She's a little slow

I once took a speed reading course. Well, actually I began to take a speed reading course, but when I realized it flew in the face of one of my most deliberate habits, I abandoned it. The fact is, with speed reading one skims each page, focusing on the middle words and allowing the eyes to merely peripherally take in the words on either side of the page. What fun is that? The way I read is to say each word in my head as I read. I realize be admitting this I am immediately labeled as a slow reader ( perhaps not quite as bright as my parents had hoped). But I love reading; it is one of my favorite hobbies. I can get caught up in a well-told story with the best of them. To spoil the experience by rushing through is like eating a good piece of chocolate without thinking about it. Okay, I admit I have eaten one or two or ten pieces of chocolate without really thinking about it, but you get the picture.
I wonder if there really are people out there who like to read by speeding over the pages, never formulating a word in their heads. How does that work, anyway? Are they just getting the idea, not the specifics? How could you appreciate a well-written sentence if all you read were the 4 words in the middle? I say why ruin a happy past-time by turning it into work? Not me! This is one habit I will never abandon. You may go off and formulate your negative opinions of me now...

So it has been 6 plus weeks since I wrote a post- that is what happens when one returns to the reality of home, I guess, and doesn't make blogging a priority or goal. It isn't that I haven't been thinking of what I would like to say, just that the days merge into each other and before you know it, six whole weeks have gone by, or more. Kind of like one's life; before you know it , it is nearing the end of 2011. No goals, nothing accomplished.

One thing I have been thinking about is driving, and specifically, how easily it is to become a perpetrator of road rage. For those who know me well, do I appear to be someone who could become irrationally angry over being cut off in traffic? (Don't respond, please). There is something that absolutely 'gets my goat' when another driver speeds past me and then quickly gets in front of me. I will give you an example: One day I was driving in Utah (never a good idea) and my lane was ending. I put on my blinker so that those behind me would know I had to move over. A car came along side and just kept going, when he could have easily moved to the left lane (no one there). I had to hit my brakes to avoid hitting him. Wow, did I feel my blood pressure go up. I was so angry I caught up with him and tailgated him for a block or two, even considered rolling down my window to yell. I actually had to take some deep breaths and talk out loud to myself (no eye rolls please) to calm down. Why???? How silly to care if I am in front or behind another car? Maybe I should see a
professional to analyze the emotion. Anyway, given my extreme feelings, I can readily understand, (but not justify), how someone gets into confrontations on the road. Now for the rest of the story:
After I had calmed myself back to rationality, I did pull up along side the other car. Imagine my feelings of shame when I saw a very old man (yes, older than me!) driving that car. He appeared to be completely oblivious to me, staring straight ahead and absorbed in his own thoughts. He probably had never even seen the lane ending. I ate a huge piece of humble pie right then, wondering how many times I had done the same thing to someone else...