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A few driving-related musings about Austin for you this morning.
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School started last week which means more traffic and having to slow down for the 8,322 school zones near my home. It was quite a shock, after moving here, to find that they actually enforce school zones here. And rather strictly at that. I say teach kids to stop, look & listen and hope for the best.
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Speed zones are also more strictly enforced here. I used to routinely blow 10 miles over the speed limit on Chicago expressways but Austin doesn't look as kindly on that. Just ask S. *tee hee*
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My commute has gone from an hour-long nightmare up the Kennedy/Edens mess to a mere 10-15 minute jaunt down a rural highway. My employers live on the furthest south edge of town and the drive provides some spectacular sunrise/sunset views. No complaints there.
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Austinites can't merge and won't let you in to merge which is a problem because there's a network of access roads and merge lanes woven all over the city. I routinely force my way onto merge ramps or speed past slowpokes coming up the on-ramps just to avoid collisions. I always feel slightly rude, yet somehow superior when I do so. Learn to merge, Austin. Be bold...accelerate when you're getting on a highway! Don't stop on that ramp! Go, speed racer, go!
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Completely unrelated side note: There are no Mom & Pop type hardware stores here. What this means is that we have to go to Home Depot (or the 8th ring of hell, as I like to call it) to get anything hardware-related. I walk into that store and immediately feel like vomiting up something orange-colored. Having to go there for say, house numbers, is like having to go to Costco for a bar of soap. Irritating.
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More unrelated side notes: Last night I dreamt I went on vacation and some how got stuck between two feuding hillbilly families. I was with one of the families and we ended up trapped in an old amusement park, running all over the place trying to avoid men with bad teeth. Kinda like England, only less fun.
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My employer just called and told me to come in a half-hour later today. Thanks, but I've been up for an hour and if you had called me last night I could have slept in. Blah.
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Over and out.
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