Karma

So, I get off work yesterday at my normal time, jump in the car and debate whether or not to put the top down on the car since the weather was pretty damn warm. I get to the edge of the entrance to the parking lot of the station and see that there's an opening in traffic to get onto Mesa street, and I take it. So, I think to myself "at the next traffic light I will put the top down". Well, that goes out the window when I get every light green until I hit the freeway. I get on the freeway and consider putting the top down at the side of the road, but remembering what happened to me when putting it up one evening, I decided not to.

I enjoy the sound of the car humming along at 2300rpm, the sound of the tires on the road and the feel of the wheel in my hands. I turned the radio down on the XM for a distance just to get the sounds of the road in my head. You'd think after some 8 thousand miles of vacation travel I've amassed I would get tired of that sort of thing, but I was enjoying it. Then, the XM chimed and a few good songs started playing. Halfway home, I gave up the ghost in thinking we (as a collective of cars) would be going faster than 65mph. I felt in no rush to get home, so I took it easy. At that same time, checking my huge blind spot (where the convertible top meets the body in the rear) I see a Texas State Trooper in the huge black Ford pickup.

Remembering what happened to me the last time, I thought to myself I shouldn't try and stick out more than I do. After all, IM a bright red sports car, who -- coincidentally -- is following a red 1999 Mustang GT, and is being followed by a laser red 2002 [Mustang] V6. So, its the three Mustangs and the State Trooper beside us all pounding down the freeway when [Trooper] decides to get ahead of the three of us. I don't particularly care, unless the lead Stang decides to drop in speed, which he doesn't. The part I love is when this pair of sport-tuned Ford Focus' get on the freeway. The lead Focus speeds up and drops back as soon as he sees the trooper in front of him.

It's at this point while driving that I personally, started thinking to myself that this would be so sweet to witness the utter lack of intelligence these inconsiderate sport-tuners have by watching this guy get popped. In my mind, all I kept saying was "go faster, go faster, go faster" and eventually, the guy does. Mind you, us three Mustangs are following the State Trooper at his speed (65mph) so, the Focus should have been going at least 70mph (on a posted 60mph) by the time he passed the front bumper of the trooper. Sure enough, the Focus was oblivious to the troopers truck and the overhead lights kicked on.

I liken the pulling over of someone to a child getting reprimanded at school, everyone around has to stop what they're doing and watch. I got around the lead Mustang and set cruise control at 70mph and started laughing, watching the flashing red & blue lights disappear in my mirrors. Getting home, I decided the other two Mustangs shamed me into washing the car, so I sat down and really got to work cleaning all the little nooks and crannies on the car, on the sides with the running horse emblems, the rear where the license plates recess, the bumper valances, you name it, I cleaned it. At night, I cleaned the windows free of water spots from the chamois and dressed the tires and called it a night with a nice hot shower. Then, it hit.

Lightning. I like to take a shower with the lights turned off, so when the entire bathroom lit up like the middle of the day, I got so pissed off thinking that my wash job was for nothing. Finishing my shower I went outside and closed the garage doors and prepped everything for a possible rain shower and little, if any rain actually hit the house.

Thinking about it, maybe this is the universe's way of showing karma can get you, even in the shower. Next time, I won't laugh when someone gets pulled over.