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Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Rapidly shifting priorities

Have you ever been driving the speed limit in a nice new car, on a nice smooth highway, behind a big truck loaded with gravel... only to notice too late that here and there small pebbles are leaking from the bed of the truck, and bouncing in loooooong, aaaaaaarching leaps and bounds... towards you?

If so, you've probably gone through the series of panicked calculations... 'Can I change lanes in time to get out of the way without running into someone else?'... 'Will that pebble bounce over me or will it ding my car?'... 'Oh sh*t, will it hit my windshield?!'

[*CRACK*]

Like a gunshot, you suddenly have a nice shiny asterisk in the middle of your windshield.  And over the next few days, shiny lines begin to spread from the starred glass and form a network of cracks across the entire piece of double-laminated glass.

Well, picture that scenario, exactly as I've described it; smooth highway, speed limit, gravel truck, bouncing pebbles, and you following blithely behind... on a shiny new scooter.

In the blink of an eye you go from, "Oh sh*t, I hope that rock doesn't bounce up and hit my shiny new scooter", to "Oh sh*t, I hope that rock doesn't bounce up and hit my Helmet's face shield", ... and finally to [*THWACK*} "Ouch!  Sh*t, I wish it had hit my scooter or my helmet instead of my shoulder!"

Amazing how fast your priorities can change.

Posted by David Bogner on October 6, 2010 | Permalink

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Ouch! Glad that's all that happened... be careful out there, will ya?!!!

Posted by: val | Oct 6, 2010 4:46:14 PM

funny, my first thought would have been "oh S*it, I hope it doesn't hit me*

Posted by: LeahGG | Oct 6, 2010 6:01:45 PM

watch out for cigarette buts, too

Posted by: dave | Oct 6, 2010 9:02:14 PM

in the old days getting even would be a small ball bearing let go at 60 mph does an interesting job on a radiator.

Posted by: dave | Oct 6, 2010 9:05:45 PM

Been there, done that. I take it you don't wear a biker's jacket?

Posted by: Yaron | Oct 7, 2010 3:39:53 AM

Yaron... actually I do, but that provides armor at the top of the shoulders, elbows and back. The stone hit me in the hollow of my shoulder/chest just below my collar bone.

Posted by: treppenwitz | Oct 7, 2010 8:09:35 AM

I've ducked many a butterfly while motorcycle riding. Of course, I felt silly once I realized they were just butterflies. I can't imagine riding without a helmet, other than safety, just keeping stuff out of my eyes/face is great. I hate when rocks hit my shins - I don't understand riding in shorts.

Posted by: Beth | Oct 8, 2010 6:49:32 PM

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