Driving through Hell and a eureka moment

[trystinn]

Around 12:30 this morning, I was pulling off the ferry after a particularly exciting sailing across the Puget Sound, and as we charged up the hill from Clinton ferry dock the lights in Clinton went out, recovered, then off again. This cycle was repeated several times. There's few things quite as surreal as driving through a town where the lights are flickering on and off. By the time I got to the first darkened light at the Langley turn off, it was decidedly a blackout. Not a single light was on, including the traffic lights. Sadly, Whidbey Island doesn't have reflectors on traffic lights and so on dark nights without power its almost impossible to see the traffic lights through the rain. Not fun. People were slamming on their brakes as they drove through intersections, which fortunately wasn't so bad at 1 am in the morning, as there was no opposing traffic. Between the rain, the debris flying at us sideways and the darkness - it was a pretty memorable experience all things concerned.

However, that said: There's five traffic lights in the 35 mile journey from the ferry to our home. Five. And they are almost ALL located at towns so why is it so hard for folks to remember where they are? 1st Langley turnoff, 2nd Langley turnoff, Freeland, Useless Bay turnoff, Coupeville. No matter how dark and thick the rain is - how does one somehow miss that the trees are suddenly gone and the road is surrounded by buildings???

I'm clutching the steering wheel, Josh has his face pressed almost against the van's windshield and I'm rambling on about the above. And that's when my hubby floors me: "Tris, its your OCD. You remember every detail because you're always noticing details others don't. You know you have five lights ahead because you've counted them, you probably do it every time we drive home from the ferry. You've got all this information stored in your head and you've got to use it, especially under stress. But other people don't memorize things like that, they just don't think that way. If I was driving, I'd have been so distracted by the storm and all, I would have gone through the lights, too."

This is about when my head exploded. Woah.

Comments

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

see, OCD and certain forms of ADHD are actually survival skills. it just doesnt seem like it because in the usual world we are overwhelmed with details.

but people like me, who have no idea how many steps are in the house we have lived in for YEARS. and forget how many lights or whatever.... dont do so well when our usual landmarks vanish.

meanwhile i can give directions based on visual cues, no problem... drive that way until you get to the Japanese resterant.. turn left. follow the twisty road until you pass the quaint bookstore (not the chain one, the quaint one. no i have no idea what its called) then turn right... ok, now when you see the japanese maple? on the left? its the white house on your right....
miles? street names? north?

Makes sense...

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

I give directions like you do, hon: Turn left at the really large victorian-wannabe purple house, continue straight up the hill past the really ugly copper signs on the left. Continue along until you see buffalo, and make an immediate left. Make a left at the blue house with the black pig, continue on until you see a Mary-on-the-half-shell across the street from our driveway. If you pass the llamas, you've gone too far. (And oddly enough, that's almost exactly the directions to our home)

I figure in ancient days, I was the twit on the quest who was the walking encyclopedia. i.e. the next town has a great apothacary, just don't ask him about his pet monkey or we'll be stuck there for hours. Avoid the wench at the Stein and Scabbard with the missing right front tooth, she's got the Pox. And while the peach ale is perfectly fine, the apple crop was bad this year so apple ale will probably give you the runs.

LMAO Survival skills indeed.