I know that some of you have been eagerly anticipating my next driving lesson, and are willing to make a valid effort at improving your driving skills. I will make today's short as I have a Tahoe to go and test drive.

The vehicles with the bright flashing lights that are sometimes accompanied by a loud siren and horn are EMERGENCY vehicles. Get out of their way. They do not want you to stop in the middle of the road, throw your hands up in confusion and look around bewildered. The appropriate course of action is to pull over to the right side of the road and let them pass. When you just stop in the middle of the road this prevents other people from getting around you and prevents the emergency vehicle from getting by, and you could end up delaying them from getting to the EMERGENCY that are going to. Don't worry though, if the 30 seconds that you delay them ends up being the difference between someone living or dying, I am sure that their friends and family will understand that you were in too much of a hurry, or that you just didn't care, or that you are so completely clueless that you didn't notice that they were there.

In an attempt to curb my increasing frustration with the complete inability of minnesotans to drive, I thought that I should first consider the possibility that maybe most of them were never taught the basics. So, I will start with some of the easier concepts and we can work oor way up to some of the harder ones.

1) The lights that are found at intersections, you know those ones that change colors (red green and yellow? They are there for the purpose of controlling whose turn it is to go through that intersection. If the light is red----- STOP! ------- it is not your turn to go. If you proceed through the intersection when the light is red, you could hit another vehicle, or a pedestrian, and this WOULD BE YOUR FAULT.

2) Stop signs are not optional (they all have that white outline). They are not a suggestion, and they don't mean pause and then go. This is especially important when there is other traffic on the road with you. You do not always have the right of way--- though most of us do all realize that you are the most important person around and everyone should just let you go because you want to--- there are some out there that haven't been properly informed, and again an accident may result and again YOUR FAULT.

I think that may be a little too much information at once so I 'll let that sink in.

There are so many things that I can waste energy being mad about. Then I have to stop and wonder, Whats the point? I am wasting my time being upset about things that I can't change, or that are my fault for allowing them to happen. So here's to letting things go, having more fun, and not being trapped in the cycle of those who choose to not grow up.