The trend is:
The fact that you have enough money to buy a SUV/four-wheel
drive/big truck/etc., has no relationship whatsoever with your driving
ability. Proven over and over again throughout the world on varying
road surfaces and in all weather conditions.
Walt Goddard
waltcpa@sierra.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Glenn Schnittke <schnittke@mindspring.com>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2000 4:00 PM
Subject: A Little WinterWonderland Fun
> Several weeks ago winter came to Nashville. I woke up one morning to
find
> the car doors locked shut with ice and a thin layer of snow and the
roads
> covered with it, too. I know this may piss off several of our
readers in
> varied parts of the American continent, but I'm sorry I can't
control the
> weather either. After pouring hot water down the door cracks to melt
the
> seals so I could get the doors open I got the B started and warmed
up. As I
> pulled out of the drive I gunned the engine briefly and touched the
brakes
> to check the traction or lack of, found I had quite enough to drive
to work
> and cooked on.
>
> Several blocks later I fell in behind a Jeep travelling at a low
rate of
> speed. Like, five miles a week. The thing had enough ground
clearance for
> me to drive under. Each tire was the size of Willie Nelson's tax
bill. And
> moving at a snail's pace. We finally got through to a stretch of
road by
> Vanderbilt University where there was a turn lane in the center so I
pulled
> to the left a little to see if there was a line of traffic. Nothing.
Here
> was this guy in a car built for this kind of weather, joking along
as if he
> was carrying strawberries to James Bay on an old lumber road, and
I'm
> sitting in a twitchy, light assed, rear wheel drive MGB. After a
second or
> two of thinking "what the heck is this guy doing? He's in a JEEP
> forchristssake!" I pulled out to pass him. Keep in mind I'm only
doing
> about 25 mph at his point. As I got about even with him he opened up
his
> (cloth) door and screamed "HEY! FUCK YOU!!"
>
> Wow.
>
> I get a little farther on towards the center of town and get stuck
behind
> ANOTHER Jeep travelling at five miles a week. This time he/she has a
good
> dozen cars behind waiting to get by and just keeps plodding along
until the
> road turns into two lanes and everyone passes. Hmmmmm.
>
> End of part one.
>
> Part Two
>
> Last night the second wave of winter hit us. Snow/sleet and icy
roads. I
> got home after slipping and sliding in and out of downtown to find
my wife
> out of cigarettes and me out of beer, so I head out again for the
grocery
> store. As I turn the corner I find another Jeep (it sure looked like
the
> first guy, but I'm not making any assumptions) sitting crossways in
a side
> road spinning all four wheels, unable to get straight and moving.
After
> that store, passing my house on the way to the next, I get behind a
> neighbor in a Chevy Suburb trying desperately to get out of the
drive and
> get stuck behind him at, again, five miles a week. All the way to
the end
> of the road and into the Mapco parking lot. Leaving the Mapco I look
in the
> rear view and all of a sudden there's a Jetta behind me gaining
ground like
> he's on the way to the delivery room. I pulled over and watched him
run two
> stop signs without even a hint of brake lights.
>
> Is this a trend?
> -----------------------------------------
> Glenn Schnittke
> schnittke@mindspring.com
> Home: 615-385-2800
> ---------------------------------------------
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