Today was my last day of work at Pilkington, the glass distributor. It is kinda weird knowing that I will not be doing this kind of work anymore. Leaving also was weird in that I was jusyt getting to know my fellow co-workers developing at least a working relationship with these fellows. I can thank Brian and Dave for their help and wisdom in navigating a new experience.
There are several other things that is worth noting from my 10 weeks of observing driving behavior in the metro area. There is no such thing as "Minnesota Nice" when it comes to driving the roads around here. The favorite form of passive-aggression seems to be tailgating. To me this is not ordinary or garden variety tailgating, but full blown "sit on your tail until you move" tailgating. I swear there have been times when I have been able to see the fillings in the teeth of the drivers behind me. Although this is not gender specific the vehicles are predominantly large pickups or SUVs. Another oddity is the lack of turn-signal use. I am not sure if the vehicles in question were not equipped with the devices or if the drivers never looked at the owner's manual. My pet theory is that these particular drivers are afraid of committing to anything until the last minute (Do you think they might be Lutheran?). Finally, driving while talking on a cell-phone seems to be a very popular pastime with the drivers here. Any comments from you all out there?
So that's it. No more "haulin' glass" around the Twin Cities. It has been fun. It has been real. But it's time to move on to what I've been called to do.
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Get serious, Bob, if you're talking on your cell phone with one hand, and flying the one-finger salute with the other, you have no hand available to use the turn signal, so you just don't bother. Besides, it's a useless device for those goody-goodies who actually read and follow the rules of the road. Any red-blooded red neck will tell you that. Here in SW Minnesota they don't use them either, but at least they don't tailgate too much; there is no need when it is just as easy to pass the other vehicle than to bother reducing speed below 80. At least driving around here feels less risky because most of the time you're the only car on the road. There is some comfort in that, until Bubba comes over the hill in his big Dodge Ram with his high beams on and flies past you like you're standing still. I know you're looking forward to your internship experience. May God bless you as you live out your calling.
Don and Anna
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