soapbox

So, I finally got my NH license this morning… I was actually kinda worried that it was going to be more of a hassle than it was, which is always a bonus. From the website I wasn’t sure if I had to take the written test so last night I read through the operators’ manual just in case. It’s actually a pretty decent piece of work, much better than some… however, this particular nugget jumped out at me:

Never coast down hills with the transmission in neutral or the clutch disengaged. It’s not only against the law, but could harm the engine, clutch and transmission. [from the bottom of p.67]

Umm, wtf? Reading further I found a list of infractions [pp.99-103]…
Worth one point against you include the following:
operating without vehicle registration available in the vehicle.
failing to obey inspection requirements.
failing to obtain a N.H. driver’s license.
2 points:
driving without proper registration.
operating a vehicle with an improper class of license.
failing to obey a police officer’s direction.
blah blah blah…
3 points:
disobeying any traffic control device.
following too closely.
driving on a sidewalk.
failing to obey stop and yield signs.
failing to signal a turn.
illegal backing.
obstructing the driver’s view (by persons, objects, etc.) Holly
opening and closing vehicle doors improperly.
coasting.
speeding at less than 25 MHP above the posted limit.
misuse of plates.
4 points:
driving without a license.
speeding at 25 MPH or more above the posted limit.
failing to drive on the right side of the road.
etc…

Ok, so coasting is only one point better than driving without a license, and is just as bad as speeding 24 Mph above the speed limit? good to know. yeah right.

I don’t know if any of the rest of y’all are interested, but for $5 (with Dartmouth ID), I know I’ll kick myself if I don’t go see Dr. John play on July 12th.

N’awlinz Piano Blues, Y’all

I’ll probably pick up my ticket tomorrow sometime, if not later this afternoon. If any of y’all are interested and want me to grab a ticket for you, just let me know.

In case anyone goes a-lookin’ for my iTunes library to listen to some choice Zydeco like the song currently playing, the new name is “Deep Fried”.

I dunno; seemed like a good name to me, and quite possibly way more descriptive than “Tim’s Music”.

Well, I dropped the folks (translation from colloquial Southern: my parents) off at the Manchester airport this morning, after helping them rearrange their flights, since Delta was so wise as to cancel their flight from Atlanta to Mobile later today on account of “anticipated bad weather”. Long story short, their 6:30 AM departure time got bumped up to 5:20 AM. Fortunately, we had already planned on staying down in Manchester last night to visit with some extended family and to facilitate catching the early flight.

Still, though, I’ve been up since 3:30 AM, so I’m definitely feeling it this late in the morning. At least I get to head home early, seein’ as how I got to my office at 6:30 this morning. As a safety precaution, I think I’ll avoid most power tools and very expensive equipment today, if I can help it.