Tuesday, April 12, 2005

for my friends in the mc.....

My morning commute is just under 21 miles, and about 18 of those miles are on Interstate 65. I usually leave the house at around 6:15, so traffic is typically pretty light.

I see the same cars going the same direction every day. It's almost like a fraternity out there on the interstate. I wasn't in a fraternity in college, but I had a few friends who were. Just like any fraternity, there are a few bad apples in our "interstate fraternity." And it seems that the bad apples all have the same county on their tags: Maury.

A couple of things about Maury County. First, the word "Maury" isn't pronounced like it looks. It's more like "muhr-ree" rather than "mahr-ree." Just say it like it looks one time in middle Tennessee and they'll look at you like you've just belched during a Sunday morning worship service. Second, just because you live in Maury County doesn't mean that you're automatically a bad driver. It just seems that way. Whenever I see someone doing either 45 or 95 on I-65 at 6:30 in the morning, most of the time they're sporting MC tags.

So here's my message to the the three MC drivers I encountered this morning:

To the old lady - You're probably a very sweet lady. You are probably a great wife, mother and grandmother, and I'm sure you participate in church bake sales and things like that. But please don't get on I-65 (and stay in the second or third lane from the right) if you don't plan on taking your car over 40 miles per hour. Yes, I know the other drivers need not gesture towards you as they do, but as they say here in the south - if you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the front porch. Also, you may not need to leave for your 10:00 doctor's appointment quite so early next time.

To the tailgater - I'm all for getting to know new people. However, riding my bumper for two miles isn't the way to introduce yourself. Perhaps you didn't see the 8 cars in front of me that I had no way of passing, seeing as how I was already in the far left lane. I do hope you were able to make it to the tatoo artist on time!

To Mr. NASCAR - I realize that NASCAR is a growing sport, and that many people won't miss a race. I even have friends who are NASCAR fans. However, it's just not for me. Having said that, since I wouldn't dream of sitting down and watching a race on Sunday afternoon, don't you think it would stand to reason that I'd rather not see someone imitating this sport on the interstate at 6:25 in the morning? Yes, I'm certain that your Chevy Silverado, with its Diablo wheels, and Bass Pro Shop and deer hunting stickers, is quite fast. However, seeing you "draft" and weave in and out of traffic while doing at least 90 on wet roads was a bit more than any of us sharing (yes, sharing) the road with you wanted to witness.

So that's pretty much a normal morning commute for me. In the afternoon it's more of the same, just a little more congested. The bride gets nervous anytime she has to drive into Nashville because of all the traffic. As you can see from my brief description above, I think you can understand why.....

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