A Lucky Day.

So, today is a nice warm sunny day, so I decide to head out to Lake Cachuma to see what its like, and hang out in the sun in nature for a while with some reading material, and eventually cash in the change jar I've been collecting for quite some time and see where it might take me at Chumash. Little did I know the day would be a lot more interesting than that.

I barely got off of 217 before the most scary thing that's happened to me in a while took place. I was parked at the red light in the left arrow lane to turn left onto Patterson from the 217 offramp that merges with the one from the 101. I randomly glance in my rear view and immediately notice a large car barrelling towards me at I'd estimate 50 mph. He was about 30 yards away at that point, and my mind went a million miles a minute, trying to find a rational way to escape the situation. I realize there was nowhere to go, and I just braced myself as best I could. The last thing I thought before he was upon me was "well, this sucks." By some miracle, he decides to swerve just before he hits me, and skids around me to the right, missing my car by less than 6 inches. I was still waiting for the impact after he was past. The next thing I saw and realized was that he was going through the red light without losing any speed. Right as he hit the intersection he started braking, I think realizing his error, or perhaps seeing the small SUV coming in from the left at about the same speed. They both floored the brake but it was too late, and he broadsided her doing at least 40 mph. Debris was sprayed all over the intersection, and both cars were basically totalled. Luckily for her he hit her on the passenger side and there was no one else in the car. After I'd pulled over and hopped out I ran over to see what I could do, and I noticed her passenger side window was right next to her head. She was basically in shock, but appeared to be uninjured short of some bruises. Her car was another story, the whole right side was just crushed in to the point that anything that was in the middle was sprayed all over the ground and intersection. He ended up a bit more shook up, I'm pretty sure he ended up with some sort of internal injury based on the way he was moving minimally after he was taken out of the car. Luckily they both had airbags, including those side impact ones, so that probably helped a great deal. After flagging down one of the witnesses who had a cell phone and pointing out this of all times was a good time to use it, I ended up helping direct traffic for about a half hour while paramedics and police were arriving at the scene. The whole intersection was just a mess of twisted metal and pieces of engine, amazingly enough my car was basically untouched.

So, a lot of it was based on luck, but apparently it was on my side.

I eventually made it onto 154, and am heading up into the mountains, when I get passed on the left in opposing traffic by a car moving at least 40 mph faster than me (theme of the day apparently). Luckily this one appeared to know what he was doing, and I soon noticed it was a jet black Lamborghini, only about 2 feet tall off the road it seemed. This was pretty cool, and made doubly cool when I noticed another car was passing me, this time a ruby red identical car. So I'm confused by now, and that's only doubled when two more pass by, silver and yellow. It was a convention or something. Eventually on the other side of the mountain I saw them all circled up in a turnaround, and then after I passed watched them pull out and go back from whence we came. Just cool to drive those cars through the mountains, or something.

So yeah, eventually I have a really peaceful time at the lake pondering life's questions, and then eventually head home a hundred bucks richer than I started. Luck carried over I suppose. Rereading that last paragraph again from down below. Guess it goes along with my whole theme for this journal. Searching for something, who knows who's in charge of deciding whether or not I'll find it, or whether anyone is really in charge at all.

Is there a time limit on life? Is the clock running? Anyone know where the pause button is? :) I'm in no hurry.