, but is it legal in every state? I'm never sure, when I'm stuck behind a slow driver in the left lane in a different state, if passing them is going to get me in trouble. I know some states have a lot of restrictions on when you're allowed to.

Maryland also lets you turn left on red if it's onto a one-way street, but DC doesn't, and I never do it if I'm not in Maryland because I'm not sure what the law is and people tend to honk at you.

Oh, and it's HOT today! AAAGGGHHHH!

[rolliefingers]

I know it's legal to pass on the right in Maryland...

You sure about that? I once got a ticket for unwittingly doing that to a cop in an unmarked car.

[The Wedge]

One of my supervisors just made an arbitrary decision that will only make ME look like a jerk. I've been piping radio broadcasts of games in to our stadium concourse for three years, and we're changing stations this year. It's going from FM to AM and I don't have an AM antenna, so I was just gonna pull a feed directly off their mixing board, no big deal, a pretty quick and easy thing to do. I mention it in passing and he's like "why are you doing that? The concourse is for PA only. Don't do that." When I start to protest that I've BEEN doing that and it's expected and appreciated he gives them the "if they have a problem with it come to me" stuff. Right. Like that'll fly. I've been doing it for 3 years and now he's telling me, on completely arbitary terms, to refuse service. GRRR.

[twoBshorty]

You sure about that? I once got a ticket for unwittingly doing that to a cop in an unmarked car.

Where were you? Now that I think about it, it might be legal only on multi-lane highways.

[JourneyFan]

MASN blows. Carry on...

[RShack]

Yeah, I probably should have moved over...

No. You definitely should have moved over. There is no "probably" about it.

but what right did he have to apparently try to run me off the road?

None.

No offense intended, but this sounds like a case of your failure to behave properly getting him riled, at which point he failed to behave properly. Every adult should do better than that, especially a cop.

The best rule of the road is quite simple: never do anything that requires somebody else to do something because of you.

'Sounds like both you and the cop failed this test.

.

[blueberryale77]

No. You definitely should have moved over. There is no "probably" about it.


None.

No offense intended, but this sounds like a case of your failure to behave properly getting him riled, at which point he failed to behave properly. Every adult should do better than that, especially a cop.

The best rule of the road is quite simple: never do anything that requires somebody else to do something because of you.

'Sounds like both you and the cop failed this test.

.

Not necessarily. It depends on how terrible the weather was. In some cases, it's not really safe to switch lanes depending on how slippery the road surface is and how good your tires/car are. My beat up old Saturn and I lived in Vermont for a year. There were definitely blizzards that winter where I'd be driving on I-89 and the left lane was passable for all cars because it had more traffic but the right lane wasn't safe unless you had four wheel drive. Of course, the people in Subarus (almost all Vermonters drive Subarus) would speed up behind you in the left lane, zip around you on the right and then dart back into the left lane in front of you. I tried to get out of one person's way and my wheels skidded and it scared me to death. (If you go off a highway in Vermont chances are you fall off a mountain.) After that point I knew the only way I was getting home in one piece was to stay in the left lane. I can see how a really, really terrible rain storm (such as the one New Jersey and New York had this morning) could create a somewhat similar situation.

[blueberryale77]

Getting swept really bites.

[twoBshorty]

I think I've developed some kind of intolerance to onions. I don't really like them, and I don't eat them much, so maybe that's why I never put this together before, but it's the only thing that fits. I've always had a problem with those honey mustard & onion pretzels. If I eat more than 2 or 3 of the lightly seasoned ones, I get hit with overwhelming nausea about an hour later, and if I eat the heavily seasoned ones, I start throwing up. I loved those things, so it took about four nights of puking before I finally stopped eating them.

Then last week I had a quarter pounder at McDonalds that had a lot more onions than I was used to. I picked some of them off and ate the others. An hour later, nausea and a headache. It also had mustard on it, so at first I thought it was the mustard/onion combo that did it, but then I remembered that I'd had another hamburger the day before with mustard but no onions and had felt perfectly fine afterwards.

Last night, it was Baja Fresh salsa. There were like 5 onion pieces in it, no mustard anywhere in sight, and I went to bed 3 hours earlier than normal because I got so nauseous that I was afraid to move. There was also a headache and cramping this time. I feel okay now (after a few trips to the bathroom), and this could all be coincidence, but onions are involved every single time. I can't believe it took me this long to put it together.

Screw you, onions!

[blueberryale77]

I think I've developed some kind of intolerance to onions. I don't really like them, and I don't eat them much, so maybe that's why I never put this together before, but it's the only thing that fits. I've always had a problem with those honey mustard & onion pretzels. If I eat more than 2 or 3 of the lightly seasoned ones, I get hit with overwhelming nausea about an hour later, and if I eat the heavily seasoned ones, I start throwing up. I loved those things, so it took about four nights of puking before I finally stopped eating them.

Then last week I had a quarter pounder at McDonalds that had a lot more onions than I was used to. I picked some of them off and ate the others. An hour later, nausea and a headache. It also had mustard on it, so at first I thought it was the mustard/onion combo that did it, but then I remembered that I'd had another hamburger the day before with mustard but no onions and had felt perfectly fine afterwards.

Last night, it was Baja Fresh salsa. There were like 5 onion pieces in it, no mustard anywhere in sight, and I went to bed 3 hours earlier than normal because I got so nauseous that I was afraid to move. There was also a headache and cramping this time. I feel okay now (after a few trips to the bathroom), and this could all be coincidence, but onions are involved every single time. I can't believe it took me this long to put it together.

Screw you, onions!

Well at least you were in good company last night. According to the Fox broadcasters a certain short 2B was pretty sick last night as well... and he kind of looks like he's not feeling entirely wonderful today either.

On the onions, I have a somewhat similar problem with large quantities of garlic. No nausea, but definitely cramping and that "other" problem. The worst part of it is, for some reason a lot of people are really passionate about garlic and think you're being insensitive to their culture or something if you won't eat it. I don't know if people are like that if you don't eat onions. For some reason I think garlic just inspires more passion and forces people with allergies to explain 'look, it gives me the [runs], ok?! Now leave me the [heck] alone already!'

[bgfield]

Maryland also lets you turn left on red if it's onto a one-way street, but DC doesn't, and I never do it if I'm not in Maryland because I'm not sure what the law is and people tend to honk at you.

I didn't know that was legal - not that it's stopped me anyway

On the left lane issue, I used to deliver flowers around Gaithersburg and was taking 370 to get onto 270 to get somewhere. If you're not familiar with 370, in the direction I was going, the exit for 270 is in the left lane. Well, some jerk in a rice-rocket was behind me and was apparently upset that I wasn't going fast enough in the left lane (it was also a wet day and I was in a van that was probably older than I was at the time so didn't want to go all that fast). He honked and flashed his lights at me, until he gave up and went around me, observing my middle finger raised firmly in his direction as he did so.

Moral of the story: If you're going to get pissed off because someone in the left lane is going slow, you better damn well know whether or not there is an exit coming up in the left lane ahead.

[twoBshorty]

I didn't know that was legal - not that it's stopped me anyway

On the left lane issue, I used to deliver flowers around Gaithersburg and was taking 370 to get onto 270 to get somewhere. If you're not familiar with 370, in the direction I was going, the exit for 270 is in the left lane. Well, some jerk in a rice-rocket was behind me and was apparently upset that I wasn't going fast enough in the left lane (it was also a wet day and I was in a van that was probably older than I was at the time so didn't want to go all that fast). He honked and flashed his lights at me, until he gave up and went around me, observing my middle finger raised firmly in his direction as he did so.

Moral of the story: If you're going to get pissed off because someone in the left lane is going slow, you better damn well know whether or not there is an exit coming up in the left lane ahead.

Did you see the Post this morning? Not really a driving issue, but they had a term for people who stand on the left side of Metro escalators that I'd never heard before: escalumps.

This is one of the greatest neologisms of all time. I love it. Escalump.

According to this article, it has apparently never occurred to tourists that you stand on the right and walk on the left. Huh? I thought this was common knowledge. Have these people never left East Boonieville?

[Moose Milligan]

In Germany, Belgium, and France, you get tickets for being in the fast lane on uncongested highways unless you are actively passing someone. (Maybe other places too, I don't know.)

Well when I'm cruising along in the left lane I like to think that I'm passing everyone...IN THE SLOW RIGHT LANE!!!

Gosh, its happening all the time now and it's driving me insane.

[HoodGuy007]

I hate days where you get home from work and you feel ike yelling, but you won't because you are going to see your lovely girlfriend. Oh, wait... what girlfriend?????