Thursday, January 26, 2017

Stop Retreating



The Retreat came to an end and it was time to leave the gun free Jesuit Compound and head for Dallas. I won't comment on the spiritual benefits of the retreat, which were great, but I'm forced to reflect on the journey back to the Metrosprawl.


I35E

Those of you who have traveled along I35E towards the gleaming Ozlike towers of the 'sprawl and arrived, unharmed, at your destination have done a remarkable thing. You have gazed upon the face of Hell, and lived.


Hell

Seriously, it was insane driving, a 20+ miles slalom through massive construction at 80 mph. No lane markers, no signalling, just devil take the hindmost and hell for leather. Mad Max springs to mind. But there is a benefit.


Dallas

You get to see a city being built before your very eyes. There's something remarkable about that but please, civic planners, design the city for people not cars. That's what I say and I'm sticking to it.

God bless,

LSP

6 comments:

  1. I was going to make a snarky comment about Jesuits, but I deleted it.

    Cars are the dominant life form on the planet. We worship them, we clean them, we have houses for them, and they take us wherever we want to go. We lower them, we lift them, and we even have sexual congress in them from time to time.

    Hail cars!!

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  2. I learned to do my serious driving in Houston where you had better be going 70 mph when you entered the freeway or you'd get squished. Check to see if someone was coming? Sorry - no time. Just floor it and hope for the best. I made it out alive.

    Like LL - I snapped to the Jesuit thingy, but chose to keep quiet.

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  3. I swear to God, I learned to drive in that gauntlet, and my only memory besides praying without ceasing while merging on a Dallas freeway was seeing somebody throw a huge bag of McDonalds trash out the back window of their Mazda right in front of me. It's where I learned the cardinal rule of driving in America: Thou shalt not freeze. No matter what.

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  4. All hail the Car, LL! Maybe MAGA will reopen some factories in Detroit, too.

    As for the Js... I held my pen, despite being a ready writer.

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  5. Jesuits? Me too, Adrienne... glad you survived the evil Houston.

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  6. No place for the fainthearted, Grunt. But really, you'd think they'd come up with something better...

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