The everyday blog of Richard Bartle.
7:12pm on Thursday, 17th February, 2005:
Anecdote
I had my car serviced today. So I could get to work, I arranged a courtesy car from the garage. It turned out to be a 2-door Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin, a vehicle with a high driving position (handy, but only when enough other cars have low driving positions) and an unnerving instability taking corners. This particular one had the most awkward, intransigent reverse gear I have ever encountered. The basic idea was sound: in order to get into reverse gear, you have to pull the gear lever out so you can't get into reverset by accident. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it by design, either.
Driving away from the school having just picked up my younger daughter, I met another vehicle coming in the opposite direction. There were cars parked everywhere, so we couldn't pass. Although I had right of way, the woman driving the other car decided that her need was greater than mine and stopped, waiting for me to back up. Well, I couldn't. I tugged and tugged on the lever, but could not persuade it to engage reverse. I must have done this for 30 seconds or more before the other driver finally got the message and reversed into the easily-accessible space just behind her. As I passed, she gave me a look of utter contempt, as if I'd done it deliberately just to annoy her.
Well, I hadn't. But next time I see her coming towards me on my side of the road expecting me to reverse out of her way, I certainly will.
Latest entries.
Archived entries.
About this blog.
Copyright © 2005 Richard Bartle (richard@mud.co.uk).