Okay so maybe this isn’t the best time to be writing this…and I really don’t want the journal postings to become “rants”. But I just got home from school, and my day wasn’t bad……the normal Culinary school stuff……took three breaks, talked to some friends, doodled a lot in my notebook……not a great day…but not a bad one either. It was the drive home that is disturbing me……My mind races with one question…I hear it over and over…louder and louder. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?” I’m sorry but you spend any amount of time in rush hour traffic on I-95 and you’ll soon find yourself hearing the very same question in your mind. I mean surely it is our control as human beings not to be the way we are…….but we still go about our lives not even realizing how really ridiculous we are. There are always slow downs along I-95 some days worse than others. Usually all the fender benders are caused for the same reason. Some moron isn’t paying attention and does something stupid and there is a wreck. That sets off a whole chain reaction of wrecks because everyone has to slow down to look at what happened….. Not to let in emergency vehicles, not to stop to offer a hand…to look…..To see if there are any brains hanging out……mangled bodies…or people crying. These people want to see the gruesome details and will cause another wreck just to do it………..Tonight there was a man in a new Mercedes, had that cooperate look to him….was on the phone….weaving around….listening to his music…..going too slow…..going too fast….basically being a hazard to everyone around him because he was in his own little perfect world inside the tinted windows of his favorite little toy that he really can’t afford…”but what the heck…you’re only 35 ½ once.” So we come up on a wreck on the other side of the divided high way….there are highway patrol cars an ambulance, and a tow truck…..All kinds of pretty flashing lights to get Richard’s attention. ( I don’t know his name but I do know that Richard is shortened to Dick, you figure it out.) This guy has weaved all the way over into my lane and is passing behind a semi as he turns completely around to see what’s going on….I didn’t really see what was going on, except I saw the cops knock this young black man face down in the dirt and put hand cuffs on him……now granted..this might be interesting to watch…but we’re supposed to be driving here! So this guy has to see what is happening next…no doubt he probably was checking to see if this was the kid he’s buying his cocaine from…mainly because the kid was black and this guy strikes me as the type that thinks…”they all look alike” So as he’s passing the semi he’s still trying to see what’s going on….he swerves right into the semi’s lane then over corrects and swerves back into the the far right lane…..cars are being pushed off the road…all the time I’m behind him keeping my distance because he hasn’t realized that the cars in front of him are almost at a stand still….He sees the pretty brake lights in front of him and slams on the breaks. Everyone around him is pissed off and honking…..fortunately he didn’t hit anyone….it was amazing that he didn’t. After all the traffic straightens out and we’re on our way again I get around him and look over…. He is actually picking his nose…..Mr. all important white collar worker….is picking his nose…..and driving 55 in a 70 mph lane. This is just an example of one of the close calls I had on the way home from school..there were others….there always are. I know I’ve run on about this…. But maybe someone out there can help me understand….I feel so frustrated, so angry when I see people behaving this way….why don’t they know better…and if they do know better…..why do they act this way. I know they say to “pick your battles” I know this is one I can’t win…..We all encounter “Richards” on the highway of life…I suppose the only way can counter act them is just try and make sure that we never become them….

Thanks………….