On average, it takes me about an hour to get to work, and the ride home usually stretches out to be about 15 minutes longer. During my rather frustrating or overly boring drives to and from my job, I’ve noticed a few small things that never really bothered me before have now become overly annoying. These unenjoyable occurrences include:
The red lights on the ramps before entering highways—“One Vehicle Per Green,” states the sign in big bold letters below the light that can’t seem to decide if it likes being green or red. I passionately hate these stupid lights. Personally, I don’t see the point in stopping at a red light for a second and a half just a few feet before entering a highway rushing with stressed out, competitive maniacs on five different pills, soaring at least 70 MPH and angrily jerking their steering wheels to fly their dented SUVs with ugly stick figure families on the back windows into the next lane because the guy in front of them is only going 68 MPH as he looks down at his iPhone 5. Gotta rush home to sit on the couch and eat that Lean Cuisine and fall asleep, only to start the horrendous routine bright and early the next morning. Alright, I’ll stop. The point is, I find it’s much easier to merge onto a highway after building up speed on the ramp leading to it, without stopping. You shouldn’t stop at the beginning of the ramp and then get on the highway. It makes no sense. Whose bright idea was that? More than anything, I think those lights are a waste of money. How about patching up those potholes all over the parkways instead?
People who leave their blinkers on—These awful, awful beings. They confuse me and everyone else on the road around them. One time (probably a number of times) I was in the middle lane of a three lane highway, and my exit was about to come up, so I had to get into the right lane. The problem was, some dope with their head in the clouds was cruising with their left blinker on. At first I thought this person wanted to get over into my lane, and their car was slightly in front of mine, so I slowed down thinking the dimwit would see that and get in front of me, and in exchange, I could take their spot in the right lane and get off the crazy roller coaster at my exit. Nope. This person just kept going with their left blinker on. Just kept on driving toward the horizon. This has never happened to me before, so my question is: how can you not know your blinker is on? Doesn’t it make that clicky noise or some kind of sound or show you the bright pointing arrow on the dashboard to alert you that it’s on? Anyway, I eventually passed this daydreamer and happily made my exit.
People who don’t use their blinkers—It’s a shame that shiny new Cadillac Escalade you leased doesn’t come with blinkers. Maybe you should do something about that. What is it in the minds of these people that makes them think doing this is okay? It seriously takes a millisecond to flick on your blinker to alert the other humans operating their two tons of death metal to see what you’re doing. Do they feel like bad-asses or something by not doing so? It’s just stupid. Stupid and sad.
When the DJ sings along at the end of a song on the radio—I know, why would I be listening to the radio at this day in age (Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars singing everywhere, anyone?)? Listen, I don’t have the newest of vehicles and tech gadgets, let’s put it that way. Anyway, yes, I sincerely do not like it when I’m listening to a song I can relate to, getting all into it, imagining perfect or crazy things in my head, and during the final few seconds of the song, the DJ pops in and shouts the last few words in a high pitched corny voice, followed by an excited announcement of what radio station I’m tuned into. This has been happening to me a lot lately. They ruin the song and that magical moment when they do that. Oh, and they’re not funny.
There’s a few more I can think of but I don’t want to come off as too rude. How about you? Can you relate?
Nicole DiGiose 
Hahahahaaa!!! I can relaaaaate! I’m sorry I’ve been a stranger by the way. Life happened.
Ok, this is something I could have written if it had occurred to me. There’s somewhere here with ramps just before a highway AND a traffic light that stays on green for just about 3 seconds. It’s SO annoying.
The drivers that leave blinkers (we call them trafficators here) on – that’s super annoying as well. And the DJs, LOL!! I think there’s a special school the annoying ones go to. I hate when they stop a song right at the hook- just when I’ve cleared my throat to hit the high note with the singer- and then play a jingle. Aargh!
Hey Tizzle! It’s great to see one of your entertaining comments on my blog again :).
I really don’t understand these people, and after a while it just becomes ridiculous, and there are so many of them floatin’ around in their own special places.
So now I know that no matter where you are in the world, it seems as if it’s impossible to escape zombie-drivers, crazy DJs, and silly rules of the road.
Thank you for reading.
I can totally relate… my commute to school is a similar length in time 😦
It can really be such an adventure. Thanks for reading, fruitcakeweather.
I had a laugh, I remember when I got my drivers license in the U.S, at 16! In that time and now, and I´m not that old just 30, but in Spain you where considered over the age after 18 so you could drive and whatever else, go to jail instead of juvie, you could smoke too with 16 at that time now it´s changed. I been riding cars by the age of 13 with my mother around the block, it was considered normal and the cars here all have sticks. So when I did the drivers test in the U.S I though, this has to be a joke. And yeah, here in Spain when you´re going to incorporate into a highway you don´t stop you slow down but you don´t stop unless you see you´re going to collide with somebody. Never knew, and I did spend a long time in the U.S they put on light to stop you, that´s a waste of money. By the way I think it might have been me the blinker guy, I usually day dream when I get into a car, then I wonder when I look to my side window why are all these people in the cars staring at me like they want to stab me. It was a fun read! yepee ahi ey!
Please don’t be the blinker guy, charlypriest!
It’s interesting that you mentioned driving with a stick shift– I was talking about wanting to learn that just the other day, because it seems like so many other countries operate their cars that way. It’s a good skill to learn if you plan on traveling the world! 😀
Thank you for reading my rambling rant. Glad you enjoyed it!
I can relate!!! I commute 1.5 hours to work. So 3 hours round trip. In toronto, we have this HORRID system call TTC. WORST commute system ever! I’m glad someone else is going through the same thing I am. Sometimes, I just want to strangle people on trains.
Ah. It’s just awful. I know what that’s like, just on the crowded highways and parkways of New York. I think I would rather take public transportation, but I don’t really have that option where I come from (without the commute being unnecessarily long). So many people clogging up the same areas at the same time, everywhere, and I’m not even sure what can be done about it.