2002-10-25 | 1:42 p.m.
stoplights don't stop cars...

yesterday i woke up late. i'm talking woke up at 8:15 when i need to leave the house at 8:25. so i got on the road late, and just like it always is when i'm running late, traffic was horrible.

i inched along cursing the people ahead of me for slowing down too much to turn or stopping to let people in from side streets or just obeying the speed limit.

eventually i broke free of the congestion and was just about to hammer down when i came up against the eternal dilemma of the yellow light - gun it and go through or hit the brakes? i decided that since i was so late, i'd better speed on through, and i was about to hit the intersection and catch the tail end of the yellowness when i realized, this is whittier!

"so what?" you ask. so that means the stoplight at this intersection is photo enforced. if i cut it too close, a nice picture of my little escort and me will be made and a traffic ticket mailed to me.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

i finally came to a halt about a car's length into the intersection. luckily no one was close behind me, so i quickly threw it in reverse and backed out. i'm sure all the people at the light thought i was a tremendous idiot. i bet a few of them even said so out loud, but i'm going to be okay with that, 'cause i'm not getting a ticket.

however, i did not look at anyone around me and sped away as fast as i could when the light turned green.