Musings from the Ozone

CITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)

QUEENS COLLEGE

NEW YORK,

NEW YORK

Well, I do not officially have another degree from college.  That being said, I feel that I should have earned this degree during college because I worked so hard at it.  In fact, I drove myself hard and constantly, although I didn't accrue any credits towards this achievement.   I didn't even think about receiving  credits about this accomplishment, although I attended to this issue more thoroughly than any other class I took for my college degree.

Rain or shine, snow or ice, you could find me on track.  Waiting, contemplating, thinking, praying, and listening were all part of the process.  Oh, and the sights I saw!  Then on many occasions, there was nothing but the most boring sights possible and the doldrums would set in.  I sought out different paths.  I ran into countless roadblocks, but still I pressed on; secure in the knowledge that I would make it in the end.

I became somewhat of an adventurer in the process!  I was always pressed for time, so I would prepare in advance all of the necessary components, just to make sure that I got to the next class in time.  Some days the distance between classes necessitated that I planned things out like mad.  How could I be at one end of the campus, when I should be at the other end of the campus in 10 minutes?

Did you guess that I am thinking I should have earned a degree for driving to college in New York City for 5 years?   If  you did, then  you guessed right.  It was truly an achievement, in spite  of the fact that there were no rewards involved…..just calm confidence that I had succeeded in staying alive and still, perhaps, sane.

The biggest problems occurred when I took morning classes at 8, 9 or even 10 AM.  Rush hour in New York is just no joke.  It starts at 7 AM, and goes on and on until nearly 11 AM.  These days there seems to be so many more cars on the road, since everyone's kid is now driving, too.  It doesn't matter what hour you set forth, you will still encounter more bumper-to-bumper  traffic  in NYC than in any other city.   Why not try side roads, you say?  That is also a very big joke, because at least 50,000 other drivers try the same thing each day.  You can easily get choked or clogged up in traffic snarls, just because  of the enormous quantity of  traffic lights.  At any given hour, you will encounter gridlock and those that are  'blocking the box.'  That means that people get stuck out in the intersection when the light has changed on them, but they cannot go forwards or backwards. 

There are so many lessons  one has to learn in order to drive competently in New York.  The first thing; one must overcome personal fear.  One cannot be afraid!  However, being fearful is not the same thing as being cautious.   I do not have a big fear factor, but there have been times when I  have been too naïve regarding dangers.  I am much more cautious about being on the roads alone late at night.   How I drove so many years without a cell phone and drove alone so many times at night, is more than a little amazing.  Still, if one has ever had an accident, all alone on a rainy night, it will instill a cautious factor in them and quite successfully.

Here is one good reason, why you must take caution; even if you are not fearful, as a rule. You can be  the most excellent driver in the world, but you cannot insure yourself against another driver who makes the split-second-wrong-decision.  You can easily get rammed in the back fender if you stop at a yellow light.  Drivers in New York are geared to run yellow lights right up until the half second before the light turns red.  It wasn't long after moving to New York, that I learned why the drivers at the red light hesitated for a second before starting through the intersection.  They want to be sure that no one will come flying through from the side and hit them!

One soon learns that in New York City,  65 miles an hour feels like you are cheating death.  When one has to drive at 25 and 30 miles for most of their trip, simply because traffic is bumper to bumper, it is a shock to the system when the speed picks up.  On the Southern State Parkway, one must learn to stay very close to the car in front of them; not because we like to tailgate, but if the driver next to us sees a tiny opening between you and the driver in front of you, they will undoubtedly maneuver for that space. 

So you want to make an exit off the highway.....and the ramp on the right?  You had better start planning for your move at least 15 minutes before the exit actually comes into sight.  People just do not want to let you in their lane, no matter what your reason is for changing lanes!  It doesn't matter to them that they are driving in that lane where the exits are.  It has also become a fad these days to pass traffic on the right side.  Many drivers out here truly do 'weave in and out' of traffic;  they are a risk to be dealt with.

My 'fictitious' degree, drawn from a figment of my  imagination, may not have any grounds to stand on, but truthfully, it had more significance, in the scheme of things,  than did many of the courses from which I did receive credits.   They would not have been won, unless I had persevered daily at getting to that campus in the city.  It took more from me, emotionally and physically, than did some of the hardest courses.  It stressed my nerves and stamina throughout  the coldest, icy days of winter when I feared for my life on the giant skating lot, as well as did the hottest days of summer with heat boiling on the windows, making me sleepy.  It required that I stay alert when sitting in traffic snarl-ups;  when I knew I wouldn't be able to get home for a couple more hours, much less get to the bed to sleep.  Yes, driving to Queens College almost daily for 5  years, was worth a degree…..