We're Number One!

Yes it's official we are once again the worst drivers in the country. I'm not here to dispute this either. And not only is Boston the worst place to drive with the worst drivers, Springfield, in the western part of the state, is number two. Now I have been through Springfield a few times but that was on the highway. Though there are many things to be proud of living here, the road layout and the drivers are not among them. Just the other day as I was driving home from work I am traveling down a fairly busy road nearing home. On the left is a supermarket and a few auto repair places. On the right is a mall and a few more varying auto repair places. I am in the left lane because I am going to take a left. A guy in a van is in the right lane behind me. All of a sudden he is right next to me wanting to cut in front of me. He had plenty of opportunity to get behind me for a left but he decided to try to get in front of me. I wouldn't let him just on sheer principle. We come to the light and the screaming, yelling and swearing began. Now I am normally not given to such behavior but this guy really angered me. This wasn't the first time I have been cut off but this guy waited until we approached the light then sped up and tried to cut me off. If I let him in it could have triggered a rear end collision with the car behind me and possibly some kind of crash with the car in front of me. In fairness this is not an every day occurrence, but you really have to be diligent and on your guard. On my drive to work through Cambridge I am seeing many out of state plates as about 100,000 people come to the area for school. I even saw a plate from Alaska. Every time I see one I think, "Those poor people driving around the area must be so confused and terrified." I mean a stop sign sometimes can be just a suggestion. So we deserve being number one.

As you have probably guessed Arlene and I are looking forward to our little trip next week, well actually this week. I don't know how many more times we can do this. I don't think it will be the last time but you do have to pay for this stuff and I still have to pay for the last two trip, but that's not bad considering this will be our 11th trip since 2010. This time of year most of the crowds are gone and though we are only about 100 miles from home, it seems like a million miles. I am really enamored with the sunsets. We were looking at some of those pictures the other night and I decided to make a slideshow with a song by my favorite musician, Jack Bruce. He just died this passed October. He could play or write anything. He was in the highly successful but short lived group Cream back in the '60s, selling 35 million records in a little over two years. He was a classically trained cellist and vocalist, but played rock, jazz, and classical. I did get his autograph when he played Boston in 1980. It's a personal treasure. There's this beautiful Latin flavored song on his second solo record in 1971 called "The Consul at Sunset" and it just matched the sunset pictures so nicely. I mistakenly wrote sunrise instead of sunset at the top of the video. Here he sings, plays the piano and bass as well as writing the song. He was never in the limelight again but those who know music know Jack Bruce.



You don't have to watch this next video but it's just an example of one of the hits Cream had in 1968, played here at the reunion concert in 2005. He had just recovered from a liver transplant.

So that's about it for now.
I'm outta here.