Any Precipitation and Boston Drivers...

Anyone who lives in or around Boston will probably agree with me completely on this...even if they are they are part of the problem. Today is our first weekday snow/rain storm and it made this morning's commute almost unbearable. I got stuck behind at least 10 people who were driving 30 mph on the highway (which was the clearest road in my commute) for no reason I can think of other than the little white stuff coming at them too fast.

Really though, what is the difference between driving in snow when the roads are mostly clear and driving in rain? Even rain they have a hard time with too!! Its water!!! Unless you are the Wicked Witch of the West and driving a convertible, you really shouldn't have a problem with it. I understand driving carefully, but these people just drive like they turned 100 years old as soon as the sun went away. They drive 30 miles below the speed limit, forget to use their signals, and brake for NO reason. This, my friend, is how accidents are caused. Put the phones down, keep the radio on one station, and pay attention to driving. It's really not that hard.

My side mirror got flipped in because of the amount of slush hitting me from the car next to me....did I slam on my brakes or panic?? NO! You know why? Two reasons for this: 1. I would have caused an accident if I did.; 2. No need to freak out, just flip the wipers on high and slowly take your foot off the gas to let the inconsiderate dumb ass next to me continue on his merry way.

Now, I know growing up in upstate New York is giving me the upper hand when it comes to knowledge and skill of driving in snow. However, thinking about it the other day, I remembered....Boston is in New England, New England gets snow and always has. So why is it that people who live here have such a hard time driving in it?? There is no excuse other than fear and stupidity. If you are afraid, don't drive...carpool or take public transportation. Stupidity....well we won't go there.

Moral of the story folks....if you are driving through Boston during a rain or snow storm, give yourself an extra 45 minutes to get to your destination. Or just fly, walk, ride a bike, anything but drive...it's probably safer that way and you will get there faster.

Driving Etiquette

No, I am not talking about road rage, horn honking or talking on your phone. Nor am I talking about picking your nose, putting on make up, or shaving. I think we can all agree that none of these should be done while behind the wheel of a large automobile. Yet, I am sure we all have done at least one maybe two of these and will never admit which ones. It's ok! I can let one or two imperfections slide, just don't let it happen again!!

The driving etiquette I would like to discuss today is "To Sing or Not to Sing." I have been racking my brain for sometime now and cannot figure out why people are so hesitant to belt out a good tune once in while. And god forbid you throw in a dance move!! Personally, I find it very comforting when I see someone rocking out to a good Journey ballad. Think about it...that person is 50 times more likely to be in a great mood. Drivers who are rocking out are probably less likely to cut you off, tail you or just be an overall dick on the road. Living in Massachusetts, we call these jerks of the road "Massholes."

Ok, back to the rocking out while driving - what is so wrong with it?? Driving into work today I was jamming out to Daft Punk's "One more time" (GREAT driving/dancing song). Now, this is not a singing song, but more of a shoulder toss and slight head bop song. I don't usually pay attention to see if other drivers notice my jam session, but today I just did a quick glance here and there. Let me tell you, 4 out 5 people I saw looking at me were either smiling or just flat out laughing. Most people would have one of two reactions to this, one being pure embarrassment or two, which of course is my reaction, pure joy and satisfaction. I may have single-handedly made these people's day!! Think about it, most of these people are on their way to work, a part of the day that most people dread. While thinking about all the work they have to do before the Thanksgiving holiday, they glance over and see this chick (yours truly) rocking out so hard it shakes her car. How could this not make you smile?? I mean come on!! If you don't get even a slight chuckle out of that, I am truly worried for you.

This picture is not me, but perfectly captures the reaction of a couple of my fellow commuters this morning. I would like to clarify, I don't recommend you dancing or singing at a level that makes it dangerous for you or other drivers. While singing, please do your best to keep your eyes open and not closed while hitting the high notes. While dancing, I recommend a good shoulder shuffle and SLIGHT head bob, anything more could impair your driving and we don't want that!

So, next time you are in your car and a good song comes on, JAM OUT!! Not only will it put you in a better mood, but it will put the drivers around you in a better mood too. If you are a beginner, I suggest to start out easy-try singing to a Journey song or two. After you master that, move on to the dancing part with a shoulder toss or two. If you can do both of those safely, you can graduate to some Michael Jackson, be careful not to get TOO into it though. We don't want you trying to Moonwalk in rush hour traffic. And always remember, you are NEVER going to see these people again, but you will probably make their day and maybe inspire them to do a little jamming of their own. Please dance and drive responsibly!!

The life of a dog...

I was out in the yard with my dog the other day and started thinking about what the life of a dog really is like. Quick, back story, I have a rescued greyhound named Pace (Pah-Chey)-which means Peace in Italian.

Ok, moving on...now, I know greyhounds don't have the same behaviors as most dogs. In fact, they almost seem like aliens compared to almost every other dog. Most people think they are funny looking, and to be completely honest, I felt the same way until we rescued Pace. Until you really look at them closely, you don't realize how beautiful these creatures are. Their body is so sleek and slender, yet incredibly strong. And to pull the whole package together, their faces might be the most gentle and loving of all dogs. I mean, look at him....how could you not love that mug??

So, as I was saying before I got side tracked-a dog's life is really incredible when you think about it. Can you imagine what it would feel like to be entertained by a ball or stuffed toy with a squeaker for HOURS?? Who ever would imagine that a creature could get so excited at the sight of a ball, the sound of a squeaker, the rattle of a leash, etc? It seems so trivial but when you really think about it, dogs are quite smart! Pace will recognize the word "out" so we have to spell it out as if my 3 year old niece was in the room and we were spelling out "Candy." Who would have thought you had to censor yourself around a dog?? On the same point, try getting a ball from them if they don't obey the "Drop it" command. It isn't because they are stupid that they don't give it back to you. It's because they are entertained by us chasing them to try and get it. Some dogs might be a little slower and easier to catch, but YOU try chasing down a greyhound! Yeah, not going to happen. The funny thing is that Pace knows he could easily run by me, but no, he will run right towards me and then cut back and forth in front of me, just teasing the crap out of me. Let me just say, it must be quite a sight to watch me during this ordeal.

Now, most dogs would probably be able to play and run outside for a good, solid hour or so, however Pace does not play that way. I think he probably thinks "I ran my a** off for 4 years. I got fed garbage (literally) on a minimal level. And now you want me to run just for hours just for for the fun of it?? What are you smoking, lady?!" So, he will get a good 2 or 3 laps around the yard and then be done. This will tire him out enough so that he will sleep so soundly we have to check for a pulse every couple hours. This is especially funny when we go visit my parents. Because not only are they still adjusting to Pace taking over their couch, but their dog also has to adjust to the reality that Pace is like a teenage boy and will sleep anytime his is not eating.

And finally, the thing one dogs may hate the most is when you play "dress up" with them. As much as we try and use the excuse they will get cold or really don't mind it, we all know that we put silly little shirts, sweaters, and coats on our dog to make them look cute or cool. Yes, as you can see in the picture, I am guilty of this as well. In my defense...it was more to keep his hair off the furniture. Ok, that is a lie, he doesn't shed and we couldn't resist the argyle sweater!!

So, in conclusion (sorry Mom!), for those of us who were children once....being a dog is exactly like being a child. We are entertained for hours by mindless activity. We can get our parents to chase us around in circles and never catch us. And last but very not least, our parents dress us up in things they know we hate because they want everyone to look at us and tell us how cute we are, even they are lying.

People Watching

It's a cold and rainy saturday morning as I sit in the car dealership waiting for my oil change to get done. I am listening to a mix of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra-well, you get the point. Anyway, I sit here listening to my mix, looking around the room I realize something...I am a self-proclaimed professional people watcher. And to one up that, I have a perfect soundtrack for today's people watching.

How often do you sit there and really look at someone and do one of two things? 1. Wonder what is really happening in their life or what they are thinking about at that exact moment. 2. Make up your own story for them, because they are a perfect canvas for an exciting or scandalous adventure. I mean, how is it possible to not think through at least one of these scenarios?? I'm going to go out on a limb and say most people go with option one based on what someone is wearing and maybe one or two facial expressions. Me, I often go with option two. It is WAY more fun. For example, there is a middle aged man sitting next to me setting up his new cell phone with the phone company. He is getting all of the information on his new and improved plan. Now, Option One people would probably say that he was due for his free upgrade and decided to add a few bells and whistles to seem cooler to his kids. Mmmk, I can see that, but it's somewhat boring. Me and my other Option Two people might say that he got a second phone for another, more exciting reason. He is really a spy for the Canadian government (fitting Robert DiNiro's sly CIA agent style in "Meet the Parents") and his wife is close to finding out. He had to get a second phone so their plans are separate and she doesn't accidentally stumble in the middle of huge espionage case he has been working on for the past 15 years. Despite his efforts, she gets involved anyway and she is kidnapped by the Canadian Mounties (police) and interrogated in some wood cabin up in the Yukon Territory. She obviously doesn't know anything, so instead of "taking care of her" they leave her in the middle of nowhere and she is forced to learn all the necessary survival skills to live another 10 years in the deep Canadian Forests. At that point, her long lost high school sweetheart (not the spy guy...it was always a secret she kept buried while married to the spy guy) comes hiking through the deep Canadian Forests and they find each other. They immediately fall back into love and create a Swiss Family Robinson style home and live happily ever after. By the way, due to today's soundtrack this all happens in the 1920's.

Ok, so maybe that is a little far fetched, but still, its more exciting than just listening to the guy pick out his favorite ringtone. Speaking of which, why is it that most middle aged people (no offense to my middle aged readers, if there are any) pick the most obnoxious and annoying ringtones? Then they put it on full blast and when they finally fish it out of their purse or unhook it from their handy dandy belt clip, they look at the number, allowing it to continue to ring and THEN pick it up. Do us all a favor and put it on silent while you are figuring out if you want to talk to the person!! I would rather listen to Beyonce's "All the single Ladies" ringtone than the annoying one you pick out. On the other side of the spectrum, do kids nowadays really not understand that having an offensive rap ringtone may not be the smartest idea?? Being in the middle of history class and having Dr. Dre's "F**k You" go off is sure to land you in detention. Common sense people!!!

That being said, I'm going to continue listening to my big band music and wait for my Bob Marley "One Love" ringtone to go off. Happy Saturday everyone!

First of hopefully many...

Well, I made the jump into the Blog World. Lets hope I can stay afloat for a while. At first I couldn't figure out a good reason to start a blog. My life isn't all that exciting, but then I figured maybe someone reading this may be able to give me some input into my experiences, thoughts, ideas and general decisions I make in my everyday life.

The idea is to keep most of my posts light and fun. Sometimes they may make you think...maybe that I have too much time on my hands or maybe that I could be the smartest person you never meet. Sometimes they may make you laugh...maybe at my silliness or just overall lack of grammatical skills. Most of my posts will probably just be random things I see, hear, do, or think about.

The point is that it is my view on my life. I will welcome any and all comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms (emphasis on CONSTRUCTIVE). I made this site for FUN and I intend to keep it that way. So if you don't like it, kindly move onto another site where your cynicism and anger are tolerated. Thanks so much!

In conclusion (my mother always told me NOT to do that...oh well) I am working on my page and trying to get the right color schemes and fonts, so please bear with me. It will be spectacular!! I just know it!! Thanks for making through Day one of hopefully many. Catch you on the flip side.