Maquinna's Poop du Jour

The Donut Manouevre

I spun out on the way to the gym yesterday. Nobody got hurt and nobody lost an eye, and the car is fine. It was sort of annoying, and embarrassing, though. I was being so careful - the roads were very slippery after the latest snowfall, but the car was doing quite well with the new snow tires on the front, and I was actually getting rather smug behind the wheel, driving along in perfect control without even the barest hint of a slip on the hills. Look at me, you peasants. I'm such a good driver. THIS is how it's done.

I crossed through this intersection at the bottom of a hill, where all these funky little businesses lean against one another as if for protection. There's the 'Moscow Nights' Deli - Craig always thinks that would be a great name for a nightclub - a used book and record store, the BYOB paint-your-own-pottery place, and one of my favourites, the Corner Grille pizza joint.

Wait a minute, I think, passing through the intersection. Why is there plywood over the windows at the Corner Grille? That's kind of odd. Did someone break in? Did the windows get smashed by accident? They couldn't possibly be going out of business...

Holy shit. The car is facing the Corner Grille head on. Compensate, woman. Ah, fuck, too much. Correct again, carefully. Uh oh, back end's slipping out on me, turn the wheel into the skid...oh, this isn't good...

And now the car is spinning a full 360 degrees. I look around, thankful no one's coming up the street the other way, and the traffic behind me is well back and can see exactly what's going on. They stop to enjoy the show while my car's performing unplanned pirouettes. Finally I stop, facing completely the wrong way. The car's stalled so I restart it, back it carefully towards the curb to make a three-point turn, correct my direction, and carry on towards the gym. Face beet red, and pissed at myself for losing my concentration.

Those of us who think we're hot shit are always just a nanosecond away from proving ourselves to be complete dorks.

posted by Maquinna @ 9:43 a.m.