CRHTs

If you look close, you can see the rain drops on the wind shield.

Not far from Chez Sarge is an intersection. Okay, truth be told, near the place where I live there are a lot of intersections. I mean I live in a town, in the East. People have been living here for thousands of years. Okay, the original inhabitants weren't really in to building roads and streets. That's something we European types brought with us. So roads and streets have been going on here for only a few hundred years. Bristol has been around, in one form or another, since the late 1600s, the earlier inhabitants (the Wampanoags) didn't call it that. But...

Yup, digressed. I do plan on presenting a bit of a history lesson on the area someday. Lots of history in this area. Only today did I discover that where I live used to belong to Massachusetts, the Crown gave it to Little Rhody. Imagine that, being passed around like some common...

Right then, the intersection in question which is near my house and which isn't far from this very nice Mexican restaurant is depicted in the following graphic which I borrowed (of course) from Google Maps. All street and place names have been redacted so that the Russian Army can't find me. Not that I'm hiding from the Russian Army, mind you, but I'd rather they didn't know where I lived. Then they might stop by, we'd have to have snacks, and vodka of course, though I don't drink vodka and...

Right, getting on with it.

The Intersection Relevant to This Post... (Google Maps)

During the afternoon rush hour, there is normally a lot of traffic proceeding in the upper most street traveling from right to left as you look at the map. (FWIW, that is also downhill, not that that really makes a difference. But I thought I'd throw that out there, for the sake of completeness. Or something.) So if one wanted to make a left hand turn, one might have to wait for quite some time.

Now somewhat far (but not that far) to the left of that wee map snippet is the "main road" through Bristol. It's what we call Hope Street. Oddly enough, Bristol doesn't have a Main Street (by name), Hope Street is the main street. It's just not called that. To make things perhaps more confusing, we also have a High Street. Which is what they call the main street in England, I think. Perhaps that is confusing only to the English. Not in England mind you, but here in Bristol. Now I'm confused. Where was I?

Oh yes, the main road is to the left. That's the road with most of the traffic and traffic lights. In order to skip a chunk of that main road, people will take a "short cut" to get to the intersection depicted above where they will then wait for a break in traffic to get back to the main road. Which annoys me.

It annoys me because when I need to go to the supermarket after work, I will pass my street (which is just off the bottom of that map above, but don't tell the Russians) and proceed to the intersection where I will then make a right turn. The supermarket being over the top of the hill to the right and then down the hill about a quarter mile away.

The bit that annoys me is having to wait for the people who want to make a left turn. Causing me to wait. Sometimes an inordinate amount of time due to the east to west traffic along that road at the top of the wee map (above, in case you haven't clued into that yet). Oh yeah, the top of the map is north, as is traditional in depicting a map. North is usually at the top. Usually. No, I didn't make that up, it's tradition.

Anyhoo, it struck me the other day that...

What? Oh the title! Sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier. It's an abbreviation. Be patient, I'm about to tell you what it stands for.

So yes, it struck me the other day that I like to plan my trips about town so that I never have to turn left. Turning left in this country implies having to turn across one lane of traffic into another. (Yes, in Britain, Japan, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand it would be the opposite. But...)

Turning left is a pain when there is a lot of traffic. So I like to try and make right hand turns as much as possible. Even if there is a red traffic light in my path, normally one can make a "right turn on red," as the saying goes. (Note that in New England, especially Little Rhody, some people will skip that whole "stop" then "right turn on red" thing. Oh one more thing, they never use their turn signals. Ever. You can tell I'm not from around here, I always signal.)

Anyhoo. As I pulled into the drive the other day after work (and yes, first I had gone to the supermarket and had to wait behind three people making left turns), it started to rain. (Evidence in the form of the opening photo is submitted for your edification and approval. And would the clerk please mark that "Sarge's Exhibit One." No, I'm not entering the wee map into evidence as I could have drawn that on a white board. If I had one, but I don't so... Alright, mark the wee map "Sarge's Exhibit One" and mark the opening photo "Sarge's Exhibit Two." As I mentioned the map first and the photo second. Though they are presented in the opposite order and... Sorry. Did it again. Digressed that is.)

Anyhoo...

In the driveway, starting to rain and I'm annoyed at having been delayed in my return to home and hearth due to people making left turns. No, I know, it wasn't done to annoy me, but it did. And I had the thought,

"Wouldn't it be nice if life was nothing but a series of Continuous Right Hand Turns?"

But no, it isn't. And yes hence the title and yes I'm awfully tired as I write this.

BWE is almost as bad as BWI. (Blogging While Exhausted vice Blogging While Irritated.)

Yeah, I know. This post was quite a stretch. I promise, I'll make it up to you. POCIR.

Then, apropos of not much...

Oh yes, today is The Missus Herself's birthday. Happy Birthday, Love of My Life.