Just add music and stir
Music really can change the scene right before your eyes, if you let it.
Recently I was driving to school to get the kids and noticed the man driving behind me in my rear view mirror. We were both in the center lane waiting to turn left at a red light.
I wasn’t able to really see his face, just his general outline and his actions. At the same time, I was listening to the song “Change” by Tears for Fears.
You just have to appreciate the work on that xylophone intro and throughout the song. Those fuzzy sticks go ninja wild on the keys and I enjoy that. It helps me get my groove on. Well done, boys!
The volume wasn’t blaring, but I had it up loud enough to drown out the sound of my blinker and the extraneous sounds out on the street. Listening to
the
song and
watching the guy
behind me
was sort of
like watching a snippet
from an indie film.
You know how, in a movie, all the other sound is gone, just the visual on the screen and then the music is overlaid as the soundtrack? That’s what it was like sitting in my car.
The guy behind me was frantically trying to find something on the floor behind him. He had his seatbelt on so he could only lean so far back while holding the steering wheel with his left hand and flailing his right arm, throwing things about in search of what he was looking for.
At the same time, he kept looking in front of him, to see if the light had changed and if I had driven forward.
It was sort of like a choreographed dance, him sitting in the driver’s seat erratically swinging about. Step one: lean back, throw stuff on the seat behind. Step two: truffle through the unearthed junk. Step three: jerk head forward to check the light. Step four: repeat cycle.
I wondered what it was that was so important. Clearly, it wasn’t that necessary to locate, because if it was he would have pulled into a parking lot and given the search his full attention. But it was important enough to find, because he thought he had enough time, waiting at a light, to find it. Also, he must have remembered seeing it lying on the floor previously.
When the light changed and I proceeded ahead there was roughly a three second delay in his acceleration. Perhaps he was on step two (truffle through the unearthed junk) when the light changed and I drove off. Whatever the case, he floored it and caught up behind me.
He was driving a luxury sedan and I would guess he was in his mid-30s based on his vigorous display of vehicular gymnastics. It’s funny what kind of conclusions you can come to based on appearances.
Because he was in a new car I assumed he was some kind of yuppie, perhaps a salesman who was looking for a scrap of paper that had an important phone number on it.
As we parted ways I wanted to wave goodbye, but I knew he had no idea that I was watching him.
Thank you Unknown Man Driving Behind Me. You made a mundane display become somewhat extraordinary for me, simply because I added music to the soundtrack of life.
It was fun. You should try it sometime.
I love your use of the word “truffle” as a verb.
Thanks Solomon. Perhaps I was subconsciously thinking of mushrooms. Doesn’t one truffle the forest for mushrooms? Not sure, but I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!
I second Solomon!
But this is why I wonder how people’s cars get so messy (no offense to any fellow VIP lounge members with messy cars). I see some cars that are so messy that there’s only room for the driver to sit. I can’t even stand for my tote bags for shopping to get out of place out from underneath my van’s table. Grace even has a bag of junk sitting between her chair and the other in the back seat so her toys are contained. I’d much rather have my stuff all organized so I don’t have to “truffle” through the crap in my backseat!
Received letter yesterday, and am hoping to get return letter in the mail this morning. We’ll see, though. I didn’t get home from dinner till 10pm last night, and didn’t start your letter till almost midnight. It’s about half-done, but I am going to breakfast with Kurt once I drop Grace off. Sometimes my mail is early (like 10am), and sometimes it doesn’t come till almost 5pm. Weird.
I feel the same way about the car. Ugh, you reminded me of my old boss (the one who gave me an orange peeler as a wedding gift). I had to drive in his van somewhere and he had five kids at the time. He literally took his arm and swiped all of the shet on the passenger’s seat onto the floor. So I had to gingerly step up onto papers and crap, holding onto the seat so my foot didn’t slip on the papers and deposit my ass into the seat. It was horrendous. Disgusting. And every other gross word you can imagine.
I would truly go insane if I were forced to drive in a car like that and not able to organize or clean it.
Stairway to Heaven came on XM on my drive to work this morning. I turned up the stereo to 11, but turned it down when I got to campus. Didn’t want to be the old guy (31) rocking out to classic rock. :)
He he. This is great. Very good post. “Thank you Unknown Man Driving Behind Me” :)
Thanks strugglingwriter, I appreciate that. Wouldn’t that be funny if it was really a chick behind me and she read this and was like, “I will Google Stalk your ass Cardiogirl. You have not seen the last of me.” I know, that would only happen in my head.
Rock it brutha! I hear that. I feel the same way when I have to slow down at a light or be at a standstill in the car. I’ve been listening to Seal’s album “System” and it has a heavy beat that I like to turn up loud. But then when I slow down I feel I have to quickly turn it down so my status as a frumpy stay at home mom (who wears low tops, yeah!) remains in tact.
I had the pleasure of being behind his wife just the other day. She was searching frantically for something in her backseat, but she wasn’t so smart as to wait for a light. She would reach into the backseat and almost run into oncoming traffic in her attempt to find her mystery item.
I told my husband that exact same thing you said.. “it wasn’t that necessary to locate, because if it was (s)he would have pulled into a parking lot and given the search his full attention”. But then again, she was risking her life digging around in her car while ‘driving’.
It seems there’s a liberal amount of crazy throughout the world, wouldn’t you say, Monique? I’m sure we could find relatives of these people driving erratically all over the world.
Hi C-Girl,
I often watch drivers in the car behind me – especially if they are tailgating or, in some other way, driving erratically. Having been rear ended more than once, I’ll have to admit it’s more out of fear than amusement on my part.
I’ll generally try to get such drivers to pass me, but some of them seem unwilling to pass – or back off, they just seem to like that spot five or ten feet off my bumper.
I’ll try to see the humor in it next time.
Just turn the music up Don, you’ll see what I’m talking about. One note of caution: this phenomenon does not work with talk radio.
Usually you have a much more detailed backstory….
I am so busted, Susan. I was running late this morning and didn’t have enough time to elaborate.
I remember when I was a little girl and my mum and I were waiting in the car somewhere. I guess no.6 was there too, I don’t remember. The music was on quite loud and my mum said, “look, it looks like everyone’s walking to the music.”
It was nice to remember that. Ah, you’ve given me the lift I needed today :)
What a fun mom. I mean mum, mum sounds even more fun! I gotta get over to your pad, I read the post and didn’t have time to comment. You need a pick me up, chick.
Ahh CG, you always see the best in ordinary things. I would just have been thinking “I hope he doesn’t hit me in this effort to find whatever he is looking for.”
Thanks Mrs. S. I do enjoy my skewed sense of interpretation, even when I miss the big picture. We have to hold onto the things that make us happy, right?
I do that ALL the time. Even to the point of watching a much-loved movie play with no sound but my playlist over it. There goes my night; now I gotta go load up Kill Bill. What do you suggest for music – Ella…? The Decemberists…? Maybe Bedouin Soundclash… hmmm…..
Oh! Oh! you gave me an idea! I’m going to watch SpongeBob with my Elliptical Rock Out playlist, the one I use at the Y (name trademarked by JD at I Do Things.) How fun will that be?!
Ummm… wondering if the term “snuffle” was what you meant instead of the “truffle”-word? I like “truffle” in this case, mind you…
Uh oh. I *did* want the word truffle. Was that wrong? Wrong usage? Who cares! This is my blog and in my blog Snuffleupaguses truffle, shet bag.
I stopped in to visit, and what a find, that was great. I always find what I need here…
I love your description of the moment, as I have so many of those that sometimes I feel my life is like a movie.
(BTW Kill Bill is awesome!)
But yes think sometimes when I’m listening to my music I observe the people around me..I drive through a huge college campus every day to get to work…I see sleepy people, anxious people, white knuckle drivers, those hopped up on coffee, etc.
My favorite is when I see someone dancing in their car..it’s so fun. Great post. :)
That would be the best, driving through campus, listening to your own soundtrack and observing youth. Mostly youth, I know there are some untraditional students milling about. I haven’t seen anyone dance in their car for a while. I did get busted, rockin’ out back when I was about 25. The guy next to me laughed, I was humiliated and I never did it again.
Yes I am that fragile,; you can crush me like a bug. But I prefer to imagine I am a butterfly who just can’t flit away fast enough and there are jack asses in the world who like to rip my wings off. Family o’ Origin, I’m lookin’ at you.
[...] can’t describe it…you just have to check her out. I can’t leave out CardioGirl, always a pleasant [...]