7 Circles of Hell on the Road

  I haven't left the house today, but I thought today would be a good time to go over some driving etiquette. I did try to outline these in order of importance, or rather, in order of absolute worst to really bad but not as bad as the previous one, but they're pretty much all terrible. They all are just as frustrating as all the others.
    Horrible Driver Type #1: Subaru drivers. Now, if you have a Subaru, I hope none of the following applies to you. If it does, stop doing some of this and maybe you'll set a good example for the others. Also, it's possible this rule only applies to drivers in Colorado or drivers here from California. In any case, Subaru drivers in my experience are the worst drivers for the following reasons. Subaru drivers almost never use their turn signals. They have a nasty habit of cutting people off, especially on highways. They drive way over the speed limit. And while these things are all dangerous and discourteous things to do in a car, worst of all, they ignore weather conditions entirely. All Wheel Drive does not make you invincible. If it's raining or snowing or icy, your car can just as easily go into a ditch or off the side of a mountain if you're not driving safely based on the road conditions.
    Horrible Driver Type #2: People who don't use turn signals. I don't care what you're doing, if you're supposed to use a turn signal, use it! Even if you're in a turn-only lane, and especially if you're in a lane that can go straight or turn, use the turn signal. There is nothing I hate more than someone who doesn't use their turn signal. Changing lanes? Signal first! And NOT while you're already cutting me off! You know what turn signals do? They help the other drivers around you know what you're thinking. Considering we can't hear each other and we're operating heavy machinery, simple mechanisms like the turn signal were invented so that the other drivers can better understand your intentions and act accordingly. You use your turn signal properly and aren't impatient and obnoxious about trying to merge into my lane, I will let you in.
    Horrible Driver Type #3: People who run red lights.This one is particularly upsetting when you're running late for something. And it seems like every time it happens, it's worse than the last time. Instead of one guy running his red light, and by consequence, through your green light, it's two guys, then three, then four! It's one thing for the really huge truck to run the light. He can't always help it if it's a short light. But why is saving your minute sitting at that red turn arrow more important than my ten seconds waiting for you to clear the intersection with my green light? Sure, a minute is longer than ten seconds, but is it really worth the risk of running that red light to possibly cause an accident that's going to delay you an hour, or more? Some people just step on the gas when the light turns green, whether someone's in the intersection or not. Not everyone is paying attention and not everyone is always going to slow down or wait for you to get out of their way. It's not just rude, it's dangerous, and illegal. Maybe nobody hit you today, but maybe the state trooper is waiting on the other side of the intersection to bust you for running the light. Which is more valuable, that 1 minute, or that 75 bucks?
    Horrible Driver Type #4: People who don't go the speed limit. This annoyance is twofold. There are the showoffs who like to drive way over the speed limit--aka pretty much anyone on I-25, and there are the slowpokes who think they need to go 10 to 15 miles under the speed limit. If you go too fast--you get busted, that's your problem, but don't weave in and out of traffic, and don't get bitchy if you get behind someone who isn't going 90. Use your turn signal, don't cut someone else off when you merge into the other lane, and go around them. If you're on a residential or city street and not the highway, don't speed period, but especially not in areas with high pedestrian traffic or school zones. Way uncool. Part two, if you can't see over the wheel, can't reach the pedals, aren't paying attention to the speed limit, are really intoxicated or stoned, or are trying to transport sensitive materials, and you feel this gives you the right to go 35 in a 50 MPH zone, you're wrong. If you need to go that slow, get off the highway. If you're driving while under the influence, you really shouldn't be driving anyway. You go slow, you'll get run over on I-25, but just because you're on a smaller highway doesn't make it ok to go that slow when the speed limit is that much higher. You can get a ticket for going too slow, remember that.
    Horrible Driver Type #5: Cell Phone Users. There's a reason this one is not number 1 on the list. It's because a lot of times, the reason people are doing the things mentioned above is because they're on a cell phone. I'm not going to harp on this one too much because everyone is going to talk on the phone anyway while they're driving because they think they do it safely. If you can use your turn signal, go the speed limit, not cut people off, and obey all the traffic laws, all while using a cell phone, without getting honked at or pulled over, then good for you. I use a headset or make it a very brief call, and I always wait until I'm at a stop light to dial the number. That said, don't text and drive. Just don't. Because of the keyboard thing now, you pretty much have to look at your phone to text, and looking at your phone while driving means you're not looking at the road. Don't kill someone with your car just because you had to LOL at that joke or tell someone you'll be there soon. You'll be there sooner if you don't die.
    Horrible Driver Type #6: People who cut you off. If you don't use your turn signal and you merge into my lane within 3 car lengths or fewer, I consider it cutting me off. And, I'm still going to think you're an asshole for not using your turn signal. I don't experience this one as often, putting it further down the list, but in high traffic and rush hour, this one goes through the roof. People can't stand that everyone else is moving and they're not, so they nose their way into another lane without due procedure. Number 1, USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL if you want to come over. Number 2, don't merge if you don't have room to do it so that the other person has to let you in. That's just a shitty thing to do. Number 3, if you don't have room to merge, but you do need to get over, use your turn signal and watch for someone to wave you over. They might. It happens. If you're nice about it, some people will let you in. On another note, once you've been waved at, wave back so they know you appreciate it.
    Horrible Driver Type #7: People who don't drive with regard for the road conditions. This doesn't happen every day either, but it's worth mentioning. Rain, snow, ice, gravel, grooved pavement, construction--there are plenty of things that can make road conditions more difficult to drive on. All wheel drive is not meant to make you drive like the road conditions are normal. It's meant to help your car regain its stability in unstable road conditions. It's raining cats and dogs? Go slower, AWD or not. Also, having AWD with all-season tires doesn't make that much difference from driving a 2 wheel drive car with snow tires in snow. Know your abilities as a driver, and know your car's abilities so when driving in unsafe road conditions, you can still drive safely.
    I'm aware that most of these were covered in #1, but I thought they all deserved a little more details, for those who do these things and don't drive Subarus. I'm not outlining all these things to complain for complaint's sake. These are not only dangerous things to do while operating a couple thousand pounds of machinery around many others who are doing the same, they are also just mean and inconsiderate. Maybe you never meet or talk to the people in the cars around you as you commute, but that doesn't mean they are not important or that you shouldn't give a shit about them. They are and you should. As fellow human beings, do your fellow drivers a favor and use your damn turn signal. We could all do each other a favor and try to be nicer driving around each other.
   You know what? I forgot to mention the inconsiderate bicyclists and pedestrians, but I guess they're not drivers, technically. In any case, know the rules of the road--bikes are vehicles and have to obey stop signs, stop lights and traffic signals just like cars do. And pedestrians, right of way or not, should be aware that not every driver is paying attention and could run them over if they're not careful. I think that's all. For now.

Life in the fast lane will surely make you lose your mind.

LONG Day In Denver

  Today I attended (not by choice) a conference for administrative assistants at a Holiday Inn in Denver. It was the nicest Holiday Inn I've ever been in, that's for sure. It was supposed to help me be a better assistant and learn some more tools and skills I can apply to my job. It wasn't a total bust, I'll admit, though I had a less than sunny outlook on the whole thing at first. These workshop things where you're supposed to meet people and do workbook exercises and teambuild is absolutely not helpful to me more often than not because that's not how I learn. Plus, I don't really like the idea of meeting strange people who I'm supposed to befriend for a day and then never see again. (I'm trying something new where I have to say positive stuff if I'm going to say negative stuff. Something about a silver lining or whatever. Bear with me.)
    Again, the conference had its moments. The speaker I sat in with for the majority of the day (there was another one whom I wish I had sat in on her discussions more) was extremely bubbly and chatty. She had some helpful points, but she didn't really give as many examples of how to put those ideas into action. The other speaker had better real-life examples and her analogies made more sense to me--again, making me wish I'd sat in on her discussions (there were 5 from each speaker throughout the day) more than I did. But some of what they said was interesting--learning about how to communicate better with different personality types; how to solve problems in the workplace in a creative way, etc.
    However, it seemed very focused toward the corporate world, which doesn't really apply to me since I work at such a small company, and other times, it seemed focused toward a more traditional office environment, which mine most definitely is not. Technology seemed to get ignored completely, which was yet another downer because, um, that's kind of a big thing where I work--web design company and all. The speaker asked for suggestions or examples of how we communicate in our offices, and I said we use Skype to Instant Message each other, which we do. It's not awesome, but it's quite useful some of the time. The speaker seemed to write it off, saying IMs could get annoying because they flash at you when they come in before you look at them, and that can distract you from whatever other work you're doing. True, but that doesn't mean it's not faster and easier than email for short messages or questions, and much faster and easier than getting up and asking people something (depending on the complexity of the question).
    All in all, I felt like it was a little too old school for me. There were a few younger women there, but most were between about 30 and 60, so there was a lot of stuff about writing stuff down, rather than using some sort of electronic system for organization. I'm like, we don't have files. EVERYTHING is on my computer. The only stuff that is on paper is stuff I've printed out so I don't have to keep tracking down that one email or that one document for a particular current project I'm working on. But those get shredded or tossed pretty quickly--they don't get filed away somewhere, never to be seen again. (Of course, it's a lot easier to bitch about the things I didn't like about it and what I didn't find relevant than to explain what I did like and did find to be relevant, which is why I'm doing it.)
    I learned some good suggestions on how to approach communication with both my bosses and my coworkers, so that was helpful. Also, learned how to approach problems and how to come up with solutions first before going to the boss, if possible. I didn't learn too much about organization because I'm a little too set in my ways on how I keep on my tasks (basically I write them down on paper/sticky note/Outlook calendar in several places, several times, so the repetition gets the task stuck in my brain and much harder to be missed or forgotten) but I did think of something I maybe could implement as far as task management goes at work. I don't know if it'll be useful, as many of our spreadsheets and files tend to get used once and then forgotten about. We have a problem at my job of implementing a system, and then not actually sticking to it and utilizing it fully. It kind of falls to the wayside sooner or later.
    Aside from sitting in a really uncomfortable chair for the better part of 6 hours, which is longer than I sit at my desk at work because I'm constantly getting up and asking questions, getting feedback, checking on my coworkers and their tasks, etc., it wasn't as awful a day as I had imagined. I did remember about three things that need to be done at work, which probably aren't done, and won't be done by the end of tomorrow, but they're all things for other people to do, so maybe I won't take the heat for not getting them done...
    Somewhat off topic, for those non-Coloradans who have no idea what Denver is like, don't drive here. Get someone else to drive you. Getting to the hotel this morning was easy, relatively traffic-free. Getting home was another story, even though we ended about 15 or 20 minutes early. Rush hour starts at like 2pm so you're pretty much screwed no matter what. Then, after two or three weeks of 80-90+ degree weather, got POURED ON the entire way back too. I waited for the storm to clear in Denver and then as soon as I headed out, it was just dumping rain the entire drive back. Hydroplaning was imminent, but I survived this time. (Sidenote: You know you live in Colorado when: you get rained on across the entire drive along the Front Range. But this only happens like once a year so it's manageable in the grand scheme of things.)
   Overall, the conference would have been better if the whole thing had been more focused on one thing like project management or communicating with your bosses and coworkers rather than trying to squeeze it all in over the course of a day. Everything got skimmed over a lot, and there could have been more examples, more in-depth coverage of topics if it had not been so broad.
   One last little complaint: I had to bring my own lunch. WTF. Cold, leftover Chipotle for lunch at an all-day conference where you have to pay $200 to get in kind of sucks.

I guess there's no such thing as a free lunch. Except I had one yesterday. 

So, WTF again.

Vitamin D Deficiency

It has been ugly and cloudy and gray for more than a week now, and steadily gray and rainy for several days. It is damned depressing. It's dampening everyone's mood and morale. And it's causing drowsiness. This is in a place where we generally get over 300 days of sunshine in a year. (Granted that number includes days where the sun was only out for part of the day, but nonetheless.)
    It's the first week of full-time work, and the first two or three days were overwhelming because I was busy. I was not as busy today, and I was hoping to wrap things up so I could begin another project, i.e. larger task that would take me longer than 15 minutes, but I spent so much time going back and forth to people's offices for discussions and meetings and assigning tasks that I don't know where half my damn day went.
    I thought that my colleagues were keeping me from doing my job, because they're entertaining and fun to talk to--and for someone who hasn't consistently had friends to talk to in person for a long time, having people like that around is really comforting. But, as a matter of fact, it might be my bosses that are keeping me from doing my job now. They keep assigning one thing after another, and having meeting after meeting and training after training that it keeps me there, listening to what needs to be done, and not able to actually do any of it! I like to get stuff done. I get a little thrill every time I get to cross something off a list or check a box as complete. And I don't even mind having a long list as long it's not all due immediately. But if people keep telling me what to do and not giving me a chance to do it, it gets really frustrating. I want to do it. I really do. So what might be better is to just make a list. Write an email. Carrier pigeon. Whatever. Just quit making me go back and forth so much so I can sit down and actually get stuff done.

UPDATE: I had to edit out some of this for security reasons.

    Rant over. Apologies for getting a little off topic. I'm going to blame it on the shitty weather. But that's the majority of shareable information that's on my mind today, so I figured it might make for the most interesting read. But interesting is a sliding scale. It's interesting by comparison, not by default.

I get by with a little help from my friends.