Paraskavedekatriaphobia Day
Friday is the best working day on the road. Work Sites have to be organised so they can be left unattended over the weekend, this usually means that we try to leave as few speed restrictions as possible. This is especially true of a long weekend. The traffic also gets heavier on a Friday afternoon, which is also a good excuse to get off the road early. It is also a good time to sort out your vehicle and gear. This afternoon I noticed that one of my rear tires was losing air, so I headed off to the tire man to get it repaired. Changing a tire on a truck is a pain, and involves quite a lot of effort. It is much easier to watch someone else do it, and they will give you a coffee too. I hung around and made sympathetic conversation, pondering what it must be like to have life serve you up a career as a tire repair man, then freshly inflated, sped homeward toward the pleasures of the Fart household and straight into the laser beam of a Highway Patrol Police Car.
It also happens to be "Deal To The Trucks Week".
The Speed limit for Trucks in this country is 90 kph, for cars 100 kph, I had to pretend I was a car to get off, and have no expertise at hypnosis, so I fell back on the good old cringe & grovel method, with a sprinkling of flattery.
The Cop, though, eyed me up and down and then gave me a good bollocking. "You should know better, .. you guys are pretty good and you are spoiling their reputation.... now on your way and keep that speed down "
I slunk away, ticketless but chastened, and still feel a pang of guilt hours later. I almost would have prefered a ticket.