Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Road Rage

Ok, so there we were, at hour 6 1/2 of what our GPS estimated would be a 9 hour drive from Washington DC back home - making excellent time, despite rain in New Jersey, a detour around the George Washington Bridge and two pit stops for food, fuel and calls of nature - great time, in fact, amazingly only three minutes behind schedule - when it happened.

A slow down.

In Connecticut.

Arrrgggghhh........

For an hour the time ticked digitally away in front of my face. The music on the radio didn't sound so good anymore. My stomach growled. And I obsessed about all the things I anticipated would be waiting for me when I got home - unpacking the car, racing to the kennel before it closed, listening to the 400 messages on the answering machine, figuring out where that mysterious smell was coming from, cooking dinner from who knows what would be left in the pantry...

Tick. Tick. Tick.

I just wanted to be home.

After another half hour of my life slipped away on the Connecticut coast, I doubled checked that I had the kennel's phone number on my cell.

What was the hold up! It was Sunday afternoon for crying out loud!

We were creeping past the junction of I95 and 395. What's on 395 I wondered?

I got out the map. Oh. Well there you go. Mohegan Sun casino was on 395.

But that's not what did it for me.

It was the sign. As we were passing the 395 exit, there was sign about half the size of a billboard which read,

"There is hope,
Make the call."

This was the same message we saw on bridges all along our road trip up and down the Eastern seaboard. But there was no bridge here. And the sign was much bigger.

It was a 'don't commit suicide' sign. At the end of casino road.

I scrambled to find the camera, hopelessly buried beneath boxes of animal crackers and Ritz Bitz, but the traffic had started moving and so I didn't have time to capture a photo for you. But I did find this picture of a much smaller version on the internet - it's on the Golden Gate Bridge where, apparently, people jump to their deaths all the time.

But who needs a bridge when your legislators are busy snapping on their speedos and swim caps, getting set to dive into the waters of expanded gambling??

Before they take us all along on their nose dive, maybe we should put something up like this at the Statehouse where the big guys can see it every day on their way to cafeteria and the restrooms. Because like the sign says:

THE CONSEQUENCES OF JUMPING FROM THIS BRIDGE ARE FATAL AND TRAGIC.


3 comments:

Carl said...

What would so many state elected & non-elected officials care? Their casino lobby buddies are their safety net. Always follow the money.

Numbers Nanny said...

Elected officials have only heard one side of the equation.
Time for some enlightenment?

Anonymous said...

Gladys, your interpretation of those signs is the bottom line meaning: DON'T DO IT! relating to casino's/slots are for all the right and just reasons.

How disturbing most of our state legislators just don't care about us state residents.

Casino's/slots for revenue, no. There have already been other ways to improve the state's revenue, movies, tourist trade, ect.. Come on lazy legislators, THINK! as casino's/slots cost the general public their wages, savings, ect..

So, I have to believe the (most)representatives of this state are the only ones that gain, (something?), by voting for class III.


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