Wednesday, September 13, 2006

I miss my sportscar

So I was returning from running errands at lunch and needed to turn left across a very busy street in order to get back to the office. I was sitting in the middle lane reserved for making hair-raising turns onto and off-of this Chaotic Road of Death (my name for it) waiting for traffic to clear enough for me to make the turn.

So I'm waiting .... and I'm waiting ... for the current group of cars to pass ..... and I look up and see a loooooooonnnnnnngggg line of Group #2 folks following along immediately behind this Group #1 of cars. So I knew I was in for a much longer wait.

Unless.

I saw one car in the far right lane (there were two lanes of opposing traffic I needed to cross), the leader of Group #2, with a small gap in front of it. And this said car was not what one would label Mr Speed Demon. The gap was pretty small but I thought "f this, I'm goin' for it".

So as soon as the end car of Group #1 passed I popped the clutch, hit the accelerator and turned the steering wheel. Because I drive a sports car and it's zippy like that and this won't be a problem at all.

Uh yeah.

About half a second later I remember that I no longer drive a sports car . I now drive a small SUV. The sportscar would react immediately to my every command with much gumption and enthusiasm. Barely had to take any pressure off the clutch and just tap the accelerator and the car would be in motion. Quick motion.

With the SUV ... not so much. The SUV likes to let me practically step OFF the clutch before it notices. And then kinda likes to think whether or not it wants to go*. And so, about halfway through the first lane I needed to cross, I thought "shit ... I ain't gonna make it!".

But I did. (haha ... y'all thought I was going to say I got in another car accident, didn't ya?? :))

But I BARELY made it. Which sucked. I mean, Mr Slow Poke may or may not have had even to step off the accelerator to slow down. I know it wasn't close enough for him to have had to hit the brakes.

But had I been in the sports car, he may not have even SEEN me as I whizzed by faster than lightening.

Which is the point of this story. That I miss my zippy sportscar. And that perhaps I need to learn that I no longer drive that. Ya know, so I don't get myself killed.

Sigh. Ah well, at least now with my mini-SUV I can haul a ton o' shit. Ikea trip, anyone?? :)

*this is actually a fairly sporty SUV and most people would think it was pretty peppy. But Most People just didn't spend the last 5 years driving a sports car and so don't have the comparison. Just gripin' is all. ;)

1 comment:

shannon said...

They are making progress at the Ikea site by the airport! We have gone from a sporty-ish car to a mini SUV type as well and forgot quite a bit in the beginning that hte get up isn't quite as quick.

Glad you're okay (cuz there are some dumb ass drives here in P-town!)