On why I always seem to get a severe headache while driving in the city of St. Louis....

What is this world coming to???
Times sure have changed. It seems that people no longer have even an ounce of patience anymore. With the holiday season in full force, tensions flaring and low tolerance levels are common. But even way before Thanksgiving and Christmas time, I noticed the selfishness and disrespect for other drivers on the road ways. For one thing, hardly anyone ever uses their blinkers anymore. I don't understand that. Blinkers were originally put on vehicles for safety purposes to indicate to other drivers the way in which you're going to turn. These are an essential part of driving safely folks! So, why do most people choose not to use them?

I've spoken several times about the people that I like to refer to as " Me First " drivers. They're still very much alive and well....lemme tell ya. What is up with these goof balls? I'm trying to figure out what exactly is going through their minds when they decide to dart out in front of you, only to miss getting rear ended by inches. Amazing.
And most times when drivers cut in front of others, they jump out in front of you and decide to do 20. THAT'S 20 MPH!! WTF is up with that??? I've been a little driving addict here lately spending a lot of time in transit daily and I guess it's just starting to get to me. The rough house driving isn't only city driving, it's also on the highway. Have any of you ever been entering a highway only to find that no one wants to let you on? The lane in which you're entering on is known as the acceleration lane, right? Let me know if I'm wrong here. So, you're accelerating in order to go with the flow of the traffic and of course you should never enter the highway going at the rate of speed of a turtle, UNLESS....... there happens to be a yield sign at the entrance ramp, right? Alright. So.... when you're exiting the highway, if you're in the lane that's closest to the entrance and exit ramps, you should be able to drive the speed limit or a little under in order to allow traffic to enter and for you to be able to exit safely. This lane is also known as the " deceleration " lane or the " slow " lane, right? So, why do some people turn into Mario Andretti or Shirley Muldowney in this lane? I notice some drivers tend to speed up trying to beat another driver entering the highway which, I can understand if you're already at a decent rate of speed. Sometimes it's harder to slow down than it is to speed up but, if the oncoming driver is already just about to enter before you have reached the ramp, why not just let him/her enter? Why must there always be a race? Does anyone ever stop and think about how dangerous it is to have little or no respect for other drivers? I'm not like that. Granted, I like to drive a little fast sometimes, even going above the speed limit at times, but I never disrespect other drivers. ( especially truck drivers)
I've seen some pretty dangerous moves by hurried drivers cutting in front of truck drivers. And if that isn't enough, they decide to slow down and just about stop completely sometimes. Do they not think about how hard it is for a truck driver to stop his rather large vehicle at the drop of a hat? Clearly, they do not.
I suppose I sound like a person with " Road Rage " and I'll be the first to admit that I do have some of the traits that would indicate my possessing this terrible behavior. I don't however follow through with the lewd and disrespectful behavior many drivers seem to have. I'm a bit of a temperamental driver at times, having a short amount of patience when other drivers are out there on the roads driving like complete idiots. But I don't ever provoke other drivers or even have any eye contact so as not to start any confrontations which can become quite dangerous not only to those who are arguing but to the on coming traffic and passers by as well. That just adds fuel to the fire. Normally, when I see someone out there on the road acting a fool, I just do my best to avoid them. --and the whole time, I'm wondering to myself, " Where the hell are the police now??"

Anyway, enough of my venting. lol

I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
And if you happen to be out driving during this holiday season, be safe and perhaps try a random act of kindness toward your fellow drivers in the true spirit of the season. Who knows, maybe your kindness will return to you 10 fold.....

Weather Conditions in St. Louis

Here's a link to the One hour radar loop .

Well, the weather here in St. Louis has finally changed for the worse. So far we've had a lot of heavy winds accompanied by sleet, freezing rain, and now snow. I've never been a big fan of wintery type conditions, not even as a child. I mean, I enjoyed playing out in the snow but after awhile I'd get cold and want to come inside to get warm. I enjoyed the view for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but the day after that, I'd always be wishing for spring.

Today is Friday, December 1st. and I'm scheduled to work at 6am. as usual. I'm heading out the door and as I slowly creep onto the slick stuff and close and lock the door behind me, I take a couple steps and.......well, let's just say that the ground is cold and hard and I now know this for sure because I slipped and fell on my side. lol Of course I did the normal looking around to see if any of my neighbors saw that little slapstick of comedy. ( even though it was still dark outside) - I normally leave the house around 5 am. but I still had to take that embarrassed peek around to see who may have caught a glimpse of my little mishap. After a bit of a struggle slip - sliding around while trying to get up, I finally was able to grab hold of the fence and pull myself up. With that, I turned toward the door, unlocked it and returned inside the house. I figured that was a sign to stay home and so....I DID! Later on today, I'll hopefully be able to make my way to the garage and get the shovel and salt to clear a path for tomorrow.

I HATE THIS WEATHER!! GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!