On the drive to work, it wasn’t as great.  I remember having “woe is me”-type thoughts when I noticed some extra sad song coming from my iPod.  To be clear any song about being in love or losing love are now classified as sad.  I thought “Why am I listening to this sad a$$ song?” and hit the forward button.  The next thing I see is brake lights – the kind that are right in your face because traffic has literally stopped.  I don’t remember how fast I was going but I will say that average speed on the beltway is 75 mph.  I slammed on brakes too watching the cars in front of me veer left into the shoulder.  I needed to see what was going on before I veered left too because I didn’t want to hit those cars in front of me.  Then I saw it.  There was a guy in an old Oldsmobile going diagonally across the lanes in the WRONG direction parting traffic.  We were close enough to each other that I could see that the guy was screaming.  I don’t know what had happened that caused him to be going in the wrong direction on the beltway but I do know that had any of us hit him there would have been a terrible multiple car accident.  At the speeds we were going, I’m not sure how many of us would have survived it.

For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to hold back that first tear (in public anyway) while I watched a “relationship” I wanted deteriorate.  I wondered how I was going to get through this, how I was going to “survive”.  At this moment though, all of that was put into perspective.  Obviously, my life was not over.  God isn’t done with me yet.  There are so many things left to see and do.

My outlook was almost instantly changed.  I am still hurt and disappointed.  I still miss him.  But it’s not that serious.  This is but a minor setback in the grand scheme that is my life.  The pity party is over.  Thanks to all who came though.

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• January 21, 2012 -- Dating With Friends
• November 13, 2011 -- Dating in the 21st Century?
• May 7, 2011 -- Love on the Open Road … or The Opposite of Road Rage
• October 29, 2010 -- Road Rage
• October 27, 2010 -- Conversation With a Snooper/Stalker

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• February 3, 2012 -- And Just Like That, Perspective
• October 29, 2010 -- Road Rage
• May 31, 2008 -- I’m in Northern Virginia Magazine
• April 4, 2007 -- I Hate Brake Lights: 9 Braking Offenses

• <rant> I am so friggin tired of the beltway. These people seem to have no depth perception what so ever. 10/28/2010 20:20
• Did you not see me coming up fast in the left lane when you decided to lackadaisically get in front of me? 10/28/2010 20:21
• What are you going – 50? The speed limit is 55 and depends on who you ask the average speed on the beltway is 75. 10/28/2010 20:22
• Your response to my headlights on your bumper is to speed up to 65 or 70 then slow back down to 50 when I catch back up to you. 10/28/2010 20:23
• When I get an opening and attempt to pass, you speed up again. What exactly is your malfunction? 10/28/2010 20:24
• Then it turns out you shouldn’t have been in the left lane after all because you’re now trying to get over to the right to take an exit. 10/28/2010 20:25
• I hope you miss it. Screw you and the horse …err car.. you rode in on. </rant> 10/28/2010 20:28
• No drivers were harmed in the typing of this rant. And I’m typing this from home. 10/28/2010 20:29
• I am so over driving… 10/28/2010 20:34

Possibly Related Posts:

• April 4, 2007 -- I Hate Brake Lights: 9 Braking Offenses
• February 3, 2012 -- And Just Like That, Perspective
• May 7, 2011 -- Love on the Open Road … or The Opposite of Road Rage
• September 9, 2008 -- In Traffic: Pay Attention
• May 31, 2008 -- I’m in Northern Virginia Magazine

Download MP3

Possibly Related Posts:

• February 3, 2012 -- And Just Like That, Perspective
• October 29, 2010 -- Road Rage
• April 4, 2007 -- I Hate Brake Lights: 9 Braking Offenses
• August 16, 2006 -- The Internet, The Ultimate Rubbernecking Tool

If you pick up the June issue of Northern Virginia Magazine you will find me. I’m on page 24 as the Commuter of the Month.

This came about because column writer Jan Linley found my blog post (I Hate Brake Lights: 9 Braking Offenses) and agreed with my rant about brake lights. I talked with her for a while about my commuting habits. At the time, I didn’t know that she would mention my videoblog at all. As a matter of fact, I released the specific video that she mentions, Tow-tally Screwed, after we had already talked earlier this year. When the photographer came out last month, I knew that my videos would be mentioned as I was told to bring my camera. There you have it.

I do wonder though if some of the scores of other photos taken were better than this one. At any rate, I guess I’ll just take my 10 seconds of regional fame.

Possibly Related Posts:

• May 7, 2011 -- Love on the Open Road … or The Opposite of Road Rage
• October 29, 2010 -- Road Rage
• April 4, 2007 -- I Hate Brake Lights: 9 Braking Offenses

It wasn’t too long ago that I was complaining that filling up would cost $50. Now it’s almost $60. It was only a couple years ago that I was paying $45/month for gas. I did have a 12 gallon tank then though.
Mobile post sent by KenyaOA using Utterz. Replies.

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• July 10, 2008 -- Not Just Consumers Struggling With Gas Prices
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Suburbanites, like me seem to be bearing the brunt of the fare increases. While the fares were increased by only a few cents for folks living and working in the District, my total fare is now more than $15 per day to park at the Vienna Metro Station and make a roundtrip to McPherson Square. Incidentally, it cost exactly $15 to get valet parking at my office building in downtown DC.

Here’s the breakdown:

There is a shuttle bus that runs pass where I live that goes to the Vienna Metro station. I could catch this bus but my work schedule is not predictable enough for that bus to work for me. If I leave work too late I will have missed this shuttle all together and have to take a taxi home from the Metro station. I did this twice last week while my car was out of commission.

If I have to get to work at a certain time, I can see why I would want to catch Metro as there is no other way to get downtown from the suburbs by 8 or 9 a.m. on a weekday. But if I don’t, I’m having a hard time justifying it. If I wait a little while, I can drive to work with a lot less traffic for relatively the same price. And I don’t have to endure the overcrowed Metro cars with weird people standing too close or trains that break down on the very instance that I absolutely have to be somewhere.

Of course, the price of gas is a factor that I have not addressed. It undoubtly came into play in Metro’s decision to raise prices. Even with that, however, it would seem that commuters would still look to ways to get to work other than using Metro. (Car pooling seems like a viable option. Maybe I-66 will get SLUG lines like I-95/395.)

At any rate, I’m looking for motivation to use Metro any more than I have to.

Tags: wmata metro raise fares public transportation

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• March 28, 2007 -- Metro Parking Squatters
• June 20, 2006 -- Two Less Cars on Orange Line Trains
• June 13, 2006 -- No Parking No Where
• June 4, 2006 -- Metro is Accessible (to everyone)
• February 12, 2008 -- Voted

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Click To Play

Rules: 60 seconds max. Fixed camera. No audio. No zoom. No edit. No effects.

Browse other Lumiere’s at videoblogging.info/lumiere

Tags: lumiere lumierevideo metro wmata

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• September 3, 2007 -- Lumiere 5: Potomac River
• August 19, 2007 -- Lumiere 3: Dessert
• August 19, 2007 -- Lumiere 2: Restaurant
• February 12, 2008 -- Voted
• January 26, 2008 -- Looking for Motivation to Use Metro

Click To Play

This whole ordeal occurred in more than an hour’s time. Obviously, I was too involved in the situation to capture the entire event. Crazy.

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