So – Friday I was a bit frustrated. With everything.

Let’s start with one of my favorite topics = drivers. Or, more accurately, non-driving operators of motor vehicles on the roads of Maricopa County. (please note – if anything i write about driving habits offends you, perhaps you should re-read a few things – like the part that offended you, the driving manual, the part that offended you, and the driving manual.)

Things I have noticed about the traffic laws of Arizona – most of the people doing the non-driving are not here – shall we say – with the full approval of the government. Yes, I know that’s how you drive where you came from, but that’s not the custom, the norm, the law here. Pedestrians DO have the right of way – in crosswalks either marked or implied (and in this case, “implied” has a legal definition – that is, at intersections, and then only parallel to the flow of traffic). They do NOT have the right of way, or the right to expect to survive, when darting across five lanes plus a turn lane during rush hour dragging their defenseless and learning-a-bad-lesson children behind them. If you do not follow the law, do not act put-upon if I do not yield to your arrogance or stupidity.

The center turn lane is just that – a turn lane. By occupying that lane, you are implying/indicating/insinuating that your next move is going to be a left turn. This is the only legal maneuver allowed from the middle turn lane on roads equppied with the turn lane. The turn lane is not a safety spot to use when trying to get into traffic. It is not an extra lane to be used when the traffic is moving slowly and you are much more important than everyone else following the law. (true story – i was eastbound on glendale ave, in the left hand lane, approaching 51st ave, when a monte carlo passed me on the left, swerved across my nose and two other lanes, to get into the right turn lane and – pull into the gas station – as the group of cars i was in was approaching the traffic light which had just turned red, and we were all slowing down. if he had stayed behind us all, he would have had a clear shot to the gas station without endangering three lanes of traffic and anyone thinking about making a left turn going west) At the same time, just because someone pulls into the middle turn lane to make a left turn, if you are headed the same direction that person is, you do not need to stop. Neither does the person in the lane next to you.

The most frustrating item on Friday? The Road Rhino popped another hose. No, it’s not one of the hoses that had recently been replaced. It is, instead, a hose that is part of a cluster of bypass hoses (the qx4 has more bypass hoses than anything else, i have yet to figure out why) located under the throttle body. This means that the intake/induction piping and tubes need to be removed, along with the throttle body itself, in order to replace these hoses. And yes, I’m going to replace all the hoses in that area at the same time – what, do I look slow? I’ve learned THAT lesson – to avoid any issues in the foreseeable future. That is a job for this afternoon, after church.

For now, I”m off to church. My prayers are with you all, even if you don’t believe the same way I do.

Chat ya later…

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