Real Life Pole Position

Did you ever play the game Pole Position in an arcade? You'd grab on to the steering wheel and try to stay within the confines of a track while avoiding numerous obstacles that were launched into your path?

Well, my morning drive to Daniel's school for the past two days has been like real life Pole Position. It starts with the suicidal squirrels. As I'm navigating the curves of my street, squirrels appear out of nowhere and dart into my path. If I didn't know better, I'd think they all have little walkie-talkies and are alerting each other when to jump in the way of my tires. I kid you not... this morning there were at least six squirrels that did the "stop-in-the-middle-of-the-road-and-freak-out" dance as my car approached. I usually don't swerve too much because I've gotten to the point in my life where I refuse to endanger the people riding in my car because a wayward squirrel wants to "end it all." But, it is quite distressing to be on the lookoout for Kamikaze Rodents at each bend in the road.

Then, they're working on the road next to my house and there are cones and workmen flagging me every which-a way... "SLOW!" "STOP!" Signs are everywhere...work trucks backing in and out of my path... whew. Avoided collision with concrete mixer truck...BONUS: 5,000 points!

And, of course, the very highlight of my morning routine is avoiding mowing down a family with small children in the treacherous parking lot of my son's school. I have memorized the accepted pathways in and out of the lot but the straight in-and-out layout of parking spaces, combined with small children and cars pulling in and out...it's a recipe for disaster, I tell ya. I inch back....inch back...a little more.....look over right shoulder, look over left shoulder...a little more....rearview mirror check....left check...right check.... inch a little...ALERT! Blue backpack in the mirror! I slam on the brakes, breathe and, once the field is seemingly clear, start inching out again. I make the successful turnout and head, cautiously, down a row to safely exit.

Breathe.........

Final Score:

Near miss Squirrel #4....350 points
Mixer Truck Collision Avoidance..... 5,000 points
Backpack Spotting Bonus: 1,400 points

Perhaps tomorrow there'll be a bulldozer or double stroller thrown in to the mix. I hear that avoiding those can automatically land you into the next level with bonus speed-trap protection. Stay tuned...