Driving Report: Culebra, Most Mornings...

I don't want to come across as some sort of whiner, and I am certainly sensitive to the fact that many of you have either switched to smaller little cars to save gas, or you have adjusted your ways, in many cases, slowing down to a more "green friendly" speed to save a few ounces of gas on the drive to work. I get it and I harbor no ill feelings toward you and your efforts to adapt to the reality of $4.00 a gallon gas.

And so this was my mindset the other morning as I found myself locked in behind a guy who was locked in behind a little red car doing fully 17 miles an hour under the posted speed limit of 40 mph on Culebra.

I should be ashamed for allowing myself to become locked in line with this little car. But, it happens. Sometimes as polite as you are, using your turn signals to change lanes, waiting for a break in the cars zooming past you at 5 to 10 mph above the posted speed limit, but as is the case, the cars stuck behind me get to take advantage of the break in traffic before me - so you see, it happens.

I had resigned myself to the fact that some do-gooder Al Gore disciple was forcing me to save gas and drive earth friendly. The best I could do is to relax, turn off the radio and pop in a Britney Spears CD and live with the fact that Baby was Hitting me, One More Time. And I don't have any idea what that means. I guess, some times, you have to take a deep breath and count to ten.

I finally made it through the intersection at Culebra and Ingram, and technically, there was only one more intersection to go before hitting 410.

Just a side note. Have you noticed that people who want to save gas by driving slow also very specifically want to stop at every stop light? I'm all for being safe - count me in if you refuse to speed up on Yellow - I'm your fan (not really). But please. Who are these people who slow down at Green on the anticipation that it COULD turn Yellow, and they might have to slam on the brakes to avoid running a Yellow?

I'm sorry, I'm starting to get worked up again just thinking about this. I could use a call from Texas Med Clinic just to make my blood pressure ease-up.

Anyway, I finally made it past the guy in front of me and of course, the slow driver in the little car in front of him, who single-handedly slowed down one of only two lanes of a major artery from the suburbs to the highway, and collectively raised San Antonio's blood pressure to Atenolol inducing levels.

And then the light turned Yellow and so I eased myself in front of the little red car just to get a good look while sitting at the stop light.And this is what we have friends. If you look into my mirror (as I did); no, it isn't some green activist trying to save gas. It isn't the goofy teenager texting away on the PDA or grandma yapping on the cell phone. It was some chick putting on make-up.

I hope she actually made it to work.