so, every day on my drive to work, for the past couple of months, i pass a bright yellow dodge neon. [don't worry; no angry bmw stories]. every. single. day. sometimes just as i'm leaving town; sometimes as i'm much closer to work. it's intriguing to me for some reason. i usually think something along the lines of, "well, this seems silly. i live in this town and drive to another; she lives in that other town and drives to my own..." and... well, that's about it. i mean, what, really? i flag her down? say hi? nice to see you whiz by at fifty miles an hour EVERY DAY? hey, maybe she has a nice apartment. we could trade. you never know. but i do feel like i might actually get worried if i don't see Ol' Yellow some morning. "is she sick? in an accident? maybe she's on vacation."

clearly, i don't do a lot of deep thinking in the car before and after work.

in other car related news, i was driving down richland today. near bank one this road consists of two lanes, with one ambiguous turn lane in the center which fades into a left turn lane directly outside the bank. guy decides to pull left out of the gas station located just before the bank. using the turn lane as a freaking suicide lane. IT'S NOT EVEN BUSY, COME ON NOW, PEOPLE. so. i'm needing to turn left into the bank. moron is... needing to get into the left turn lane? needing to get into traffic? needing a driving lesson? if i speed up to get in front of him and turn left, i cut him off. so i slow down. he's oblivious. i wave him over. he does nothing. WHAT DO YOU NEED?? whatever, fine. i lurch forward, around him, turn into the bank, leaving him in the dust. or so i thought. i make our lockbox deposit, return to my car, start the engine. suddenly, a man appears at my window, eager to talk. in confusion, i roll down my window.

"hey, i didn't mean to cut you off or nothin'. i was just trying to get over... i'm real sorry 'bout that."

it turns out Mr. Suicide Lane pulled to the side of the road, jogged over to the bank, and found me. just to apologize. i tell him it's okay, i just didn't know what he was doing, and tell him thanks. i mean, in what universe do people hop out of their cars and sincerely apologize for their poor driving decisions?

my faith in humanity is restored ever so slightly.