jeeterbug's Blog

in my 12 years of being in houston, this is something i still don't get.  why must houstonians feel compelled to decorate their vehicles for the holidays?  is this just a houston thing, or is it a texas thing, a southern thing?  i admit it, i'm a yankee and in 18 yrs, i never once saw a vehicle showing off it's holiday spirit while up north.

i used to think the wreath on the grill of a car or truck was a bit much, or glarland wrapped along the roof rack of an suv, but this morning's commute topped it all.  i saw a car sporting reindeer antlers on ea side, mounted on the windows.  the sad part is that they were not home spun, but looked like they were manufactured to be sold for those exact purposes.

why i ask, why???  *shaking my head*

and where does one go to purchase these festive automotive ornaments?  i don't recall seeing the car decoration aisle on my last trip to garden ridge.  lol.

IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES THIS TIME CHANGE SEEM TO BE AFFECTING TRAFFIC? 

EVERY DAY THIS WEEK ON THE DRIVE HOME AT 5PM, IT HAS TAKEN ME ALMOST DOUBLE THE TIME TO GET HOME.  USUALLY MY EVENING COMMUTE TAKES ABOUT 35MINS, BUT THIS WK IT'S TAKEN ME NO LESS THAN AN HR ON THE SAME EXACT ROUTE.  THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS, NOTHING OTHER THAN PEOPLE CRAWLING BEHIND THE WHEEL.  IT SEEMS AS THOUGH PEOPLE ARE CHALLENGED BY DRIVING WITH IT GETTING DARK EARLIER.

IS IT JUST ME OR HAVE OTHERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING?

this is not really entertainment, but it's the category that fits best b/c it's dealing w/dining out.

i just got back from lunch w/a friend. maybe i was a little sensitive or observant today than normal, but it seemed like everyone around me at the restaurant was blowing their nose AT THE TABLE as though thery're casually dining in their living room. did your mother teach you nothing??!?!?!!!???!!

i mean, i'm not ms. manners but am i the only one that thinks it's rude to blow your nose at a dinner table or when surrounded by other people?

i have sinus probs almost all the time, but c'mon...if i'm out in public i go to the restroom to clear my nasal passages if i MUST do so when out.

how gross!

i just don't understand a couple of things when it comes to parking lots.

i guess the first being that it's a parking lot.  the definition to me is an area designed for parking w/in designated spaces.  it doesn't seem too complicated right?  i just don't get how people feel entitled to park in the driving areas WITHIN the parking lot as they wait for someone, apply makeup, look at themselves in the mirror, thumb thru a purse,  text message, talk on your cell phone, , etc...you catch my drift. 

my question is ...can you please park in a parking space??????  in stead of blocking the driving lane in the parking lot.

i mean, really, how hard IS that?  wow, being in a parking lot and actually parking IN the parking spot...what a concept!

the other thing i just DO not get are the people driving thru the parking lot at the 24hr fitness i go to trying to get that front row, prime parking spot.  um, is it just me or are you going to the gym to work out?  because if you are, then is another 50yards going to kill you for you walk INTO the gym?  um, i don't think so.  (i'm not talking about the select handicapped parking spaces for people who may be using the gym for actual rehab purposes and are not able to walk a distance, i get that.)  what get's me even better are the people that feel entitled to create their own front row parking spot that extends past the painted rows or in an area w/the stripes indicating no parking.  makes no sense to me!

i ask the same question about people acting like vultures in the mall parking lot too.  when i go to the mall it's not usually for just one store.  the mall is spread out, with plenty of walking, so why is it so beneficial to get front row parking? 

am i the only one that's thought of this, or is there anyone else out there that's noticed?

this is a question i have these days.  there an intersection over by my work and there is an accident there at least twice a week.  i'm just counting the ones i see, not the ones that happen when i'm not around.  it's crazy! 

the question i have, is what does it take for there to be something done to help prevent against this?  does there need to be a fatality in order for action to be taken to the next level?  granted most of the accidents i see there are just minor fender benders or ones in which it doesn't appear that there is injury even though the cars and undriveable and need to be towed from the scene.

the intersection i'm referencing is where hayes intersects w/richmond in the westchase area.  hayes road dead ends into an office complex and there's just a stop sign there at hayes.  however, people regularly dart out and to turn right onto richmond or to get to the middle when they're wanting to turn left onto richmond.  it also happens when traffic on richmond heading east is wanting to turn left onto hayes.   people seem to get entirely too antsy to make their turn.  i've seen this happen in the am on my way to work, during lunch and on my drive home where they didn't quite make it across.

i don't know if there needs to be a light either there or at woodland park to help slow people down a bit.  it's been so bad the past month that it's almost been a daily occurance.   it's really unfortunate that it keeps happening b/c i have a strong feeling that there is a much worse outcome to come in comparison to the wrecks i've been seeing.

 

 

i'm just curious if  others have experienced this or not...

i have a portable XM unit that i play in my car thru it's built in FM modulator.  meaning i just have to tune my car stereo and set my xm unit to the same station (88.1) to hear the xm stations.

what's funny is that i find while sitting at traffic lights or in bumper to bumper traffic...i seem to be picking up people's MP3 players/i-pods thru my car stereo when tuned to 88.1 listening to my xm. 

i first noticed this when i was pulling out of my girlfriend's driveway and she was pulling out of the garage and she was listening to her MP3 through my car.  i ended up calling her to ask if she was listening to depeche mode and she was like "yes, how did you know?".  i laughed and told her it must be transmitting thru my xm b/c she transmits her MP3 thru one of those plug in FM modulators too.  after laughing about it before getting out of range she was skipping songs to see if i could tell what she was listening to now etc.

crazy...

i was wondering if anyone else has noticed that or not...

 

 

i used to think i was one of those more fortunate people to have a commute to and from work traveling in the direction AGAINST the flow of the general commute traffic.  i rarely feel that way these days, since my commute is on I-10. 

i know i shouldn't really complain, b/c it's to be expected with it under construction for the past couple years and will be for another couple of years.  i guess what my biggest problem is, is that the people traveling west on I-10 for the am commute seem to be left out as far as where backups and approx travel times heading out of town.

it's rare that if i turn on the news before leaving the house that there's anything about traffic on I-10 westbound in the am, other than the part of I-10 known as the "baytown east frwy" or whatever.

even if i turn on xm radio to get the traffic and weather, which is brought by traffic.com.  i still don't get anything or any notification of any "unusual slows" or anything happening in the direction i'm heading.

the only time i find out about it, is when i'm already stuck in it...sigh!  this am was a prime example.  i listened to XM on my commute from the subdivision to the freeway, which usually lasts for a good 2 times thru the rotation of the traffic and weather for the area and there was no mention there was some sort of action going on at wilcrest/I-10 westbound.  if i had known, i could have avoided that by exiting before or being able to take the beltway instead.

i just don't understand why we're left out, just because we're not the majority of the flow.    :(

i don't know, maybe i'm asking too much? is it just me, or does anyone else feel this way?