Ok, I’m not at the happy crossroads yet. I’m very close though. Saying that I’m standing right in the middle of the intersection is the most appropriate. Yesterday was the first step in getting the paperwork needed in order – it had to be done in person. Apparently monday or tuesday I’ll be in need of signing the docs once they’re properly drawn up. It was a long day yesterday. Lots of time sitting, asking questions, being asked questions. Lots of soup questions (a reference to a really good movie).
Most of the time I would think my journey through music has been more like blazing a bit of a trail right next to the main path that’s always been tread. Instead, I’ve got that path in sight but I’m cutting a new course. The path and my new course have finally reached an intersection where the big time comes into play. So I’ve cut into that road and haven’t yet made it to the other side. Picture that intersection being really busy with cars, and other large vehicles wizzing by while you maintain balance to avoid becoming a stain on the hood of a moving object.
The return trip from the destination almost resulted in a major accident. It was nearly like reliving the bus accident from early last year. Cruising along in traffic. All of a sudden all the cars in the carpool lane are stopping. I had good distance but had to slam on the breaks. Cars are coming to a complete stop, my vehicle is still moving to fast and skidding on the pavement. Split decision time. I see the right side has a narrow opportunity if I lurch and the car slightly behind me reacts properly. Like a scene in a Jason Bourne movie, I go for the narrow window. I barely miss the stopped cars in the lane I was in, probably by a mere foot. Thankfully the driver in the lane I shot into reacted appropriately by dodging slightly to his right and likely missed me by maybe a couple of feet. Fortunately that lane was still flowing so I didn’t need to stop completely.
The passenger had to calm down. A few moments later they reacted by saying, I can’t believe you didn’t freak out. I mentioned, there’s no time to freak out when you have to make a decision as to what would be the lessor of two accidents. I had figured that if I had side-impacted someone squeezing to the right, the damage would have been less severe than rear-ending someone who nearly rear-ended the car in front of them. Not to mention it probably would have meant the car behind me smashing into me. There wasn’t room. I’m betting the car behind me in the car pool lane got just the stopping distance they needed to stop in time because I was no longer there. The thing I’m most happy about is that unlike a Jason Bourne scene, there wasn’t mass carnage and vehicular damage – just the amazing driving.
I found this song to be the most appropriate for the recount of yesterday. Metallica is a band that blazed their own trail. Much of what I know about them is that they built their brand the old fashioned way. They toured their ass off by going to where they were getting interest. They were smart – they blazed their own path just off to another side of the main road, until it became part of it.
The sentiment of wherever I may roam, quite literally is how I feel. Recently a friend had asked me about my “clique” in school. I replied that I was probably the rogue of the class. I had friends in almost all the cliques, the sporto’s, the cool’s, the smarties, the dweeb’s, the artso’s, etc… I wasn’t a Ferris Bueller type, but similar. She liken her experience to being in a bubble. Very few friends and mostly based on classes she was in. Funny that Metallica was much the same way, in a bubble until they exploded onto the scene and all very much without a lot of radio play or video. Good ol’ relentless touring. Now, you might see why I believe in getting on the road so much. It’s what separates the crop.
(** Disclaimer: If Metallica decides to go all Napster on my ass, I’ll have to push the audio into oncoming traffic to smash it off the server. The post will remain to remind me of the transition I’ve reached. **)