Give Me A Brake...Light

Why is it that every car I get behind in LA has no brake light? I mean seriously people, get that fixed! It's so dangerous, especially when you have people like me who are texting or looking at their phones for info and all the sudden, you stop and I don't see that you stop because in my peripheral vision there's no bright light that comes on alerting me that you stopped forcing me to slam on brakes. And it's like a joke everyone is playing on me- "Oh my brake light is out, let me get in front of that car that has a bullseye on its front." I thought I was being paranoid, but last night alone, I counted, and for the total of probably five cars that I was behind, 3 did not have brake lights! I mean really! Especially when you're in a crowded city driving at night. And the one that irritated me the most was the one that was packed full of people, driving well below the speed limit, on a 2 lane road where I couldn't pass, and my general strategy of riding the persons bumper until they realized they were being an a-hole, only put me in more danger of not being able to stop when they would ride their brakes slowly, making it almost imperceptible to me that they are stopping. I know what your thinking, I'm the pot calling the kettle black on the whole a hole thing cause I'm riding their bumper, but this is LA, and when you're in a 35 zone, at least have the decency of going 30 so people who are using shortcuts to avoid traffic jams can actually come out feeling victorious in their knowledge of secret roads. And maybe since you don't have a brake light, you should at least put a blinker on when you turn so you're at least putting up a front that you care about the person behind you not slamming into you. And that's another thing, people need to learn how to use their freaking blinkers in this city. Someone literally cut in front of me the other day from the lane to my right to do a u-turn in front of me, just as I was, with blinker alerting my fellow drivers I was doing so, merging into the left hand turn lane, and this car had no blinker, completely disregarding that they were not the only people on the road, and when I honked at them, they had the audacity to look at me like I was doing something wrong, which is maybe the most ludacris thing I've ever seen. And I might not be the best driver in the world, and yes, I have little patience sometimes, but if you're going to drive around oblivious to those around you, don't come near me because I've had my fill of no brake-light, no blinker-using, speed limit driving people who probably don't have insurance, and who will probably just leave the scene after me or some other impatient driver fails to stop because they haven't signaled, like the kind of people in LA that don't ever stop for fender benders, despite the fact that it was clearly their fault, because they could give a crap that their $400 car got yet another scratch on it, and...yes I'm bitter. Some dude the other day, slammed into the back of my friends car at a stoplight, and then, proceeded to go around them and leave the scene. Well they messed with the wrong people, because my friends cousin who was driving, pulled out and followed the guy, getting his liscense plate number and then proceeding to pull in front of him, forcing him to stop, only long enough for them to get a visual on the guys face, who looked like he could care less that this was going on, and then my friends pulled over and were taken to the hospital for major whiplash and possible fractures on their body because they were in so much pain. LIterally. Anyway, I sound like a bitter old lady, but driving in LA is the most ridiculous thing ever. I mean for the most part, people are generally pretty good about being respectful and if you put your blinker on, someone will let you over. I even have patience for people that cut me off if they're using their blinker, but no signal jerks, are on my list.

Whew. That was a rant. Excuse my negativity it just gets me all annoyed. The word pet peeve comes to mind. Okay have a good day and don't forget to signal!

Family Fued

I got in a fight this week with my brother, in what I can only hope is for the best. We are currently not speaking, which is bizarre to me because even when we'd punch each other mercilessly when we were kids, five minutes later we'd be watching TV together and laughing. The story is he went to a concert with some of my friends, a NIN concert I had no interest in, and as I was getting ready for my evening out, I get texts that he had just yelled at them because someone spilled his beer. Okay, not only was I embarrassed that my brother had gotten out of line with my friends, I was worried because he gets in these moods where the smallest things will set him off to an unbelievably non-rational place. Consider my night ruined. I tried to call him, but nothing. I got word he was calmed down and hoped that they had worked things out. Still with me knowing the next day I would have to confront him about it.

Cut to: The next day.

I try and get in contact with him all day and nothing. Finally at 8pm, I call and he answers. So I ask him what happened and immediately he starts getting defensive. The story was that he had gone to get someone a beer and when he got back, not only was everyone gone, but his $13 beer was spilled. Annoying, yes. So when they returned, he said, in a tone that isn't so sweet, "Someone spilled my beer! Someone spilled my -bleeping- beer!" Anyway, I told him as sweetly as possible that it wasn't the right way to deal with the situation and he said, "I can yell at whoever I want!" "I can be angry if I want to!" "I do what I want!" Then I told him at the very least he should apologize to MY FRIEND, to which he responded, "I'm tired of apologizing my whole life!" Now, I'm like, "Okkkay. Here we gooooo. Act 1, Scene 1." Over-dramatic much? Anyway, long conversation short, it went bad, then good, then suddenly, very bad. He wasn't listening to anything I was saying and was taking it as a personal attack, even though all I was trying to get through to him is that I was worried because he was showing signs of someone who couldn't control their frustrations, and then suddenly, after talking to a brick wall for 20 minutes, I snapped, (a sign the temper thing might be hereditary), and said, "You know what? Fine! Yell at your friends all you want, but don't you ever yell at MY friends ever again!" And hung up. And then silence. For two days. So yesterday, I wrote an email that as sweetly as possible kept my position but reiterated I just wanted him to be happy and to be able to control these things. And nothing! I'm so at a loss at to what to do. It's eating at me! I can't stand it knowing he's hating me right now. The good news is, something I said must have struck a cord with him because he did end up apologizing to my friend, via Facebook. So now I've told my sister, and she's all worried but I can't go to him now. I have to wait for him. I think? Anyway, I hope that he's doing some self-reflection and that he won't completely fall off the face of the earth, like my cousin did at about his age, where he cut off all communication from the family, dropped out of school, and is out roaming the world somewhere, rumor has it, Los Angeles.

Umm, so that's what's on my mind right now. And finding a new job, and a new apartment, and getting a response back from an old crush about a wedding (not ours), and keeping the bugs out of my current apt. But the weather is beautiful here now, and I love September and the ocean, and not working. I'm finding peace the best way I know how:



Not everything is bad right now, but things seem to never be perfect!

Sigh