Monica

Hello, driver of what appeared to be PAT bus #3221 on Tuesday evening. Let's talk about traffic laws.

When you are making a left turn onto a bridge with two lanes going in the direction you want to go, and the oncoming traffic is also turning onto that bridge, the usual convention around here is that you turn into the left lane and the oncoming traffic turns into the right lane. In fact, I think there are even laws about that. Have you heard of traffic laws? Indicators like a solid white line between those two lanes should be surperfluous, though note that this line was in fact present on the bridge onto which you turned yesterday.

Also, when you want to go somewhere that is already occupied by other traffic, your only real option is to wait your turn. Barreling down on cars or trying to run them off the side of a bridge is not acceptable.

Further, we have a quaint custom here called "speed limits". Yes, I know that people often exceed them, and there is an unspoken convention of permitting violations up to 10mph. Had you been going as slowly as 45mph in a 35mph zone, or had you not been trying to run innocent bystanders off the side of a bridge, I wouldn't even bother to bring this up.

You got lucky this time. First, you didn't hit anyone, and second, either PAT's database has missing entries or the driver who called to report you somehow managed to mis-remember your bus number. (She never got the route number, because she wasn't willing to chase you at 50 or 55 in a 35 zone.) So you have managed to remain anonymous, this time.

Unless, of course, one of the other eyewitnesses to your attrocious behavior was able to spot more information and call it in. It's a pity that I will never know; I would sleep better knowing that you are enrolled in a remedial-driving program.

Sincerely,
an innocent bystander with zero moving violations; bet you can't say the same

I had thought, after the incident with the bozos from Circuit City, that the worst of the power-surge recovery was past. ( I was so wrong. )

I have a friend from high school with whom I get together from time to time. Lori and I have grown apart, but she still wants to keep this up so I go along. About 10 years ago we both worked downtown and did lunch weekly; now we get together once or twice a year. Lori used to be an evangelical Christian, to the point where I once told her that either she would stop trying to convert me or I would stop being willing to spend time with her (this was during the weekly-lunch days), and she took the hint. She's mellowed a lot since then.

She got married several years ago to Daniel, so since then the visits have included him -- and, now that I'm married, also Dani. She and Daniel are both committed Christians (specific denomination unknown to me -- they just say "Christian", and I haven't pressed it). Daniel seems like a nice person, though we don't know each other that well.

Last night we had them out for dinner, and Daniel and I got into an annoying argument about religion. (He started it.) I thought we were having one of those intellectual-style arguments where you're looking at facts and logic, but it became apparent that he was having an argument about faith and belief, and then wouldn't take hints that this was Not A Good Idea. Once I figured out what was going on I tried to change the subject and eventually just stopped responding, but even that did not get through to him. Eventually Lori told him to stop and Dani was able to redirect the conversation. I felt like a bad host, though I can't help feeling that I also had a bad guest. (I should clarify that I like Daniel, at the basic social level that we've achieved thus far. I was kind of surprised by this.)

( the rest of the story )

The United Way folks were here today. I decided that I dislike United Way many years ago, so I didn't go to the meeting, but I was disappointed to notice a side effect. A couple of large trays of pastries appeared in our kitchen after the meeting. These were the leftovers. So in addition to spending money on overhead, United Way also spends some of the money on food to bribe potential donors with? This is as bad as the charities who send out unsolicited T-shirts and photo albums and umbrellas (to name 3 things I have received in the last month). At least those charities are only diverting money from themselves, but it still bugs me that it's not going to the cause or necessary overhead, but to trinkets.

(Yes, I do write to most of the folks who send this kind of stuff and ask them to stop. Sometimes it works, but often it doesn't.)

This sort of thing isn't my main reason for disliking United Way, by the way. It's just a minor but visible one. I didn't like their allocation algorithm the last time I heard them explain it, and I prefer to support my causes directly and see no reason to pay for an additional layer of overhead.