WELL, IT COULD BE A MANNEQUIN



I didn't Google, but I did look for a picture of a mannequin. I found some, but they were all copyrighted, so this one will have to do. So why did I want a mannequin? I wanted to write about traffic and the HOV lanes, of course.

When I lived in MTV, I used to get so angry when I wanted to turn onto Richview Road and cars wouldn't allow it. My wife had to remind me more than once that it wasn't my road and my wait wouldn't be long. When I moved to AZ, the traffic (imagine this) got a lot worse. I used to think it was just seasonal, but no more. I used to think that the 5 as they call it in San Diego was the worst tie up I'd ever seen. Again, no more. And when the snow birds return, I just don't know what it will be like out West.

People drive a whole lot faster out here. I can attest to that after having spent 10 hours in a car in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota last week. No HOV lanes either. In California, they try to get by driving in a carpool lane requiring two or more by saying they're pregnant. Or by purchasing mannequins to sit in the passenger seat. Yes, there's a hefty fine for either. Some HOV lanes are approved for alternative fuel cars. Last year in Wisconsin we got behind one of those that ran on cooking oil. I used to drive a 1980 Pontiac that we called "the eggmobile" because of its odor from improper fuel burning. Well, this Wisconsin auto would have been "the French frymobile".

And my point is? Well, none. If you have to wait a little while in traffic, just do it. Breathe easily. Or talk to your mannequin in the front seat with you.