While driving...

Starting July 1st, you can get a very expensive ticket in Washington for driving while talking on the phone. This annoys me for I drive up to Everett for practice and sometimes have my best conversations in the 25 minutes it takes to get up there. I'm always willing to hang up or put my phone down when I need both hands and I consider myself a really good driver. Today, on my way into work, I decided I would see what everyone else does in their car to distract them besides talking on the phone.

There was a woman behind me (then besides, in front and back behind me) who was putting on her make-up and it wasn't just a little lipstick and blush, she had a full makeover going in her car; a Comcast driver next to me was smoking; another man was eating his McMuffin and talking on the phone and another woman had her convertible top down clearly enjoying the morning sunshine in Seattle. There were very few other distracted drivers (besides the one watching everyone else who was possibly a bigger hazard.)

I turned off Broadway onto Pine, jogging through some other morning thoughts in my head (having decided that people weren't all that distracted) when out of the corner of my eye I saw someone running to my car - my heart started racing - were my doors locked? Who is the person trying to get into my car while I'm at a stop light (right by the police station!). As soon as I had addressed my safety in the situation I found myself trying to unlock my doors and move the CDs off the passenger's seat as it was my very good friend Louise. She hops in the car and in the same breath, "Sorry, Michelle. I knew this would freak you out. I missed my bus and was going to be late when I saw your car and thought, Go for it! But it's totally going to freak her out." Did it ever.

And adding to the theme this morning was the CNN article about road rage - Seattle being rated as one of the nicest (though we often call it passive/aggressive) drivers in the country.