[aways]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I hate defient, jaywalking smart asses.

There were a bunch of defiant, dumbass homies standing, yes standing right smack in the middle of a Seattle street one day some years ago, silently daring people to do anything about it. I saw a couple of cars in front of me stop for them. They just stood there and made the cars go into the oncoming lane to go around them.

Me? I was in my '71 FJ40, which with 600,000 miles on the clock (and a good number of them in our NW woods), was looking a little rough around the edges by then. The "nothing to lose" look, if you know what I mean. So, about half a block away, I floor it. Dumb ass homies just stand there. I was fully prepared to just plow on through them, and I think that finally dawned on them when I was about ten feet away with it still floored. The whole mob dove out of the way. I'm sure I clipped an ankle or an elbow or two or three. I could tell because some of them were limping on my second pass.

That's right, I slammed on the brakes and came skidding to a stop as fast as I could, turning around in the next roundabout. This time they were cagey enough to remember to stay the hell out of the street, so I had to bounce up on the sidewalk to chase a couple. I was laughing like some deranged maniac by now, having more fun than I had had in a very long time. I was just sure I was either going to jail or getting shot, or both. Alas, all these tough guys could think of at the time was running. I bet they are still talking about me.

I don't know what gets into me sometimes. I'd have smacked her, too.

Always wanted to do that... Never had the balls.