Hi there everybody! I've had my license since February of 2008 myself and let me tell you: there are some CRAZY people behind the wheel! (And I don't mean in the good way. =_=;)
So here's the deal: this world is speciffically meant to relate to all what driving in the real world is really like. (And to share some of the oddities I find. ) There will be some rantings and there may even be some anime references, but this world will mostely show people, almost anything seen on the side of the road, and (hopefully for anyone paying attention) what NOT to do while in traffic.
For those of you who want to share some of your own experiences, just give me a PM and that's that! If you're not from the US and still want to add a post or two, that's perfectly acceptable too! (Personally, I'd like to hear a few stories to see if the mentality of drivers changes with the country.)
Here's a few things I'd like to clear up right now:
I live in South Texas
I generally judge distance by how long it takes me to get there, rather than by actual measurements
I don't claim to be an expert on driving, I'm just making sure that I can stay alive when traveling from point A to point B
In a normal week, I total about an hour and a half of driving time per work day (the brunt of it being in rush-hour traffic >_<)
& I drive a big ol' Chevy pick-up truck (in theory you can't miss it, but if that were the case then I wouldn't be making this world, now would I?)
Because of this nice little article that I read recently--refer to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14252768 if curious--I think now would be a great time to share with y'all how you can survive when the temperature reaches 100 degrees. Mind you, the following advice will come as a no-brainer to some, but I'm doing it anyway.
Stay indoors (if you can)
Plan out your day accordingly If you've got some yard work that needs to be done, try to get it accomplished early in the day, and by that I mean before 10am. If you don't, the heat will have more than enough of a chance to build up, and by the time noon rolls around you can expect the heat to only get worse until after dusk is about to end.
Water Don't drown yourself in the stuff, but drink plenty of it to keep your body hydrated. One of the reasons why people tend to die of heat stroke is because they didn't bother to drink enough water before doing something outside
Wash your feet I know this one sounds like a weird one, but in my personal experience I have found that washing your feet actually does help cool your body down emmensly, even if only for a little while. The same effect can be said for washing your face, chest, and the back of your neck. Speaking of which...
Wear your hair up The more you can get it off the back of your neck, the cooler you'll feel. If you find that you don't have a hair tie, do that girly thing some do and fluff out your hair every now and then. While driving you can actually bunch up your hair and hold it with the headrests in your car (if they're high enough) and let the air from your A/C hit you. Do not aim the A/C directly on your throat because this dries your mouth out. I don't know if this is true for everybody, but when I allow that to happen I usually end up with a cold, and who wants that during the summer?
Wear a hat Shading your face aids with protecting your face from burning up too bad and makes it easier on your eyes when you're out and about. Just make certain that the hat you pick is one that can breath while you're at it
Turn off unnecessary electrical appliances, especially lights. They can and will produce a little heat of their own and can make you feel uncomfortable in close quarters. The good thing about summer is that there's plenty of sun out, so you can just use that instead and adjust yourself accordingly. As an added bonus, it saves you money on your electric bill. Wile I'm on the topic, I'll also add to be cautious about were you set the A/C in your house. While some people do like to keep their homes at 60 (don't know why myself), bear in mind that you're taking a health risk factor by doing so when it's 100 outside. In short, you force your body to instantaneously adjust itself to the drastic change in climate, and the elderly in particular can't handle that kind of pressure. If you can manage, aim for somewhere between 75 to 80 degrees in the house.
There are other pointers of course, such as salty snacks being better for you than sugery ones when it's hot out, but I'm just going to end it here for today. For those suffering in this crazy summer, hang in there!
I haven't posted on this world in a long while and thought "why not put up something fun for a change?" So there y'all have it; someting related to this world but is meant for entertainment rather than advice. Enjoy! ^_^
Since my last post back in March, the mountain laurals have died off and only small patches of bluebonnets remain. If you do come across any, the flowers themselves are generally large and faded out. However, if you look closely enough you'll find their pods (wich look like sugarsnap peas) still hanging along the stems. Eventually, those will dry up and replant themselves in the ground.
The flowers that you will see in abundance right now are wild sunflowers, burbina (if I'm spelling that right), Indian blankets, daisies, and pink flax (if I'm getting the name right). In other words, it's nearing the end of wildflower season here in Texas and its becoming more and more like the dreaded summer 'round here. Remember that heavenly weather I was describing back in March? Well, by this time the lows start climbing up to the sixties and seventies while the highs start to regularly visit the mid-ninties with heat indexes that make it feel even hotter. In other words, if you need to do anything during the day make certain to do it before 12 o'clock in the afternoon or wait until after about 6 o'clock in the evening that way you don't overheat yourself.
The good news climate-wise is that we've actually had a good amount of rainfall visit us, unlike last year where we were having drought restrictions even this early in the year. Some folk around here have been complaining about that, but honestly I think they're all nuts. Right now, the heat we've been experiencing is only a sneak peak at what's to come in July and August, our hottest months of the year, so any rain we get is good news, especially if it means keeping our precious aquafer in check.
It's that time of year again in South Texas were the weather starts warming up a bit and the wildflowers start coming out. Well actually, that started up about a week ago, but who cares about the subtle details? ^_~ To give y'all who are unfamiliar with the climate a look at what its like here, our lows have been around 45 F while are highs are typically around 75 F. I haven't been paying attention to what the wind chill factor is like, but either way it's been heavenly. X3
As for wildflowers, right now you can see bluebonnets and mountain laurels in bloom. (The latter of which creates a sweet smelling aroma that mimics fresh grapes.) However, for those of you interested in going into the hill country to look at the flowers, I'd recommed postponing your plans for about another week. According to a reliable source my Mom the flowers around there aren't quite ready yet. Either way, this definitely should be a good year to see them because of all the rain we've been blessed with. Now that I think about it, this should also be a good year for peaches due to the freezes we had this year...but I'll get back to that at another time (if I remember).
In any event, this time of year also marks Spring Break. I know some of you have already had it, but I'll post these little friendly reminders anyway:
Seatbelts are manditory regardless of where you're sitting in the car
Texting while driving is still dangerous
Beware of school zones; not everybody is having Spring Break at the same time, so using your phone while driving is not advised
If you're going on a long trip and need to pack stuff/people, be sure that you do not go over the capacity of your vechicle due to possible lack of visibility (that, and if I'm not mistaken, there's a law out against overstuffing your vechicle with people)
And finally, drunk driving is still hazardous to your health and to the welfare of those around you, and it doesn't take much alcohol nowadays to be considered intoxicated
Naturally, all of the above could result in either a license suspension, fines, prison time, or all of the above depending on what you did and whether or not you cooperated with the police.
With that, have a wonderful Spring Break everybody! ^_^
I actually got a new car for Christmas from my grandfather. (woot! XD ) The vechicle: a 2008 Chevy Colorado. (That's right; another pick-up truck.) I waited 'till this long to mention it because I wanted to get a feel for how it drives. I don't want to spend too much time getting into too much detail, so I'll sum it up in a list:
It picks up speed faster than the last one
It's turning radius is FAR greater than the last
the new one is slightly smaller than the last
AND the vechicle is strickly for my own use
So yeah, that's about it. Below you guys will see a picture of the Sierra and the Colorado, respectively, so you can see the subtle differences. Later! ^_^
I've had my license since February of 2008 myself and let me tell you: there are some CRAZY people behind the wheel! (And I don't mean in the good way. =_=;) 
) There will be some rantings and there may even be some anime references, but this world will mostely show people, almost anything seen on the side of the road, and (hopefully for anyone paying attention) what NOT to do while in traffic.
