My First Blog!!!

You know, I am often one of the first to arrive for parties, I arrive early for appointments and I often arrive at places early enough that I end up waiting for everyone else to arrive. In the case of blogging, I have arrived relatively late. Why do I have this sense that within the next month or two that blogs are suddenly going to go on the downturn and we're going to be seeing a rapid decline? There have been many instances of this, 8-Track Tapes, DiVX, Speak and Spell (hey hey hey! Speak and Spell had a cult following when I grew up!)

Still and all, it's good to get in while the getting is good. So, this is my first blog. I'm not sure how often I'm going to be 'blogging' or how often I will provide updates. I still have one of my first web sites up on the 'net. If you do a search for 'The Domain of Jay Tipnis' in Google, you will find a link to it. I used to love to review movie soundtracks and post my reviews. The ones up there are by no means the only CDs I have; I've got a ton more but not enough time to post reviews of them all. A blog is something that is creative and spontaneous but doesn't require as much time (at least I hope) to update and maintain. We'll see what happens as time goes on.

So, my first blog and all I'm doing is blabbing. Well, that's the point isn't it? It's my space to blab and my space to say what I have to say or what I want to say! What to talk about for this first one?

One thing you will come to learn about me as time goes on is that I love to drive. I love the feeling of cruising down the road and making that perfect curve, hitting the apex and zooming off. I don't street race though the temptation is always there. I just love the feeling of driving in a responsive car and occasionally seeing what they can do. That being said, I would like to share the fact that my first car was a 1991 Ford Escort EX (known as the Blue Max); it had a top listed speed of 85 MPH and with traffic the way it is, I always had to be close to that when driving on the highway. At that speed it was like flying a jet through heavy turbulence. My next car was a 2001 Honda Civic EX (known as the Silver Streak). A bit faster, a bit more refined and a much nicer car. It was my first manual transmission and it gave me a taste of what old school drivers did while racing. Down shifting, heel-toe driving. All of it! I am now on my third car, a 2001 Porsche Boxster (known as the Silver Bullet).

One would think that now that I have a high performance car I would be zipping all over the place. Making hundred mile trips in less than an hour, but in fact, it has had the opposite effect on me. I keep pace with traffic, but I no longer 'feel the need' to constantly pass cars. I think it stems from the fact that I am comfortable in the knowledge that if pushed, I can outrun a lot of the cars I encounter daily. That being said, let me share with you an experience which I've had quite often (i.e. at least once every two weeks).

As I was coming on to the highway, I attempt to merge into traffic. Keeping an eye on the mirror and my blindspot I adjust my speed according to openings I see in traffic. As I see an opening I begin to merge when the guy behind me jumps in and speeds up to cut off my entry. Instead of slowing to let me in as well, this guy effectively speeds up next to me and prevents me from merging. With the merge area quickly ending I drop back and merge quickly, very nearly ending up on the shoulder. I pass it off and continue on my way. One thing I always believe in racing is that a fast car doesn't make all the difference, but a smart driver can make even a mediocre car fast. As such, I drive at a stately pace, keeping up with traffic and constantly scanning for openings where I move without having to reduce speed. Not weaving, elegant merging! ;-)

After a time I notice that my friend from the merge area is now stuck, as he sees me smoothly pass him, he gets it in his head that I'm somehow challenging me. He quickly cuts in behind me, rides my bumper and then speeds up to try and pass me. Hoping to avoid a rear ending (as my car can brake faster than his Hyundai) I move over, again my friend speeds past and cuts in front of me. End result? We both end up in exactly the same spot as we would have had he avoided speeding and weaving. It's just sad when you see drivers burning up fuel and ego for such small gains. Maybe my driving in my Boxster has elevated me to some sort of Zen state. One can only enjoy the open roads and contemplate! ;-)