Overkill

I thought I could do it. I thought it would be no big deal.

Why wouldn't I be able to handle doing well in Organic Chemistry and Physics (let alone my other two classes), holding down two jobs, going to the gym every day, commuting an hour to and from school, about a hundred miscellaneous things that inevitably come up on a daily basis, AND regularly update a blog?

Why wouldn't I be able to handle all that? Because at times it is simply too much, and so I was neglectful, particularly of this blog. It's not that I haven't wanted to post new entries, it's just that I haven't had even one opportunity in the past few weeks to sit down and do it. Which just goes to show: There is only so much we can do at one time. This same principle applies to driving. 

Storytime:

Sometime in the not-so-distant past I was driving into school with my mother (who happens to teach at the same university that I attend). She drives on the way there, and I drive on the way back. It's almost a good system, except for the fact that my mom is oftentimes the kind of driver that I complain about here in this blog.

I say this because then you will understand how extraordinarily bad the driver in front of us must have been for both of us to stop yelling at each other about my mom's driving and start yelling with each other about the maniac in front of us.

The big, red SUV in front of us (and by in front of us I mean swaying from side to side, switching between hugging the line and practically off-roading) was periodically slowing down to a crawl and then unexpectedly racing to catch up with the flow of traffic. The driver was breaking abruptly and seemed to have forgotten that their car is equipped with turning signals.

It didn't take long for us to decide the person had clearly made their coffee "Irish" that morning and so we anxiously awaited an opportunity to put as much distance between us and Captain Morgan as possible. We didn't have to wait too long since the road soon opened to two lanes. The SUV chose the right lane, so we chose the left one, and of course we ended up directly next to one another. That's when my mom and I simultaneously did what comes naturally to all drivers... Immediately turned our heads to get a look at the perpetrator.

Our jaws dropped.

There, as if she had already settled in at the office, was a woman with a laptop open between her and the steering wheel, a cell phone up to her ear, and coffee in one hand. Seriously.

So that puts driving... where, maybe third or fourth in line?

I knew the moment I saw her that this travesty must be reported in my blog, but when I serendipitously got an email from a family friend a few days later it only added fuel to the fire:
     
"I was on the highway the other day when the guy in front of me was going 45 mph in the middle lane, not to mention swerving side to side. I couldn't get in front of him for the longest time, but when the left lane finally opened up and I moved over, I saw him. He was eating a bowl of cereal! I thought to myself, 'You've got to be kidding me.'"

Not even breakfast is that important, especially when you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk. 
In any case, let's admit it. We all try to multitask while driving. Whether it be catching up with friends you never have time to call otherwise, trying to grab your purse that is on the floor of the passenger seat, doing your make up, or the new favorite, texting your friends, we all allow ourselves to be distracted in some way, shape, or form.

Just make sure you're always aware of exactly how much you can handle before something starts to get out of your control. If it's too much to keep track of, cut one thing out... And if you're going to choose paying attention to the road, then please don't drive anywhere near me (or anyone else!).