Portland Traffic

I hate Portland area traffic.  I think my biggest issue is that no one knows how to merge.  Merging isn't rocket science and EVERYONE can do it well if they follow a couple of simple rules.

1.  If your lane is not the merging lane, be nice and make sure merging traffic has room to merge ahead of you. Then, hold your speed steady.   Don't be a jerk and speed up to close the gap.  That's just rude and you are not *that* important.

2.  If your lane is ending, for safety's sake, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!  Don't match the speed of the car you want to merge in front of.  Don't expect them to slow down or stop traffic for your bumbling incompetence.  Adjust your speed.  Adjust your speed.  Get in and don't slow down unless the vehicle in front of you is slowing...get in and match traffic.  Yes, that means you cannot dawdle about your day.  

What I'm saying, Portland, is learn to merge.  There won't be as many traffic backups because everyone will be playing nice.

Another thing I hate about Portland area traffic is this bad habit people have of driving like they've never seen sun the first sunny day after a long bout of rain.  The driving behavior is bad.  The converse is true, they drive as if they've never seen rain when it rains after a bout of dryness.

I swear that traffic here could be much better if we just learned to merge properly and we quit acting like the world was ending with weather changes. 

Something to say

It would be great if there were something to say.  If I--or anyone--could reach in and pull out something profound to suddenly make this tragedy make sense I would.  

Instead, every thought I have of the family is one full of profound grief.  It is a fist squeezing my heart emptying it of its life.  It's the thought of birthdays and loose teeth and bicycle rides and proms and graduations that will never happen.  It's the thought of a mom/grandma suddenly bereft of what she loved so much.  It is the thought of empty places at family gatherings.  

There is no sense in something like this.  

The world has gone mad.

Oh yes, I know Christ is there.  My heart cannot form the words for a prayer though.  It can only weep.