What's wrong with traffic these days?

Let's begin on a positive note. Today we finished up our graduation project and turned it in to the teacher. So now all we have to do is wait for the seminars to finish, do whatever changes that needs to be done and then... finally!
Of course, I still have my thesis to finish up but for now I'm going to bask in the fact that the largest, and possibly most important, part of my education is done. It's been interesting, horrifying, devastating and fun. And God am I glad that it's over!

Now, on to traffic (which I'm not as happy with)... I'm starting to wonder if Monday is the new Friday. I wrote in an earlier post about how people drive like maniacs, callously disregarding any and all traffic rules as well as their own and others' safety, during Fridays. Well, Friday seems to have been extended to encompass Monday as well as Tuesday too so far.

Yesterday I was calmly driving towards the stable, abiding by the traffic rules set by our country's leaders way back. I come up at a junction, having put out the sign for a left turn in advance to make sure my fellow drivers knew where I was headed. I placed my car to the left in my lane and stopped to let a car on the crossing road pass (since it's my duty to give way). Then all of a sudden I see this dark blue Citroën coming up behind me, blinking left as well. And then the bastard places himself (it's gotta be a man, women generally drive in a more safe manner) on MY left, right next to my car. Now, if I hadn't seen him coming this could've led to a rather nasty collision. Anyway, the idiot blasts past me and since I'm not very fond of having to use up all my duct tape to tape up my front bumpers (been there, done that, spit on the T-shirt) I allowed my safety thinking to overrule my sheer burst of anger and murderous rage. I saw him do the same to some other car a few minutes later. Damn idiot.

One would think it would end there. No one got hurt (even though I admit I fervently wished the bastard would drive off a cliff that would suddenly and inexplicably materialise right in front of his car and just as quickly disappear) and I managed to get my temper under control. All's well that ends well, right?

NO. Because today, when driving home, I come to another junction. I've signalled a right turn in advance, placed myself as well as I could and... up comes this beat-up, piss-ugly old pile of rust (possibly a Ford), squeezes in on my right, signalling a right turn. Repeat the scenario from Monday, omitting the part where he did it again since I didn't actually follow for that long. Pick the scenario up at the part with the mysterious cliff materialising in front of the car...

Seriously, what's wrong with people? It's like as soon as they sit down behind the wheel of a car they all turn into Evel Knievel on crystal meth. It's at times like these I wish I had a huge neon-sign of a hand flipping the middle finger to turn on and shine at all the morons out there.

Traffic... again

One would almost believe it's Friday today.

I've made the observation that people are more reckless and careless when driving during Fridays. Sure, they want to get home after work and enjoy the weekend. It's expected for Fridays. But what I don't understand is why people are idiots in the traffic on a Monday.

Today I was driving home from the stables. I kept the speed limit, drove legally and did everything one should. And then, all of a sudden, an idiot in a white minivan behind me flashes his lights, blinding me through the rear view mirror, before he passes me and races off as if he'd stolen the car. Angry and annoyed I flashed my lights right back at his rear window in a pathetic and yet oddly satisfying display of childish annoyance. I hope he at least felt the lights sting his eyes the way his lights stung mine.

People! Please drive safely, take care of each other in the traffic. You won't get home any quicker if your careless driving causes an accident. Pay attention to the people in the cars in front of, behind and around you. For the sake of us all!

Group pressure vs Cat 1-0

Everybody seems to be blogging these days. So who am I to play the rebel? Even though I have no idea what to write, how to write, which language to write in or even if I should spread my words where unsuspecting souls might stumble upon them...

"I blog therefore I am" or something such seems to be the theme of our generation.

Today we had another one of those oh so lovely winter days here in northern Sweden. I'm talking about snow dust and so much ice the Swedish national hockey league would've been able to practise comfortably. And, of course, idiots in expensive tin cans thinking that absolutely everyone drives cars with anti-spin and ABS-breaks. It was moderately amusing to drive along the E4 highway surrounded by people whose lives are so important that they happily risk everything and everyone just to get home half a minute earlier than they would've if they'd driven sensibly. Apparently it's crucial to spare that half of a minute on Fridays.

Anyway, I managed to drive home from the stables physically, if not mentally, unharmed. I guess I can view that as a small victory in a very large war.

As most of you probably have noticed way before I did it's Friday today, at least here in Sweden. And poor student that I am I will spend yet another Friday night mooching off the alcohol fumes that, like a dark menacing cloud on the horizon of my mental peace, are leaking out from my neighbour's apartment. I've said it before and will most likely say it again...

Once upon a time I used to dislike R'n'B. Then came my neighbour. And now, whenever I hear that specific brand of music, I am overcome with a desperate urge to grab the closest axe, rush outside and swing it mindlessly at anything and anyone in my vicinity. Preferably that anyone would be my neighbour but I'm not picky. Once I'd tired myself out with this quite counter-productive activity I would then crawl into a dark corner and rock back and forth, sobbing pathetically while muttering that 50 Cent told me to do it.

It'll be quite interesting to see where tomorrow finds me.