Happy Evacuation Day

j just called to tell me that there is a ginormous (is that how it's spelled?) box sitting in our living room.  it's norris!  it seems that the naming of exercise equipment is very much in vogue...bron's named her new nordic track treadmill attila.  don't let those names fool you though.  norris could totally beat attila's ass! 

on the topic of beating asses...one of my pet peeves is gratuitous "honking."  if there is no imminent danger, there should be no honking.  (honking to say hello is permissible.  i am not without heart.)  anyway, in boston, there is constant honking.  if the light turns green, heaven forbid you should sit on the brake for a microsecond, the bozos behind you start honking.  i hate it.  only makes me want to sit at the light even longer.  take my time.  sing along to the radio.  revisit my various options...do i go left ... do i go right... where to go.  what to do.  and no, i am not passive aggressive. 

honking isn't quite as pervasive in the 'burbs but it does happen.  this morning, i was on my way to the train station, sitting at an intersection.  i wanted to make a left turn on to the station road, i had a green light.  but i had traffic coming towards me.  i'm less than a mile from the station.  the train isn't scheduled (scheduled mind you) to arrive for another 10 minutes.  i'm not about to risk an accident by making a left right in front of oncoming traffic, especially when i can see an opening coming up.  and then i hear it... the honk.  i look in my rearview mirror, and there's this big ass car, and a gesticulating asshole driving it.  and said gesticulating asshole just happens to be someone i recognize as a fellow train rider.  when it's safe to proceed, i calmly make my left turn, with the gesticulating asshole right behind me.

it's not often that one gets to actually confront a gesticulating honking asshole but confront him i did.  i was polite.  and i made sure not to approach him too closely...it's funny how small  and nervous gesticulating assholes get when they aren't sitting behind the wheel of their yukon denalis.  i just calmly pointed out to him that there was no need to get impatient and honk so early in the morning, when it was clearly not safe for me to make a left turn and when we had at least 10 minutes before the train.  he never looked at me directly, just mumbled..."what do you want me to say."  nothing moron, just stop being an asshole.  by the way, the train was 7 minutes late...all that honking just to get to stand outside in 30 degree weather for 17 minutes.

finally, i'm totally jealous of colleen.  she's got today off.  yes, didn't you know?  st. patrick's day is a paid holiday in boston for anyone of irish descent.