Just Because...: Central Florida Drivers Beware: The Rain Saga Edition...

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Central Florida Drivers Beware: The Rain Saga Edition...

Picture from this morning's I-4 parking lot, ahem, I mean commute in.

Listen, having lived up north and in the great blizzard state that is known as New Hampshire, (I know I know Meowmix, Live Free or Die!) and Massachusetts, I have some authority on what I'm about to say...

Central Florida Drivers - Listen Up... Rain is NOT SNOW! Not. Even. Close. Seriously, when it's raining, you don't have to drive all crazy like you are in the midst of a raging blizzard. Yes, it's slippery. Yes, it's wet. BUT IT'S NOT ICE AND ITS NOT SNOW! Its water that is NOT FROZEN.

Yesterday morning and then later that afternoon, it was raining (we got that other 20%), and all throughout the late night it was pouring, windy, etc. -a downright mess. It wasn't a tropical storm or hurricane, but stormy nonetheless. Sheets of rain, but still messy. So, this morning, I get up to the cat staring out the patio door window and hear Doc saying "45 min to an hour to get to downtown". :::sigh::: wonderful considering it's normally 15 min - 20. GRRRRRRRR. Whatever. I got coffee. I'm okay, right?

NOT!

On the drive in, I had a person from the far right lane on 436, I'm guessing WAY in back of me because she was NOT in my mirror, ZOOM across like she's in the Indy 500 to get to the far LEFT lane to turn onto the I-4 West ramp. She almost clipped my bumper and then had the nerve to cop an attitude. So, I should have given her the "Thumbs Up" ala Pink Shoe Diaries style, but I was too heated and laid on my horn. I'm sure that disrupted her phone conversation.

THEN, turning ONTO the I-4 Westbound ramp from Altamonte, a truck goes INTO MY LANE, WITH ME IN THE LANE. Again, my poor bumper almost saw stars. Again, I didn't think to use the "Thumbs Up" theory; again with the horn. Thankfully I did because he looked startled. DOH - Pay attention.

THEN, I get onto the highway and the same startled truck driver and his big truck zoom over as I'm merging into the SAME LANE lane, again, my poor bumper almost really got whapped, but thankfully he started to GET A CLUE. Whatever. Note, he did not use a blinker, nada. Me, of course I did (well I remembered - I get brownie points, right?)

Tootling on the parking lot, I mean I-4 highway, it was a stop/go/stop/go/stop/move quickly at 5 mph/go/go/STOP/etc pace and this was constant. Brake lights were everywhere and normally that clears up pass the Maitland exit. Not today. This time it was all the way to Downtown with the amount of cars seeming to lighten up.

Then there were a number of people/cars that acted like the lines on the highway were either covered (with rain) or they couldn't see them - cars were swerving everywhere, in and out of lanes, crossing lines. Listen, those white lines on the road are not "optional" people - they are MANDATORY. Seriously - how the hell did y'all Floridian natives get your daggone licenses as children? Did they say "Well honey, you should pay attention to those lines, but if you don't, that's okay". With the rain falling, people were in panic mode. I saw a 3 car pile up on the left; cars broken down on the right; fender benders here and there and because of rain? It's not like it was torrential downpours. That I can understand. No, this had rain, somewhat steadily falling but my wipers weren't at full blast, my personal signal to watch my step. No, it was raining, but people acted like it was 4 feet of snow and black ice everywhere.

I vote for every native Floridian to get themselves up north this winter at some point and DRIVE IN THE SNOW. Or perhaps God will hear my pleas and send us a day or two of snow. Hey - if up north can possibly get a hurricane, I think Florida should get a couple flurries. Floridians might come to terms with the fact that rain isn't all that bad.

Labels: Orlando, Radio, Random Mess

Posted by Lys :: 6:35 PM :: 4 comments

This Page

Just Because...

Tuesday, October 02, 2007