Archive
Okay, “reference post” alert, but this article by Sam Smith at jalopnik.com hits so many nails on the head that he should probably consider joining the carpenters’ union.
The car racing organization that I run with holds two endurance races each year, one in the spring before the regular season starts and one right after it ends. This past week-end saw the 34th running of the “12 Hours of the Cascades” at Portland International Raceway in Portland, OR. Our “regular” enduro team was [...]
Like many car-enthusiast nerds, I had read all about how unpleasant run-flat tires could be in every situation except the case of a “flat.” I never had the opportunity to try them back-to-back on the same car, or do a comparison to a similar car without them, so I filed the negative comments away with [...]
People: If you’re a pedestrian in a parking lot or parking structure, please remember that you are a “guest” in another “creature’s” environment and, as such, should behave accordingly. This means, for example, that you DO NOT meander your way down a traffic lane, nor do you get pissy when I eventually grow tired of [...]
Since I haven’t done one of these in a while… If it takes more than two attempts to back your car into a parking space, maybe back-in parking is not for you. If it takes more than one attempt to drive a car into a nose-in parking space, maybe driving is not for you. If [...]
Driving on a two-lane road this morning, I notice a minivan in the oncoming lane with a dog out the window. Okay, yes, I get the whole “puppy in the wind” mentality behind why people allow this, but this dog (a medium-sized breed of some sort) was in the front passenger seat, with the window [...]
“Kudos” to the a-hole driving the red, BMW 335i cabriolet with Microsoft license-plate frame (“RED SR”) heading east on SR-520 this morning. By driving erratically, changing lanes without signaling, and tailgating, not only did you validate opinions on the jerks who drive BMWs (as I do), you also confirmed perceptions that everyone who works at Microsoft (as [...]
I’ve noticed something that seems to be true at least 99% of the time, which is: The same people who let their cars creep, creep, creep forward while waiting at a red light will then… WAIT once the light turns green. (And I’m not talking about a short pause, either.) What the hell?!!
What is it about signalling to make a lane change in commuter traffic that causes some people to immediately rush to fill up the space? Is this the way these people express some deep-seated competitive aspect of their nature?
[I posted this elsewhere earlier in the week, but it bears repeating.] I swear, if ONE MORE PERSON scowls at me because I correctly positioned my car in the left-turn lane and thereby prevented them from cutting across it in their sloppy attempt to make a left turn from the road to my right, I [...]
On the way home from work yesterday, I took my favorite freeway ramp at the interchange of SR-420 West with I-405 North. I came around the curve to find a hopped-up Mustang riding the rear bumper of an incredibly slow Chevy Metro or some other gutless econobox. The driver of the Mustang glanced up in [...]
I see this all the time: People (usually women, but not always) driving around with some little dog on their lap, apparently blissfully unconcerned about the explosive device sitting 8 inches in front of them. If you’re ever in an accident—and it doesn’t take much of an impact to set off a driver-side airbag; it [...]
To the idiot in a second-generation Prius who decided to pull out into my lane from a dead stop, without signaling, probably without looking, and with just enough throttle application to get from 0-15MPH but not the 40-ish that traffic was actually moving: Count yourself very, very lucky that I have quick reactions, phenomenal brakes, [...]
Look, people, I don’t like having to repeat this any more than you want to hear it, but it’s clearly necessary: Using your turn signals is NOT OPTIONAL when making lane changes, much less when making turns. Why is this so f*****g hard to understand?! Those of us driving around you are NOT PSYCHIC and have [...]
All you have to do is schedule an appointment to have the noise fixed. Guaranteed to make the noise go away, at least until the day after your trip to the mechanic. Â (No, the answer is NOT to leave your spouse at home. Smartass.)