Why Does Driving in Norcal Piss Me Off So Much?

Today I almost got hit by an idiot driver who changed lanes into me. The adrenaline pumped fast as I saw this old white Camry veering into me, and the blood in me boiled after I realized I had swerved to avoid hitting him. I glared at him as he and his companions looked back at me before cutting in front of me and moving into the next lane. This incident has been the catalyst in me posting this entry about why Norcal drivers suck so so so much. And I am not being an LA bitch. LA is known for having shoot-me-in-the-head traffic, but to me it's still more tolerable than driving in Norcal.

1. Speeding up when there are cars in front and then braking suddenly. Norcal drivers, do you get your brakes checked often? Because the way you're driving, you probably wear them out pretty fast. What's the point of speeding up only to have to stop all of a sudden? Then you make me have to do the same thing. Rolling stops are nice. Try it sometime!

2. Leaving a 300 foot gap with the car in front during rush hour. O.M.G. Everyone's going at 20, and you're so far back from the driver in front of you 5 cars can fit! OMG!!!! I want to punch you!

3. Mindlessly changing lanes way too close to the driver behind. Mindlessly pulling out of the parking lot and cutting me off. If I have to brake for you to get in front of me, you are TOO CLOSE.

4. Not understanding what a 4-way stop means. I got here first!! Hi, hello, see me? No, you don't, because you are now driving across the intersection...

5. Going 70 in the left hand lane. Who do you think you are, motherfreaking Queen Victoria? You own the fast lane? You're royalty so you can go as slow as you want and people have to change lanes to get in front of you? No. Move over please.

6. Just driving way too slow in general. I know Norcalers are not as rude and uptight and prickly as us Socalers (aren't we just lovable), but a little less chill and a bit more zoom zoom on the road would be nice. Chop chop, come on. Sitting in my car for longer than I have to is not a hobby of mine.

7. Pulling off shit like not looking at your blind spot and changing lanes into an angry Asian girl in a small car. Don't do this. She will become a hater and put you on her bad karma list. Trust me, I know.

When I listen to the radio, there's always an accident, somewhere, sometime. 2 car crash. 3 car crash. Blocking the right shoulder. Blocking the left lane. Stop braking so suddenly or changing lanes into other people and maybe there won't be so many accidents! Gees!

I have to get up in 7 hours to face this terror, so end rant here.

Peeved

The Q Center is eerily quiet right now. There are no other groups training or meeting this week except us, so we have the entire facility to ourselves. I was in the gym all by myself today and Six Feet Under was on. Wow, what a bad show to watch when you're already feeling slightly creeped out that you're alone. I saw a man get severed by an elevator. I don't think it's a show that will grow on me.

Since we're the only group left at the Q Center, some people are complaining that the food quality has declined. Today someone sitting at my table looked disgustingly at their food and said it was so bad. Another person got an entire box of food, didn't feel like eating it, and got a salad instead. I'm honestly getting annoyed that people are saying these things. I admit, the food isn't as fancy and fun as it was the last few weeks, but honestly, I have not been this well fed in a while. There's more than enough variety and in my opinion, it's cooked A LOT better than other dining halls, even restaurants. I am happy as a clam with grilled steak, pork chops with sage and butter, spinach tortellini, garlic mashed potatoes, asparagus, roasted vegetables, saffron rice, French onion soup, minestrone, fresh salad bar, coconut shrimp, beef empanandas, baked chicken breast, ice cream, peach pie, and chocolate mousse bites. I'm totally channeling my parents when I say this, but there are so many people in the world who could never dream of having a meal like this in their lifetime. And the wastefulness. It's really disturbing. If you take a bite out of something and don't like it, you can just leave the whole thing there virtually uneaten. What a privilege that is. I've forgotten how wasteful people are when it comes to food. My family never wastes food. I grew up with that principle really, really ingrained in me. Food is a blessing. Having enough to eat is a blessing, which is why I really can't believe people are complaining. When people complain to me, I don't want to respond or say anything because I feel embarrassed that we are saying these things in front of the chefs and staff. And I don't agree anyway. I think that people are annoyed at me when I stare in a very obvious way at their plate of half-eaten abandoned food, but I don't care. You deserve to be judged if you're a food waster.

Chocolate Rage and Pimple Garden

New Year's.
Killer hike.
Road trip to Norcal.
RIGHT BEFORE MY FIRST DAY OF WORK.
Just some of the events where my best friend decided to drop in and say hello. Why do you do this? You made me make a rage meme just so I could dilute my frustration at you.

Pissing Me Off

Correcting my brother's Chinese homework makes me want to just rip it up in front of his face. How is he ever going to get into college with a work ethic like this? He doesn't even read the sentences or directions. He needs to get a job and then get fired from it so he can see what a shitty work ethic he has. What pisses me off even more is that this crap work he's giving me is not because he doesn't get it, but because he's lazy. At least if he doesn't get it I can fix that. HOW CAN SOMEONE BE SO EFFING LAZY? Inexcusable. Pathetic. Insulting. To me! I can't believe he would give me this crap to correct. I should just give it back to him and tell him it's not worth my time.

When I see him I'm going to let him have it...

Why I Get Palpitations When I Drive in the 626

Have you seen her?



Have you seen him?




If you have, chances are you have been in the 626--what some Angelenos would informally refer to as the Asian-populated bloc of cities east of Los Angeles proper. It's close to where I grew up. Well, hopefully you don't drive around that area often, because it's enough to turn even the most patient competent driver into a ball of rage. I don't consider myself overly angry on the road, but driving around this area just seems to bring out a completely different side of me. I understand where the stereotype about Asians being bad drivers comes from. And of course I know the fault with all stereotypes is that they do not apply to many of the people they target. Well, don't be all huffy about it until you've had a trial run down Valley Blvd. Then we can reevaluate. And I'm not saying ALL Asians are bad drivers. It's a pretty select demography within the general population--typically the middle-aged, Darth Vader-visor donning (if it's a lady), Toyota/Mercedes-touting Asian that could very well be your mom or my dad. (Actually both my parents probably fall into this group, God bless them). Because of this frustration, I have to succinctly delineate in a blog post why driving in the 626 drives me up the wall. And I am probably not alone.

1. Driving at speeds turtles can probably beat
I will be driving behind said Asian driver where the speed limit is 35, but the perpetrator is going at 20. When I become exasperated and change lanes, I pass them to see a 10-car wide space between them and the car in front. Why must you go so slow?? No wonder there are always traffic jams during the day on weekends and it takes 15 minutes when the real time to get from Point A to Point B is 5 minutes. And when it comes time to make a right turn, they have to start braking about 1000 feet in advance in order to make a turn that is painfully slow.

2. Excessive braking
I hate it when people brake for no apparent reason. I not only feel bad for myself and the cars behind me which now have gotten caught up in the chain effect of having to brake, but I feel bad for the perpetrator's car as well. All that braking must really wear down the pads. Asian drivers seem to do this quite well. Traffic is smooth, there's a green light, and then...BRAKE! Few minutes later...BRAKE! Again! Wtf man. You don't NEED to worry about hitting the car in front of you when they're like a block away and traffic is flowing.

3. Stopping in the middle of the road/lane/parking lot without probable cause
Err. This one really annoys me. Go right. Go left. Go straight. Do not, for goodness sake, STOP in the middle of the road and become confused. Pull over if you are lost. Do not risk a traffic accident by stopping without signal. Do not stop in the middle of the parking lot trying to decide where to go. When a lane is coned off for construction purposes, do not stop in the lane next to it trying to get in. It will not happen!

4. Inconsiderate parking



What is this? Why do I see it so much in parking lots driving in the 626? When did marked spaces not mean anything anymore? This especially makes me want to have an aneurysm when it is the only open space left in the entire parking lot. And I can't park in it. Because someone decided to invade the space next to them.

I rarely experience this anywhere else I drive in LA. Sure, there are traffic jams--LA is one of the top dogs when it comes to ugly traffic--but that's because it's a legitimate jam. Too many cars, too many drivers. The traffic jams in the 626 are a whole different monster. They're totally preventable! Sure, there is a lack of parking. But that's because there is just more demand than supply. Not the case here.

I feel a lot better venting. Driving in the 626 will probably shorten my life span in the long run, but at least the awesome food there is worth the sacrifice.

What is the Burning Question?

Mental impasse. Analyze, don't describe, is the mantra. I seem to be failing at it. I have amassed a ton of information and data, but have hit a brick wall in terms of formulating a puzzle out of it. I feel like Dennis in Run Fat Boy Run, when he hits the mental wall.


Yet another reason why I am not qualified, at this point, to have the three little P, h, D, letters trailing after my name.

Oh, inspiration, come to me in a dream! I need to breathe you in, soak you in, absorb all your enigmatic goodness.

I Don't Like This

There are almost no classes for me to take next semester. In addition USC has canceled my school account because records have indicated I've graduated. What is this blasphemy?

Ughhhhhhh

Living at home so far, is proving to be a NOT pleasant experience.

Self Pity is Despicable

I'm going to be single forever. I just know it. Maybe I should get a dog.

Shut up, You don't know what you're talking about.

I hate arguing with ignorant people. GOD. It is pointless to argue with someone, with absolutely no personal experience, who is perfectly content to apply nonsensical and questionable generalizations to people whom they do not know, and moreover, have never even met. Is that fair? Is it? Would you like to be judged by someone who doesn't know you, but thinks they do due to a set of observations that while may be true for some people in your demographic category, is not applicable to you?

Yeah, I didn't think so. Screw talking to walls.

Forecast: Blue

FTW. It's so hard to keep living like this.