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Unusual driving tonight.
Aug. 11th, 2010 10:38 pmTonight I was invited to the offices of a company that I used to do a lot of work for, and still do occasional gigs for, for a social they were throwing for all their freelancers. There office is on the way to where I was going anyway, so I drove a slightly unusual route between work and my eventual arrival home. Nothing happened to me, but I saw a couple of things I had never seen before.
First, down the road from work, I see a broken down car on the side of the road. No biggie, I think, and when I get a little closer, I see that it is a front wheel drive car, and the front wheel is now perpendicular to the direction that it normally sits. There was also a kind of interesting skid pattern from that tire from the middle of the travel lane across to the side of the road where the driver brought it to a safe halt. Sort of interesting, I think to myself, but that's about it. Fuck-it, drive on.
I go to the company shindig. Have some pizza and beverage, socialize with folks that I hadn't seen in a while, tell a few stories and then head on out to go to nesfa. Driving from there to nesfa, I'm driving behind a guy on a bicycle, who is kind of weaving around the road as I'm following. I get a little closer, and I see that he has one hand on the handlebars steering, and also holding a brown glass bottle of beverage. There are also a pair of filled grocery bags hanging from the handlebars. His other hand is holding something up to his ear. I carefully get a little closer and look. Yup, he's talking on a cellphone. At this point, I ease back, and just wait until there is a long empty gap in the oncoming traffic. Eventually I pass him and go on my way. Sitting at the next intersection is a police car. I wonder if they cop will see this Darwin award contestant, and what charges he could be hit with. Fuck-it Drive on.
Leaving nesfa, I'm heading home. Up ahead, traffic congestion, and flashing red and blue lights. Ehhh... I'm not in a hurry, and eventually I get past. It's another car broken down in the middle of the road, with it's front wheel perpendicular to it's normal orientation. obviously some major suspension failure leaving the wheel jammed up sideways into the wheelwell. Again, no evidence of collision damage, just the wheel fell off while they were driving.
I've seen car wheels bent in some unusual angles, but in all of those cases until tonight, this was the result of high energy collisions, not from mechanical failure while driving. And next week, I'm driving up to maine. I think I'm gonna bring my car to my mechanic to have him look the suspension over. Not that I have any reason to think I have a problem, but I know that bastard murphy is out there waiting for someone to come to his attention. I'm not saying I believe in omens, but juuuust in case, I'll see my mechanic.
First, down the road from work, I see a broken down car on the side of the road. No biggie, I think, and when I get a little closer, I see that it is a front wheel drive car, and the front wheel is now perpendicular to the direction that it normally sits. There was also a kind of interesting skid pattern from that tire from the middle of the travel lane across to the side of the road where the driver brought it to a safe halt. Sort of interesting, I think to myself, but that's about it. Fuck-it, drive on.
I go to the company shindig. Have some pizza and beverage, socialize with folks that I hadn't seen in a while, tell a few stories and then head on out to go to nesfa. Driving from there to nesfa, I'm driving behind a guy on a bicycle, who is kind of weaving around the road as I'm following. I get a little closer, and I see that he has one hand on the handlebars steering, and also holding a brown glass bottle of beverage. There are also a pair of filled grocery bags hanging from the handlebars. His other hand is holding something up to his ear. I carefully get a little closer and look. Yup, he's talking on a cellphone. At this point, I ease back, and just wait until there is a long empty gap in the oncoming traffic. Eventually I pass him and go on my way. Sitting at the next intersection is a police car. I wonder if they cop will see this Darwin award contestant, and what charges he could be hit with. Fuck-it Drive on.
Leaving nesfa, I'm heading home. Up ahead, traffic congestion, and flashing red and blue lights. Ehhh... I'm not in a hurry, and eventually I get past. It's another car broken down in the middle of the road, with it's front wheel perpendicular to it's normal orientation. obviously some major suspension failure leaving the wheel jammed up sideways into the wheelwell. Again, no evidence of collision damage, just the wheel fell off while they were driving.
I've seen car wheels bent in some unusual angles, but in all of those cases until tonight, this was the result of high energy collisions, not from mechanical failure while driving. And next week, I'm driving up to maine. I think I'm gonna bring my car to my mechanic to have him look the suspension over. Not that I have any reason to think I have a problem, but I know that bastard murphy is out there waiting for someone to come to his attention. I'm not saying I believe in omens, but juuuust in case, I'll see my mechanic.
