This entry is part of the August Journal Smackdown (Pants Edition), in response to the topic
	The RantyPants Award: What gets under your skin? I mean really under there? And pisses you off like there's no tomorrow?

I used to have a huge temper. Really nasty and violent. The nadir was attempting to strangle my mother when I was about ten or eleven. I've no idea what changed me. I became surly and sullen in my early teen years and lost the total boiling rage thing. A moderate improvement. I have no idea why my parents didn't come down harder on me than they did, but they didn't and here I am today almost a pacifist.

I say almost because I do tend to lose it, at least verbally, in the car. I just don't understand why people can't see that the main point is to keep things moving. If I let you out in front of me, stop waving and get driving. Wave afterwards if you have to -- just keep moving! And you -- yes you, travelling at ten miles per hour less than the limit in the outside lane -- move over!

I'm not an aggressive driver. I don't weave. I don't sit on people's rear bumper, flashing my lights. I give people room and let them do their thing. You want a little jaunt in the country, fine. But this is rush hour baby, and people have places to be, so if you could just move into the inside lane... thanks.

Then there's the loose cannons. No indication, no looking around them, no idea what lane they should be in. Totally random behaviour -- cutting inside, elbowing you out of your lane. And roundabouts. Call me old fashioned, but you yield to traffic from your right. That's it. It's that simple. Hard to see how you could forget. But people do. Dangerous fuckers.

I realise that this seems a bit rich. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's intolerance! But there is a middle ground to be struck between the (usually) boy racers and the (usually) little old ladies. And as we all know deep in our heart of hearts we are the among the best drivers on the road.

The rest of you can take the bus.

My working from home has yet to pan out. Mainly because I haven't had the time to configure my laptop. But I'm nearly there and I've signed up for access to our VPN so I should be able to do some proper work -- although the laptop is well enough spec'ed to handle everything I need, barring access to work email.

I'm looking forward to it. I seem to have spent a lot of time in my car since moving down here. Even over the weekend events conspired to keep me in the car most of Saturday and all day Sunday.

Apart from when we took Paddy to the zoo. Anna was going to Galway and we put her on the train with a friend of ours and as we were up in the big smoke, we took the opportunity to go to the zoo.

Paddy took a while to get into it and enjoyed all the other children and the paths and railings to climb much more than the animals. He did gawp at the giraffes (as you do) but lions and elephants left him unmoved. He liked the monkeys but he stopped and stared at any ducks or water birds that he came across. They must be on his scale or something.

I have photos, but no scanner. So you'll just have to imagine...