Spring Break 2010

It's Spring Break!

Not ours, somebody elses.

How do I know that somebody and I mean lots of somebodies are having Spring Break?

Because I can't drive into town or out of town without an ordeal.

The weather is beautiful right now, clear skies, temps. in the low to mid 70s.

Lots of frolicking in the water; still way too cold for me. It felt like low 60s a couple of days ago, but that doesn't stop the tourists.

I've become a bitter middle-aged woman over this traffic problem, though.

Maybe the tourists are a little rusty on their visiting skills, it is the beginning of the onslaught of visitors or I haven't developed my thick skin yet, that makes me tolerate it later in the season. Whatever it is, I just came home completely un-zen and if that is not a word, I just made it up.

I had to leave the house to take Ford to a Bar Mitzva party in the center of town. I encountered people blocking traffic with their cars and bodies, not using cross-walks, trying to make left hand turns where there are signs posted NO LEFT TURN, someone honked at me when I didn't make a left hand turn when cars were coming through the intersection still (He got me to roll down my window and shake my fist at him). He was definately a tourist, because he pulled right into a hotel after we turned. NOTE* We Lagunans don't hear honking in our town very often. We tend to be polite drivers.

After I dropped Ford off and was at a very akward four way stop, which was backed up with traffic, someone tried to take my turn. We all had to wait a long time for a turn to get into the backed up lane so when the white Prius started to take my turn I found myself wagging my finger at her and pulling my car in front of her. The last car that got into the lane was from her lane so she knew she was tring to snake me.

What bothered me about this excursion is I love being a polite driver, letting people in, always signaling etc. I don't change my style, even in gridlock.

Why can't the tourists just be civilized ? Why does it have to turn into Lord of the Flies on wheels?

As I drove north toward home the traffic thinned, my pulse slowed, I started getting a little more zen. Peace.