SilverZuk
10-21-2003, 10:38 AM
We have a new CAD guy in the office from Mass. I always take new guys to lunch to get to know them. We are headed out in the parking lot and I hop in the Dodge and he hops in his Honda hybrid. I say “you can ride with me”. He says “That’s alright hop in.” So we go to lunch and I’m quizzing him about the car. Acceleration, mileage, handling, weight, etc. He dumps the clutch to show me that it will spin and the modest acceleration.
We eat lunch, hop back in and are coming to the end of a four lane. Sitting at a light in the right lane. Our lane turns into a turn lane into a truck stop in about an 1/8 mile. We need to merge left but there are 4 – 6 cars in the left lane. No big deal, just out run them and merge. There is a car hauler stopped at the end of the turn lane waiting to get into the truck stop. The new guy hammers it. We slowly start to pass a Saturn and I say “I don’t think we are going to make it.” As I say this the Saturn punches it and his front end is right beside the drivers door. I say “He just gassed it".
So there we are WFO closing fast into the back of a car hauler, a Saturn WFO three feet away from the drivers side door. Bracing for impact I think “We’re going to hit the back of the car hauler.” Thinking “It’s too late to stop now!” [Bracing tight] The new guy never lifted, and is looking over his shoulder more at the Saturn than the car hauler. As we close into about 40 feet, the new guy swerves as hard has he can, our tires are squalling the Honda starts to yaw. The Saturn is still by the rear quarter panel. The Saturn slams on his brakes and swerves to avoid us hitting him. The new guy never lifted off the gas.
I calmly said “Yep, that guy is getting ready to tell you that you are No.1 and next time we go to lunch I will drive”. I didn’t really get nervous about it until we got back to the office and my co-workers that were a couple cars behind the Saturn were like “Holy Chit, we can’t believe you didn’t wreck. That Saturn nearly wrecked avoiding you.”
I can’t believe I almost got Darwinned along with those two candidates.
We eat lunch, hop back in and are coming to the end of a four lane. Sitting at a light in the right lane. Our lane turns into a turn lane into a truck stop in about an 1/8 mile. We need to merge left but there are 4 – 6 cars in the left lane. No big deal, just out run them and merge. There is a car hauler stopped at the end of the turn lane waiting to get into the truck stop. The new guy hammers it. We slowly start to pass a Saturn and I say “I don’t think we are going to make it.” As I say this the Saturn punches it and his front end is right beside the drivers door. I say “He just gassed it".
So there we are WFO closing fast into the back of a car hauler, a Saturn WFO three feet away from the drivers side door. Bracing for impact I think “We’re going to hit the back of the car hauler.” Thinking “It’s too late to stop now!” [Bracing tight] The new guy never lifted, and is looking over his shoulder more at the Saturn than the car hauler. As we close into about 40 feet, the new guy swerves as hard has he can, our tires are squalling the Honda starts to yaw. The Saturn is still by the rear quarter panel. The Saturn slams on his brakes and swerves to avoid us hitting him. The new guy never lifted off the gas.
I calmly said “Yep, that guy is getting ready to tell you that you are No.1 and next time we go to lunch I will drive”. I didn’t really get nervous about it until we got back to the office and my co-workers that were a couple cars behind the Saturn were like “Holy Chit, we can’t believe you didn’t wreck. That Saturn nearly wrecked avoiding you.”
I can’t believe I almost got Darwinned along with those two candidates.