I was removing the pictures from the camera and came across some pictures that we took while we were at home. There was a beautiful sunset as we crossed the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn. The sky looked as if it was on fire, yet it was calming. Will got some great shots while we were moving.

The other thing is that we have a new dog in the family. The mutt’s name is Cooper and boy is he a pain in the butt to walk. He does not like the leash, wants to sniff everywhere and always has to leave his mark. For his size, he is quite strong. I figured my mom would have learned fromthe last time we got a dog that Pooch should be the only one, but that is only my opinion. I am just glad that I don’t have to walk him everyday…

Before I forget, Rebekah and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Chantilly, VA. Normally, I go on a ridiculous spending spree at these events because they showcase items that are not found in your local craft or scrapbook store. This year I was unbelievably reserved and Rebekah was the spender! I am learning as a scrapbooker that I don’t need every new accent, tool or paper in the market. I did kinda lose it at the booth that was selling Quickutz at 30% off. I met the moderator of 2 of the yahoogroups that I belong to (MD Scrapbooking Pals and MD Stamping Pals) and chatted with her in a small Stampin’ Up! booth for about 15 minutes. She is a wonderful person with a very cheerful attitude. I was very happy to finally meet her. This is the third time I attended this convention (second time with Rebekah) and I think I keep up with the industry very well because there wasn’t anything there that caught me off guard as a “have to buy” item. I am glad because I was on a serious budget this year!

Cooper the dog:

The Verazanno at night:

Everything Will stated is the same for me. The funny thing about all this is the shirt I was wearing - one of my many Transfomer tees with Optimus Prime and the words ‘ROAD RAGE’ on it.

Although it is true that the roles were reversed, my reasons for why I was so “reserved” rests on on thing - whether or not we got into an accident. Had I not stopped in time and lived to walk away, I would have beaten the crap out of that guy with all I had. And then K&A would have stomped the crap out of him and then we all probably would have had a hard time avoiding jail that day even though it really was all that dude’s fault. Had he backed off at some point, I would have moved over sooner. But from start to finish, he was on our backs even at stoplights!

Nothing pisses me off in a situation like that more than a bully. When asked why he did that, he stated that “I do that to teach people a lesson”. Just to let you all know, I did learn something - I learned I can be calm in situations like that. He is lucky that he rolled up on us because he could have easily rolled up on some real thugs and this situation could have ended much worse for him.

I do have to say there was a bit of comedy in this - other than thinking he got away, he really got scared to the point he was shaking when K&A showed up from around the corner and got out of their car. He went real pale and looked as if he was going to die. It was one thing having this huge, angry Puerto Rican in your face, but being outnumbered puts you in a whole new category of scared.

Would I do anything different if I was put in that situation again? No. People like him need to understand that wherever they are going is no more important than where I am going. All that matters is that we get there safely. Unless your vehicle is legally equipped with lights and sirens, there is no reason for me or anyone else on the road to get out of the way.

Edit: Nad’s tee-shirt.

Nad and I had an interesting encounter on Father’s Day. Let me give a little background before I get into the details of the incident.

On the way to NY for Father’s Day, Nad and I were discussing our driving habits. The scenario we discussed involved driving in the left lane at or above the speed limit, with someone tailgating us. While I’m one to move out of the way of a speeding car behind me, Nad is one to remain in place. Neither approach is incorrect; mine is one of a paranoid defensive driver (thinking that they will ram into me from behind), while hers is one that basically states, “I am driving at or above the speed limit, so that means the person behind is driving dangerously. There is no reason for me to move.”

I stated, “I get out of the way because if I get hit, even if I am in the right, the car will still be wrecked. What would I do next at that point? Get out of the car and fight the guy who hit me?” Nad responded that she would be inclined to whoop some ass in that scenario.

It is very interesting to see how roles reverse in the heat of the moment, as I will demonstrate below.

Southbound on Route 1, our five-hour return home was almost done. Four miles away from our house, we were put in the same scenario we discussed above - driving at the speed limit (40mph) in the left lane with a speeding truck behind us. This happens very often on Route 1, so it came to no surprise to us. After passing a car to our right, Nad makes the move over to the right lane after driving for about three miles in front of the speeder.

His horn blared. He sped up ahead of us, quickly shifted into the right lane, and slammed his brakes. Nad hit the brakes hard to avoid rear-ending him. He hit the gas, as did Nad. He then hit his brakes again after gaining some speed, forcing Nad to hit the brakes as well. This happened about five times over the last mile of the trip.

The story doesn’t end there. He makes a left - into our neighborhood. Nad and I thought the same thing, “This dipshit is one of our neighbors.” We turn and follow him. I suppose he figured that he had lost us, so he goes to his house and parks his truck. I didn’t let Nad finish putting the car in park before I jumped out and ran at him.

I started off by yelling at the guy, pushing him, and yelling some more. I had really lost my composure, stringing together various profanities. While I was the angry one, Nad was the calm one. I had always pictured things being the other way around.

Luckily, Kevin and Athena had been following us on the trip back home. Athena put herself between our neighbor and I and told me to get back into the car. I had retained enough common sense to walk away when she told me to. We got into our cars, and drove away.

There are a few details that I left out, such as Route 1 being slick since it had just finished raining, and the first time he slammed on his brakes we were moving downhill, making it a more dangerous situtation than it already was.

This is not the way I thought our weekend would have ended. It could have turned out a lot worse, so I’m thankful that K&A were there to get our backs, that Nad had the quick reflexes to stop Hotaru from sliding into that truck’s rear, and that I had just enough common sense to listen to Athena, preventing that situation from escalating way out of control.