Last night I got a little cocky as I was headed to pick up Mookie from the airport. I know how to get to 90 East from our place, and 90 East takes you to Logan. But it was rush hour and traffic along that familiar route was annoying. So I decided to try a new route. If you're from Boston and you're reading this, you're probably laughing. Fair enough.
I headed toward a different junction that I knew lead to 93 and at least one direction of 90. I wasn't positive that it lead to 90 East, but I believed I could figure it out as I went along. If it didn't lead to 90 East, I could probably figure out how to get to the airport from 93 South. Unless I was too far past the exit I needed, in which case I would need 93 North. Never mind - how hard can it be? I'll be able to wing it.
In the end I saved a few minutes getting to that junction versus the tried and true one, but paid the price in a forty minute detour thereafter.
The funny thing is, all week I've been watching Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. And I always get angry when the scientists or conservationists seem to have more confidence in themselves than I think man should ever have when dealing with sharks. Or anything involving nature, for that matter. Why would anyone think they are capable of predicting shark behavior? Standing or swimming in shark-infested water without protective gear is suicidal. Or, if the investigator is lacking in suicidal tendency, then just plain STUPID. It has little to do with instinct or intelligence - neither gives you ample understanding of the behaviors and whims of a prehistoric predator.
As I was in the car bemoaning my unexpected (and far more complicated than anticipated) detour, I couldn't help but recognize the comparison. Driving in Boston is a beast I will never truly be able to predict or control. Why take unnecessary chances? Stay on the boat and watch with the camera, lest you come out of the ordeal with fewer limbs.
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
0 comments:
Post a Comment