When you’re driving, and your lane ends (because of construction or a natural merge) do you get over into the new lane as soon as possible, or do you ride in your lane until you’re forced to merge?
Of course, this question was brought on by travel. We traveled through Rockford, IL, for Memorial Day weekend, and the highway merged to one lane because of construction.* It seems like in Chicago, when you have to merge, most people wait until they absolutely have to merge. If you don’t, you just end up sitting in the lane watching everyone pass you.
So, that’s is what we normally do – don’t merge until the lane ends.
But in Rockford, when we tried to do this, there was only one car in the lane in front of us, and we didn’t merge for another mile. And instead of driving to the front of the lane, the driver was a big pansy and just stayed next to the same car the whole time, then merged in front of it when the lane finally ended.
In Chicago, people would be honking at this car, but almost everyone was in the merge lane already… which weirded me out. It just made traffic all backed up. I think this is more common in small towns (even though Rockford isn’t that small).
*The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is really great and all, but it is affecting 50% or more of the roads we take with construction. It’s wasting so much time.
My neighbor and I are running a 5K together this Saturday at a forest preserve in Libertyville, a town about 12 miles from where we live. He wanted to run the course before the race, so we plan to run it tonight after we pick up our race registration packets.
All of those stupid details don’t matter. The point is, I woke up at 4:20 and left the house by 5:00 so I could drive to the Libertyville train station instead of my normal train station. Theoretically, I could hop off the train in the evening, pick up my packet and drive right to the forest preserve.
Only, I get to the Libertyville train station this morning and all of the parking spots in the main lot are permit only before 8:30 am with a $500 fine for offenders (WTF?!). I remembered there was another lot so I drove to it and saw that all of the pay slots for parking were boarded up, and a sign was put up telling commuters to drive to ANOTHER TRAIN STATION.
Are you fricking kidding me?! I actually called the police station to ask if there was anywhere I could park and they told me to go to the other train station, which would be back-tracking from where I came, and make me miss the train.
I was so pissed. I didn’t want to park at that other train station and miss my train AND have to back-track YET AGAIN in the evening to get back to Libertyville. I could have asked my neighbor to drive me there after our run, but I left my alternate running outfit (I took the one I plan to wear with me) and some running gear in my car and I wanted it with me and I DIDN’T want to carry it to work.
I just started driving, and called Steven, to bitch a little bit about it (what a great way to wake up, right?!), and asked him if he remembered how to get to the next train station, in Lake Forest. He was nice enough to get out of bed and look up the location for me on the computer. I got off the phone with him and sped my way there. Let me just say, I love my husband and I love my new car. I wouldn’t have made the train without his guidance and that V6. Lake Forest had permit parking AND regular parking (it was $3.00 though – I pay $1.50 at my station).
This really shouldn’t make me so angry, BUT IT DOES. I got up extra freaking early to save myself time in the evening, and all I got was STRESS. Now I have to deal with traffic tonight as I try to get back there.
And how was I supposed to know there was no non-resident parking? It doesn’t say it anywhere on their website! I guess I learned my lesson – do MORE than plan ahead. I thought I was pretty smart getting up early to drive to this station, but I guess what I REALLY need to do is start planning things like this a week in advance so I can call the parking contact and figure out where the HELL I am supposed to park.
Seems like Steven and I are developing an April trend here… buying a new* Infiniti.
Infiniti FX35
You may recall that I’ve been debating the pros and cons (half seriously) of buying a new car for some time now. I really wasn’t planning on buying one this month, but the Kimbot** started having some starter problems. It would start after awhile, but I made an appointment to have it checked out and told Steven, seriously, that if it cost more than $500 to fix the car, I was just going to buy a new one.
Well, every Tuesday, I have to get up extra early to make it to a reoccurring appointment at my office, so Steven and I don’t carpool. Last Tuesday, I was all ready to go, I got in the car, turned the key in the ignition… and nothing. I tried to be patient. I gave it time, and kept trying. The clock was ticking, and it was about 7 minutes until my train was going to leave, and my car wouldn’t start. I got so frustrated, and just laid my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes and started to cry a bit (I know, so lame). Then I saw the garage light come on. Steven was sleeping, and heard me trying to start the car, so he got out of bed, put some clothes on, and tried to help me. No luck. But he did drive me to the station. What a sweetie. He made my day that morning.
And that was when I decided I didn’t care so much about the $500 anymore. I didn’t want to put up with it. I loved the Kimbot when I lived at home, within a 100 mile radius of my mechanic father. But now? Sorry, I am too impatient to deal with it.
I decided it was time to buy my first “real” car. I decided I deserve it. That doesn’t mean I need it, I know that.
So Steven did all the research for me, because he loves to, and I don’t, and he was excited about getting another new car. This isn’t actually the model or make I was going to buy, but I won’t go into THAT story. It all comes down to salesmen playing games, and us deciding not to give in.
We only stopped at Infiniti because Steven wanted to talk to the service department. But I asked if we could go in to look at the SUVs. I’ve always loved these models, but didn’t think I could afford one. Guess I can. Mostly.
I love that it sounds just as beautiful as Steven’s Infiniti, and drives just as smoothly. It has more space and all wheel drive, but still looks curvy and aggressive – which is something I like. And we’ve had great experience with Infiniti so far, which makes me feel very comfortable.
So yay. I pick it up on Tuesday.
Steven has that “what did I get myself into?” look on his face!
We had some good times Olds, but now the FX35 is the new Kimbot!
P.S. The Olds was going to cost $1200 to fix (they found a few other problems).
*That would be new to me. I am too poor to afford this car brand new (and I HATE what they did to the ’09 model).
**Kimbot is the name of my car. I even have the vanity plates. Yep. Dork.
Steven was stuck with privileged with driving my car (aka, the “Kimbotmobile,” an ’88 Oldsmobile) the past two days. The Infiniti was in the shop because a pothole destroyed a tire and wheel.
This comic reminds me of a few of his comments:
“A lot more people cut me off when I’m driving your car!”
“Hey, your car is exactly 20 years older than mine!”
“Did you know your car breaks down if you go over 90 mph?”
Okay, he didn’t really say that last comment. It might break down though.
I would love to buy a new car. But I don’t need one. I drive my car 5 or 6 miles a day, 5 days a week. The most my car has been driven in a long time was this last weekend – and that is because the Infiniti had a donut on it, and we didn’t want to drive it all around time.
But still… I would love to buy a new car. Because people do treat you differently when you are driving a car that is so frickin’ old. I had noticed long before Steven brought it up.
Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been too busy to write a post about my Saturday driving (okay, riding) a Lamborghini Gallardo?
No? Yeah, I wouldn’t believe it either. I mean, who doesn’t have time to write about an amazing experience like that?
The truth is, I’ve been wallowing in self pity since I uploaded Saturday’s photos on my computer and realized that, even though I’ve lost 20 pounds, I still look like a giant blob. I’m eating healthy (I didn’t even gorge myself as planned last weekend!), and I’m making time to exercise… but I’m just disappointed in myself for getting this… big.
Oh well… on with the show…
Last weekend was a lot of fun. Andrew and Megan (Steven’s brother and his girlfriend) arrived in Chicago on Friday. I was really excited to spend some more time with Megan because they’ve been dating since the holidays but I’ve only met her once, and really wanted to get to know her better! Even though we got to hang out for a bit Friday night, I wish we would have had more time to chat.
The rest of the family (my parents, sister, brother and his wife, and Steven’s parents) arrived while we were picking up the Lamborghini in the Chicago Loop.
After we picked the car up (and had to fill it up with gas!!!), Steven and I drove it up Sheridan Road, along Lake Michigan… in the rich neighborhoods. Then, he stopped at our favorite bakery to pick me up a surprise birthday cake! We arrived at home, and nearly everyone was there, ready to “Ooo” and “Ahh” over the car. Even some neighbor that I’ve never seen before came to look at it.
(Wow, this is getting really “Dear Diary.”)
Steven gave everyone a ride (9 people!) while I stayed inside and “entertained.”
Then the two of us drove it back to the city. Or should I say, sat in it in traffic? Sadly, sitting in a Lamborghini Gallardo in the Edens sucks just as much as sitting in any other car. Except, in any other car, you don’t have all the staring, drooling, thumbs up, waving, and “camera-phoning.”
I think it is fair to say that everyone was pretty stoked to ride in it.
I liked it. It’s quick to take off (0-60 in 4 seconds, yes we tested), sleek and sexy, and fun to ride it. Exhilarating.
But… I’ve also ridden in a Ferrari F430. And the Gallardo isn’t as smooth, doesn’t sound as great from the inside, or feel as comfortable.
But it still kicks ass.
Listen to it purr under the Chicago highways…
How fast do you think we were going here?
We finished the day by going to my favorite restaurant, Red Robin, with the whole family.
This brings me to another point, or rather, question: do you have any family or friends that totally bring out the silly in you?
That seems to be my younger sister. I am not sure how we ended up sitting next to each other at dinner (what I mean is, Steven was on the other side of the table), and I feel sorry that Andrew and Megan had to sit across from us… because my sister ended up making me laugh so hard that I actually had to spit my food out into a napkin.
We get totally silly when we are together, and I love it. I wish she would hurry up and graduate and move out here already!
All of my family left Saturday evening, but Steven’s parents stayed until Sunday, so that was nice.
But I am still worn out from it all.
Check out even better photos of the car on Andrew’s blog! And leave some comment love!
What is the greatest distance you have ever driven in a single day? What do you do to keep yourself entertained while in the car, whether you’re the driver/passenger, alone/with someone?
The longest distance I have personally driven in one day is the 530 miles between Kansas City, MO and Round Lake, IL. I went to KC with a friend of mine for the beginning of Spring Break, then we drove all the way to Steven’s house, and her boyfriend picked her up there and took her to Indianapolis. I think I have traveled much further in a single day, maybe with my family on road trips, but never driven that far on my own.
When I’m driving alone, I keep myself entertained by singing along to the radio or cds. When I’m with someone, it’s usually Steven, so we talk almost the whole way there, whoever is driving. I like to do SuDoku and logic puzzles, and read books and magazines, but I never seem to be doing those things when I am the passenger (I like to sleep too, but I try not to!).
Side Note: I apologize for being so far behind in responding to comments here and reading other blogs. It’s been “one of those weeks”!
It perplexes me that any pedestrian in the Chicago Loop would run through the crosswalk when the “do not walk” sign is present – rather than wait 20 seconds for the “walk sign” to appear again.
Is the pedestrian in such a hurry to get to work that they would rather risk their life running in front of traffic than be late?
There are a lot of cars in the Loop during rush hour. I have a suspicion the car is most likely to win the race.
As if wasting time on your weekend to run errands isn’t annoying enough, you have to deal with navigating your car through parking lots as well. This is a very arbitrary thing to complain about, but it drives me and Steven nuts every weekend.
We do most of our food/supply/entertainment shopping at SuperTarget. It is only 7 miles away from our home, and it has just a big enough selection to keep us from shopping at the over-priced, “club member only” grocery stores. There is something nice about knowing exactly what you want, where it is in the store, and just going in to purchase it (of course, when they are out – of Ice Mountain water, Baker’s Inn Honey Whole Wheat bread, Prairie Farms low-fat cottage cheese – it drives us nuts. But that is an entirely different post).
But every weekend – and I try to avoid using absolutes (only a Sith deals in absolutes), but it applies here – we encounter the same issues. And it drives us nuts. Every time.
Why…
…Is the parking lot littered with carts, every weekend, nearly every day as well?
The carts are not in their corrals – they are in parking spots, propped up on the curb, in the grass… Steven has complained to the manager more than once, and they don’t seem to care. They told us to complain to corporate Target, which we did. Obviously, it’s a problem, when there are no carts in the store, and you have to bring one in from the parking lot if you want to use one!
My advice is a simple four-step process. 1. Push cart to car 2. Unload purchases into car. 3. DON’T BE A LAZY SMACK – PUSH CART TO CART CORRAL 4. Return to car, and drive on… which leads me to my next question…
…Do people drive through the parking lots with disregard for the designated “roads” and lane directions?
It is NOT OKAY to drive through parking spots, even if you are “in a hurry,” “trying to get the best spot,” or “an effing moron.” Please see the image below of something Steven and I actually witnessed, at the SuperTarget/Strip Mall complex (we are the blue line, the other driver is the red line).
…Do people feel the need to speed up, driving dangerously fast, just to get what they think is the “best” spot? And also… why sit and wait in the parking lane forever, for someone to leave their spot?
Don’t be a jerk, and wait more than thirty seconds, and clog up the whole lane. What difference does it make if you have to walk ten extra car lengths? Steven and I always park very far away from the store, even if it is raining. (We do this to avoid door dings – and yes, I always take the cart back to the corral from these “middle of nowhere” spots).
…Do people ignore stops signs and common pedestrian courtesy?
If you are in your car, and I am walking to the store, I have nothing to protect me if you hit. Except, maybe a shopping cart.
…Are some parking lots designed so poorly?
This has nothing to do with humans driving, just poor design that makes a parking lot confusing. I bet you’ve all experienced one and thought, “what the hell, where am I supposed to go now?”
Enough of that; this post has become entirely too long. Congratulations to anyone who made it this far. I just had to share a bit of our “every” weekend experience.
Hi! I'm Kim, a 34-year-old living in Chicagoland with my husband, Steven, and our cats, Khali, Apollo, and Starbuck. I work in the design industry (architecture), follow a vegan lifestyle, am addicted to running, and am an ACE certified personal trainer (working at Essential Fitness, LLC ("Efit"))! I write about a variety of topics, and consider this a "life" blog - a place I can share anything that's on my mind. Please visit the "About" page to get a better idea of who I am! :-)
Comments (16) 
It perplexes me that any pedestrian in the Chicago Loop would run through the crosswalk when the “do not walk” sign is present – rather than wait 20 seconds for the “walk sign” to appear again.
Themocracy