Road Rage

*bad language warning*

The other night I was leaving work and was in a good mood (springtime, still light out, had accomplished a few things, had a busy week/weekend coming up). There was a black VW, a Jetta or something, that was driving right up my ass, as people have been tending to do ever since the snow melted. No problem, whatever, just don't look in your rear view mirror. But then I came up to the blinking yellow lights at the intersection of the company driveway and the main road, and there was a truck and another car coming up on my left, and although I had kind of moved to go for a fraction of a second, I stopped to wait for them.

And this asshole in the VW actually beeped at me.

I got really rattled by it. I mean, that used to happen all the time in Sydney. Cab drivers in particular. I remember one drive from Surry Hills down to the airport when at every single green light I got a honk behind me because I wasn't taking off fast enough for their liking.

Back then, when it happened all the time, I could rise above, I could be zen, I could let them do whatever and just drive my own game and not worry about it.

But here in Apple Town, thank you, people don't behave that way to other drivers! In fact I've actively noticed that sometimes when I'm the first one stopped at a light and I get an arrow, or it's still red but no cars for miles in any oncoming direction so I could turn right on red, people still wait patiently and don't make any noise. "I'm sure she must be busy, and will get to turning as soon as she's able," they seem to be thinking, from behind me. I remember really appreciating this when I first moved here.

But now maybe I've got used to it. Because this fucker in the VW, I was shaking with rage and plotting revenge fantasies. Put a note on his car saying "Stop driving too close you fucking prick". Park him in. Come up behind his sorry ass right now and ram him, run him off the road. Of course, if I did any of those things I would find myself in a meeting with him the next day, or assigned to his team and he'd be my new boss or something. I should have risen above, you should never sink down to their level or let them get to you, I should have remembered my lessons from the Sydney taxi drivers and the stressed-out businessmen on the F3. But no, instead I flipped him off.

Just not used to getting auditory commentary on my driving choices, any more.