Thursday, July 10, 2008

Strange sights

What is it about summer that makes people behave like Neanderthals?

That's what I found myself wondering out loud at work. You would not believe the road rage I encountered on the way home the other day. I had to switch lanes -- I signaled and everything, and then when I saw what looked like a break, I did the switch. This was on Parkside. And this guy behind me, who was going too fast, just leaned on his horn. I got this long, rude BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! As if it were my fault he was speeding!

Then when he passed me he gave me the finger! Well, I think that's what he did. I saw him in my peripheral vision doing something. I made a big show out of studying the giraffes at the zoo so I am not sure exactly what he did but I fear the worst.

You must never look at drivers when they behave in this threatening manner. And there is something about summer that makes them behave like that. Maybe they're hot. Maybe they're in a hurry. Maybe they're just slugs. I don't know what the problem is.

At least the giraffes looked beautiful. They were striking what looked like ballet poses, bending down as if to touch their heads to their knees. Buffalo is a wonderful city in that our zoo is in the middle of everything. Where else can you drive down a street and look at giraffes and rhinoceroses? If those grinches in charge hadn't taken the elephants away we would be able to see those, too.

Here is another thing I saw, just going through the course of my normal day, that made me marvel.

Yesterday, on the way in to work, I saw a big ship. From the 190! It was called "McCleary's Fortune," I think. It was McCleary's Something. Anyway, it was in the river, near that old bridge that goes up and down. It completely shocked me. I am so used to seeing the river empty. Now there was this big freighter.

Where was it going? What does this mean?

I wonder what oddities I will see today.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Mary,
I took our family (2 girls, 7 & 9) camping in the finger lakes this summer. I could not believe what I was seeing, did you know its a state law that traffic must stop at cross walks for people? We were waiting at a cross walk to get coffee in Trumansburg and all the cars stopped to let us cross. This is something I never see here in western NY. But once we got close to home, we had the same thing happen in the parking lot of the Olive Garden, the parking lot! This very agressive driver with personalized plates almost ran us down and then yelled at us. So I wish more people would act less agressive, but around here its not going to happen I guess.

Anonymous said...

I miss living by the Zoo...

:-(

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Drivers...my favorite thing to see happen to idiot drivers is when they are zooming around way over the speed limit on a street passing everyone to the left and right and you end catching up to them at the next traffic light.

Anonymous said...

ship was delivering gasoline to NOCo storage tanks in Tonawanda

Becky said...

Drivers - even better - going by and waving after they've been pulled over by the police.